Are you a winter or summer campervaner ?

L

Lotuscamper

H&S Manager
T6 Pro
After a few odd nights away in our camper in the last few months I personally found the experience not too great notably I was cold
I am generally warmer type of person ie I like the house thermostat set at 20c but my wife a colder liking and prefers 16c
Long and short I wonder if most folk on this forum use their campers in spring /summer months than winter times ?
We have the 10 tog duvalays and diesel heater which my wife runs for time but turns it off as she gets too warm ?
 
We're strictly fair-weather campers - mid-spring thru mid-autumn is our window for overnight stays in the van (and, even then, only when the weather is forecast to be predominantly dry). Under a 10-tog duvet, I prefer 14C, but the missus prefers 18-20C. I suspect this is the usual way around, as women tend to be nesh compared to blokes.
 
I don’t use mine in the winter either.
It’s just not fun in the cold. You end up spending more time in the van with heater on than going out and about.
I’m used to the cold and work out in it but think it takes a lot of the fun out of camping for me.
I would rather be in a cosy house during the cold months.
 
Just like @Bav, we are also fair weather campers, from the start of April to the end of September.

We use a Vango Serenity Superwarm double sleeping bag in the colder months and it is toasty. We also have a Webasto Diesel heater. We are never cold.

In the summer we have a Vango Borealis sleeping bag.
 
An EHU and a simple low power electric radiator makes it much cosier in our van. Of course that only works when you can get hooked up somewhere.
I also made a curtain for the end of the top bed which we can lower and make a smaller volume to heat at night.
To be honest the van feels pretty warm when I have been surfing during the day in the Scottish winter!
 
I am relieved that I am not only one as I thought all you VW campers were hardy bunch and I am a snowflake !
I don’t want to have a downer on the ownership of van I must also stress that last few weeks both my wife and me have had Covid and been unwell
I just hope as weather picks up the van adventures improve I am sure they will ?
 
We use our van all year round. I fitted a diesel heater for winter and awnings on both sides for summer as it helps shade the van from the sun to stop the interior getting too hot and running the fridge more.
The fact I'm in Australia with milder weather certainly makes all year round use easier.
 
Bav said:
We still do daytrips in the winter, just not overnight stays. Again, we shy away from the rain rather than the cold, though, TBF, we're not up in Dundee unlike @The Flying Scotsman.
Click to expand...
It’s been either freezing or hammering down for bloody months up here.
Last trip we did in the van was shell bay in the east neuk of Fife in October. Beautiful wee site right on the beach and on a lovely bit coastline.
It was dry but the wind picked up and it was bitter. We ended up not being able to bear going out the van. Talking the dogs for a pee or nipping out for a smoke was a real chore. Ended up hiding in a bin recess just to have a fag
:slow rofl:
We booked for a week and lasted 4 days.
 
AussieMick said:
We use our van all year round. I fitted a diesel heater for winter and awnings on both sides for summer as it helps shade the van from the sun to stop the interior getting too hot and running the fridge more.
The fact I'm in Australia with milder weather certainly makes all year round use easier.
Click to expand...
Nobody likes a smart arse Mick
:slow rofl::p
 
The Flying Scotsman said:
It’s been either freezing or hammering down for bloody months up here.
Last trip we did in the van was shell bay in the east neuk of Fife in October. Beautiful wee site right on the beach and on a lovely bit coastline.
It was dry but the wind picked up and it was bitter. We ended up not being able to bear going out the van. Talking the dogs for a pee or nipping out for a smoke was a real chore. Ended up hiding in a bin recess just to have a fag
:slow rofl:
We booked for a week and lasted 4 days.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: I expected better from a hardened Angus gadge.
 
We don’t have a heater or owt but we’ve done some country pub car park camps on the Ovano including Halloween, one in November, and New Years Eve, toasty in the van with a duvet and a blanket, and a beer overcoat, obviously. Got down to freezing overnight on a couple of them.
 
We use ours all year round, although winter tends to be quick one (or very occasionally two) nighters. Preferably within staggering distance of a nice cosy pub with good beer. Sometimes we will be in a quiet campsite with facilities or we’ll go for a Britstops/Park4night location. We don’t really care what the weather is doing as the van is dry and cozy once we settle in for the night. If the forecast is wet we would look for somewhere with facilities for anything more than a single night otherwise it becomes difficult to dry anything out.

IMG_4203.jpeg
 
Last edited:
All year round.
Well I say that but I only got my van in Oct and then the camping fit-out was only completed in early Dec so I’ve only been able to do winter so far! But she’s well insulated (not too much glass - not even a rear window in tailgate) and with a heater.
First shakedown trip was to Pitlochry and then a wonderful weekend down in Keswick a few weeks ago: fish and chips and a drink in a pub on Fri night and then a pub stop dinner on Sat night. Both evenings about -2 deg. in freezing fog!
And up Skiddaw on Sat:
_DSC3764.jpeg
 
We have the insulation covers on the front windscreen and windows and just ordered the pop top insulation cover
We have not slept in the pop top yet and I don’t think I could until the high summer ?
I know our Camperking is not well insulated like others but at 3-5am you certainly can feel the cold on your face which is exposed ?
 
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