i'm currently on the road and plan to surf around Wales next week. are there any other van surfers that are up to similar?
any surf spots recommended in Wales?
any beach overnight parking spots with surf recommended?
thanks
Finally bought my first van but I am confused how to design the layout and everything and like how should I start. Can anyone please guide me a little.
Hi guys, we are a family of four and are exploring getting a camper. We would like to rent it out when not using it, solely to help us pay for the van itself.
Anyone on here from the UK who is already doing this? Is it real pain or relatively straightforward? Is it actually worth it?
Thank you!
Hello all!
I've recently acquired an adorable Daihatsu Hijet and I'm planning a trip to Europe in it soon.
I'm wondering if anyone has experience with booking such a tiny camper on a ferry from Dover to Calais/Dunkirk, or any other kind of camper conversion.
There's a big difference in price between car and van tickets on a provider like P&O - to the tune of £100 return, or more... But then there is a big difference in the standard sizes for each.
My Hijet clocks in at 3.37m length, 1.87m height, according to a service manual I've found - so just 70cm over the standard car size! The P&O website does let you edit the height field though, so I can technically book a car ticket while specifying my 1.87m height.
But what do you all think - can I swing a car ticket? Or are ferry providers quite strict about this kind of thing, and I just need to cough up extra?
P&O also has (more expensive) motorhome tickets, but I think that might be overkill. My 'conversion' is essentially just a space in the back to throw a mattress...
Cheers!
I’m insulating the floor of my van and planning to run timber battens across the width, then PIR board between them.
The metal floor has those ridges underneath though, so the PIR won’t sit flush on the lowest points. I’m wondering what the best way to deal with that is.
Would it be okay to fill the ridges with Diall recycled insulation, or is it better to use expanding foam to fill them before putting the PIR down?
Trying to avoid condensation and cold spots long term, so just looking for the most solid approach.
Any advice appreciated.
I’m at the point of finalising a campervan electrical system and would really appreciate a set of eyes on it before I commit. The setup is a 12V system with a 3kW inverter and a 2×314Ah battery bank in parallel (~628Ah total).
I’m aware this is pushing into high-current territory for 12V, and that’s been a key consideration throughout the design (cable sizing, protection, busbars, voltage drop, etc.). I did seriously consider a 24V route; nevertheless, due to component availability, time constraints, and budget (and in consultation with a homologation engineer) 12V ended up being the most practical option for this build.
I’ve tried to follow best practices around protection, earthing, and load distribution, but I’d value a sanity check on the system as a whole, particularly anything that looks underspecified, unsafe, or just plainly wrong (for example, the 360A disconnect). I’ve been looking at it for too long now to fully trust my own judgement.
All feedback is welcome, especially critical feedback. Diagram below (EU components/units). The system is intended to support full-time living for two people, fully electric (no gas, no AC loads).
(diagram made in excalidraw in case anyone is interested)
Hi! I'm moving back to the UK soon and I was absolutely stunned by the housing prices when I took a look recently. I haven't lived in the country since 2021 and even then I shared a house in the north of Scotland so my rent and general cost of living was relatively low. Now I'm looking to move to the south of England, ideally somewhere in Kent, and it looks like I'd be spending a minimum of £900-£1000 monthly just in rent and bills, and that's if I stay in a small town with few amenities. I have a dog which complicates things even more.
So, I'm considering full time van life instead of renting. I have a VW T6 in very good shape and little mileage, still empty, so I could invest a bit more in a proper build that includes heating, hot water and a strong electrical setup. It would just be me and my dog so I'm not too worried about space. I would mainly work remotely with some occasional site visits scattered along the south, so van life would suit my work life decently well.
I'm mainly worried about winter. I'd join a gym or something along those lines to have access to a proper bathroom, but I'm still concerned about long cold rainy weeks. I'm also not sure how feasible it is to live in a van full time in the UK as I've mainly stuck to mainland Europe so far since I started traveling with camper vans, so I'm not sure how easy it is to find places to park for a few days or if it's common to be bothered by the police...
If anyone has any experience or advice I'd really appreciate it! I'm trying to figure out my options.
Thanks!
TLDR - van I just bought has dpf issues the seller should have resolved. Repairs are looking £1400+. Do I push for the seller to pay for the repairs as per the conditions in contract of sale? Or just get a refund? Please help!
Bought a van last week. Got a mechanic to go check it out before sale, a couple small ish issues came back, agreed seller would sort before purchase and I’d pay full asking price. We made a contract of sale that details those issues and that he’d sort them (which he did), plus an additional issue with the dpf filter that came up just before I went to see it. His garage sorted the bits that needed replacing and said the van just needed running and higher speed to clear the dpf filter. Seller said that would clear when I drive it home after purchase.
(OBVIOUSLY I should have got him to run the van to clear it BEFORE the sale, but hindsight isn’t foresight sadly.)
On drive home the dpf filter warning light stayed on and the engine went into protective mode, limiting revs to 2k, so I fairly limped home, but having never driven a van before I wasn’t confident as to how abnormal this was or why. An additional yellow warning light and yellow engine light came on en route home.
Local garages recommended taking it to a specialist dpf centre garage for diagnosis (which cost £200 on its own) and they’re saying it’ll be £1400+ in repairs (mainly cleaning ad blue crystals out the dpf filter, replace tubes and attachments, filter and oil change + other bits, full diagnostic report incoming). And that they suspect there will be other issues that they can’t do diagnostics on til these fixes are in place.
It’s my first van and first vehicle purchase and I’m wondering what to do. Do I push the seller to pay for all the necessary repairs cos that’s what we agreed in the contract of sale? How often does this actually happen? The sales already gone thro so I’m not sure if there’s any legal structures in place to support me in this route. The garage said that even with private sellers you have 30 days to basically ask for a refund or get the seller to fix the issues that have come up. Have others heard of this? How likely is this as a solution?
I’m tempted to get a second opinion on repair costs and the extent of what’s needed. But then I’d wanna just get the necessary repairs done and have the seller cover the cost. Is that realistic? Any help really appreciated.
Van is a Peugeot Boxer 2018 🙏🏼
Today I built my unistrut roof rack. I needed the panel sideways due to where my fan is going to be, and I'm putting a deck on the back. I know it's not the most aesthetically sleek but it works better for my lifestyle so 🤷♀️
Aside from the unistrut holes not all lining up with the oem points, it was rather easy to do!
asking bc im in the planning stage of a van i intend to take up north to enjoy the highlands with, and I might be hoping to lift the suspension and fit some bigger wheels to it to handle the poorer road conditions up there (and maybe offroad a little bit), and I'm curious how much attention things like that bring you, especially if you have to stay in a city at some point.
There's nothing I'd want less than to be woken up at 2 in the morning and told to move after a long day at uni simply bc the tires gave it away that I was living inside it. I'm sure you know the feeling well!
Likewise how often do you stealth campers get moved on if you're here and reading this? the comparison could be helpful for me (and any lurkers) to understand how big the difference is. If you've tried both, even better!
I've bought this motorhome, which has had a bike rack removed. Bought a Fiamma Pro C which looked like it would be relatively easy to fit, based on measurements etc.
Like an idiot, I only checked the inside mounts on one side, only to realise after, that the left side mounts are behind the shower cubicle (and not easily accessible). On the outside, it looks like someone has taken an angle grinder to the bolts on that side.
I'm thinking of just relocating the rack 200-300mm further right, drilling new holes etc. so I can still use this rack. Possibly adding an aluminium flat bar inside for additional load spreading. Also, may need a lightbar, in case this obscures any lights.
Thoughts? Advice?
PS. I don't think a towbar mount will be an option, due to the massive distance between rear axle and the rear bumper being extended even further.
Data renews at 1000gb each month.
HUKD70%
I’m curious about tips and tricks for traveling in a van with a dog.
Mostly I’m curious when city exploring if you leave your dog in the van for long periods of time, take them with you and avoid restaurants or museums they can’t go in, or use some sort of local pet sitter service.
I have a micro camper (VW Caddy Maxi) and not much space when I’m living in it for weeks on end. I’m looking for a way to store fruit and veg. I think my options are a rack screwed to the wall or maybe a fruit hammock or mesh bag.
Are there any other options and how have people got on the hammock/bag approach?
My wife and I have started gutting a Mercedes sprinter Treka bus to convert, and while removing panels we have found a fire suppression cylinder mounted near the front of the bus.
The company that installed the unit doesn’t appear to exist anymore. So looking for advice/recommendations on any companies that might specialise in doing these systems, or is possibly how to remove a system like this safely.
We are based in South Lincolnshire, for anyone that might have a contact they can recommend.
