Motorhomes & Campervans off grid Vs Traditional?

[Taipan]

If I get my fooked knee sorted, this year looks like being the year we buy a camper? Just started having a look and I'm kinda backing out already lol! A lot of money buys a lot of shite!

A few people have said an off grid one is the way to go and I have to admit being smitten by the cleaver build below. But I think we're more likely to go onto sites for a bit of entertainment and a pub etc, so a maybe a more traditional build one is better?

I like the idea of storage for a couple of foldable eBikes, again like in the build below, but I suppose a bike rack would cover that?

I can't see the point of one without a shower/toilet as no way is my Mrs heading into the woods with a shovel and bog roll under her arm!

So, you Motorhomers, got any buying tips for me?

[gremlin]

Pikey.

[DefTrap]

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

[Taipan]

Pikey.

If yer see me in the layby stop by for a bit of Joe Gray...

[KungFooBob]

Buying tip..

Buy mine, £26k to you, 2009 Sunlight T65 on a transit mk7 base, 2.2 130bhp, bed over garage, 27k miles.

Fits a small motorcycle or scooter in the garage.

[Taipan]

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

If we're on site then using their facilities will deffo be the order of the day, but a bog for midnight wazzes will be needed and of course if we go abroad and stop in aires etc, a shower facility would be very handy. Thats the bathroom reason really.

[gremlin]

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

Mrs. Gremlin talks of getting one when we have more time on our hands (don't tell Tiepin) so I've looked into it and I have to agree. All that shit (pun intended) takes up a lot of space and emptying tanks of shit and piss doesn't appeal. Ditto cooking stuff. I believe they have things these days called 'cafes' which do brekkies and stuff, so use them.

Plus, having know people who have bought big, they've often downsized to Transit/T5 size due to ease of maneuvering, etc. I'd day a day van set up with storage for stuff, such as camping stove, if you really must, is the way forward.

[Taipan]

Buying tip..

Buy mine, £26k to you, 2009 Sunlight T65 on a transit mk7 base, 2.2 130bhp, bed over garage, 27k miles.

Fits a small motorcycle or scooter in the garage.

Not buying to my knee is sorted but that raises another point. Do we go for a wider body one or stick to a van conversion type? Parking at home isn't a problem for either.

[gremlin]

Oh, and as for showering, just get a basin of hot water, soap and a flannel and have a full strip wash in the middle of the field. Johnny Forriner don't mind that sort of thing, by all accounts.

[Yorick]

Buy big. Bigger the better. If you go on the smaller side, get one with a bed that folds away.

Toilet is a must, but I only ever used my shower 2 or 3 times in 7 years. But handy to wet the dog in hot places.

Solar panels and split charge relay to keep double leisure batteries charged. Will happily do 2 or 3 nights off grid.

Big fridge to keep your shandy cool

[Yorick]

Buying tip..

Buy mine, £26k to you, 2009 Sunlight T65 on a transit mk7 base, 2.2 130bhp, bed over garage, 27k miles.

Fits a small motorcycle or scooter in the garage.

Not buying to my knee is sorted but that raises another point. Do we go for a wider body one or stick to a van conversion type? Parking at home isn't a problem for either.

Mine was a PVC and was wide enough.

[lostboy]

We've done both - had a California Ocean and then a Bailey Autograph 69.2 - and currently have neither but are thinking about the route forward again. To the pair of us it comes down to the same pros and cons every time we think about it.

The motorhome is the best place to live when you arrive - wherever. It doesn't matter whether you're on a site or not.
The motorhome is the best to cart around all the "toys" that we want to take with us - bikes, surfboards, bodyboards, skateboards and all the paraphenalia that comes with all of those (wetsuits etc.)
The motorhome is the best place to come back to after a surf/walk/evening out etc. A warm shower, loo, big bed etc. is just lovely.

The campervan is the best to drive - anywhere - the California fits in a normal sized parking space with no problems (as opposed to the four required for the Bailey)! It also fit under most height restrictors as it was sub 2m tall o/a.
The campervan is the most economical - fuel, insurance, just about everything is cheaper in the camper.
The campervan is also a fantastic daily driver or day van. Ideal for UK trips. The ability to go where you want, whenever is fantastic and we abused it!
The campervan is the one you want if you're planning to leave the site for the odd trip here and there. You do NOT want to be packing up a motorhome and threading it through the streets of anywhere just to return later that day/night. (This is why you see lots of motorhomes towing small cars or having bikes/ebikes/scooters)

There's loads more but the summary is that you really want the space and comfort of the motorhome (or an AirBnB/hotel etc.) but with the convenience of a campervan! And that's why I still haven't bought another. Sorry!

[Rockburner]

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

Yup - the internal toilet is more for when you don't have an external alternative.... but.... bear in mind that some external alternatives are going to be the poorer option....

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

If we're on site then using their facilities will deffo be the order of the day, but a bog for midnight wazzes will be needed and of course if we go abroad and stop in aires etc, a shower facility would be very handy. Thats the bathroom reason really.

If you're staying in it for more an a few days away from camp sites then the shower is really really appreciated.

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

Mrs. Gremlin talks of getting one when we have more time on our hands (don't tell Tiepin) so I've looked into it and I have to agree. All that shit (pun intended) takes up a lot of space and emptying tanks of shit and piss doesn't appeal. Ditto cooking stuff. I believe they have things these days called 'cafes' which do brekkies and stuff, so use them.

It's less of a hassle than you might think - once you get the hang of it it's ten-fifteen minutes every few days, depending on use.

Plus, having know people who have bought big, they've often downsized to Transit/T5 size due to ease of maneuvering, etc. I'd day a day van set up with storage for stuff, such as camping stove, if you really must, is the way forward.

Yes - the large vans can be problematic.

Buying tip..

Buy mine, £26k to you, 2009 Sunlight T65 on a transit mk7 base, 2.2 130bhp, bed over garage, 27k miles.

Fits a small motorcycle or scooter in the garage.

Not buying to my knee is sorted but that raises another point. Do we go for a wider body one or stick to a van conversion type? Parking at home isn't a problem for either.

I wouldn't want a 'widebody' personally : I always took the view that if a DPD van could deliver somewhere - I could get my van in there.


Having lived in one for 15 months (on and off): basically it depends on what you want to do with it. If you literally just want a tin-tent, and will ALWAYS be in campsites (even abroad), then a van with a fold-down bed and small gas stove is doable.

If you want somewhere to be properly comfy out of the weather in a week long downpour in the German Alps, then you're going to want full facilities on board.

The van I had was a 2 or 3 year old ex-rental van (the rental companies refresh their fleet pretty regularly so there's always stock to buy), it was an very good nick, but was built to a relatively basic trim level: so I added a few things to make it more suitable for living in: proper solar panel (120W iirc), with up-to-date controller, and proper leisure battery charging from the motor as well; dual gas bottles with LPG plug (made gassing up SOOOO much easier); decent awning on the side. I also bought a van that was larger than we actually needed (it was a 5 berth with an extended roofline and a double bed in the roof as well as a double bed in the rear). It meant we could leave the top bed made up and only use the lower bed when we really needed it. It made the main area in the van seem much larger and easier to move around in.

[Rockburner]

the California fits in a normal sized parking space with no problems (as opposed to the four required for the Bailey)! It also fit under most height restrictors as it was sub 2m tall o/a.

Re parking - it IS possible to get a 6m long, 2.2m wide van into a regular car park space...... JUST.

You're just going to be exiting via the rear doors and pissing off the car drivers either side who now can't get into their cars.

[lostboy]

the California fits in a normal sized parking space with no problems (as opposed to the four required for the Bailey)! It also fit under most height restrictors as it was sub 2m tall o/a.

Re parking - it IS possible to get a 6m long, 2.2m wide van into a regular car park space...... JUST.

You're just going to be exiting via the rear doors and pissing off the car drivers either side who now can't get into their cars.

And sticking out at least 1.2m beyond the 4.8m standard car park length! Which in most car parks is across the service road!

[Yorick]

When we had a camper (we had an old skool VW Westphalia and also a coachbuilt nasty Renault) I would always prefer to use the bogs and shower services of whatever site or pub car park we were parked up in. Crapping or showering in campers is only for the enthusiasts IMO.

Mrs. Gremlin talks of getting one when we have more time on our hands (don't tell Tiepin) so I've looked into it and I have to agree. All that shit (pun intended) takes up a lot of space and emptying tanks of shit and piss doesn't appeal. Ditto cooking stuff. I believe they have things these days called 'cafes' which do brekkies and stuff, so use them.

Plus, having know people who have bought big, they've often downsized to Transit/T5 size due to ease of maneuvering, etc. I'd day a day van set up with storage for stuff, such as camping stove, if you really must, is the way forward.

We've been considering the same for a while, it's either another (bigger) yacht or a motorhome and tour - but it always ends up in a discussion like the ones above and most often we end up talking ourselves out of it and saying that we will just buy a nice car and tour in that, stay in B&Bs and eat out.

These days you can book in advance on the fly with your smart phone, then turn up and have a proper bed/shower/food/etc. Then move on and do the same the next day.

Although the other day Mrs Potter suggested another caravan (we've had three) and get the best of both worlds.

I love being outside. Using the camper, you're always outside somewhere nice.
In a hotel you have to GO outside and find somewhere nice.
ITMS ??

[Yorick]

I love being outside. Using the camper, you're always outside somewhere nice.
In a hotel you have to GO outside and find somewhere nice.
ITMS ??

Yeah it definitely has it's good points, same reason I like my boat and we enjoyed the caravans.
Some of my mates back home have big motorhomes, proper money, and they say they're into wild camping, but that most often means they turn up to a country pub miles away and do a deal with the landlord to park there if they eat and drink there all night.

I did that for years at Green Man pub near Cadwell Park

[gremlin]

These days you can book in advance on the fly with your smart phone, then turn up and have a proper bed/shower/food/etc. Then move on and do the same the next day.

When bimbling around Italy with the kid I was always at pains to ensure we had accommodation lined up well in advance. When I went on my own last year I fairly much did that. Booked as I went, with a rough itinerary in mind.

It made me look even more wind-swept, devil-may-care and interesting than ever.


(And not a chemical toilet in sight)

[Demannu]

I think your choice should be made on the type of time away you want.
Stopping on sites, full electric/showers/restaurants or off in the wilds for days on end.
We did the NC500 for 3 weeks and stopped on site for 1 night ( to see Roslyn Chapel). If we'd had a smaller van/camper we'd not managed it, but our moho could carry 120l of fresh water and we would frequent the local hostelries for their services.
We do spend most of the year abroad and use the excellent Aires system in France.

[Felix]

Plenty pubs allow stop over now and some supply electricity and the odd few have all night shitters also. Obviously the deal is eat at his premises. If going down the van route make sure its wide enough for a bed as a bed longways takes up a loot of floor space where you could be fitting a better kitchen or shitter. I am changing mine cone the winter and buying a slide out sofa bed from Ikea as it works out cheaper than making my own. As for a van with a shitter, i put one in mine and only used it once and that was due to having the shits Yet to wild camp/off grid but i would be just as happy to dig a hole.
If its coming down to cash i would always say make your own. Its not that difficult and even sticking in the gas/electrics 12v and 240v is easy enough.