Carol is on the mend folks. Just a tickly cough left. This video was filmed the same day as the last one so you will see no change. Thanks for all your best wishes. 👍
Hi Ken and Carol, Wellhouse Leisure convert the Toyota Proace vans. They are based in Barnsley now but do tend to have franchises in various parts ot the country. I bought a Toyota Regius from them 12 years ago and I'm very happy with it. It is a 4wd pop top automatic 2.7 petrol engine with heater, and camping gas for cooking. Living in Yorkshire they are local to me. I like my van because it is 4wd and narrow perfect for our country lanes. However because it is 4wd it sits a little higher at 2.2 meters just too high for most barriers. Most long journeys and holidays I take are in my campervan and I do find it a luxurious and comfortable drive. My everyday car is a manual 4wd Daihatsu Terios, over the New year when the world and his wife were on the motorway network due to the train strikes I had to drive a couple of hundred miles south for an event. I had forgotten how uncomfortable it could be stuck in traffic for hours constantly changing gear and moving the clutch in and out. Getting older it is something to consider. I was unsure about an automatic before I bought my van as the ones I had driven in the 1980's would not have coped with the hill starts here in Yorkshire. I got Wellhouse to take me on a test drive to a suitably steep hill. Got to say I love it and even though it is automatic it has a standard drive, a low gear and a super low gear. So a better range of lower gears than my Daihatsu, but no diff lock. Not sure what options they offer on the Proace, but thought I would add my thoughts on whether or not to have an automatic. To add to this my friend owned a VW camper and when she was driving that I could really notice the difference, it looked like a much harder drive reminded me of my old VW Beetle or Larda Cossack. Not saying there is anything wrong with them for their owners, but I just love the ease and comfort of the Toyota for touring.
Thanks for sharing your experience. We would love 4 wheel drive. We have it on our Volvo. I know Carol wants an auto so I imagine that is what we will get. 👍
Cheers 👍. I think we could be happy on a mattress in the back of the Volvo but I do recall Carol being rather unhappy when I took her camping for a weekend trying to recapture my youth 😁👍
Hi from Spain. It is always very interesting hearing how others come to a decision. I used to have folding caravan which i had fitted out myself and it was so versatile that I used it for living in full time for a few months. There were many features in that which I would like to have in a camper. However while my 92 year old mother in law is still with us I don't see it happening, any time soon and then i am getting older as well (82 in July.) I guess it will be another of those "if only" moments.
Hola 👋 from southern New Mexico 🌶️ ...Carol and Ken Sorry I won't be much help because we had a 70's Ford Econoline Van that had been used by the phone company with heavy duty suspension. Double doors on the side with windows along the side and double doors in back. One side had no windows. My husband was 6'2” and I was 5'10" so we cut out the top and used plywood and did a curveacher in front and built the cupboards so they were outside the van on both sides. Aerodynamic it was fantastic. We had a vent on the roof we could bring forward or backwards whatever way the wind blew. We did our own build. The only thing I wish we had was a granny gear as it was a manual and we went up in the mountains on gravel roads.😮😊😊
Good luck, Carol and Ken. Whatever you decide to do, stay safe and well. As always thank you for the channel. I consider you both as friends I haven't met. x Hope you get back to full health soon Carol.x
Carol and Ken, Our California Coast sounds ideal for you because it is a simplified Ocean, without so many electrical things to go wrong like the roof which is manual. From memory I have 2 USB C sockets in the front, 2 USB sockets just behind the passenger seat, two cigarette lighters that could each have two more USB points, another cigarette lighter in the back and in the roof another cigarette lighter socket, so I make that 12 possible USB points in all. The seat is relatively easy to slide forward, especially if you sit on the seat while walking it forward or back. I thought the side door on the wrong side would be a negative thing, but in fact as a daily driver often with just me in the car, it is ideal as it is on the drivers side, so I don't need to go round to the other side when putting things into the van ie shopping. I love the 1.98m height which gets us into car parks, but having said that we got stopped by a 1.96m height barrier the other day ! Don't give up the ability to sneak under barriers, you will regret this I think. The 2L diesel and the automatic gearbox with adaptive cruise control is amazing. We get 38mpg on daily driving, and about 42mpg on longer trips. As someone below has said, don't overthink this, just get something, and enjoy it, without getting bogged down in two much information and what ifs. Oh and the Californias hold their value the best. Regards Andrew
@@LifeistooshortCK Forgot to mention mine is Cherry Red which is such a fun colour, (and a no cost extra) but you know all about cheerful red campervans !
You have lots to consider before making the decision. I’ll be here no matter what you decide. So glad Carol is better. Don’t get me started on all this going electric! Forcing it on us. So sad. Take care and I await eagerly for the next series. Mary
Hi from Boca Raton florida....we spent 2 years watching videos before we ordered. Its hard as every choice has big negatives and you end up spending allot more. I think re sale value is a big value to consider. Your chanel made me believe we could wild camp and that made us pick options that made that possible. We picked a F250 with a 4 wheel camper that sits in the truck bed. Were in south of USA and didn't get air conditioning so well be going north in summer. Our set up would be no good for the UK My UK pick is the Ford Nuggert and I love Cali camper family channel ❤
We follow Cali Camper family, they make genuine fun videos and watching them enjoy themselves is a tonic. Wild camping is so much fun so if you have tried to because of our videos we are happy. Your roads are so much easier to drive than ours and there is so much space. A tunnel would be nice between our countries so we could bring our vans over 😁👍
From US, and I love watching y’all. Really enjoyed your trip through Norway as we lived in the Stavanger area for almost 12 years, brought back many memories. We had 3 children and we did a considerable amount of camping. As to the types of campers, that is a really hard one. We’ve had over 25 different kinds from great big ones that we needed special license to drive with all the bells and whistles, like living in a small house to very basic, like a fiat we built ourselves to travel Europe. Had a VW we went to NORTH CAPE in, fantastic trip. We have also had trailers, and after all the kinds, we love our Ford Transit. What we love the most is the ease of driving. Do have the lithium batteries and wouldn’t have anything else. We do have an induction cooktop, but our van has a generator so use it when I cook, never had a problem. As small as all the tanks are, we’ve managed to stay out for 4 days comfortably, but squeezing it 7 days. I realize camping in Europe is quit different from the states. We do love dry camping, or as we say, boon docking. Can’t wait to see what you choose for your new camper, good luck. See ya down the road❣️
We took a petrol generator with us when we took a caravan to Iceland as I was worried about power. It’s quite rare for people to use them in the UK as we are all packed in like sardines and the neighbours and campsites don’t like them. You are very lucky having all that space out there. Our George the 3rd really cocked up when that war of independence happened. If it had not been for him we might even have been able to easily bring our little red van over there for a tour. Mind you if you brought your huge rigs over here you might soon wish you had a little red camper. 😁👍. Thanks for watching.
Have you considered the latest Ford Transit Misano 4.1 from Yorkshire-based Wellhouse Leisure? This would appear to answer much of your wish list including full blackout blinds on all cab and rear windows, lithium battery, solar panel, numerous USB points etc as standard. They have some build slots available this May. I have a similar three-year-old Wellhouse conversion on a Ford Tourneo Custom (Transit-based) and the latest 4.1 version has worthwhile improvements on it. One fact to consider is the Ford Transit Custom is a newer van base than the VW Transporter and as such is nicer and more car-like to drive. VW is currently phasing out the Transporter (and current version California) which means waiting lists are longer and spec choices limited, according to your fellow UA-camrs Campervan Time. I’m on my second Wellhouse camper and I’m a satisfied customer. Transit Customs are a delight to drive. Wellhouse prices are competitive if you compare specs.
Hiya. It took us ages to decide which van to buy. We'd hired a California Ocean (from Kamperhire, Havant) a few times and absolutely loved them. The bed is not hard to put out, you sit on it, lift the handle and pull it forward. I'm almost 60 with arthritic fingers and can manage it easily. Once you've slept in the roof top bed, you won't want to sleep downstairs. Worried about getting up? There's a ladder you can buy that doesn't get in the way and packs down small. I am short and have a little wooden step we suspend off the drivers seat headrest, so I get a little boost up. We did look at lots of other vans including conversions and even went on a tour of the Jerba factory (we live in Hampshire) My husband is tall and couldn't sit in the back seats of the conversions which had a rib bed. And the ones that had the actual VW bed, were as expensive as a California. We have the standard batteries and they will last for 3 days off grid without driving. You can select to increase the charge rate into the batteries when driving, if you find you are low. You can spec in lithium batteries I think. But we'd never had an issue so didn't bother. The plug is 3 pin and also has a 3 pin 300W inverter at the side of the drivers seat (by the handbrake) 2 USB A's by the side of the sink. 2 USB C's by the gear stick. 12V on the dashboard. 12V in the pop top, 12V hidden in the cup holder under the rear seat and another 12V in the boot. California's never lose value. We're delighted with our. Hope that helps you 🙂
Yes it does help us thanks. We asked Jerba about head room with the roof down and they gave us the measurements from floor to ceiling. As you say the key measurement is from the compressed seat to the ceiling. You seem to have plenty of power sockets in yours. Lithium is only needed if you are continuously off grid and have high power demands and I am sure an after market supplier could adapt the system for us. The California is certainly on the short list. 👍
We have a California Ocean and love it…I think I’ve counted potential for 12 USBs including 2 x USBc, we pretty much have our fridge on all the time, with reference to the sliding door, we just turn the van to face the driver onto the pavement… The bed up the top is amazingly comfortable, more so than the downstairs…we have had some issues with moving the seat, but if you take your time it does move very easily I’d recommend contacting a VW dealer, I’m sure they’d let you borrow one
We have no doubts we would enjoy a California and no doubt we could get more usb’s fitted. Getting a new one would be pretty impossible now I think but we don’t mind a used one.
Very interesting couple of videos. Get well soon Carol. Very best of luck. The best thing about the channel is your presenting style , editing, your lovely warm personalities and most of all brilliant photography. Whatever van you have I look forward to watching. Thank you both.
Hello Carol and Ken, For my 2 eurocents worth... If like me you use Camping Gaz, with say a 903 or 907 cylinder, then if you have a 901 (the really teeny one) as a spare, you can always have enough gas for cooking and not worry about running out. Cordialement,
Hi Carol and Ken! It’s nice that your looking for a new van even though I love the red one 😂! You should defo nip down to Tewkesbury because the history is great! there’s lots of museums! I love your vids and hope you come down! 🥰 xx
We have got a 7.5m Roller Team we go ALMOST everywhere! Wild camping is a dream and, once parked up, we really are in luxury. Solar keeps us connected more than enough. Couldn´t now drop down to a smaller van. Height barriers? Never really had an issue as we rarely come across them
Without a doubt it can be done even in huge vans and the more you do it the easier it gets. There is also a high stress factor similar to range anxiety in an electric car when you have a large van. Our Volvo towing our last caravan was a large rig on the road and we had the benefit of it bending in the middle. I always had to think about the route though and had some anxious moments on narrow lanes. With our tiny van we have limited comfort but absolutely no worry about going anywhere. It’s been a lot of fun. 👍
I am glad you are getting better Carol. I had a horrible cough for 3 weeks, I thought it would never leave, most of my colds don't last that long. Blessings to you both.
Yes there is something rather special with these bugs at the moment because so many have said they can’t shift them. Mine is in limbo still but Carol seems almost fully recovered. I blame lockdown. We gave away some of our annual immunity top up doing that.
It's a big decision deciding which style, model, make but you'll get there in the end. My view watching you every week is that you're suited more to campervan rather than motorhome, because with most campervans you can still get them in a normal car parking space. Happy hunting,🤔
Yes we think so as well. One day we will move to a Motorhome and start using campsites again if I can put up with the lawnmowers, mini tractors and leaf blowers 😁👍
Love your videos - I’m now not allowed to watch them without my husband! We have a second-hand Renault Trafic LWB high top and have to say we absolutely love it. We never find the height a problem - there’s almost always an alternative to height restricted parking. It fits in a normal parking space and is a very easy drive (it’s semi automatic, so we can control the gears if we want). For us, the thermal advantage and hugely increased storage space made it so much more attractive than an elevating roof. It’s just long enough to have a small porta potti (masquerading as a foot stool) in the living area even when the bed is down. And access to the fridge with the bed down. For us, it’s the perfect combination of small enough to be easy to handle, but large enough to live comfortably. Have you thought about buying a base vehicle and getting it converted to your own specifications? Whatever you choose, I’m sure it will be right for your - already looking forward to how you get on with your next camper. Thanks so much for the entertaining videos.
Can’t disagree with the positives of a high top or the extra room in a LWB. We are not ready for that yet but may well be the one after next. Bespoke conversions are great but you have to plan so far ahead these days to get a good converter 👍
Do look at Autohaus Camalot based on VW transporter brought from Campersales at Burgess Hill delighted with ours and thanks for all the brilliant info and priceless tips you saved us years of trial and error
That looks a very nice van. There have been times when we have been forced to have the roof down for long periods due to bad weather. Carol struggles in our current van when cooking then so we are worried by an end kitchen how that would be.
Hi try to keep this short ! Thanks for a fantastic channel firstly I’ve spend many an hour researching small camper vans and in my opinion the California comes out on top briefly it drives like a car , looks a dream , as reliable as any other motor home / campervan , 5 year warranty with just the one manufacturer after that you can extend year by year for about £300 , ours is 2 years old many trips round Europe and is still worth more than we payed for it , yes there production comes to an end in a couple of years or so !!! But that will further there value in my opinion , we have had a few warranty issues but travel to Breeze Vw in pools they are outstanding , well that’s my brief opinion !! You can always come and pull our van apart we are in Essex , good luck choosing it’s a nightmare keep up the good work cheers Neil
How exciting , I am terrible at making decisions if I have too much choice . You have a lovely dilemma , whatever you choose I am sure it will be the right one . Glad Carol is picking up . We all need some vitamin D , let’s hope the sun shines soon x
We have a Nissan Cargo Van Hi-Top we converted ourselves. We very much enjoy the ability to STAND up. The height certainly is an issue for some car parks, but, the ability to stand and walk around and have a toilet anytime & anywhere we want, are 2 of the many advantages of our van; ones we do not want to give up!! You are quite bold with your little camper, but we are of an age where we do not choose to rough it to that degree anymore. We are not fancy like many of the vans, but we are happy. Pete basically did all the work in the building of the van. Without the tools many folks are not able to build there own van. I am blessed! Soooo, you have quite a decision to make. But, there is some fun in that journey ahead for you. There are a lot of youtube channels showing all the various vans. And over here the dealers even show off everything about the various vans which may be helful for you. Sorry I wrote so much here..... Have fun! 😊
If you have the skills and the time then a self build has to be the most rewarding Van experience you can have. The van can easily be adapted as your experience grows and you can sit there and admire your work. You are blessed. We don’t pursue fancy and never will. The only luxury we would like is the adaptive cruise control because we have it in the car. May you have many years of enjoyment 👍
I agree with you on the Net Zero craziness! You just can't turn and stop making fuels available, the economy will collapse. Though battery technology has come a long way and is important to have, they can never replace what our fuel powered engines can do. Safe travels!
I went down the Vauxhall Vivaro route (Renault Trafic). As you mention value for money is phenomenal, and MPG is best in class. I'm average 40mpg across all conditions. 42+ on the motorway. Mine was a minibus, meaning it has a tailgate and sliding doors on both sides. A sliding door on the ki tchen side makes access to the water tank very easy. Lovely to drive as well. Enjoy the search.
Hi, I did a self build on a Vauxhall Vivaro 2016, it suits me. The one thing watching your videos which I think will suit you is have your own van built. Choose your base van, design your layout and spec and have it built. This way, you get exactly what you want. Enjoy and Keep it Upright! 👍
Without doubt a bespoke van build gives you exactly what you think you want. Even better is to build it yourself and then you end up with exactly what you want as you can change the things you thought you wanted to something that actually works 😁👍 One day I need to man up and try it for myself. I could by a cheap van and use it to learn the skills necessary to make a proper job.
Pleased you mentioned that you are over concerned with height barriers as it really does bring limitations when considering a replacement camper/ motorhome. The one stop shop you wished for are surely the various shows , like NEC etc. “Ticking all the boxes “ is rarely achieved and compromises are usually called for . Good luck both.
Glad to see you (Ken) looking and feeling much better, hopefully Carol with be feeling better soon too. We are fairly new to campervan life, but we choose to go with an Autosleeper Air, as it fitted most of our requirements. SWB Transit, pop top, etc. Like you two, we went through a whole list of what we thought we wanted and what was available at the time. Took us many months to nail it down to a vehicle that gave us most of what we wanted. The height of our Transit is 2.12mtr and as we have found we can park in most places still, just not council run car parks in Eastbourne who have set most of the barriers to 2.0mtrs. Good luck with your quest, we look forward to seeing you on the road again.
Looks like a nice van. Town councils are the worst when it comes to barriers. They are doing it because they are frightened of a traveller invasion although they will never admit it. The government have given the police the powers they need to deal with that but I have not seen them being used.
Fab! Enjoyed these two very informative videos. We have a 17 year old Toyota Hiace, converted panel van, called Woody. Nothing fancy as it was purely a project for my Husbands 60th and we love it. We also have a caravan for family holidays too. All of the information you and the subscribers have discussed will help us when we finally sell our current adventuring vehicles in a few years, so looking forward to seeing what you’ve gone for. Thanks again both and get well soon Carol 😁😁
We don’t need fancy. Give me practicality and efficiency any day. 👍. We love youtube it’s like getting thousands of experienced people in one room and discussing options 😁👍
@@alisonwilliams4889 my comment(s) keep getting deleted it seems! Anyhow, I think that because the HiAce from Japan/SE Asia/Africa/AUS/NZ has the engine under the seat, it effectively has no bonnet, whereas the 2004-12 D4D appears that the engine is halfway under the seat, halfway in a bonnet jutting out (I think 😀)
@@alexwelch2363 The engine is all in the front. Only things under the seats is the jack, our chairs and a sweetie tin 😝 The picture on my account is Woody, having just travelled over Bealach na Ba
Hi, Ken and Carol. Absolutely love your channel and following your adventures. Have taken on board lots of your tips as we begin our campervan life. We are collecting a Ford Transit Custom Misano 4.1 from Wellhouse Leisure this Friday. Although they are based in Barnsley I'm fairly certain that the van can be purchased at P&p Campers in Portsmouth. Hope this helps.
Someone else was singing the praises of that van so I am sure you will be delighted with it. So much to take in on the handover so don’t be afraid to video it. Lots of people praise that company so you should have no problems. Enjoy your van. Very exciting 👍
I am lucky as I find making the decision easy but Carol can agonise a bit. I had to make so many difficult decisions during my career and due to the possibility of legal challenge I became quite good at writing down why I made them. Deciding the van will not take us long at all, getting the van in a reasonable time frame is a whole different ball game. 👍
Good luck in your search. I look forward to seeing what you decide upon. Have you looked at the award winning Murvi vans? The Piccolo and Pimento are the smaller vans.
Well Carole & Ken having just watched part 2,not long after watched part 1 I'm thinking that there's so much to digest from recommendations & what you've already looked at yourself! Over the years of buying cars I've spent so much time looking on autotrader etc it gets to a point sometimes where I just had to walk away from looking & go back later as ot used to get my head spinning 🙃 😅 there's 2 of you there that are trying to find what suits both & that's certainly not easy..as I see it the more you look..the more it scrambles your head..sooo me thinks a good list of what suits you both & act on it as of it keeps lingering on it becomes like being bogged down in sand! So the best of luck with your Decision..I'm sure you will both reach a compromise on what would suit both...always remember everyone has an opinion everyone...the only one that matters is YOURS!🙂👌💯
That hits the nail several times on the head. Have no concerns we fully realise the dangers of too much choice, our needs will always trump other people’s wants, and I never take too long to reach a conclusion. As long as Carol is happy I will be happy and we will get on and buy it. Carol is easy to do business with 😁👍
It honestly wouldn’t matter to me if you weren’t travelling at all! I just love your vlogs home or away, you’re both so very soothing in a world full of chaos! Ooooh, I’m very much looking forward to the stately home tour! Be well soon lovely Carol and thanks again to you both for this steady little corner of the internet ❤️🐚 xx
We are glad you feel that way. The media make our world a frightening place. They will twist everything to get a click because so many people have lost all faith in them. I skim the headlines but can spot a scam story a mile off these days. I am sick of the lot of them so our videos will just focus on the fun we often have in our little van. When I read something frightening I run through the same thought processes. Is it within my control ? If not then why worry it won’t make any difference. Does it actually affect the way I live ? Most of it never will. Is it hurting my family and friends ? Most of the time it’s not. Last but not least is it true. Any stories that mention MAY happen are scare stories. If people are frightened they click more.
Glad to hear Carol is on the mend. That miserable cough and cold seems to be world wide! I've been suffering it almost 2 weeks and gave now the wife has it too. We are surprised you've decided to replace your camper van. You guys are lucky to have a good selection in the U.K., there's almost nothing available in small campers here in the USA.
Hi Ken. Sorry to hear you have had the bug as well. Your roads are so big and easy to drive that big rigs are not as stressful as they are over here. Even in our tiny van some places can turn your hair white 😁👍
Just for your info whilst looking for a new van .. my partner and I have a T5 swb camper conversion and when we booked on ferry’s the costing was reasonable but as soon as we changed the details to a VW California the price of the ferry crossing almost tripled in price, so be aware of this when choosing x
Hi I love your videos guys. Im in Australia having moved from Kent in 2009. I have a California Beach here and run 240v via a Bluetti unit, cooking on induction. As I cook outside (no kitchen in the beach) under the rear door with a pull out kitchen the induction is not affected by the wind. However, in the Sunshine coast its sunny just about everyday so recharging with solar presents no issues. Choosing a van is not an easy decision tho so I wish you the very and look forward to hearing your final choice.
We will almost certainly incorporate a large power bank in the next van as it offers so much flexibility. In the winter camping gas does not perform well so we could use induction then. Our current van has barn doors and some we are looking at have tailgates. Both have advantages and disadvantages so it would be interesting to try a tailgate. Would be very easy to use a tarp to make a temporary porch.
The Marco Polo looked good Like you would worry about all electric. Like a squirrel 😂😅. We like our Lithium setup. Works well. Just like you explained. I envy you with the low hight. I would be loath to give that up if I were you but I may just be used to watching you nip into everywhere 😂. Thanks guys. 👍
Yes we will do some at some point but I think we will have identified our next van before then. They are knackering things to visit but we enjoy all the tubers posting their walk around 👍
We visited our first ever motorhome show last autumn in Birmingham prior to buying. It was good but we only did a day. I don’t think we could have managed more than that!
@@1northcountrygirl the other trouble with them is you never get a chance to really experience the vans. They always have the roofs up and unless your prepared to negotiate a deal you can’t try the bed etc. Great though for seeing what’s out there.
That’s so true! We decided to hire the one we thought was for us but didn’t like it. At 6m long, we found it difficult to park in supermarket car parks so eventually went for a VW LWB which is 5.4m long and so much better. We also ended up buying second hand as the wait for a new one was going to be at least a year.
I’m glad it’s not just me that takes the time to weigh up all the pros and cons. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision for yourselves. One thing for sure the camper although part of your channel it isn’t the channel. In the meantime hope you both recover quickly from the bug that you picked up and get chance to enjoy some more travels. I’m just about to set off to the outer Hebrides and looking forward to the trip.
@@LifeistooshortCK well after a skirmish with the big C I can honestly say don’t wait!!! Too many people unfortunately have the opportunity to say I wish I had……… Looking forward to watching your next series of videos.
@@dieselbushcraft1299 glad your able to do it. Same thing happened to my eldest sister and her husband but sadly they didn’t make it. It’s why the channel is called life is too short 👍
Hari Om Excellent ruminations... Of course the Rolling Rucks have just put their van up for sale - a bit of adjustment in the bedroom bit and that would do you grand! YAM xx
They put a lot of effort into that build so it’s sad to see it’s not working out for their needs. Bit to long for me I think. I would have too many kittens in tight spaces so will leave that for a younger man 😁👍
Great advice for other would be buyers of campervans. Looking forward to seeing what your new van will be and also looking forward to the ‘Stately Homes Series’ !
Just a thought, as you were both drooling over the Toyota landcruiser overlander, how about looking outside the box, and forgetting height barriers, getting a merc Sprinter 4x4, and having it converted into an 'off grid' stealth camper. They do auto versions as well.
@@LifeistooshortCK no problem, Denby are the most friendly and professional campervan people I have met. And yes my VW 6.1 is done by them. Anything specific speak to Jade and say Graham sent you. No I am not sponsored or gain anything I just want you to find the best van for you 👍❤️
So much to think about. I hope to approach the decision in the same way and firstly decide how the van will be used and what’s needed from it then see what fits the criteria, otherwise it’s so overwhelming & it could be an expensive mistake! Get well soon Carol and I’ll look forward to more adventures from the little red camper for now. X
Very wise. If you prefer campsites then you can have whatever you please. If you want to be able to park anywhere legal then the smaller the better but that brings big compromises as our videos show 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK hopefully you’ve found something that fits the bill. I hadn’t realised the transporter won’t be made any longer, I’d better hurry up. This morning I’ve watched Darren from The Urban Motorhome saying goodbye to his van after 6 years. We’ll have tissues at the ready when Little Red goes off to pastures new. X
The Wingamm 540 is my favourite motorhome, the monocoque body means there’s no joins in the bodywork and it’s the perfect layout with the drop down bed. Unfortunately the price ruled that one out for us. If there’s one for sale nearby I would definitely have a look. We had a Wellhouse Ford Transit pop top and we found the roof bed a bit claustrophobic, it didn’t work as well as we expected it to. Moving the seat on the track was also difficult for us 60+ ☹️, especially if we weren’t level, so your concerns there are correct. I think it was also slightly over 2m so when we replaced it we just decided to go for a 5.4m high top Peugeot Boxer and it was really no different to the Ford Transit. We now love going away in the van so much we’ve just bought a very comfortable 6.36m Fiat Ducato. Thankfully we can’t go any bigger now because of the length of the drive. We bought Devon conversions because they’re very near to where we live and I love their vans but I think my favourite of the bigger van conversions are Consort, he used to own Vantage before he sold the company. He does a lot of travelling in camper vans and that does give him a real insight into what works well. You’ll find that company on UA-cam. I think he filmed his last European campervan tour. Lots for you to think about but a new van is very exciting. Thanks for sharing.
How exciting. Loved all the pros and cons discussion. Can be so confusing. I do think that you get that feeling of 'this is the one' when you step inside, it's just finding it hey. Hope you are soon feeling better Carol, take care xx
Another thought- Autosleeper Nuevo EK or ES. 5.4m and a Tardis if you are thinking higher and MH… it’s what I’d have if we went bigger than the Romahome R25! Same sort of build- monocoque. Happy hunting!
Lovely to see you both again. Hope your feeling better now Carol. All the way through this blog I was saying to myself your keep the little red camper… well I was surprised at the end haha. Keep well and looking forward to the next series. X
If that had been the likely outcome I would never have done the videos as it would be clickbait 😁👍. There will be a new van just as long as we can find one that meets our needs and they are able to deliver it 👍
The roof bed in the Bilbo conversions is very comfortable, it has fruli springs. You will have great fun making your final choice. Bilbo's also offer Lithium battery, solar panels and Camping Gaz. They will upgrade a stock vehicle. Bilbo's also have a list of vehicles on order from VW. That list may be shorter now, given the recent news from VW. However, you might be lucky. Good luck, looking forward to hearing what you finally choose. Glad Carol is getting better. Take care.
I've often thought about the pros and cons of going to a high top from a pop top but like yourself it appears impossible to decide between the two. I would like you to buy a high top so that I can see how you get on. I think the compromise is medium wheel base to still fit into most car park spaces and high roof to maximise space for longer periods of travel.
No need to wait for us to test a high top just watch Getaway Geese and A dog a day channels. They manage fine but they just can’t get into as many places as we can. I have never seen them troubled by that other than a sigh when the barrier is too low.
Hi both, love the chanel, we can only say how we came to decide on ours, we rented a van for a week and went on holiday to make sure we were both comfortable driving it and with the space, we knew its a costly mistake to get the wrong one. We have a transit custom swb high top converted it ourselves and we love it. Good luck with the search and look forward to the next update.
Very interesting discussions. So many decisions to make, we love our CV20, our 3rd van, and we think this is ideal for us ,which we will keep for some time now. It does seem that some vans are Not designed by campers , our last motor Home had shallow cupboards ,which we didnt notice till after we purchased it. The prices for new vans have gone through the roof. As for electric ,I just cannot see that taking off, it's a con.The lack of charging points,the cost of batteries , the damage to batteries caused by fast charging , in a car on short journeys ,maybe ,but for camping , no thanks
I am with you on electric and I do get some flack for daring to express my opinion. I don’t buy it for a second and it’s just the next phase in getting us to buy new vehicles. Remember when we were all forced to switch to diesel ? No not for me because no van currently exists that can do what we actually do. Also many are screaming that the chemicals for all these batteries are in limited supply and cause huge damage to the environment in mining them. I like the performance of electric cars but I see more and more videos of people giving them up and similar articles in the press. One day there will be a cleaner option but I am not sure that will be with the current tech.
Hey guys, i have a california Ocean with 2 kids and i can only say it is a dream machine and a real swiss army knife of the campervan world. I have a channel you can look at which just looks at some gadgets etc which can make it even better but in the whole the cabin is very nice place to be, has electric windows, heated seats, Dynamic cruise for long distance etc etc. The downstairs bed is so easy to set up takes 1 min max to set up probably less if you are experienced and loads of storage space. I added a solar panel set up and it works like a dream and usually never need hook up with a EF Delta. I was thinking for you guys you could look at the ford nugget however i dont think you can use the kitchen when the roof is down so not great when you just want to stop off and have a snack. Whatever you decide i will be watching and look forward to see what you pick :) Happy camping guys
We have seen quite a few videos of people struggling with the bed but thinking about them they are all people demonstrating the van rather than living in it. That makes me think it’s a familiarity rather than a design issue. Just checked your last video. That shelf mod 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK thanks if you need any help if you have doubts and want to explore further just PM me. However you are doing the right thing in checking all options and pros/cons.
We took a slightly different approach….. got a vw caddy with a QUQUQ boot camper as it’s used as a normal car most of the time. Did look at the nv200s but many are not euro 6 compliant….. wish there were more options around that size…. Probably vw is best simple because so many accessories available and can get repaired anywhere in Europe
A big garage network for vehicle repairs can be useful but then again most modern vans are reliable these days. In our current size range we think you can’t beat the Toyota Proace 👍
@@simonkimber1152 the first thing I would say to anyone buying a van is buy nothing for it in advance. We have wasted money doing this getting things that promptly got abandoned of future trips. Those big shows are designed to trigger an impulse buy. In the first year we just stripped stuff out and everything had to justify it’s existence 😁👍. You are right though you can get far more things for a VW as there are so many of them.
I downsized from a small motorhome with an over cab bed to a high roof Doblo microcamper and in 4 years of motorhoming I never had height barrier problems but my Doblo has encountered lots of barriers (with the skylight I cannot access a lot of car parks).... so I think you are right to seriously consider the height
When it’s late at night, there are no camping signs everywhere and you are desperate then a height barrier can be a heart breaker. We want to continue to get under the vast majority but recognise going up from our current van means we will not be able to get under some. 😁👍
Best place to see and compare loads of campervans together is to go to a show. Quick Google and it looks like there's one in the south, Farnborough next weekend, 23 to 26 March 2023, called Go Explore .... unless you've already ordered, of course😉 interested in your criteria, as surprised to learn you have a car as well. We thought about going down to a small van as only vehicle but decided against it. we have an Adria Twin which you'd find huge, but personally I wouldn't consider campervanning without my own proper toilet and shower, but we live in France with aires everywhere so no need to wild camp.
Shows are an excellent way to easily see them all in the flesh but I wouldn’t buy one there unless I had already made up my mind on a specific van. Every van is shown with the roof up and there is little scope to actually move things, put the bed up and down and most importantly just sit in it with the roof down and quietly think about how it will work on the most miserable day of the year. 😁👍. We have that big XC60 which cost a fortune ever since we gave up caravanning. We will probably end up part exchanging it for the new van and buy a small runaround. We could make do with just the next van but I doubt we will 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK oh yes, so easy to be tempted by all the shiny new vans at a show. Having said that, it's where we bought our best ever van - an Adria Stargo - wish we had never parted with it, though our Adria Twin is smaller and better for city visits. We've been through the whole, can we make do with the van as our sole vehicle debate, but decided that despite the versatility of the Twin we also needed a small run-around, so we just have a little Peugeot 108 for that. Good luck and enjoy the search, it's all part of the fun.
Have you looked at the Ford Nugget from Westfalia? We absolutely love our poptop swb at just a little below 5 m. It has a different lay-out with a separate kitchen at the back. The Silver Nugget Adventure channel has some great videos about this model.
Glad you’re on the mend Carol👍 I’ve also had a cough now for what seems a lifetime. It’s important that you weigh up all the pros and cons until that is when your head begins to swim. Certainly sizing up improves your Van experience but it’s swings and roundabouts… I had to smile when you mentioned the getting older bit. It’s usually my job to make the bed up whilst the dog is taken for it’s last ritual, and its probably the only bit I hate about not having a bed I can jump straight into. However much of the time these things are a compromise after what can be a lot of over thinking. But we love our V-line and it suits our requirements and the dealer is only 20 mins away which is ideal… I can’t wait to see what you end up with 👍🍻❤️
Carol says Hi 👍. Too much choice can paralyse the brain so we will not let the thinking stage last too long. Making the bed is a pain especially if you have had a bad day. Also in our little van you have to put it away again before you can do anything else. We have been happy to do that in exchange for being able to park it anywhere we want but as we get older priorities change. We will continue with that system for our next van but the one after that will have a fixed bed for sure. 😁👍
Hi both, definitely get a little solar generator, very useful bit of kit to keep in the van for charging stuff up to take the pressure off the leisure battery, like an ecoflow or bluetti unit. Love the channel 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK I think you should take your Ecoflow with you and if possible a couple of 100w solar panels. It will give you some experience of off grid using 240v. Not sure whether you will be able to charge the Ecoflow enough whilst driving using a 12v socket. We’re thinking about changing our motorhome and I would definitely go without gas and I think you will seriously consider it if you use the Ecoflow more often. Cheers Martin
@@martinph9052 I think the best way to charge the Ecoflow whilst driving would be to use a 12v inverter to charge via AC. Not tried it and I bet there are some clever solutions out there 👍
Have been going round and round in circles ourselves choosing a car to replace our ageing Land Rover. Checked everything out and did loads and loads of research. Finally decided to go for Kia Sorrento or Hyundai Santa Fe and spent weeks searching for the right one. Just last Friday we put a deposit on another Land Rover......🤪
I have a westfalia club city joker have you looked at that 2 leisure batteries and solar panels great van take a look VW no electric on on roof . Got one due to problems if you're interested
It’s an excellent van but does not meet our new requirements. Who knows we might even run 2 for a little while just to make sure we haven’t made a terrible mistake 😁👍
Looking forward to finding out what you buy, in due course. My little red van is a VW camper. The only thing I wanted which it didn't have when I bought it was cruise control. I had it retro fitted, so bear in mind that it's possible to do so if you find a van which suits you in other respects. Mine is standard cruise but it's possible to retrofit adaptive CC providing the base vehicle is suitable. Good luck with your search. Meanwhile I look forward to the UK based videos coming up next. 🙂
@@LifeistooshortCK It was arranged by the dealer I bought the van from and I'm afraid I can't remember who did it now (they came out to me). That said, if I were doing it again I'd probably make the arrangements myself after doing some forum surfing and getting some personal recommendations. What I have works perfectly well but I could've had it looking OEM rather than the neat but after market setup I now have.
Jerba camper vans have some good layouts, but they are on VW Transporters. They also fit the Wallace hob which is a diesel hob and heater in one which saves on gas😀
I have a Vauxhall Vivaro , long wheel base, High top, which I love, even though there are carparks I can't get into, its worth it for the warmth, high cupboard storage and no bending or pushing tops up ,which would be a no no for me with my glass back!! It also still fits in a regular supermarket parking space! Ref the Campinggaz, mine came with it and its a lot more expensive than other gas options. I would have changed it but the other gas bottles wouldn't fit in the space. It may be cheaper abroad but in this country its the expensive option and that came from the mouths of FLOGAS my gas suppliers! My Father always said, "the more electrics you have on a vehicle, the more you have to go wrong!" Simple is best!! I also recommend doing a private sale on your van as the dealers always give you much less whilst trying to convince you what a good deal they are giving you !! I am looking to change my van within the next year or so and will probably go for a MOVANO . which I will then get converted as I now know what I use and what I don't use! I am definitely going to look into the Diesel cooker heater combo. I look forward to seeing what you end up with. Bev xxx
Well cooking and heating with diesel is without doubt the most stress free option you could go for. With your circumstances the hard top makes perfect sense 👍
Hi big decisions to make one thing I would like to say and am sure you will be and that is the selection of gas. Camping gas is not good in cold conditions. I recall that we went to Holland in May and the weather was cold and we did use camping gas at the time and the pressure was very low. Look forward to you Stately home blogs, take care.
Agreed. We have had that experience before when we started caravanning. Gas is going to get more of a problem going forward which is why we fancied diesel. If we do end up with camping gas and we are somewhere cold I will make sure we have an temporary solution with us. Something that can live in the cabin and benefit from the warmth. Manufacturers need to up their game and all of you to route warm air into these spaces (gas and the battery compartment). It can;t be that hard to do.
@@LifeistooshortCK I have a 907 cylinder in my van and in 9 years of year-round camping it has only frozen once. It was inconvenient as I couldn't make my morning cuppa, but I was warm because my van's heating runs on diesel. Nowadays I always fill a flask the night before - but I now also have an induction hob which runs off of my Ecoflow River Pro so even if I run out of gas or it is out of commission, I can still cook and have hot drinks.
If the height isn't an issue, have a look at Vantage Motorhomes. The only downside is the distance to their factory in Leeds. Top quality and a good range of layouts and sizes.
For our next van height will still be an issue and it’s definitely going to be a pop top. The van after that will be very different. Thanks for the suggestion though 👍
Hi its not ticking all your boxes but have a look at a Ford Transit Custom, Devon Firefly, 2 single beds, and a toilet with a privacy door, in a 4.9 meter van.
I drive a van with a high roof, usually no problem. You should have a GPS where you can enter height, width and weight. In France I was repeatedly led into envelopes where the maximum height was 2.20/2.30. I live in Spain and there are a lot of roads that are incredibly narrow, steep and with sharp bends. I have a folding bike with me so I can park a bit outside the city centre. It can quickly become large and the result is that you stay on the main road. What is comfortable is standing height and a fixed bed.
Being able to stand is great especially if you get cooped up due to weather or illness. We used to carry bikes when we towed a caravan. Really enjoyed it and they were electric so very easy to use. Got a bit fed up with all the extra locks and chains we had to carry to stop them being nicked. I fancy a couple of electric scooters, just big enough to carry easily and perhaps put in a rucksack once you reach town. Most of them are a fire risk though and here in the UK we have the dumbest laws going on their use. Legal if you hire one from a local council and illegal if you buy your own. I am surprised the public put up with that crass nonsense.
@@LifeistooshortCK I have a very simple folding bike as it weighs the least and has room in the "garage". It has to be simple and easy, otherwise you won't bother using the bike or whatever...it is
I’m full time in a motohome. The height and width I rarely have a problem with. Although I want to spend a month in the Isle Of Man. Watching you there would obviously be a problem in the Motohome.
You know what your talking about being a full timer. We couldn’t do that so I take my hat off to all those who manage it. Height barriers are more of an inconvenience than a permanent issue. Being able to slip under them helps us to stop at places that are not particularly Van friendly. Isle of Man is a wonderful place for van life. Some of their roads would be a real challenge but the ring road is good and you can get to most places. I hear they have stopped camping at our favourite place at the northern tip. What a shame.
Yes if we had been well we probably would have gone but I am a firm believer that shows are only useful for seeing what’s out there at the start of your search. Once you have a shortlist then you need to get in one without distractions and really put it through it’s paces on how easy it is to operate everything. Most import is what is it like with that roof down.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Carol is on the mend folks. Just a tickly cough left. This video was filmed the same day as the last one so you will see no change. Thanks for all your best wishes. 👍
Now you can have a look at our car on my channel!
@@bolleolympus just watched it 😘
@@LifeistooshortCK I think you should concoder a car like this. This ir really freedom on four whels!
Hi Ken and Carol, Wellhouse Leisure convert the Toyota Proace vans. They are based in Barnsley now but do tend to have franchises in various parts ot the country. I bought a Toyota Regius from them 12 years ago and I'm very happy with it. It is a 4wd pop top automatic 2.7 petrol engine with heater, and camping gas for cooking. Living in Yorkshire they are local to me. I like my van because it is 4wd and narrow perfect for our country lanes. However because it is 4wd it sits a little higher at 2.2 meters just too high for most barriers. Most long journeys and holidays I take are in my campervan and I do find it a luxurious and comfortable drive. My everyday car is a manual 4wd Daihatsu Terios, over the New year when the world and his wife were on the motorway network due to the train strikes I had to drive a couple of hundred miles south for an event. I had forgotten how uncomfortable it could be stuck in traffic for hours constantly changing gear and moving the clutch in and out. Getting older it is something to consider. I was unsure about an automatic before I bought my van as the ones I had driven in the 1980's would not have coped with the hill starts here in Yorkshire. I got Wellhouse to take me on a test drive to a suitably steep hill. Got to say I love it and even though it is automatic it has a standard drive, a low gear and a super low gear. So a better range of lower gears than my Daihatsu, but no diff lock. Not sure what options they offer on the Proace, but thought I would add my thoughts on whether or not to have an automatic. To add to this my friend owned a VW camper and when she was driving that I could really notice the difference, it looked like a much harder drive reminded me of my old VW Beetle or Larda Cossack. Not saying there is anything wrong with them for their owners, but I just love the ease and comfort of the Toyota for touring.
Thanks for sharing your experience. We would love 4 wheel drive. We have it on our Volvo. I know Carol wants an auto so I imagine that is what we will get. 👍
Whatever you choose to camp in should make you happy, I and I’m sure everyone else who enjoys your videos will keep tuning in!
Cheers 👍. I think we could be happy on a mattress in the back of the Volvo but I do recall Carol being rather unhappy when I took her camping for a weekend trying to recapture my youth 😁👍
Hi from Spain. It is always very interesting hearing how others come to a decision. I used to have folding caravan which i had fitted out myself and it was so versatile that I used it for living in full time for a few months. There were many features in that which I would like to have in a camper. However while my 92 year old mother in law is still with us I don't see it happening, any time soon and then i am getting older as well (82 in July.) I guess it will be another of those "if only" moments.
Really enjoyed this vid ,very informative .you have such a lovely smile Carol .Thankyou both .
@@zoepatterson3643 thank you ❤️
Hola 👋 from southern New Mexico 🌶️ ...Carol and Ken Sorry I won't be much help because we had a 70's Ford Econoline Van that had been used by the phone company with heavy duty suspension. Double doors on the side with windows along the side and double doors in back. One side had no windows. My husband was 6'2” and I was 5'10" so we cut out the top and used plywood and did a curveacher in front and built the cupboards so they were outside the van on both sides. Aerodynamic it was fantastic. We had a vent on the roof we could bring forward or backwards whatever way the wind blew. We did our own build. The only thing I wish we had was a granny gear as it was a manual and we went up in the mountains on gravel roads.😮😊😊
Always great to build your own and have it just how you want it. Maybe we will do a self-build one day ☺️
I loved that drone footage view of the chalk-white cliffs, worth waiting to the end for!
Thanks!
Many thanks for the superthanks Greg 👍
Good luck with making your Choice with the new camper Van.
Cheers. You can research all you like but luck always plays a part in a van hunt 👍
Good luck, Carol and Ken. Whatever you decide to do, stay safe and well. As always thank you for the channel. I consider you both as friends I haven't met. x Hope you get back to full health soon Carol.x
Hi Joanna. We are glad to hear you feel that way. We enjoy the interaction we have with subscribers and the feeling is mutual 👍
A bus and beyond are a great resource they are lovely 👍
Yes they are!
Carol and Ken,
Our California Coast sounds ideal for you because it is a simplified Ocean, without so many electrical things to go wrong like the roof which is manual.
From memory I have 2 USB C sockets in the front, 2 USB sockets just behind the passenger seat, two cigarette lighters that could each have two more USB points, another cigarette lighter in the back and in the roof another cigarette lighter socket, so I make that 12 possible USB points in all.
The seat is relatively easy to slide forward, especially if you sit on the seat while walking it forward or back.
I thought the side door on the wrong side would be a negative thing, but in fact as a daily driver often with just me in the car, it is ideal as it is on the drivers side, so I don't need to go round to the other side when putting things into the van ie shopping.
I love the 1.98m height which gets us into car parks, but having said that we got stopped by a 1.96m height barrier the other day ! Don't give up the ability to sneak under barriers, you will regret this I think.
The 2L diesel and the automatic gearbox with adaptive cruise control is amazing. We get 38mpg on daily driving, and about 42mpg on longer trips.
As someone below has said, don't overthink this, just get something, and enjoy it, without getting bogged down in two much information and what ifs.
Oh and the Californias hold their value the best.
Regards Andrew
I agree with everything you say. Time will tell what we are able to find. 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK Forgot to mention mine is Cherry Red which is such a fun colour, (and a no cost extra) but you know all about cheerful red campervans !
You have lots to consider before making the decision. I’ll be here no matter what you decide. So glad Carol is better. Don’t get me started on all this going electric! Forcing it on us. So sad. Take care and I await eagerly for the next series. Mary
Thanks for your loyal support Mary. It is much appreciated 🙂👍
Hi from Boca Raton florida....we spent 2 years watching videos before we ordered. Its hard as every choice has big negatives and you end up spending allot more. I think re sale value is a big value to consider.
Your chanel made me believe we could wild camp and that made us pick options that made that possible. We picked a F250 with a 4 wheel camper that sits in the truck bed.
Were in south of USA and didn't get air conditioning so well be going north in summer. Our set up would be no good for the UK
My UK pick is the Ford Nuggert and I love Cali camper family channel ❤
We follow Cali Camper family, they make genuine fun videos and watching them enjoy themselves is a tonic. Wild camping is so much fun so if you have tried to because of our videos we are happy. Your roads are so much easier to drive than ours and there is so much space. A tunnel would be nice between our countries so we could bring our vans over 😁👍
From US, and I love watching y’all. Really enjoyed your trip through Norway as we lived in the Stavanger area for almost 12 years, brought back many memories. We had 3 children and we did a considerable amount of camping. As to the types of campers, that is a really hard one. We’ve had over 25 different kinds from great big ones that we needed special license to drive with all the bells and whistles, like living in a small house to very basic, like a fiat we built ourselves to travel Europe. Had a VW we went to NORTH CAPE in, fantastic trip. We have also had trailers, and after all the kinds, we love our Ford Transit. What we love the most is the ease of driving. Do have the lithium batteries and wouldn’t have anything else. We do have an induction cooktop, but our van has a generator so use it when I cook, never had a problem. As small as all the tanks are, we’ve managed to stay out for 4 days comfortably, but squeezing it 7 days. I realize camping in Europe is quit different from the states. We do love dry camping, or as we say, boon docking. Can’t wait to see what you choose for your new camper, good luck. See ya down the road❣️
We took a petrol generator with us when we took a caravan to Iceland as I was worried about power. It’s quite rare for people to use them in the UK as we are all packed in like sardines and the neighbours and campsites don’t like them. You are very lucky having all that space out there. Our George the 3rd really cocked up when that war of independence happened. If it had not been for him we might even have been able to easily bring our little red van over there for a tour. Mind you if you brought your huge rigs over here you might soon wish you had a little red camper. 😁👍. Thanks for watching.
Have you considered the latest Ford Transit Misano 4.1 from Yorkshire-based Wellhouse Leisure? This would appear to answer much of your wish list including full blackout blinds on all cab and rear windows, lithium battery, solar panel, numerous USB points etc as standard. They have some build slots available this May. I have a similar three-year-old Wellhouse conversion on a Ford Tourneo Custom (Transit-based) and the latest 4.1 version has worthwhile improvements on it. One fact to consider is the Ford Transit Custom is a newer van base than the VW Transporter and as such is nicer and more car-like to drive. VW is currently phasing out the Transporter (and current version California) which means waiting lists are longer and spec choices limited, according to your fellow UA-camrs Campervan Time. I’m on my second Wellhouse camper and I’m a satisfied customer. Transit Customs are a delight to drive. Wellhouse prices are competitive if you compare specs.
Not familiar with that van Peter. Will take a look. 👍
Totally agree with you about not going all-electric. Too many unknowns for my liking.
Glad you're on the mend, Carol.
You and me both!
Westfalia campers looks nice. Would love an older mint Westfalia VW bus. Lovely
I think the furniture in Westfalia is very good. I always fancied that 4x4 Komi that Living the van life built his channel on 😁👍
Hiya. It took us ages to decide which van to buy. We'd hired a California Ocean (from Kamperhire, Havant) a few times and absolutely loved them. The bed is not hard to put out, you sit on it, lift the handle and pull it forward. I'm almost 60 with arthritic fingers and can manage it easily. Once you've slept in the roof top bed, you won't want to sleep downstairs. Worried about getting up? There's a ladder you can buy that doesn't get in the way and packs down small. I am short and have a little wooden step we suspend off the drivers seat headrest, so I get a little boost up. We did look at lots of other vans including conversions and even went on a tour of the Jerba factory (we live in Hampshire) My husband is tall and couldn't sit in the back seats of the conversions which had a rib bed. And the ones that had the actual VW bed, were as expensive as a California. We have the standard batteries and they will last for 3 days off grid without driving. You can select to increase the charge rate into the batteries when driving, if you find you are low. You can spec in lithium batteries I think. But we'd never had an issue so didn't bother. The plug is 3 pin and also has a 3 pin 300W inverter at the side of the drivers seat (by the handbrake) 2 USB A's by the side of the sink. 2 USB C's by the gear stick. 12V on the dashboard. 12V in the pop top, 12V hidden in the cup holder under the rear seat and another 12V in the boot. California's never lose value. We're delighted with our. Hope that helps you 🙂
Yes it does help us thanks. We asked Jerba about head room with the roof down and they gave us the measurements from floor to ceiling. As you say the key measurement is from the compressed seat to the ceiling. You seem to have plenty of power sockets in yours. Lithium is only needed if you are continuously off grid and have high power demands and I am sure an after market supplier could adapt the system for us. The California is certainly on the short list. 👍
We have a California Ocean and love it…I think I’ve counted potential for 12 USBs including 2 x USBc, we pretty much have our fridge on all the time, with reference to the sliding door, we just turn the van to face the driver onto the pavement…
The bed up the top is amazingly comfortable, more so than the downstairs…we have had some issues with moving the seat, but if you take your time it does move very easily
I’d recommend contacting a VW dealer, I’m sure they’d let you borrow one
We have no doubts we would enjoy a California and no doubt we could get more usb’s fitted. Getting a new one would be pretty impossible now I think but we don’t mind a used one.
Very interesting couple of videos. Get well soon Carol. Very best of luck. The best thing about the channel is your presenting style , editing, your lovely warm personalities and most of all brilliant photography. Whatever van you have I look forward to watching. Thank you both.
Thank you so much ☺️
Cheers 👍
Decisions, decisions! Get well soon Carol.
Hello Carol and Ken,
For my 2 eurocents worth...
If like me you use Camping Gaz, with say a 903 or 907 cylinder, then if you have a 901 (the really teeny one) as a spare, you can always have enough gas for cooking
and not worry about running out.
Cordialement,
Good tip. Thanks 👍
Hi Carol and Ken! It’s nice that your looking for a new van even though I love the red one 😂! You should defo nip down to Tewkesbury because the history is great! there’s lots of museums! I love your vids and hope you come down! 🥰 xx
Great idea!!
nice to see your not jumping in with two feet , the pros and cons mean a lot good luck
Cheers 👍
We have got a 7.5m Roller Team we go ALMOST everywhere! Wild camping is a dream and, once parked up, we really are in luxury. Solar keeps us connected more than enough. Couldn´t now drop down to a smaller van. Height barriers? Never really had an issue as we rarely come across them
Without a doubt it can be done even in huge vans and the more you do it the easier it gets. There is also a high stress factor similar to range anxiety in an electric car when you have a large van. Our Volvo towing our last caravan was a large rig on the road and we had the benefit of it bending in the middle. I always had to think about the route though and had some anxious moments on narrow lanes. With our tiny van we have limited comfort but absolutely no worry about going anywhere. It’s been a lot of fun. 👍
I am glad you are getting better Carol. I had a horrible cough for 3 weeks, I thought it would never leave, most of my colds don't last that long. Blessings to you both.
Yes there is something rather special with these bugs at the moment because so many have said they can’t shift them. Mine is in limbo still but Carol seems almost fully recovered. I blame lockdown. We gave away some of our annual immunity top up doing that.
A lot of exciting news to look forward to !!!!!
It's a big decision deciding which style, model, make but you'll get there in the end. My view watching you every week is that you're suited more to campervan rather than motorhome, because with most campervans you can still get them in a normal car parking space.
Happy hunting,🤔
Yes we think so as well. One day we will move to a Motorhome and start using campsites again if I can put up with the lawnmowers, mini tractors and leaf blowers 😁👍
Love your videos - I’m now not allowed to watch them without my husband! We have a second-hand Renault Trafic LWB high top and have to say we absolutely love it. We never find the height a problem - there’s almost always an alternative to height restricted parking. It fits in a normal parking space and is a very easy drive (it’s semi automatic, so we can control the gears if we want). For us, the thermal advantage and hugely increased storage space made it so much more attractive than an elevating roof. It’s just long enough to have a small porta potti (masquerading as a foot stool) in the living area even when the bed is down. And access to the fridge with the bed down. For us, it’s the perfect combination of small enough to be easy to handle, but large enough to live comfortably. Have you thought about buying a base vehicle and getting it converted to your own specifications? Whatever you choose, I’m sure it will be right for your - already looking forward to how you get on with your next camper. Thanks so much for the entertaining videos.
Can’t disagree with the positives of a high top or the extra room in a LWB. We are not ready for that yet but may well be the one after next. Bespoke conversions are great but you have to plan so far ahead these days to get a good converter 👍
Found mmm TV the one I watched was transit pop top by autosleeper
Do look at Autohaus Camalot based on VW transporter brought from Campersales at Burgess Hill delighted with ours and thanks for all the brilliant info and priceless tips you saved us years of trial and error
That looks a very nice van. There have been times when we have been forced to have the roof down for long periods due to bad weather. Carol struggles in our current van when cooking then so we are worried by an end kitchen how that would be.
Hi try to keep this short ! Thanks for a fantastic channel firstly I’ve spend many an hour researching small camper vans and in my opinion the California comes out on top briefly it drives like a car , looks a dream , as reliable as any other motor home / campervan , 5 year warranty with just the one manufacturer after that you can extend year by year for about £300 , ours is 2 years old many trips round Europe and is still worth more than we payed for it , yes there production comes to an end in a couple of years or so !!! But that will further there value in my opinion , we have had a few warranty issues but travel to Breeze Vw in pools they are outstanding , well that’s my brief opinion !! You can always come and pull our van apart we are in Essex , good luck choosing it’s a nightmare keep up the good work cheers Neil
Thanks for the offer. They are great vans and finding a good one will be a challenge 👍
Hi to both of you. I hope you're feeling better Carol. Give that naughty bug the boot. Take Care, sending love
Both much better thanks 👍
How exciting , I am terrible at making decisions if I have too much choice . You have a lovely dilemma , whatever you choose I am sure it will be the right one . Glad Carol is picking up . We all need some vitamin D , let’s hope the sun shines soon x
Yes the sun came out briefly today. It certainly lifts the spirits 👍
We have a Nissan Cargo Van Hi-Top we converted ourselves. We very much enjoy the ability to STAND up. The height certainly is an issue for some car parks, but, the ability to stand and walk around and have a toilet anytime & anywhere we want, are 2 of the many advantages of our van; ones we do not want to give up!! You are quite bold with your little camper, but we are of an age where we do not choose to rough it to that degree anymore. We are not fancy like many of the vans, but we are happy. Pete basically did all the work in the building of the van. Without the tools many folks are not able to build there own van. I am blessed! Soooo, you have quite a decision to make. But, there is some fun in that journey ahead for you. There are a lot of youtube channels showing all the various vans. And over here the dealers even show off everything about the various vans which may be helful for you. Sorry I wrote so much here..... Have fun! 😊
If you have the skills and the time then a self build has to be the most rewarding Van experience you can have. The van can easily be adapted as your experience grows and you can sit there and admire your work. You are blessed. We don’t pursue fancy and never will. The only luxury we would like is the adaptive cruise control because we have it in the car. May you have many years of enjoyment 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK Thank you! Yes... we do keep adding, changing and enjoying. But, the right van will be out there for you both, as well !!! 😊
I agree with you on the Net Zero craziness! You just can't turn and stop making fuels available, the economy will collapse. Though battery technology has come a long way and is important to have, they can never replace what our fuel powered engines can do. Safe travels!
I went down the Vauxhall Vivaro route (Renault Trafic). As you mention value for money is phenomenal, and MPG is best in class. I'm average 40mpg across all conditions. 42+ on the motorway. Mine was a minibus, meaning it has a tailgate and sliding doors on both sides. A sliding door on the ki tchen side makes access to the water tank very easy. Lovely to drive as well. Enjoy the search.
I agree access to the water makes life nice and easy. They are solid vans for sure.
Very exciting news, a new van to get used to for all of us watching, can’t wait for the new tours. All the best x
There will be quite a bit more from the little red camper and then as you say the whole learning curve kicks off again 😁👍
Oh I am enjoying all the planning pros and cons…
Well we thought people might be interested in the process and it looks like some are 👍
Have a look at Wellhouse Leisure for Transit or Proace.
Hi, I did a self build on a Vauxhall Vivaro 2016, it suits me.
The one thing watching your videos which I think will suit you is have your own van built. Choose your base van, design your layout and spec and have it built. This way, you get exactly what you want.
Enjoy and Keep it Upright! 👍
Without doubt a bespoke van build gives you exactly what you think you want. Even better is to build it yourself and then you end up with exactly what you want as you can change the things you thought you wanted to something that actually works 😁👍 One day I need to man up and try it for myself. I could by a cheap van and use it to learn the skills necessary to make a proper job.
Pleased you mentioned that you are over concerned with height barriers as it really does bring limitations when considering a replacement camper/ motorhome. The one stop shop you wished for are surely the various shows , like NEC etc. “Ticking all the boxes “ is rarely achieved and compromises are usually called for . Good luck both.
Shows are good for scanning but I would always find a dealer where I can spend time alone in the van 👍
Glad to see you (Ken) looking and feeling much better, hopefully Carol with be feeling better soon too. We are fairly new to campervan life, but we choose to go with an Autosleeper Air, as it fitted most of our requirements. SWB Transit, pop top, etc. Like you two, we went through a whole list of what we thought we wanted and what was available at the time. Took us many months to nail it down to a vehicle that gave us most of what we wanted. The height of our Transit is 2.12mtr and as we have found we can park in most places still, just not council run car parks in Eastbourne who have set most of the barriers to 2.0mtrs. Good luck with your quest, we look forward to seeing you on the road again.
Looks like a nice van. Town councils are the worst when it comes to barriers. They are doing it because they are frightened of a traveller invasion although they will never admit it. The government have given the police the powers they need to deal with that but I have not seen them being used.
Fab! Enjoyed these two very informative videos. We have a 17 year old Toyota Hiace, converted panel van, called Woody. Nothing fancy as it was purely a project for my Husbands 60th and we love it. We also have a caravan for family holidays too. All of the information you and the subscribers have discussed will help us when we finally sell our current adventuring vehicles in a few years, so looking forward to seeing what you’ve gone for. Thanks again both and get well soon Carol 😁😁
Hi Alison, is that a D4D HiAce with a semi bonnet?
We don’t need fancy. Give me practicality and efficiency any day. 👍. We love youtube it’s like getting thousands of experienced people in one room and discussing options 😁👍
@@alexwelch2363 Not sure what a semi bonnet is but yes to the D4D 😁 91,000 miles too, so plenty of life in him
@@alisonwilliams4889 my comment(s) keep getting deleted it seems! Anyhow, I think that because the HiAce from Japan/SE Asia/Africa/AUS/NZ has the engine under the seat, it effectively has no bonnet, whereas the 2004-12 D4D appears that the engine is halfway under the seat, halfway in a bonnet jutting out (I think 😀)
@@alexwelch2363 The engine is all in the front. Only things under the seats is the jack, our chairs and a sweetie tin 😝 The picture on my account is Woody, having just travelled over Bealach na Ba
Hi, Ken and Carol. Absolutely love your channel and following your adventures. Have taken on board lots of your tips as we begin our campervan life. We are collecting a Ford Transit Custom Misano 4.1 from Wellhouse Leisure this Friday. Although they are based in Barnsley I'm fairly certain that the van can be purchased at P&p Campers in Portsmouth. Hope this helps.
Someone else was singing the praises of that van so I am sure you will be delighted with it. So much to take in on the handover so don’t be afraid to video it. Lots of people praise that company so you should have no problems. Enjoy your van. Very exciting 👍
Great video & certainly a lot to choose from, not easy decision when there is a good choice of vans .......
I am lucky as I find making the decision easy but Carol can agonise a bit. I had to make so many difficult decisions during my career and due to the possibility of legal challenge I became quite good at writing down why I made them. Deciding the van will not take us long at all, getting the van in a reasonable time frame is a whole different ball game. 👍
Good luck in your search. I look forward to seeing what you decide upon. Have you looked at the award winning Murvi vans? The Piccolo and Pimento are the smaller vans.
No we will take a look
Well Carole & Ken having just watched part 2,not long after watched part 1 I'm thinking that there's so much to digest from recommendations & what you've already looked at yourself! Over the years of buying cars I've spent so much time looking on autotrader etc it gets to a point sometimes where I just had to walk away from looking & go back later as ot used to get my head spinning 🙃 😅 there's 2 of you there that are trying to find what suits both & that's certainly not easy..as I see it the more you look..the more it scrambles your head..sooo me thinks a good list of what suits you both & act on it as of it keeps lingering on it becomes like being bogged down in sand! So the best of luck with your Decision..I'm sure you will both reach a compromise on what would suit both...always remember everyone has an opinion everyone...the only one that matters is YOURS!🙂👌💯
That hits the nail several times on the head. Have no concerns we fully realise the dangers of too much choice, our needs will always trump other people’s wants, and I never take too long to reach a conclusion. As long as Carol is happy I will be happy and we will get on and buy it. Carol is easy to do business with 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK excellent reply & thanks for that..best of luck narrowing down your choices before the final decision us made you two 💯🙂👍
It honestly wouldn’t matter to me if you weren’t travelling at all! I just love your vlogs home or away, you’re both so very soothing in a world full of chaos!
Ooooh,
I’m very much looking forward to the stately home tour! Be well soon lovely Carol and thanks again to you both for this steady little corner of the internet ❤️🐚 xx
Thank you so much!! Glad you are enjoying our channel 😊
We are glad you feel that way. The media make our world a frightening place. They will twist everything to get a click because so many people have lost all faith in them. I skim the headlines but can spot a scam story a mile off these days. I am sick of the lot of them so our videos will just focus on the fun we often have in our little van. When I read something frightening I run through the same thought processes. Is it within my control ? If not then why worry it won’t make any difference. Does it actually affect the way I live ? Most of it never will. Is it hurting my family and friends ? Most of the time it’s not. Last but not least is it true. Any stories that mention MAY happen are scare stories. If people are frightened they click more.
Glad to hear Carol is on the mend. That miserable cough and cold seems to be world wide! I've been suffering it almost 2 weeks and gave now the wife has it too. We are surprised you've decided to replace your camper van. You guys are lucky to have a good selection in the U.K., there's almost nothing available in small campers here in the USA.
Hi Ken. Sorry to hear you have had the bug as well. Your roads are so big and easy to drive that big rigs are not as stressful as they are over here. Even in our tiny van some places can turn your hair white 😁👍
Just for your info whilst looking for a new van .. my partner and I have a T5 swb camper conversion and when we booked on ferry’s the costing was reasonable but as soon as we changed the details to a VW California the price of the ferry crossing almost tripled in price, so be aware of this when choosing x
Thats interesting. Absolutely hate when they charge different prices for the same space in car parks etc. 👍
Hi I love your videos guys. Im in Australia having moved from Kent in 2009. I have a California Beach here and run 240v via a Bluetti unit, cooking on induction. As I cook outside (no kitchen in the beach) under the rear door with a pull out kitchen the induction is not affected by the wind. However, in the Sunshine coast its sunny just about everyday so recharging with solar presents no issues. Choosing a van is not an easy decision tho so I wish you the very and look forward to hearing your final choice.
We will almost certainly incorporate a large power bank in the next van as it offers so much flexibility. In the winter camping gas does not perform well so we could use induction then. Our current van has barn doors and some we are looking at have tailgates. Both have advantages and disadvantages so it would be interesting to try a tailgate. Would be very easy to use a tarp to make a temporary porch.
The Marco Polo looked good Like you would worry about all electric. Like a squirrel 😂😅. We like our Lithium setup. Works well. Just like you explained. I envy you with the low hight. I would be loath to give that up if I were you but I may just be used to watching you nip into everywhere 😂. Thanks guys. 👍
After the bug I am more like a Sloth these days 🙁😁👍
The motorhome shows are a good way to see lots of vans together and compare.
Yes we will do some at some point but I think we will have identified our next van before then. They are knackering things to visit but we enjoy all the tubers posting their walk around 👍
We visited our first ever motorhome show last autumn in Birmingham prior to buying. It was good but we only did a day. I don’t think we could have managed more than that!
@@1northcountrygirl the other trouble with them is you never get a chance to really experience the vans. They always have the roofs up and unless your prepared to negotiate a deal you can’t try the bed etc. Great though for seeing what’s out there.
That’s so true! We decided to hire the one we thought was for us but didn’t like it. At 6m long, we found it difficult to park in supermarket car parks so eventually went for a VW LWB which is 5.4m long and so much better. We also ended up buying second hand as the wait for a new one was going to be at least a year.
Great timing Ken! Just having my early morning cuppa….. 🤗
Excellent I have just got mine 👍
I’m glad it’s not just me that takes the time to weigh up all the pros and cons. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision for yourselves. One thing for sure the camper although part of your channel it isn’t the channel. In the meantime hope you both recover quickly from the bug that you picked up and get chance to enjoy some more travels.
I’m just about to set off to the outer Hebrides and looking forward to the trip.
Cheers. Jealous of your trip to the Outer Hebrides. We want to take the van there 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK well after a skirmish with the big C I can honestly say don’t wait!!! Too many people unfortunately have the opportunity to say I wish I had………
Looking forward to watching your next series of videos.
@@dieselbushcraft1299 glad your able to do it. Same thing happened to my eldest sister and her husband but sadly they didn’t make it. It’s why the channel is called life is too short 👍
Hari Om
Excellent ruminations... Of course the Rolling Rucks have just put their van up for sale - a bit of adjustment in the bedroom bit and that would do you grand! YAM xx
They put a lot of effort into that build so it’s sad to see it’s not working out for their needs. Bit to long for me I think. I would have too many kittens in tight spaces so will leave that for a younger man 😁👍
Great advice for other would be buyers of campervans. Looking forward to seeing what your new van will be and also looking forward to the ‘Stately Homes Series’ !
We are looking forward to what we choose as well. It’s a painful process making compromises 😁👍
Just a thought, as you were both drooling over the Toyota landcruiser overlander, how about looking outside the box, and forgetting height barriers, getting a merc Sprinter 4x4, and having it converted into an 'off grid' stealth camper. They do auto versions as well.
Decision has been made now 😁👍. That might be the next one though. 👍
Hi Ken and Carol we found our perfect van at Needingworth Campers at St. Ives Cambridge. Looking forward to picking it up.
We know that feeling it’s very exciting (and you won’t hear me say that very often ) 😁👍
Good luck 👍🏻
Thank you 😁
Denby camper vans in leek you can customise every thing give them a call or go online. Don’t worry about T6.1 as so many about 👍
Thanks for that Graham 🙂👍
@@LifeistooshortCK no problem, Denby are the most friendly and professional campervan people I have met. And yes my VW 6.1 is done by them. Anything specific speak to Jade and say Graham sent you. No I am not sponsored or gain anything I just want you to find the best van for you 👍❤️
Thanks for the tip 👍
So much to think about. I hope to approach the decision in the same way and firstly decide how the van will be used and what’s needed from it then see what fits the criteria, otherwise it’s so overwhelming & it could be an expensive mistake! Get well soon Carol and I’ll look forward to more adventures from the little red camper for now. X
Very wise. If you prefer campsites then you can have whatever you please. If you want to be able to park anywhere legal then the smaller the better but that brings big compromises as our videos show 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK hopefully you’ve found something that fits the bill. I hadn’t realised the transporter won’t be made any longer, I’d better hurry up. This morning I’ve watched Darren from The Urban Motorhome saying goodbye to his van after 6 years. We’ll have tissues at the ready when Little Red goes off to pastures new. X
@@louisesymonds9963 yes it will be a sad one 😁👍
The Wingamm 540 is my favourite motorhome, the monocoque body means there’s no joins in the bodywork and it’s the perfect layout with the drop down bed. Unfortunately the price ruled that one out for us. If there’s one for sale nearby I would definitely have a look. We had a Wellhouse Ford Transit pop top and we found the roof bed a bit claustrophobic, it didn’t work as well as we expected it to. Moving the seat on the track was also difficult for us 60+ ☹️, especially if we weren’t level, so your concerns there are correct. I think it was also slightly over 2m so when we replaced it we just decided to go for a 5.4m high top Peugeot Boxer and it was really no different to the Ford Transit. We now love going away in the van so much we’ve just bought a very comfortable 6.36m Fiat Ducato. Thankfully we can’t go any bigger now because of the length of the drive. We bought Devon conversions because they’re very near to where we live and I love their vans but I think my favourite of the bigger van conversions are Consort, he used to own Vantage before he sold the company. He does a lot of travelling in camper vans and that does give him a real insight into what works well. You’ll find that company on UA-cam. I think he filmed his last European campervan tour. Lots for you to think about but a new van is very exciting. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your experience and the tips. Much appreciated 👍
Good luck😊
Thank you 😁
Feel better soon
Cheers 👍
How exciting. Loved all the pros and cons discussion. Can be so confusing. I do think that you get that feeling of 'this is the one' when you step inside, it's just finding it hey. Hope you are soon feeling better Carol, take care xx
We agree. We certainly know when it’s the right one for us quite quickly after stepping in. Fingers crossed that happens again this time 👍
Another thought- Autosleeper Nuevo EK or ES. 5.4m and a Tardis if you are thinking higher and MH… it’s what I’d have if we went bigger than the Romahome R25! Same sort of build- monocoque. Happy hunting!
Cheers 👍
Lovely to see you both again. Hope your feeling better now Carol. All the way through this blog I was saying to myself your keep the little red camper… well I was surprised at the end haha. Keep well and looking forward to the next series. X
If that had been the likely outcome I would never have done the videos as it would be clickbait 😁👍. There will be a new van just as long as we can find one that meets our needs and they are able to deliver it 👍
The roof bed in the Bilbo conversions is very comfortable, it has fruli springs. You will have great fun making your final choice. Bilbo's also offer Lithium battery, solar panels and Camping Gaz. They will upgrade a stock vehicle. Bilbo's also have a list of vehicles on order from VW. That list may be shorter now, given the recent news from VW. However, you might be lucky. Good luck, looking forward to hearing what you finally choose. Glad Carol is getting better. Take care.
We will be certainly looking at their vans. Thanks for your thoughts 👍
I've often thought about the pros and cons of going to a high top from a pop top but like yourself it appears impossible to decide between the two. I would like you to buy a high top so that I can see how you get on.
I think the compromise is medium wheel base to still fit into most car park spaces and high roof to maximise space for longer periods of travel.
No need to wait for us to test a high top just watch Getaway Geese and A dog a day channels. They manage fine but they just can’t get into as many places as we can. I have never seen them troubled by that other than a sigh when the barrier is too low.
Hi both, love the chanel, we can only say how we came to decide on ours, we rented a van for a week and went on holiday to make sure we were both comfortable driving it and with the space, we knew its a costly mistake to get the wrong one.
We have a transit custom swb high top converted it ourselves and we love it.
Good luck with the search and look forward to the next update.
A self conversion that works will certainly provide the goods and a huge amount of satisfaction 👍
Thank you both x
Very interesting discussions. So many decisions to make, we love our CV20, our 3rd van, and we think this is ideal for us ,which we will keep for some time now. It does seem that some vans are Not designed by campers , our last motor Home had shallow cupboards ,which we didnt notice till after we purchased it. The prices for new vans have gone through the roof. As for electric ,I just cannot see that taking off, it's a con.The lack of charging points,the cost of batteries , the damage to batteries caused by fast charging , in a car on short journeys ,maybe ,but for camping , no thanks
I am with you on electric and I do get some flack for daring to express my opinion. I don’t buy it for a second and it’s just the next phase in getting us to buy new vehicles. Remember when we were all forced to switch to diesel ? No not for me because no van currently exists that can do what we actually do. Also many are screaming that the chemicals for all these batteries are in limited supply and cause huge damage to the environment in mining them. I like the performance of electric cars but I see more and more videos of people giving them up and similar articles in the press. One day there will be a cleaner option but I am not sure that will be with the current tech.
Hey guys, i have a california Ocean with 2 kids and i can only say it is a dream machine and a real swiss army knife of the campervan world. I have a channel you can look at which just looks at some gadgets etc which can make it even better but in the whole the cabin is very nice place to be, has electric windows, heated seats, Dynamic cruise for long distance etc etc.
The downstairs bed is so easy to set up takes 1 min max to set up probably less if you are experienced and loads of storage space.
I added a solar panel set up and it works like a dream and usually never need hook up with a EF Delta.
I was thinking for you guys you could look at the ford nugget however i dont think you can use the kitchen when the roof is down so not great when you just want to stop off and have a snack.
Whatever you decide i will be watching and look forward to see what you pick :)
Happy camping guys
We have seen quite a few videos of people struggling with the bed but thinking about them they are all people demonstrating the van rather than living in it. That makes me think it’s a familiarity rather than a design issue. Just checked your last video. That shelf mod 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK thanks if you need any help if you have doubts and want to explore further just PM me. However you are doing the right thing in checking all options and pros/cons.
Thanks for a very interesting video and really looking forward to your final decision on your next van.
Cheers Larry. Lot’s of people over here saying they are about to arrest Donald Trump. Do you think they would do that ?
We took a slightly different approach….. got a vw caddy with a QUQUQ boot camper as it’s used as a normal car most of the time. Did look at the nv200s but many are not euro 6 compliant….. wish there were more options around that size…. Probably vw is best simple because so many accessories available and can get repaired anywhere in Europe
A big garage network for vehicle repairs can be useful but then again most modern vans are reliable these days. In our current size range we think you can’t beat the Toyota Proace 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK think the Toyota proace is a great size…. Playing devils advocate you can get more accessories for vw…. But you pay for it
@@simonkimber1152 the first thing I would say to anyone buying a van is buy nothing for it in advance. We have wasted money doing this getting things that promptly got abandoned of future trips. Those big shows are designed to trigger an impulse buy. In the first year we just stripped stuff out and everything had to justify it’s existence 😁👍. You are right though you can get far more things for a VW as there are so many of them.
I downsized from a small motorhome with an over cab bed to a high roof Doblo microcamper and in 4 years of motorhoming I never had height barrier problems but my Doblo has encountered lots of barriers (with the skylight I cannot access a lot of car parks).... so I think you are right to seriously consider the height
When it’s late at night, there are no camping signs everywhere and you are desperate then a height barrier can be a heart breaker. We want to continue to get under the vast majority but recognise going up from our current van means we will not be able to get under some. 😁👍
Best place to see and compare loads of campervans together is to go to a show. Quick Google and it looks like there's one in the south, Farnborough next weekend, 23 to 26 March 2023, called Go Explore .... unless you've already ordered, of course😉 interested in your criteria, as surprised to learn you have a car as well. We thought about going down to a small van as only vehicle but decided against it. we have an Adria Twin which you'd find huge, but personally I wouldn't consider campervanning without my own proper toilet and shower, but we live in France with aires everywhere so no need to wild camp.
Shows are an excellent way to easily see them all in the flesh but I wouldn’t buy one there unless I had already made up my mind on a specific van. Every van is shown with the roof up and there is little scope to actually move things, put the bed up and down and most importantly just sit in it with the roof down and quietly think about how it will work on the most miserable day of the year. 😁👍. We have that big XC60 which cost a fortune ever since we gave up caravanning. We will probably end up part exchanging it for the new van and buy a small runaround. We could make do with just the next van but I doubt we will 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK oh yes, so easy to be tempted by all the shiny new vans at a show. Having said that, it's where we bought our best ever van - an Adria Stargo - wish we had never parted with it, though our Adria Twin is smaller and better for city visits. We've been through the whole, can we make do with the van as our sole vehicle debate, but decided that despite the versatility of the Twin we also needed a small run-around, so we just have a little Peugeot 108 for that. Good luck and enjoy the search, it's all part of the fun.
Have you looked at the Ford Nugget from Westfalia? We absolutely love our poptop swb at just a little below 5 m.
It has a different lay-out with a separate kitchen at the back.
The Silver Nugget Adventure channel has some great videos about this model.
We like the nugget but I am not sure it would work for us when the roof has to be down. I think the kitchen might be hard to use comfortably.
Glad you’re on the mend Carol👍 I’ve also had a cough now for what seems a lifetime. It’s important that you weigh up all the pros and cons until that is when your head begins to swim. Certainly sizing up improves your Van experience but it’s swings and roundabouts… I had to smile when you mentioned the getting older bit. It’s usually my job to make the bed up whilst the dog is taken for it’s last ritual, and its probably the only bit I hate about not having a bed I can jump straight into. However much of the time these things are a compromise after what can be a lot of over thinking. But we love our V-line and it suits our requirements and the dealer is only 20 mins away which is ideal… I can’t wait to see what you end up with 👍🍻❤️
Carol says Hi 👍. Too much choice can paralyse the brain so we will not let the thinking stage last too long. Making the bed is a pain especially if you have had a bad day. Also in our little van you have to put it away again before you can do anything else. We have been happy to do that in exchange for being able to park it anywhere we want but as we get older priorities change. We will continue with that system for our next van but the one after that will have a fixed bed for sure. 😁👍
Hi both, definitely get a little solar generator, very useful bit of kit to keep in the van for charging stuff up to take the pressure off the leisure battery, like an ecoflow or bluetti unit. Love the channel 👍
We own a Ecoflow Delta Max (which we paid for) so that might come with us.
@@LifeistooshortCK I think you should take your Ecoflow with you and if possible a couple of 100w solar panels. It will give you some experience of off grid using 240v. Not sure whether you will be able to charge the Ecoflow enough whilst driving using a 12v socket. We’re thinking about changing our motorhome and I would definitely go without gas and I think you will seriously consider it if you use the Ecoflow more often.
Cheers
Martin
@@martinph9052 I think the best way to charge the Ecoflow whilst driving would be to use a 12v inverter to charge via AC. Not tried it and I bet there are some clever solutions out there 👍
Have been going round and round in circles ourselves choosing a car to replace our ageing Land Rover. Checked everything out and did loads and loads of research. Finally decided to go for Kia Sorrento or Hyundai Santa Fe and spent weeks searching for the right one. Just last Friday we put a deposit on another Land Rover......🤪
The right one will always find you. It was meant to be 😁👍
@@LifeistooshortCK You're right. The same thing happened when we moved house.
Hi guys,
It's a nightmare choosing a van believe me I know but thanks for the information you give and good luck with your choices.
Keep on trucking
Yep we feel your pain. We won’t let the process go too long as I am not a fan of too much choice in anything. 😁👍
I have a westfalia club city joker have you looked at that 2 leisure batteries and solar panels great van take a look VW no electric on on roof . Got one due to problems if you're interested
Nothing wrong with the one you have, keep it.
It’s an excellent van but does not meet our new requirements. Who knows we might even run 2 for a little while just to make sure we haven’t made a terrible mistake 😁👍
Looking forward to finding out what you buy, in due course. My little red van is a VW camper. The only thing I wanted which it didn't have when I bought it was cruise control. I had it retro fitted, so bear in mind that it's possible to do so if you find a van which suits you in other respects. Mine is standard cruise but it's possible to retrofit adaptive CC providing the base vehicle is suitable.
Good luck with your search. Meanwhile I look forward to the UK based videos coming up next. 🙂
That’s interesting to hear Anne. Who did you use to retro fit the cruise ?
@@LifeistooshortCK It was arranged by the dealer I bought the van from and I'm afraid I can't remember who did it now (they came out to me). That said, if I were doing it again I'd probably make the arrangements myself after doing some forum surfing and getting some personal recommendations. What I have works perfectly well but I could've had it looking OEM rather than the neat but after market setup I now have.
Jerba camper vans have some good layouts, but they are on VW Transporters. They also fit the Wallace hob which is a diesel hob and heater in one which saves on gas😀
Nice vans but difficult to get hold of.
Best of luck with buying a new van 🙏👍
Cheers.
I have a Vauxhall Vivaro , long wheel base, High top, which I love, even though there are carparks I can't get into, its worth it for the warmth, high cupboard storage and no bending or pushing tops up ,which would be a no no for me with my glass back!! It also still fits in a regular supermarket parking space!
Ref the Campinggaz, mine came with it and its a lot more expensive than other gas options. I would have changed it but the other gas bottles wouldn't fit in the space. It may be cheaper abroad but in this country its the expensive option and that came from the mouths of FLOGAS my gas suppliers!
My Father always said, "the more electrics you have on a vehicle, the more you have to go wrong!" Simple is best!! I also recommend doing a private sale on your van as the dealers always give you much less whilst trying to convince you what a good deal they are giving you !!
I am looking to change my van within the next year or so and will probably go for a MOVANO . which I will then get converted as I now know what I use and what I don't use! I am definitely going to look into the Diesel cooker heater combo. I look forward to seeing what you end up with. Bev xxx
Well cooking and heating with diesel is without doubt the most stress free option you could go for. With your circumstances the hard top makes perfect sense 👍
The new transporter will be made in conjunction with ford using the just announced transit custom platform made in turkey
Hi big decisions to make one thing I would like to say and am sure you will be and that is the selection of gas. Camping gas is not good in cold conditions. I recall that we went to Holland in May and the weather was cold and we did use camping gas at the time and the pressure was very low. Look forward to you Stately home blogs, take care.
Agreed. We have had that experience before when we started caravanning. Gas is going to get more of a problem going forward which is why we fancied diesel. If we do end up with camping gas and we are somewhere cold I will make sure we have an temporary solution with us. Something that can live in the cabin and benefit from the warmth. Manufacturers need to up their game and all of you to route warm air into these spaces (gas and the battery compartment). It can;t be that hard to do.
@@LifeistooshortCK I have a 907 cylinder in my van and in 9 years of year-round camping it has only frozen once. It was inconvenient as I couldn't make my morning cuppa, but I was warm because my van's heating runs on diesel. Nowadays I always fill a flask the night before - but I now also have an induction hob which runs off of my Ecoflow River Pro so even if I run out of gas or it is out of commission, I can still cook and have hot drinks.
Have a look at wellhouse campers
If the height isn't an issue, have a look at Vantage Motorhomes. The only downside is the distance to their factory in Leeds. Top quality and a good range of layouts and sizes.
For our next van height will still be an issue and it’s definitely going to be a pop top. The van after that will be very different. Thanks for the suggestion though 👍
Hi its not ticking all your boxes but have a look at a Ford Transit Custom, Devon Firefly, 2 single beds, and a toilet with a privacy door, in a 4.9 meter van.
Looks a very nice van. Pretty sure it’s going to be another pop top for us 👍
I drive a van with a high roof, usually no problem. You should have a GPS where you can enter height, width and weight. In France I was repeatedly led into envelopes where the maximum height was 2.20/2.30. I live in Spain and there are a lot of roads that are incredibly narrow, steep and with sharp bends. I have a folding bike with me so I can park a bit outside the city centre. It can quickly become large and the result is that you stay on the main road. What is comfortable is standing height and a fixed bed.
Being able to stand is great especially if you get cooped up due to weather or illness. We used to carry bikes when we towed a caravan. Really enjoyed it and they were electric so very easy to use. Got a bit fed up with all the extra locks and chains we had to carry to stop them being nicked. I fancy a couple of electric scooters, just big enough to carry easily and perhaps put in a rucksack once you reach town. Most of them are a fire risk though and here in the UK we have the dumbest laws going on their use. Legal if you hire one from a local council and illegal if you buy your own. I am surprised the public put up with that crass nonsense.
@@LifeistooshortCK I have a very simple folding bike as it weighs the least and has room in the "garage". It has to be simple and easy, otherwise you won't bother using the bike or whatever...it is
I’m full time in a motohome. The height and width I rarely have a problem with. Although I want to spend a month in the Isle Of Man. Watching you there would obviously be a problem in the Motohome.
You know what your talking about being a full timer. We couldn’t do that so I take my hat off to all those who manage it. Height barriers are more of an inconvenience than a permanent issue. Being able to slip under them helps us to stop at places that are not particularly Van friendly. Isle of Man is a wonderful place for van life. Some of their roads would be a real challenge but the ring road is good and you can get to most places. I hear they have stopped camping at our favourite place at the northern tip. What a shame.
Hi guys, @14:54, where is that please ?looks a lovely place to stop.
That is Pointe du Hourdel in Northern France 🙂
@@LifeistooshortCK Fantastic. Thankyou for your reply.
Shame you were not well enough to get to the NEC in Feb, so many to choose from on display.
Yes if we had been well we probably would have gone but I am a firm believer that shows are only useful for seeing what’s out there at the start of your search. Once you have a shortlist then you need to get in one without distractions and really put it through it’s paces on how easy it is to operate everything. Most import is what is it like with that roof down.