camper vans

[drsorento]

Just wondering if there are any ex camper vanners on here, do camper vans suffer damp / water ingress more or less than caravans or not at all ?

 

[TD42]

camper vans & motor homes converted from commercial vans such as the Mercedes sprinter suffer very little from damp ingress,but motor home's as A class which are built on a bare chassis do certainly suffer from damp & water ingress although I,m not sure if its to the same extent as caravans

 

[philspot1]

As TD42 says, a conversion from a panel van usually involves only cutting the roof off and replacing with a Plasic/ glass resin Hi-top. The overall stiffness of the body is not compromised, and there is a relatively simple, strong joint which is sealed thoroughly. Hi-top vans don't usually rattle inside.
Coachbuilt vans tend to be more like a caravan built on a van chassis - more joints, and relatively weaker vertical sides, but still inherently stronger than (most) caravans. They have more usable inside space (no curved/sloping walls), but are generally less strong than your basic panel van. In the past, rattles have been noted. They also tend to have more in the way of roof vents (another area of potential leaks).

PS We tow a Lunar with our VW Hi-top

 

[drsorento]

philspot, is your vw hi top a camper van ?

 

[philspot1]

Depends what is understood by "campervan". The Autosleepers Topaz is a VW long wheelbase van with a higher roof fitted, to give standing height from behind the front seats to the rear of the vehicle. You can stand at the cooker and sink, and there is a "washroom" at the back with drop-down basin,cassette toilet and shower (but this washroom is smaller than our caravan's washroom, and that's not large!!) Some people limit "campervans "to fixed roof vans (do eveything sitting down), or those with lifting roofs. Technically, all these, plus giant Winnebagos, etc., are "Motor Caravans".
Google "Autosleepers" for their range of Motor vans; ours is the earlier model(2003) Topaz, but the layout is practically identical.

 

[drsorento]

Ok cheers for that, my next question is how do you get on at sites do you have to pay double as you have a campervan and caravan.
The reason I am asking, is we have a caravan (6 berth) but next year we are thinking of buying a campervan to tow it with as we will a party of 9.

 

[TD42]

If you are occupying 1 pitch then the cost should be for the pitch + 9 people + uhu,But every campsite owner has the right to define their own pricing format. some allow an awning ,& a small pup tent,but some charge extra for them. IMO it would be best to ask before you arrive on site

 

[DavidO]

We had an outfit like this on or cl recently, Say we had 4 outfits like these ie campervan plus caravan would we then have 8 outfits on site?? and would our next caravan arrival report us to the CC. Food for thought .

 

[philspot1]

Technically, I believe we are using only one "habitation unit" -(there's just the two of us, and we use only the caravan facilities on site, but use the motor van as a "day van" when out and about. - we found the Topaz a little TOO little for travelling AND sleeping in).
Most CC and C&cc site wardens accept this with no problem; We don't cook, wash or sleep in the VW on site, just as those holidaymakers with pup tents for the children don't expect to pay for two pitches when they all fit on one pitch! So the VW is just a rather over-the -top towcar when parked next to the caravan.
We did have a problem with one CC warden, who insisted we park in the visitors' area (but that was right next to our caravan, anyway!) And on another CC site, we had to take the gas bottles out of the VW and store them UNDER the CARAVAN for Health & Safety reasons!!!!. The official CC HQ response is that we have 2 "habitation units", which cannot go on one pitch, so we should remove the gas (from a secure, vented locker!), or park other than on the caravan pitch. I'm pleased to say that 99% of wardens don't know, or ignore, this advice/rule, and the official C&CC reply to my query agrees exactly with what I believe. So they must be right!
Seriously, if you do go down the Motor van + caravan road, it's probably worth phoning any site before travelling, to check what rules they want to go by. Most of those I have asked have been amazed that I should even have raised the question, though.