Life after a T6 camper

[Pete C]

Life after a T6 camper, or “how we chose a bigger van”.

I got Pauly’s agreement to post this thread. It has virtually no VW content, but it might help others thinking about going up a size.

We built our T6 camper from a Trendline 2016 panel van, during 2017/2018. It was always designed just for 2 (kids have left home).

Build thread here: T6 SWB camper build

We then used it a lot travelling around the UK, and a decent amount of Europe. However we started to hanker after something bigger. In particular we wanted more space generally, something more comfortable in the colder evenings, and ideally a permanent bed. We also wanted to be able to store bikes in the van when travelling and when parked up. Funnily enough, the ability to be able to stand up in the van was not on our list (our T6 did not have a pop top).

We went to a few of the Caravan/Motorhome shows to see what was available, and this helped focus our minds. Our must have list became:

Permanent bed
Garage for bikes
On-board toilet
On-board shower
Comfortable sitting in the evening.
Hot water heating and air heating
Waste water storage
Ability to be off grid for several days

It was obvious that we were looking at a Crafter LWB sized van, or a coach built motorhome. Having built our T6, I was up for converting a Crafter/Sprinter, and the coach built motorhomes just didn’t appeal for some reason.

Covid got in the way during this, and the supply of vans, new or second-hand, was so restricted that prices were stupid. What we had spotted though was the Autotrail Expedition 68.

Website here: https://www.auto-trail.co.uk/campervans/expedition-68/

This seemed to fit all our needs, but getting hold of one was virtually impossible - our local Autotrail dealer refused to even take a deposit, as they couldn’t give anyone a supply date. I also quickly realised that we could get one new for about the same price as it would be to convert a few years old Crafter. The idea of getting a van we could use immediately, with a full warranty, definitely appealed !

Wind forward to late 2023, and we popped into a very local motorhome dealer just out of interest. We then realised that the supply of vans had returned to normal, and after a call to our Autotrail dealer, we put down a deposit on an Explorer 68 that they had a build slot for. Four months later it arrived.



You might notice that we kept the personalised plate from our T6.

I will post more in this thread about the new van and our use of it. We love it, but there are things to be aware of when buying one of these, just like with a converted T6.


Pete

 

[Sackmycook]

Watching this with interest Pete having just sold the coachbuilt MH we upscaled to from our T6 and wondering whats next for us....

 

[Rioja John]

We did the opposite we had owned 6 motorhomes in 17 years and in 2021 we downsized to a T6.1 SWB and just love it.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Bigger vans are great, but I'd only have one as a second car - my T6 is also my daily driver and I use it as I would any other car, it fits into any car parking space, and any car park without height restrictions, on road parking etc. I use it to commute to work.

I'd love a bigger van but I'd need another car to use as my 'normal' car too, you just can't use something crafter sized every day.

Which also means you need the space on your drive to park at least 2x cars too!

 

[Bigsidavies]

Bigger vans are great, but I'd only have one as a second car - my T6 is also my daily driver and I use it as I would any other car, it fits into any car parking space, and any car park without height restrictions, on road parking etc. I use it to commute to work.

I'd love a bigger van but I'd need another car to use as my 'normal' car too, you just can't use something crafter sized every day.

Which also means you need the space on your drive to park at least 2x cars too!

Similar story for me. I really fancy a big MH type van for Europe etc, but I’d have to keep the T6. I use it so much for spontaneous stuff such as owl spotting in the evenings, mountain biking etc. I’d have to keep a MH in storage so I would miss out on lots of the things I enjoy. I’m trying to justify owning both at the moment.

 

[Pete C]

Ok, let's address the elephant in the room - it's a Fiat Ducato panel van conversion.
Specifically it's a 140bhp 6 speed manual Euro6 L4H2 base van.
It's 6.5 metres long and 2.27m wide with the mirrors folded.

What I hadn't realised is how ubiquitous the Ducato is for motorhomes - van conversions or coach built. They are absolutely everywhere across Europe, and as a result there is a lot of info and parts available for them. Perhaps not as much as VW T5/T6 etc, but plenty all the same.
Fiat cater specifically for the motorhome market, and presumably offer motorhome manufacturers lots of variations on spec and build state.

First impressions - plasticky dash (not as good as T6).
Very smooth ride
Very smooth engine - about the same performance as our 102bhp T6.
Width is perfect - Ok for small lanes, but enough so I can sleep widthways on the permanent bed (I'm 5' 11").

It's not a daily driver for us, and never could be. In a perfect world we would have kept the T6, but couldn't afford to.

Oddly, it doesn't come with rear parking sensors, and a rear camera is a dealer fit option. Radio is also an extra.

More later.

Pete

 

[TallPaul_S]

Similar story for me. I really fancy a big MH type van for Europe etc, but I’d have to keep the T6. I use it so much for spontaneous stuff such as owl spotting in the evenings, mountain biking etc. I’d have to keep a MH in storage so I would miss out on lots of the things I enjoy. I’m trying to justify owning both at the moment.

If I ever went that route it'd be a not too big camper, but big enough for full standing height, fixed bed above garage and shower/toilet room.

Then I'd spend £5k-10k on a 'runabout', something like a BMW Z4 3.0l straight 6

£8k for this. Madness!

 

[Paynewright]

Our plan was to convert our T6 in 2025, however we still holiday with SWMBOs parents (both 80) at least once a year so need 6 seats.

SWMBO probably has 6 years left at work and chatting, we want the opportunity to have impromptu weekends away April to Oct on camp sites with electric hook up. This will be mixed up with 4 weeks worth of holidays with or without the kids / grandparents.

So, our current thinking is completely removable bed set up which will need storing but with careful design (using some brilliant ideas on the forum) should be less than an hour to swap. This in conjunction with an awning tent for cooking / living outside will be our ‘proof of concept’ to see if we like van camping.

We follow a couple of campers on instagram and youtube (our van tales and true blue traveller) who have larger completely self contained vehicles. The ability to poll up anywhere (within reason) and camp is set up once the hand brake is on is really appealing.

So @Pete C thank you for posting - I dont care its not about VWs. Your journey will undoubtedly help others decide.

What we’ll end up doing long term who knows - properly convert ours, Crafter / MAN conversion…?? but posts like this help inform.

 

[Peatey]

We often say, (on a cold wet Sunday sat at home) we should upgrade to a bigger van, T6 swb, there is only two of us.

So we trapse off to the local dealers then go home and discuss and not much happens because my mind is fried with all the details and configurations ( I think i know what i want)

Then when travelling around France and sitting outside the van on a sunny evening with a glass of wine in hand, we realise the van is fine and back to square one we go!

I'm sort of lucky because the vehicle can be parked at home unobtrusivly on the drive just like the camper does between outings.

Watching with interest

 

[True Romance]

Had a nosy at your van last weekend Pete. Nice colour and these models are exceptional value for money. As above we toy with the idea of going bigger but as we only camp during the summer months the T6 still works for us atm. Once retired or part time and we have more time to explore Europe them we will upgrade. It's all swings and round abouts. Would love the luxuries that come with a coach built but driving one makes me feel depressed. Panel van conversion serms the happy middle ground.

 

[Pete C]

Ok, first issue is weight. A lot of these vans are 3.5T limit. A large van like ours, fully kitted out as a camper will easily get to 3T unladen, then add diesel, clean water, driver and passenger, and you rapidly get to 3.5T.

I doubt we will have this problem, but I do need to get the van weighed fully laden.

An option is to get the van replated for 4T, but is generally accepted that there are quite a few vans of this type driving around fully laden, and exceeding the max rear axle weight limit as well as the total weight limit.

Something to watch out for.

Pete

 

[Pete C]

Had a nosy at your van last weekend Pete. Nice colour and these models are exceptional value for money. As above we toy with the idea of going bigger but as we only camp during the summer months the T6 still works for us atm. Once retired or part time and we have more time to explore Europe them we will upgrade. It's all swings and round abouts. Would love the luxuries that come with a coach built but driving one makes me feel depressed. Panel van conversion serms the happy middle ground.

Let me know if you want a closer look. People are intrigued by the layout.

Pete

 

[Ali-G]

I'm hoping to get either a Vanworx Maxtraxx or a Hymer ML-T Crossover when I retire in approximately 5 years time.

 

[Pete C]

Ok, next on the list is complexity.

When we built our T6, we kept it simple. No underfloor water, simple gas heater, just cold water, individual electrical components, simple switches etc etc.
The rationale was that it would be more reliable, and easier to fix on a campsite in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Europe.

On this new van, we have:
Underfloor clean water tank - with electronic level indicators
Underfloor grey water tank - with the same
Underfloor gas and electric water heater
Hot and cold running water
Underfloor gas and electric air space heater
Central control panel for various things i.e.not just simple switches
Fuses everywhere
Touch sensitive controls for the 2 heaters
A shower
A toilet with electric flush and cassette
A gas oven
An electric fridge/freezer
etc

Obviously we knew what we were getting into, but the amount of electronics in the van worries me for the future. This isn't just about this van - they are all like this, but something to be aware of.
Clearly initial build quality is important here (more on that in another post), but it feels like this could be an issue in the future as the van ages. Particularly as a lot of camper van equipment seems to be built down to a price.

It helps that I have a background in electrical engineering, and that I have built a camper from scratch, but there seem to be a lot of posts on the various forums about things breaking down, questions about "why is it doing this ?" etc

Pete

 

[Sackmycook]

I hope your electronic water level indicators are better than on my Bailey. So inaccurate they were useless. Ended up having to go into the secret menu on the control panel to switch them off and rely on a visual inspection.
The winterization is a right faff to, emptying water tanks and pipework etc.

Give me a T6 light conversion anyday...

 

[TallPaul_S]

Ok, next on the list is complexity.

When we built our T6, we kept it simple. No underfloor water, simple gas heater, just cold water, individual electrical components, simple switches etc etc.
The rationale was that it would be more reliable, and easier to fix on a campsite in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Europe.

On this new van, we have:
Underfloor clean water tank - with electronic level indicators
Underfloor grey water tank - with the same
Underfloor gas and electric water heater
Hot and cold running water
Underfloor gas and electric air space heater
Central control panel for various things i.e.not just simple switches
Fuses everywhere
Touch sensitive controls for the 2 heaters
A shower
A toilet with electric flush and cassette
A gas oven
An electric fridge/freezer
etc

Obviously we knew what we were getting into, but the amount of electronics in the van worries me for the future. This isn't just about this van - they are all like this, but something to be aware of.
Clearly initial build quality is important here (more on that in another post), but it feels like this could be an issue in the future as the van ages. Particularly as a lot of camper van equipment seems to be built down to a price.

It helps that I have a background in electrical engineering, and that I have built a camper from scratch, but there seem to be a lot of posts on the various forums about things breaking down, questions about "why is it doing this ?" etc

Pete

If they're anything like the T6 conversion companies then a lot of these are done using cheaper all in one devices, often with convoluted and overly complex wiring, and/or devices which are the cheapest option to do the job (barely) etc. which then becomes an absolute nightmare when trying to decipher an issue!

 

[Ricardo T]

Watching this with interest and thank you for taking the time to post.

Out of interest how many ‘ belted seats ‘ do these type of coach built vehicles have?

 

[Pete C]

As many as you want basically.
Our is a panel van conversion and has 4 belted seats.

Pete

 

[Pete C]

I hope your electronic water level indicators are better than on my Bailey. So inaccurate they were useless. Ended up having to go into the secret menu on the control panel to switch them off and rely on a visual inspection.
The winterization is a right faff to, emptying water tanks and pipework etc.

Give me a T6 light conversion anyday...

One mounted upside down, and the other only tells you 0% or 100%



Pete

 

[Pete C]

If they're anything like the T6 conversion companies then a lot of these are done using cheaper all in one devices, often with convoluted and overly complex wiring, and/or devices which are the cheapest option to do the job (barely) etc. which then becomes an absolute nightmare when trying to decipher an issue!

I'm coming to that

Pete