Camper Van conversions

JOGAMIGMOG

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Been thinking about what to do in retirement a few years from now and the idea of travelling around Europe in a camper van appeals to me. Been watching loads of YouTube vids about people who have taken an old panel van and converted it themselves into their own little homes on wheels. There's some really good ones. It's quite a straight forward thing to do it seems and would be a nice little project to do for a few months prior to the big 'off'. The trick is to stick a couple of solar panels on the roof so your power can all be derived off-grid whilst the panel van retains its panel van appearance from the outside. Therefore you are able to 'stealth-camp' pretty much anywhere you want without having to pay campsite fees etc.
What do you reckon?
 
The idea is nice but after testing a narrow boat some stuff gets tiresome quick. Chemical cassette toilet things for example. After i pinch one off i never want to think about it again let alone carry it to a hole and pour it out, rinse and replace. Also showers, your water usage needs to be to careful, on a boat you have a huge water tank but it still plays on my mind to the point i feel like i am on the clock, i hate being on the clock.

Not trying to put you off at all, it is worth noting though if you are stealth camping not having electricity and water to hand is something you should factor in to the pro's and cons.
 
The idea is nice but after testing a narrow boat some stuff gets tiresome quick. Chemical cassette toilet things for example. After i pinch one off i never want to think about it again let alone carry it to a hole and pour it out, rinse and replace. Also showers, your water usage needs to be to careful, on a boat you have a huge water tank but it still plays on my mind to the point i feel like i am on the clock, i hate being on the clock.

Not trying to put you off at all, it is worth noting though if you are stealth camping not having electricity and water to hand is something you should factor in to the pro's and cons.
Haha. I've unblocked drains for a living before now and had my arms shoulder-deep in shite so dumping my own doesn't fill me with dread! :-) Another bonus is you can actually sell the finished van at a profit once you're done with it!
 
If you put in a good 3phase set up as well it helps a lot if you don’t camp on official sites. Put in a large water butt as well and there are always ways of filling her up. Drinking water you can buy in the bottle. Or Stella.
 
I’ve had a couple of VW converted campers, still have one now. I’m likely to do my own conversation next time.

It won’t have: any side units, a sink and water tanks, as many windows

It will have: a rail system for bed / seat and cooking pod that has a gas 3 way fridge, a propane or diesel heater, a mid high top (available on ford transit) proper blinds, high level storage / nets, parking sensors, a lifting tailgate.
 
We lived off grid in Catalonia for 7 years, granted it was in a farmhouse and not in a van but the principles are the same....it's fun, you will very quickly learn and understand how to manage water, waste, heating and electricity.
Do you really need a solar set up, panels, charge controller, etc ?? as you already have your source as the vans engine, charge a large leisure battery or 2 from it. An reasonable inverter will give you 240 v for microwave and small electrical appliances etc. Solar showers can be bought off ebay for next to nothing or you can make your own but they are dependant on the weather, setting up something as a heat exchanger from your vans cooling system may be a better bet and will give you a fairly constant supply of hot water. Look at gas fridges that run off propane.
We get quite a few ' stealth ' campers round here in the forests in non winter months, some even have multi fuel stoves in them and a lot leave their litter, crap and toilet waste lying about. As long you are reasonably well organised and maintain your equipment it should be fun, the Mrs has ideas about doing something similar.
 
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