Kids and Campers

[Llamapup]

Hello

I'm looking to purchase my first campervan and was wondering what it would be like to move young kids around in one of them.

Do you need to have 3-point seatbelts to fit child seats?

Are there any other child safety or practicality issues to consider when selecting different varieties of 25 campers?

Thanks

Llamapup

[Tells1983]

You'll find most are fitted with seat belts in the back, i've got four in the back and two up front so just ask the seller but you can get them fitted. Also I would go with a high top.. Safer and warmer..

[willard]

I bought a high top camper back in May this year and have 2 kids (6 & 3) who love it. There is ample space for them to share THE high top double bed.
There were no 3 point belts in the rear when I bought it so I got a couple of sets from JustKampers and put them in myself. If the kids are not on booster seats - when probably just a lap belt would be okay - then I would recommend putting in the belts for your own sake.
On a previous thread someone mentioned that it is not a legal requirement to have rear belts in a camper - don't know if this is true or not.
One note of caution, you need to make sure that the seat/ rock and roll bed has firm foam installed and is secured to the frame because if you corner sharpish then the kids seats fall over sideways which they did seem to think was funny unless they were asleep; if the faom isn't secured and you emegency stop the foam can slide off the base and "pull" the kid seats with it.
Well worth getting a camper with kids. The high top is there bedroom and they think its just an excellent playground - you can fit 4 under 6's in the boot space to play during a wet summer day on a camp site while the parents drink. For the first couple of months they used to play out in it of an evening when I got home from work!!

[jed the spread]

www.freewebs.com/ababyonboard

jed

[Llamapup]

Tells183 and Willard.

Thanks both of you for your replys. Your comments about high top campers and seat belt fitting are noted. Are there pre-existing anchor points for fitting seatbelts or is there drilling involved? I ask this because I was surprised to find that my 1974 Triumph Dolomite had threaded anchor points packed with grease making fitting lapbelts a snap.

Jed

Thanks for your your weblink. I've had a quick scan of your adventures and it sounds like you have had some good fun in your camper. I have a 7 month old son and we are planning at least one more baby at some point in the near future. So my choice of camper may take me down a simmilar route to yours.

Given that you seem to have tried the baby and camper combo, can you tell me what you did with your child seat? Did you need to have 3 point belts installed to fit your seat to your car or was a lapbelt good enough? Any particular tips for getting a child seat secure in a camper?

I notice from the pictures on your website that your camper was in pop top form and than later in high top form. Did you decide that you needed more storage space?

Thanks

Llama

[jed the spread]

We use our van all year round not just the warmer months so the high top means we can all sleep in it without being cold. The extra room is a right bonus too but with a pop top when a good bit of wind is up they do flap about a bit. With the ebber fitted we all can sleep in t shirts even when it has been below -6 outside. The seat belts that are fitted are the original ones from when it was a caravelle before i converted it. You can get these second hand. They have two kinds for the early and later buses.

Now is a good time to get a van as there are some right bargains about, and as far as family life you just cant knock them. Dunno what we would have done without ours, probably would have sat indoors for the last 3 years watching telly

what are you after? what are you thinking of spending?

jed

[Llamapup]

Jed

I have limited mechanical experience so I'm after a T25 campervan that's in the best possible condition for my budget of about £9,000. Ideally I would like a late model water-cooled 1.6 turbo diesel with a really nice camper interior, heater, swivel seats etc. A five speed gearbox would be good.

I like the look of the square headlamp pop-top Westies, but I'm starting to think that a hightop might not be such a bad idea. I would like a RHD camper, but I gather that they are not very common in Westphalia conversion.

I like the look of yours with those nice wheels. And LPG sounds like a good idea as well. Not sure if my budget would stretch to all that.

Thanks

Chris

[willard]

llamapup, I can't remeber the age/ weight change-over for childrens seats (rear facing to forward facing) but I would personally want them in 3 point belts, which is what I fitted. My high top is a converted panel van and I fitted the belt roller unit under the rock and roll bed, fed the belt over the back of the seat and then down the join in the back of the seat and the roller and end fastener bolt through a single hole. The receiver then positioned to suit, bolted to THE floor/ engine riser about 12-18 inches away. There were no fitting points on the van so I drilled the holes and used the strengthening plates that you can get from JK. The drilling of the floor pan is easy - just stay clear of any mechanicals underneath. There are marked points on the riser over the engine that have flat spots to accommodate the mounting points, otherwise its a case of fitting between the corrugations in the pan.
The belt kit(s) you need are the ones that work at any angle - unlike the front seat units which only work in the vertical position. If you e-mail JK they will advise on the product number etc, but they cannot advise on the fitting -- for - legal reasons.
A young child (under 9 months) in a rear facing seat is best in the front passenger seat, but can progress to the rear when the next stage seat is used. Personally I would still want 3 point belts for the additional safety though.
Hope that this helps.

[jed the spread]

If i were you, (im not so ignore me if you want ) i would shy away from a diesel and get a 2.1 petrol and get it lpg'd at gasure. this way you get loads of miles for your money and bags of power and a motorway cruzing speed of 70+ if you want it. Loads of us run vans on gas but to be honest the way petrol is falling in relation to diesel its getting cheaper to run them anyway. I dot think you will get a westy with RHD but to be honest you get used to driving a left hooker really quickly. I have a LHD syncro 2.1 doka i use for work and i much prefer driving that than my RHD camper.

I know were there is a really nice westy for sale, a mate of mine is selling it and it has really added luxury's like full air con, ebberspacher, electric mirrors, central locking captains seats the works. Its a vanagon, this means it was imported from America and shows no rust at all. If i had the money i would be well tempted.

just thought i would give you a heads up

its even the right colour

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum ... 867#216867

jed

[Alice]

Hi Llamapup,
I bought my camper a few months ago and myself and my 2 boys (four and eight) love it sooo much. We have 2 3 point belts and one lap one, which I use with Britax Eclipse Si which you can use with a lap belt.
Campers and kids go really well, my parents had bays for years and we had the best holidays of all our friends, despite having the least money.
We have a pop top cos the van is our everyday drive and we have to get in car parks and stuff in town. The boys sleep up top and love it. I was worried they would fall out but they sleep right up the other end and so we ditched the bed guard after one trip. You can fit a hammock too in the front (there's a good thread on here somewhere about that).
It's a devon conversion and has tonnes of storage and a table up front so the kids can eat, play games and draw if it's wet, without needing the big table out, which kind of gets in the way.
Good luck in your search, you should get something pretty tasty with your budget.
Alice.

[Vanagonman]

If i were you, (im not so ignore me if you want ) i would shy away from a diesel and get a 2.1 petrol and get it lpg'd at gasure. this way you get loads of miles for your money and bags of power and a motorway cruising speed of 70+ if you want it. Loads of us run vans on gas but to be honest the way petrol is falling in relation to diesel its getting cheaper to run them anyway.

I respectfully disagree. I would get a turbodiesel. More reliable & durable especially in the cooling department, while not as quick, it does much better fuel economy.

You bring up LPG - well, the tank takes up space, is expensive to convert, and then you're looking for filling stations. If you make the argument that it's cheaper than diesel, then I can make the argument that recycled chip fat oil (which is free) is cheaper still and can run with minor modifications in any diesel VW camper.

Personally, especially due to cooling/headgasket issues, I would advise against the 1.9/2.1 petrol models.

[jamesc76]

If you make the argument that it's cheaper than diesel, then I can make the argument that recycled chip fat oil (which is free) is cheaper still and can run with minor modifications in any diesel VW camper.

Personally, especially due to cooling/headgasket issues, I would advise against the 1.9/2.1 petrol models.

Sorry but for the amount of 1.9 and 2.1's out there you cant quote head gasket issues i know more people with problems with dervs than petrol's, and have you used old manky chips fat oil and seen how long it takes and the set up you need!!!!!!! To throw a spanner in the works i have a 2.2 subaru running on petrol and i get 27mpg round town and 30+on long runs so it works out even cheaper than most!!!!

[Bob in Derby]

Hi Llamapup

We've got 18month old twin boys and they love the van! Makes life dead easy even if you are just out for the day - although it can be a tad stressful at times when you are in deepest Wales inthe rain and all you can see are two pairs of legs crawling out of the awning... Got another on the way next March so not entirely sure how we're going to work that as we're running out of indoor sleeping options (I can already guess who is going to end up in the awning!)

Seat / belt wise, we've got seats that you can use with 3 point or lap belt (and local kid seat safety centre seemed to think they were safe enough) so ours are on the back seat with the original lap belts - though when they were in their babba seats we had them in the front passenger and rear facing Westy buddy seat (with 3 point conversion)... and that's where the new little un will end up for a while. Imagine we'll get 3 point belts fitted as the boys get bigger and need booster seats...

We've got LHD Westy California high top - as Jed says, you soon get used to driving LHD - and I find I prefer it (took the van in to work today in the ice instead of the car just cos it's great...) - for me there is an element of LHDriving that makes you think about things a tad more carefully which isn't a bad thing (for me anyway ) - in the same way I always loved driving RHD vehicles on Euro roads...

So - a hefty dollop of cash to play with... spend wisely and soak up what the good folks on here have to say (I find I keep my mouth shut and my ears and eyes open as I'm a bit new to the scene, but then make up for it with occassional long rambling posts!) as there is masses of help and experience available. I'm not getting into any fuel debate - ours is 1.6TD but if I'd got a petrol I'd be LPGing it given the chance... each to their own I s'pose.

Enjoy! Bob

[Llamapup]

Thanks All

Some really handy tips. Bob your feedback on fitting child seats is particulary helpful.

I've got my eye on a 1.6td poptop Westy. I was torn by the high top vs pop top option. As this will be a second car that I will use several time a week I decided to go for the poptop in the end. I may need to upgrade to a hightop at some point.

Thanks

Chris

[ricicles]

deffo do it. whatever van you buy you can have seatbelts fitted to suit your requirments. i have had my camper for nearly six years now and 3 kids and myself have covered huge amounts of europe in it. we all have great memories of these holidays and look forward to more. the kids and i lived in the van for five weeks in france one summer holiday. we spent our time walking , cycling swiming in the sea and trekking around the alps. your van will replace package holidays and you can use it for days out and weekends away. everything you need can be packed away in your camper. you can also use it to transport furniture and other bulky items. why everybody has not got one i do not know