Staying small

Pauljenny said:
But we can all guess what you were thinking, as you typed, Tez.
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I love Carol, I was just thinking if she wanted to try a bigger one before buying her own then she could try mine, I wanted it to sound as I meant it so that she didn't get the wrong idea
 
Tezza33 said:
I love Carol, I was just thinking if she wanted to try a bigger one before buying her own then she could try mine, I wanted it to sound as I meant it so that she didn't get the wrong idea
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Haha, you crack me up! :lol-053::lol-053::lol-053:
 
Me too small is the way to go🤪Think I’ve got shallow hal syndrome I think I’m an athlete until I see my reflection in a shop window Then the penny drops I’m a sumo weightlifter.
 
carol said:
Everyone around me seems to be upsizing! Has anyone started small and stayed small? Or is it just ickle me? And yes, I'm talking vans! :wave:
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Many years ago I had a Ford Thames van with 3 speed column change. Got a VW Type 2 Danbury after a break from camping due to Marriage. Got rid of that in 1990 and didn't replace it. Then bought a 2002 Hijet Romahome 3 years ago and still have it. Don't have any real urge to replace it but just might if another petrol van came along, - a cheap Autosleeper legend type van.
 
We’ve gone down from two 9m a class’s to a 6.4m PVC. Still early days but I may have gone a step to small but the jury still out. I would not go back to a tri axle 9m van.
 
DocMartin said:
Many years ago I had a Ford Thames van with 3 speed column change. Got a VW Type 2 Danbury after a break from camping due to Marriage. Got rid of that in 1990 and didn't replace it. Then bought a 2002 Hijet Romahome 3 years ago and still have it. Don't have any real urge to replace it but just might if another petrol van came along, - a cheap Autosleeper legend type van.
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Ours will be cheap - when we get round to parting with it when we 'upsize', that is ;)

Ah, but... just realised you said PETROL, ours is diesel :(

CamperPainted3.jpg
 
its all down to personal choice...

daughter and boyfriend did a month last summer in a peugeot 306 hatchback back, seats lift out to give a bit moor sleeping space.... got to lands end and john o groats. did have a roof box on top... took a tent but didnt use it.


wife and i do occasional weekends in a lwb transit panel van... big enough to chuck a proper double mattress in.along with a gas hob and porta potti, what more do you actually need? just in the p[rocess of changing to an iveco daily .... bit longer , 12 foot floor length in the back and i can stand upright in it. bit long for urban car parks though.
 
ricc said:
its all down to personal choice...

daughter and boyfriend did a month last summer in a peugeot 306 hatchback back, seats lift out to give a bit moor sleeping space.... got to lands end and john o groats. did have a roof box on top... took a tent but didnt use it.


wife and i do occasional weekends in a lwb transit panel van... big enough to chuck a proper double mattress in.along with a gas hob and porta potti, what more do you actually need? just in the p[rocess of changing to an iveco daily .... bit longer , 12 foot floor length in the back and i can stand upright in it. bit long for urban car parks though.
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I think it's easier for young people to "slum it" ... as you get older you need more stretching and less bending, although I'm always on my knees getting stuff out of the cupboards. I consider being in my van as a bit of a workout!
 
Carol think we have experimented with every size van there is :rolleyes2:
Going back to a smaller van will take some getting used to but I'm looking forward to it.
Smaller vans seem so much cosier to me and there is something really 'hippie' about having a camper. I am looking forward to getting to see places that I may not be able to get to if we had the bigger motorhome....
My favourite van had to be my 20 year old Renault Traffic ..I loved it but I did want an added luxury of a shower.
 
carol said:
I think it's easier for young people to "slum it" ... as you get older you need more stretching and less bending, although I'm always on my knees getting stuff out of the cupboards. I consider being in my van as a bit of a workout!
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There's an element of this in our choice of MH as well. We started off camping, then in the 1990s an old VW camper, progressed through a couple of caravans, a trailer tent, self-build VW T5, then a couple of coachbuilt MHs. I think once you've had the luxury of a proper onboard bathroom, it would be very difficult to go back.

We don't have a MH at the moment, we sold our last one to fund renovations on the cottage, but I've been toying with the idea of another self build recently, but something a decent size. I'm quite keen on the VW Bluebird minibus based on the T5 with a coachbuilt body, 7.6m long with 16ft load space in the back. What a cracking base vehicle for a conversion!
VW T5 Bluebird.jpg

The thing is we have a narrow, 200m long private lane to our cottage. I don't think anything larger than a PVC would fit. When we moved here the house wasn't habitable so we brought a caravan with us and lived in that for the first few months. Managed to navigate it up the lane with a couple of inches to spare either side. I might struggle with even one of the wider PVCs like the Ducato, so might be forced to think Crafter/Sprinter XLWB. Or I could dismantle 200 metres of stone wall, excavate the embankment and rebuild the wall further back!

Here's the drive looking down at the house from the top of the hill, half way to the public road. I've tidied it up a lot since the pic, cleared the brambles and planted some fruit trees, but as you can see it's quite narrow.

Corraige.JPG
 
Hi,

We are on our third Murvi Morello in 20 years, its 6m long.

We find it plenty big enough for all our needs and even when visiting family in Italy and taking the stocks they require.

English teabags,biscuits,chocolates, cheeses etc etc etc we never use up the storage areas,which is probably part of our happiness.

People carry to much absolutely necessary useless junk around with them, in my notsohumbleopinion.

We once saw a a 28 ft american van at the York show many years ago complete with false floor and 3 top boxes.

Apart from people smuggling I cannot think of a single other reason why this individual needed a top box - but no doubt I will be told.

Dezi
 
carol said:
I think it's easier for young people to "slum it" ... as you get older you need more stretching and less bending, although I'm always on my knees getting stuff out of the cupboards. I consider being in my van as a bit of a workout!
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I know what you mean. Although I bet I do more bending than you! My biggest bugbear is the bed. Also, Reg always tries to get his head in the fridge when I open it - why does it have to be on the floor?

The difficulty is that there aren't many vans about that are PVCs and under 6 metres now - most manufacturers seem to be building on extra long wheel base ones, and they don't go in car park spaces very easily.
 
The trouble with commercially built small vans is that a lot of manufacturers cram too much stuff in, in the belief that unused space is wasted space. So much so that the accommodation feels cramped and claustrophobic.
 
carol said:
Everyone around me seems to be upsizing! Has anyone started small and stayed small? Or is it just ickle me? And yes, I'm talking vans! :wave:
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I did a lot of thinking and measuring before settling on the Dispatch that I have; and there is no foreseable reason for me to change.
It is inconspicuous, agile, frugal, and of an age and condition such that I can take it on agricultural tracks and into quarries without worrying about a few knocks and scratches.

Regards,
Martlet.
 
I and family (2 daughters + Mrs) had a VW Dormobile for 30 years. Coped fine even with a pathetic 1600 cc engine - although I admit to expanding into an annex tent later on. I now me and Mrs have a Berlingo based Romahome Duo with a 2 litre turbo diesel engine - which is superb. Unfortunately it will likely have to "go" before long as my cancer gets worse. I really hardly drive these days because often the effects of the mophine make that unsafe. Once chemo has finished end June we are hoping to use the Roma for a few days/ weekends away

Snod
 
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