Day van or full camper?

[aworthy]

Great info on this forum .

Currently living in West London for a few years (due to work, not choice ) and I think we're finally going to take the plunge and get a V6/6.1.

Our plan is to replace our car and have the Van as the daily driver, we want to just find somewhere during the week (probably use pitchup) and disappear for a few days over the weekend with baby+dog! Probably find a site with toilet/showers and just explore the area a.k.a pub. I have a few questions initially:


1: This is the sort of thing we've looked at: Clicky click, clicky click again . Is it worth getting a diesel heater added if we plan to use the vehicle in autumn/spring time - or is it not needed?
2: Has anybody else swapped their car for a van and used it as a daily drive/commuter car? It's approx 30miles a day of driving to work and back.
3: Babies! We have a <12 month old baby, anybody tried camping with a baby this young? I've seen there are loads of tips and tricks you can do to make it easier. We'd 100% want a pop top so we can sleep up top, then baby+doggo would sleep down below (at least that's the plan initially!)
4: How do you rate camperking conversions? The place in the link above ^^ deals with primarily camperking conversions, please don't judge us for buying a blank van and doing the conversion ourselves, we just don't have the time.
5: Any issues with the T28 van that I should be aware of while shopping around?
6: What are the MUST HAVES for your camper? For us its 100% pop-top and an awning! I've seen a few vans with microwave/grill type setup - is it worth it?

And finally, are we being stupid in going for something almost brand new at £45-50k? With it being our daily driver I was worried about reliability issues with buying an older van/camper with 80~k miles on the clock for £20-25k.

Thank you, really excited

 

[Pedros85]

Hi,


Good luck with it all. Can’t answer all your questions but I’ve got a diesel heater, grill and hob and I’d say it’s worth getting

I’d also veer towards a newer one to avoid any major engine issues for years.

Solar panel is a must have, having the electrics is very handy (fridge running all the time too)

I’ve not heard great stuff about camperkings but not used them myself.

I used these guys who aren’t too far from London

Volkswagen Campervans, Specialist Dealer & T5 T6 Conversion Expert

We specialise in Volkswagen Transporter Campervans & Conversions. Browse our latest stock and contact us for more information on our range.

www.vw-t.co.uk

 

[aworthy]

Hi,


Good luck with it all. Can’t answer all your questions but I’ve got a diesel heater, grill and hob and I’d say it’s worth getting

I’d also veer towards a newer one to avoid any major engine issues for years.

Solar panel is a must have, having the electrics is very handy (fridge running all the time too)

I’ve not heard great stuff about camperkings but not used them myself.

I used these guys who aren’t too far from London

Volkswagen Campervans, Specialist Dealer & T5 T6 Conversion Expert

We specialise in Volkswagen Transporter Campervans & Conversions. Browse our latest stock and contact us for more information on our range.

www.vw-t.co.uk

Thanks i'll take a look at the link you posted!
Initially we'll probably use hook-up camp sites, once baby is a little older (toddler?) and we try some wild camping I'll look at solar - i'm guessing it's fairly simple to retrofit or get somebody to do it for us?
The biggest concern my wife has is the child seat! I haven't seen a single VW camper with ISOFIX so we'll have to do the weird seatbelt fix (which i've never really seen before), and get one with the double passenger seat and put baby up front, disabling the air bag??

 

[JOG]

Hi and welcome!

Van is probably the best baby vehicle you can get as you can load prams etc! Check if the seats have isofix (personal choice, I prefer it!)

Van is absolutely suitable as a daily driver.

Heater is a great addition - it extends your season.

You’d probably appreciate a 150 bhp and DSG (automatic) gearbox, especially as a long term investment.

 

[Pedros85]

Thanks i'll take a look at the link you posted!
Initially we'll probably use hook-up camp sites, once baby is a little older (toddler?) and we try some wild camping I'll look at solar - i'm guessing it's fairly simple to retrofit or get somebody to do it for us?
The biggest concern my wife has is the child seat! I haven't seen a single VW camper with ISOFIX so we'll have to do the weird seatbelt fix (which i've never really seen before), and get one with the double passenger seat and put baby up front, disabling the air bag??

Should be easy enough to get someone to add a solar panel later on, im not one to
Do it myself!

Re the seats, I’ve never used isofix myself and had no issues but that was in cars not a van. My kids seats strap using seatbelts but they are older

 

[Pedros85]

Oh and seconded on 150bhp and DSG

 

[jimc91]

I use mine as a daily driver and my advice would be to get a Kombi and convert it to a day van / camper for those initial family trips out - the reason why is that's a lot of camping furniture / weight to be driving about everyday, your mpg will suffer and its heavy. With a Kombi you can take more passengers same as you would do with a car, the little one will be nearer you in their car seat and if you have the three seats in the back ( 1+1+1) its a very flexible layout. The full camping kitchen thing looks great but many don't cook in the van so is it really needed? As they get older or you get more in to the idea of wild camping you can have the van fully converted if needs be. Have a look through the various conversion threads for ideas. If your going to be on EHU then I wont bother with a diesel heater, small oil filled radiators works really well. Again you can always add later, just buy the best base van you can afford

 

[aworthy]

I use mine as a daily driver and my advice would be to get a Kombi and convert it to a day van / camper for those initial family trips out - the reason why is that's a lot of camping furniture / weight to be driving about everyday, your mpg will suffer and its heavy. With a Kombi you can take more passengers same as you would do with a car, the little one will be nearer you in their car seat and if you have the three seats in the back ( 1+1+1) its a very flexible layout. The full camping kitchen thing looks great but many don't cook in the van so is it really needed? As they get older or you get more in to the idea of wild camping you can have the van fully converted if needs be. Have a look through the various conversion threads for ideas. If your going to be on EHU then I wont bother with a diesel heater, small oil filled radiators works really well. Again you can always add later, just buy the best base van you can afford

Oh my god I never even thought about a little oil heater since we'll have power through the electric hookup! I'll go do some Kombi research now

 

[LondonLad]

I use mine as a daily driver and my advice would be to get a Kombi and convert it to a day van / camper for those initial family trips out - the reason why is that's a lot of camping furniture / weight to be driving about everyday, your mpg will suffer and its heavy. With a Kombi you can take more passengers same as you would do with a car, the little one will be nearer you in their car seat and if you have the three seats in the back ( 1+1+1) its a very flexible layout. The full camping kitchen thing looks great but many don't cook in the van so is it really needed? As they get older or you get more in to the idea of wild camping you can have the van fully converted if needs be. Have a look through the various conversion threads for ideas. If your going to be on EHU then I wont bother with a diesel heater, small oil filled radiators works really well. Again you can always add later, just buy the best base van you can afford

Agree with this. Also personally cooking in the van with kid(s) is not worth it….hot items, smells, risk of fire, confined space etc.

 

[aworthy]

I use mine as a daily driver and my advice would be to get a Kombi and convert it to a day van / camper for those initial family trips out - the reason why is that's a lot of camping furniture / weight to be driving about everyday, your mpg will suffer and its heavy. With a Kombi you can take more passengers same as you would do with a car, the little one will be nearer you in their car seat and if you have the three seats in the back ( 1+1+1) its a very flexible layout. The full camping kitchen thing looks great but many don't cook in the van so is it really needed? As they get older or you get more in to the idea of wild camping you can have the van fully converted if needs be. Have a look through the various conversion threads for ideas. If your going to be on EHU then I wont bother with a diesel heater, small oil filled radiators works really well. Again you can always add later, just buy the best base van you can afford

Just been having a think about what you said and it really does make sense. The gas hob etc is great, but we'll have a portable stove for cooking anyway. What sort of things would I be missing by going dayvan over camper van?

I'm guessing the pop-top roof, sink and fridge? I've never really seen a day van before.

Off the top of my head we need power/fridge/pop-top/rockandroll (with isofix if possible?)ummmm.....table?sink for washing? Just storage i'm guessing.

Do you mean just buying something like this? Iso fix seats but it also lays flat, and pop-up roof!

Ok my head just blew up , exciting times though.

Agree with this. Also personally cooking in the van with kid(s) is not worth it….hot items, smells, risk of fire, confined space etc.

Yeh I always told the mrs i'd never cook anything inside that smells....which bascially cuts us down to boiling pasta or soup

 

[slocumjoseph]

Just been having a think about what you said and it really does make sense. The gas hob etc is great, but we'll have a portable stove for cooking anyway. What sort of things would I be missing by going dayvan over camper van?

I'm guessing the pop-top roof, sink and fridge? I've never really seen a day van before.

Off the top of my head we need power/fridge/pop-top/rockandroll (with isofix if possible?)ummmm.....table?sink for washing? Just storage i'm guessing.

Do you mean just buying something like this? click here

Ok my head just blew up , exciting times though.


Yeh I always told the mrs i'd never cook anything inside that smells....which bascially cuts us down to boiling pasta or soup

Hi and welcome. Firstly, I live in central London without driveway or garage space so my T6 is not only a camper van, great for a trip on a whim it’s also my daily driver and shopper. It wouldn’t be right for me to do a comparison with classic pre ECU vehicles that I was brought up with. However, I honestly believe the T6 is the most carlike medium size van I’ve driven. I find it as relaxing to drive on many hours of motorway driving as a quick trip round to Tescos in the city. I have a Webasto underslung diesel heater which I find invaluable as I still enjoy Winter wild camping. Can’t give any advice about the baby though, as it’s been a long time since I travelled with one. The pop top I do find invaluable though as 2mtrs was my max height. That way I can still use muti story car parks etc but have the luxury of standing headroom and an upstairs when needed. I have no knowledge on CamperKing. I did a lot of research around the UK and many of the big tried and tested converters have a good record. However I eventually chose a company 170 miles away from London in Shrewsbury as they were willing to sit down and work out how they could include some of the unique features I needed. Finally, what you actually buy is down to your budget of course. There have been some issues related to Volkswagens various adaptations to get round new EU regulations but don’t think too many owners complain about their short life. At the end of the day though, don’t forget the best resourse you always have available is the T6 Forum. The Wikipedia of Volkswagen knowledge.

 

[Jimmylondon07]

Hi mate. I am treading the same boards as you with a couple of exceptions, main one being mine won't be a daily driver. I have a 19 month old and a second baby on the way (due in 6 weeks time in fact, eek) and have just joined the back of the build queue for a new T6.1. What I'd say is just be sure to have a think about how your needs (and family) might evolve over time when it comes to layouts, and also how you typically like to travel with the kid/s. We've specced a LWB with a full width RIB 150 bed to accommodate two big car seats with an adult sat in the middle, a standard 3/4 width bed just wouldn't be big enough for us. Likewise the bed will be able to accommodate any combo of adult and children (maybe all 4 of us while they're young). Both of you being on a different level to bambino/young child could be a pain in quite a few scenarios so just think about that kind of thing.

As others have said a Kombi could be the way to go initially, giving you a proper row of seats close to you and the mrs. Alternatively something like this could work which is more of a day van layout:

Conversions | Transporter Camper - Endless Summer Wales

Discover top-notch campervan conversions at Endless Summer Wales in the United Kingdom. Transform your van into a comfortable home on wheels.

www.endlesssummerwales.co.uk

Kitchen you don't necessarily need but in case you wanted to add one without carrying the weight around fulltime then something like a Slidepod could be a good option and you can just remove it from the van when you're at home, would give you a sink and a shower point for washing down messy dogs/babies as well.

RIB ALTAIR BED SYSTEM — Slidepods

THE RIBPOD Specifically designed for only the Rib Altair 150 triple/bed system. This fully functional kitchen pod, which is accessed from the rear of the van and forms part of your full width bed.

www.slidepods.co.uk

There are plenty of options out there, take your time with it and am sure you'll find a layout that works. If you're going pre-converted then hiring one for the weekend in as similar a layout as possible is also a very good idea.

 

[t0mb0]

Day van vs full camper is the overall question to answer first I think before delving into the details. If you’re happy on sites only (rather than wild camping and road trips) and also happy with putting up additional shelters/awnings/etc for cooking etc then a day van might suit, otherwise there’s a reason the classic side kitchen camper design has stood the test of time so well…

 

[MasterMates]

Hi
I bought from Camperking in June no problems, sometimes a little slow at responding other than that absolutely fine. Buy the best spec you can.........I have spent a small adding to the original spec buying stuff i never knew i needed till i joined this forum.

Enjoy your search.

 

[CAB]

Great info on this forum .

Currently living in West London for a few years (due to work, not choice ) and I think we're finally going to take the plunge and get a V6/6.1.

Our plan is to replace our car and have the Van as the daily driver, we want to just find somewhere during the week (probably use pitchup) and disappear for a few days over the weekend with baby+dog! Probably find a site with toilet/showers and just explore the area a.k.a pub. I have a few questions initially:


1: This is the sort of thing we've looked at: Clicky click, clicky click again . Is it worth getting a diesel heater added if we plan to use the vehicle in autumn/spring time - or is it not needed?
2: Has anybody else swapped their car for a van and used it as a daily drive/commuter car? It's approx 30miles a day of driving to work and back.
3: Babies! We have a <12 month old baby, anybody tried camping with a baby this young? I've seen there are loads of tips and tricks you can do to make it easier. We'd 100% want a pop top so we can sleep up top, then baby+doggo would sleep down below (at least that's the plan initially!)
4: How do you rate camperking conversions? The place in the link above ^^ deals with primarily camperking conversions, please don't judge us for buying a blank van and doing the conversion ourselves, we just don't have the time.
5: Any issues with the T28 van that I should be aware of while shopping around?
6: What are the MUST HAVES for your camper? For us its 100% pop-top and an awning! I've seen a few vans with microwave/grill type setup - is it worth it?

And finally, are we being stupid in going for something almost brand new at £45-50k? With it being our daily driver I was worried about reliability issues with buying an older van/camper with 80~k miles on the clock for £20-25k.

Thank you, really excited

1. Definitely heater.

Have used ours in June /July /August, nights can get chilly even in summer.

And electric heaters don't work sat on a cliff top car park in the wind and rain with a cup of tea and a view!

 

[aworthy]

1. Definitely heater.

Have used ours in June /July /August, nights can get chilly even in summer.

And electric heaters don't work sat on a cliff top car park in the wind and rain with a cup of tea and a view!

Heaters can be retro fitted in a few years right? Doubtful we will wild camp until the baby is a couple years old!

 

[jimc91]

Heaters can be retro fitted in a few years right? Doubtful we will wild camp until the baby is a couple years old!

Yep

 

[Paul Binding]

Great info on this forum .

Currently living in West London for a few years (due to work, not choice ) and I think we're finally going to take the plunge and get a V6/6.1.

Our plan is to replace our car and have the Van as the daily driver, we want to just find somewhere during the week (probably use pitchup) and disappear for a few days over the weekend with baby+dog! Probably find a site with toilet/showers and just explore the area a.k.a pub. I have a few questions initially:


1: This is the sort of thing we've looked at: Clicky click, clicky click again . Is it worth getting a diesel heater added if we plan to use the vehicle in autumn/spring time - or is it not needed?
2: Has anybody else swapped their car for a van and used it as a daily drive/commuter car? It's approx 30miles a day of driving to work and back.
3: Babies! We have a <12 month old baby, anybody tried camping with a baby this young? I've seen there are loads of tips and tricks you can do to make it easier. We'd 100% want a pop top so we can sleep up top, then baby+doggo would sleep down below (at least that's the plan initially!)
4: How do you rate camperking conversions? The place in the link above ^^ deals with primarily camperking conversions, please don't judge us for buying a blank van and doing the conversion ourselves, we just don't have the time.
5: Any issues with the T28 van that I should be aware of while shopping around?
6: What are the MUST HAVES for your camper? For us its 100% pop-top and an awning! I've seen a few vans with microwave/grill type setup - is it worth it?

And finally, are we being stupid in going for something almost brand new at £45-50k? With it being our daily driver I was worried about reliability issues with buying an older van/camper with 80~k miles on the clock for £20-25k.

Thank you, really excited

I have a t6 kombi with 2 + 1 seat in the back all isofix

 

[Pedros85]

Heaters can be retro fitted in a few years right? Doubtful we will wild camp until the baby is a couple years old!

I don’t wild camp but heater and solar panel have come in useful. Plenty of great campsites without electric hook ups

 

[aworthy]

Found this which is bascially everything I wanted, taking on advice from people on here: click here

Rib 2 seater bed with isofix solves majority of my problems, it also had solar etc.
Might e-mail a few convertion companies with things that i'd want in a van and check prices.

Is there a name for this type of conversion? Fridge, pop-top, 3-seats into a bed at the back. It's exactly what we're after.

This is also perfect, isofix back seats, popup, deep fridge etc. OH GOD MY LIFE FOR MONTHS HAS BEEN BROWSING VANS