Camper King

[RichDavies82]

looks like I made the right decision with the night heater option and the window cracked for fresh air
anything will be warmer than the good old bay anyway

I’ve had my KC conversion for just over a year now and have been chuffed to bits with it. Every time I go outside, I see it and smile.

 

[Spaghetti]

I found that 12 degrees on the Webasto is enough to keep us toasty all night. That’s no insulation, pop top up with 2 kids up there, no pop top wrap and the windows cracked open a couple of CM. Once the heater has calmed down it just ticks over nicely.

 

[Buzby]

I have to admit it’s going to be hard to sell the bay but the T6 makes life a lot more comfortable, I’m going to be staying in it one night a week so need some comfort

 

[Spaghetti]

Yeah, a mate of mine has a bay with a Scooby engine in, and despite that, shys away from long journeys for that very reason.

 

[A Bridge Too Far]

I’ve had my KC conversion for just over a year now and have been chuffed to bits with it. Every time I go outside, I see it and smile.

A friend and I were discussing having something with 6 cylinders before they are no more and narrowed the choices to a proper Mustang or a 330i...

Decision was made by the following analogy, when you walk onto your drive each day which one of them will make you smile... and the other is the better built car.

In the end I bought the CK and you're right, I smile every time I see it.

 

[Scrumpypops]

Hi all
I'm just after some friendly advice not WWIII.
I've read good and bad reviews on this company, re insulation lack of & finish. Can people with CK vans give me their honest verdict, either here or PM.
I've looked at a few new CK local to me but to me, honestly they look like any new conversion.
I'm probably looking at a standard conversion with future trade in, when we return to normal. Reason being I'm moving to full time van life and the conversions I like have a long lead time or the Westfalia range are upto a year wait, if your lucky to get one.
This kinda thing is what I eventually want. 99% time just me.
Thanks for any friendly replies

Lee

 

[Ali-G]

Good luck, I want to end up with a van pretty much like that also.

 

[benp1]

Mate of mine has a Camper King T5. Has been very happy with it

 

[cpw1984]

Hi Lee

We bought our Camper King conversion just over 12 months ago and have been very happy with our purchase, both in terms of the versatility that it offers us as a family (it is our only vehicle so is used as our daily runaround plus weekend day trips with the kids and camping holidays/the occasional weekend getaway) and the finish/spec of the conversion. We had been looking around for a while before we had even heard the word 'coronavirus' and just happened to find the van that met all of our specifications, was finished to our taste, and was ready to go, just as we were coming out of lockdown 1.0 so decided to go for it. We looked at a few other conversion companies and for the same spec/price there wasn't much in it in our opinion (other than the widely debated lack of insulation). I found that those who were calling the build quality of Camper King had generally settled on a conversion company that was either out of our price range or had such a long lead time that we would probably still be waiting for it.

I read the various debates about insulation/lack of at the time and concluded that I was happy to go with Camper King having taken the arguments for and against into account (although I appreciate that not everyone will reach the same conclusion). We've camped in it in late October with our young children with no heating on during the night and that has been fine for us (I should note that we are used to camping in a tent at that time of year anyway). We would just fire it up for 10 minutes or so in the morning to take off the edge and clear any condensation. We haven't had any issues with any aspect of the conversion, but have made a few of our own modifications to create more storage space (added a few storage nets around the van, headrest coat hooks, Kiravans sliding door storage and double swivel base plate floor, and a van-x glove box). There are plenty 'vanlife' bloggers around with good ideas on maximising the storage space.

ATEOTD it all comes all down to personal preference and what compromises you are willing to make (some of us have to make more compromises than others). For us, finding the van that met our spec (or at least a significant majority of it), was within budget, and was ready to go was the deal breaker. We could have gone elsewhere, but would have had to make other compromises on spec/time/budget etc. Is the camper conversion absolutely everything that I dreamed it would be? Probably not, if I'm being 100% honest. Would I make the same decision again with the benefit hindsight? Absolutely.

My advice would be to have a good think about what your requirements are and where your red lines are/what you're prepared to compromise on.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Scrumpypops]

Chris
Thank you so much mate.
Great Great read. I'm in a position that I'd rather not be, but here I am. The house is sold so funds are there but not endless. I've actually lived in the car for 9 months rather than pay rent but that's just me, so I'm pretty used to the cold & cramped conditions the car not yours
The recent world we find ourselves in, everything is in demand or short supply.
5.5 to 6m Stock which I've seen over a large area, just isn't for me. NEC in October will throw up some ideas and Westfalia dealers telling me stock hopefully will start arriving in the autumn. However as its only me, the VW might be more than manageable with solar etc. If not the market will turn, so many have bought vans but will find its not for them.
Thanks again mate,

Lee

 

[cpw1984]

No problem. Hope you manage to get something sorted.

There are now 5 of us so space is certainly at a premium, but we have a drive away awning to help with the lack of space (actually it’s the kids’ car seats that are the biggest problem for us). Having stayed in the van with so many of us, I think I would be more than happy to stay in the van on my own. Having said that if I was doing 100% van life as you are then no doubt I’d want to go for something bigger like you have in mind.

Best of luck with your search. Hope you manage to find something that’s just right for you without having to wait too long.

 

[Scrumpypops]

Cheers again

 

[Scrumpypops]

Just in case anyone else is interested, just looked at 2 CK local and the finish looks spot on, yes I haven't looked behind the lining etc but everything else as you'd expect. Plenty of vents for any fumes, again not sure if that's pretty standard. Dolphin Motorhomes on the south coast have a good stock, so going to visit there and check each one.

 

[JJarvis]

Hi all
I'm just after some friendly advice not WWIII.
I've read good and bad reviews on this company, re insulation lack of & finish. Can people with CK vans give me their honest verdict, either here or PM.
I've looked at a few new CK local to me but to me, honestly they look like any new conversion.
I'm probably looking at a standard conversion with future trade in, when we return to normal. Reason being I'm moving to full time van life and the conversions I like have a long lead time or the Westfalia range are upto a year wait, if your lucky to get one.
This kinda thing is what I eventually want. 99% time just me.
Thanks for any friendly replies

Lee
View attachment 120649

The VW California is uninsulated, and I believe it's a deliberate decision not just cost cutting. Unless insulation has a vapour barrier it will hold moisture and be worse than no insulation. I know this from working myself on boats and ships.

 

[JJarvis]

Hi all
I'm just after some friendly advice not WWIII.
I've read good and bad reviews on this company, re insulation lack of & finish. Can people with CK vans give me their honest verdict, either here or PM.
I've looked at a few new CK local to me but to me, honestly they look like any new conversion.
I'm probably looking at a standard conversion with future trade in, when we return to normal. Reason being I'm moving to full time van life and the conversions I like have a long lead time or the Westfalia range are upto a year wait, if your lucky to get one.
This kinda thing is what I eventually want. 99% time just me.
Thanks for any friendly replies

Lee
View attachment 120649Finish: I've looked at about half a dozen in detail while considering a purchase. I've seen no or finish our any other problems with build quality, and having me head in lots of cupboards and pop tops. I've ordered one - pick up in s couple of weeks. Insulation: see my other response. It'll create more problems in the long term, he's a diesel heater fitted.

 

[Candyman]

I looked at CamperKing last year and the finish looked good to me. I went elsewhere because they never got back to me after sitting down going through the specs with a salesman. Also their pop tops don't have any mesh in the opening windows which would be a problem in Scotland or Southern Europe. Went with Cambridge Campervans instead after sourcing a van myself.

 

[Deleted member 36049]

@Scrumpypops not sure if you got a CK conversion or not in the end but throwing in my 2p. We got our CK T6.1 conversion from a dealer in Hilton. Had good recommendation from a couple of colleagues who have had them in the past. We've now had a few nights in it - couple of overnights and a week away in the Isle of Wight. Like you we were partly sold by sheer availability i.e. it was in stock!

Some friends of ours are using Cambee for a bespoke conversion after ordering a Kombi from VW. It will look lovely but will cost ~£10k extra on what we paid, so at some point you have to just pick a budget and stick with it! And they're not getting it until December having ordered in around March.

We've loved ours and have had no (major) issues at all. To be honest the van itself is what has caused a couple of issues but even they have been covered under warranty and a software update. The only problem with the conversion is that one side of the veneer on the poptop is coming loose and needs gluing back on. Annoying but hopefully not representative of the conversion as a whole.

Everything else in it has been spot on. Floor is hard wearing, cupboards work well. Electrics seem to work well and the fridge doesn't hammer the leisure battery. We're first time campervan owners and I guess there's small tweaks I would make next time but that would again likely only be if money was no object. Hopefully helpful to you!

 

[paul stevenson]

Had a camper king van for 3 years, in 2019 did 2, 8 week trips to Europe no problems, just replaced the leisure battery for 2, my fault original battery failed, cannot complain about the build quality as all is good , use a reimo palm beach canopy have a blow up awning but rarely use it..

 

[fpdizzle]

@Scrumpypops not sure if you got a CK conversion or not in the end but throwing in my 2p. We got our CK T6.1 conversion from a dealer in Hilton. Had good recommendation from a couple of colleagues who have had them in the past. We've now had a few nights in it - couple of overnights and a week away in the Isle of Wight. Like you we were partly sold by sheer availability i.e. it was in stock!

Some friends of ours are using Cambee for a bespoke conversion after ordering a Kombi from VW. It will look lovely but will cost ~£10k extra on what we paid, so at some point you have to just pick a budget and stick with it! And they're not getting it until December having ordered in around March.

We've loved ours and have had no (major) issues at all. To be honest the van itself is what has caused a couple of issues but even they have been covered under warranty and a software update. The only problem with the conversion is that one side of the veneer on the poptop is coming loose and needs gluing back on. Annoying but hopefully not representative of the conversion as a whole.

Everything else in it has been spot on. Floor is hard wearing, cupboards work well. Electrics seem to work well and the fridge doesn't hammer the leisure battery. We're first time campervan owners and I guess there's small tweaks I would make next time but that would again likely only be if money was no object. Hopefully helpful to you!

We bought a CK Le Mans model from a dealer in Derbyshire last August.

I echo the points about trim falling off as that is happening at various points around our van.

On the insulation point, we stayed in it in early October last year and it’s fairly warm (with a thick enough duvet). We rarely had to resort to putting on the diesel heater.

There is a thin strip of mesh on our front window but the lack of a full mesh panel is a little frustrating on warm summer nights.

Another point to note is that after taking ours for a habitation service at a local place today, the leisure battery is faulty and a gas leak has also been identified. Due to the design of the cabinets, it seems the only way to remove and replace the battery is to take out the bed and all the cabinets…

Needless to say I shall be speaking to CK about this as both me and the service technician (and two other people he knows) are all baffled as to why the only way to remove the battery is dismantle the van!

If anyone has any experience around getting CK leisure batteries out I’d greatly appreciate it!

 

[JJarvis]

I've asked CK about adding a solar panel. They charge about £700, which includes a second leisure battery. They for in one day them you pick it up the next to allow the adhesive bonding the panel to the roof to set. So CK can dismantle then rebuild with an extra battery within a day (the new battery steals part of the rear cupboard). I imagine that be a lot of dismantling - I shall let you know. For the habitation check, I believe that if you ask CK to do it, they extend the warranty on it for another year, for as long as you keep returning. I won't need the first habitation check till next September, so I'll update you on that too when the time comes.