Club 80-90 Forums

I feel moved to put forward a different point of view. Whilst I can appreciate the craftsmanship & ingenuity that goes into the production of a fully fitted out bus, I fail to understand why!
When you've built one of these things you must surely find that you've actually got less living space than you started with. Rock'n roll beds are 3' wide. Now forgive me, but that's a single bed isn't it? O.k. if you're single but a nightmare & guaranteed to cause sleepless nights (and I mean that in the UNpleasant sense), if there are two of you.
My bus is basically a rolling bed. I used one of those 6' wide metal-framed sofas that fold out into a double bed. I cut it down to fit across the full width of the van & bolted it in. I now have a proper bed that's 6'6" long & 4'6" wide. Even with the bed folded out (yes it does still retain the mechanism & folds up into a sofa) there's still 3' of floor space for which I've made a folding table so that meals can be eaten sitting on the end of the bed. All my storage is under the end of the bed. Loads of room.
Why would you cook INSIDE a van & the idea of using a porta-loo inside a van is surely too awful to contemplate! Don't we all use campsites with facilities MOST of the time? Surely, if it's gonna pee down with rain we don't go do we? Also, with all that furniture in there, where on earth are you gonna put your stack of surfboards?
No offence intended to anybody. I just don't get it!
Brooky.

What is the point of having a van then?

Our 3/4 width bed is enough room for two of us to sleep more than comfortably, even both lying on our backs. My feet do not fall off the end and I'm 5ft 11

As for cooking outside? I've not yet been to a campsite with cooking facilites and tend to avoid the commercial campsites as I prefer the rustic charm and beauty of farm campsites. The warm satisfaction I get from cooking inside whilst it's peeing down is great, especially when you can chuckle at the tent people trying desperately to use their Trangia's in a force 3 hurricane

Surely, if it's gonna pee down with rain we don't go do we?

Contrare, who gives a damn what the weathers doing when you can sit in a warm van and drink to your hearts contents with some choons playing while you wait out the bad weather then head to the pub If we still want to walk God invented coats, boots and waterproofs.

As for living space we can easily fit 6 adults in the van for a JD/Bombay Sapphire session. And there is nothing better than making a late brew in the van on a cold evening

Brooky, have you ever spent time in a purpose built van? By the tone of your post not

Cold beer, no hunchback (pops and highs), windows, no condensation. She'n'me - 32stone combined, 3/4 r'n'r no problem. Many sites discourage the mattress in a van approach, certainly a lot of festivals require "purpose built" vans to qualify for camping. Oh and I love it

PS for the sake of a peaceful life, most of the 32 stone is me

theres nothing better than having everything self contained and to hand in your van. in bad weather you can just lock yourself away with brew/beer watchin telly in bed

ahh bliss

PPS Just been "reliably" informed that my previous post should read 28 stone.

No flowers, donations to your local Hit on the head with a shovel charity

what a confusing post, how wierd!

No most of us dont just spend a couple of weeks a year on commercial sites, we camp all year round, self contained, safe and fully equiped, central heating, running water and electric, on sites , or not on sites - the whole point is we can stop anywhere we want ( within legal reason) and feed, water ans sleep in comfort...... the idea of no cooking or loo is absolutely weird!

Next you will be telling us you use plastic knifes and forks?

Yes i sleep in a kingsize bed when i'm not in the van, i'm a fat bloke an no mistake, but we have plenty of room, and i sleep better in my van than i do the house.

Brooky wrote:meals can be eaten sitting on the end of the bed.

you eat on your bed, yet have a problem with cooking in the van. What the blithering heck?

Surely, if it's gonna pee down with rain we don't go do we?

Never been caught out by a change in weather on a 2 week holiday?

I do agree that a lot of vans have too much in the way of storage tbh, personally i think that wardrobes with hanging space etc are a bit OTT. Who needs an uncreased shirt on holiday?

wardrobes are for storing ya quilt and blankets in aint they?
well mine is....

Brooky wrote: Rock'n roll beds are 3' wide. Now forgive me, but that's a single bed isn't it?

You had me worried there, thought I'd turned into a sardine, so out into the van with tape measure in hand. Our 3/4 bed is 3'8" wide - phew! Loads of room! You'll be telling us next that 8" doesn't make much difference and maybe bragging about your 4'6"!

Joking aside though, we're not all fair weather campers!!

Whoaa! Hang on guys. I'm not aiming to criticise, only understand.
When we go out for a weekend away in my bus of course we cook. There's nowt better than a full scale fry-up in the open air. I have a two ring camping stove and one of those double width rectangular frying pans from JK, but I'm not sure I'd like to use it inside the van. Fat splattered everywhere & the smell would get in everything. If it's raining I'll sling a tarp over the van, hooked to the other side wheelarches & supported with two tentpoles at the front. Then we'll eat in the van.
I've got a secondary light in the van for general lighting at night & nothing else that's extraneous. Course I don't use plastic cutlery. Why would you in a van? Proper crockery for me. I wouldn't mind an electric coolbox & I wouldn't mind a small telly or DVD. I'll get round to it one day but I'm not having a wardrobe or cupboards.....or a toilet.
Less is more.
Brooky.

Wardrobes are for hiding your torroidal LPG tank. We still have a small amount of hanging space as wifey likes a nice skirt sometimes.
Our camper is used all year round and we don't surf but we do sometimes entertain visitors or visit friends who live far away but have limited accomodation. We can arrive looking like we just came from home and not like we were delivered by Parcel Force.

I suggest you borrow a Westy and go away for a couple of weeks, stay away from 'proper' campsites.

I'm sure you'll change your mind.

Well Lee,
Perhaps you're right but I doubt it. It's just me I guess. I love my van. It's been the best vehicle (possibly the best THING) I've ever owned, but it has to perform a lot of tasks. It's my everyday car & frequently carries loads of stuff to the tip. It's been piled to the roof with tree trimmings one day & off to the coast the next. I couldn't do that with a Westy or a Devon or a Holdsworth or anything else that's got built-in stuff.
Surely, going away in a bus is just camping with a metal tent isn't it? Don't we go off camping to experience something a bit different to home-from-home? If we've got a do to go to while we're away we'll take good clothes, on hangers, hanging from the grab handles in the back of the bus.
I don't need a wardrobe for that.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Brooky.