Club 80-90 Forums

OK then. So now I have a T25 high-top camper. The living space is surprisingly roomy BUT...you still need to be quite inventive about how you use it to it's best advantage. Especially with a couple of kids onboard, I imagine.
There are only two of us and a dog using the van, but I would be interested to know what ingenious ideas people have found or made to save space and time while out in your campers.

I am only asking so I can nick some of the good ones.

Jane

If you don't have them already - revolving front seats. They make the interior seem so much more spacious.

I would like them, but I have the interior with the cupboard behind the passenger seat.

drive away awning and/or trailer.

I have an awning, although not used it yet.

A nice lighweight trailer may be on the cards Especially for longer trips.

A high top Everything's in the right place all the time, so we don't have to sit amongst our bedding or luggage whilst travelling.

Silky

A bi annual clearout .... its amazing how much crap you bring into the van and use once. Those vacuum bags you roll instead of getting the air out with a Hoover are good for bedding. Whatever clothes you pack...leave your undies in but take out half the clothes, you won't miss them.

Its all common sense really - I have to be strict as my van is a tin top but we manage to fit stuff for 2 adults and a vain teenager in and travel 'clean' (I hate having stuff all over the van when I'm driving)

We use the collapsible plastic crates for storing pans, plates, cups etc and non-perishable foodstuff sabove the front seats in the hi-top

Drive away kids - it creates loads of extra space.

High top - so much more storage.

Slam

Pop up tent as a "shed" in which to put all large/wet/outdoor stuff.
Anything in the boot should be in large containers so they can be removed easily (and used as seats outdoors).
Duvets in the underbed locker help reduce engine noise.
Two types of food - wanted on voyage or not. The latter can be put away at the back of the cupboard. Lakeland tubs with handles avoids too much scrabbling about.
Tea/coffee making stuff handy - keep the kettle in the sink.
Completely agree about number of clothes - one set of warm stuff and maybe a spare if it is going to be wet.
We have ikea sleeping bags which zip up into cushions.
Consider changing the fridge for a powered cool box. I haven't done this but it wold give you another large cupboard and the new cool boxes are meant to be good.
Quick drying towels - from decathlon.
Folding silicone cookware eg colanders.

Hope that gives you a start.

Some good ideas there. Thank you.

I have been looking at folding stuff. Dog bowls too.

I would like a nice sun canopy too, for short breaks, but I want one with sides, so it is a rain protector too......can't be too careful with the weather these days, but I can only find one type and not sure if it will fit the van.

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It should just fit, I think. It will take up much less space in the van than the larger awning we have.

Collapsible buckets are great cos you can put stuff in them when you are on the move or squash them down flat if you wish, They weigh next to nothing too. I,ve found so many uses for them and they are cheap. from Towsure etc. at around £2.99 each

A couple of friends of mine who cycled to China said that they were the single most useful thing that they took along with them. (after the bike of course)

Best ingenious idea i ever got handed down to me was; lift the stoppers on the back of the runners on the chair, that way you can slide the passenger chair off away from the windscreen then slide it back on the "wrong" way round. This in effect is a manual revolving seat, we did this for about 2 years, then we bought a spinny seat base - good tip to tide you over while you raise the £90 tho!

Dump the fridge (which spends far more of the year not being used) and use powdered milk etc - or swap it for a type that can be removed easily when not needed. Don't buy anything that doesn't have at least two uses. All of this comes under my 'travel as light as possible' to keep fuel consumption down. Also if you stacked all the cupboard boards and doors one on top of another, you'd be amazed how much space they actually take up before you get anything in (particularly Westys). Rethink the layout so its not using chunky boards where simply not needed. Whilst the campers generally regarded to be in the better range can look nice, they weigh another half a ton. Other ways you can do it (if you have garage space) is to make lightweight units that you can quickly bolt/unbolt according to what you need for that particular event/holiday etc rather than carting around heaps of stuff you're not using for most of the year or don't need on that occasion.

I should point out, I've never solved all of the above but the train of thought helps Maximising space does kind of go with the weight issue and fuel consumption so its worth looking at things afresh.

P.S. was playing with one of those packaway cycle racks that just clamps on to the towball. Amazingly, it can stand my 18 stone hanging off it (as I illustrated to MercDoctor in the week) and we decided it might be put to better use if it doubled up as a table by the rear hatch for external alfresco cooking. Will post up a pic when we've figured it out



It would be ideal in the summer for days out when I don't want to cart the entire kitchen unit with me.

Thanks for the ideas so far, people.

Sorry Covkid...the fridge is staying

I have found an idea I am quite happy with and wanted to share...
I am a veggie, but hubby isn't. We like barbeques and have always had seperate barbies, which is not a problem at home, or even in the caravan, but they take up too much room in Charlie even when we have smallish bucket barbies which can share the same bag. The coal takes up space too. As in this pic....



...and there are only a couple of charcoal pebbles left in that bag!

I bought a spare gas bottle off ebay and it came with a burner, so I bought a couple of grill plates to go on top. And so, hey presto, we have clean (I hate mucky barbies in the van!), outdoor cooking that takes up much less space. The two grill plates fit in the same box (and they cost under £8 for the 2!). As in this pic....



Sorted