Campervan

2014

I decided I had had enough of all the effort involved with getting my camping equipment out of the loft and downstairs and packed into the car, plus all the astro equipment and it all only just fits with careful packing. I don't mind living in a tent once I am there.

Plus then once at the campsite having to unpack the car and pitch everything and then the reverse at the end of the Astro Camp.

Especially since I live in a very light polluted location I really need to go to dark sites for imaging and I need to go several times a year.

So I decided to buy myself a campervan. This way it is only the Astro kit that will need packing each time.

It's 20 years old, but has had one previous owner who had it serviced regularly, so I hope it will be OK.

April 2014

My first trip with the Campervan - Cairds Camping site in East Sussex. I went on my own as it was a lovely clear night and no-one else available.

ALAS - I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CAMPERVAN

Not the Campervan itself but a letter from TFL (Transport for London) to say my Campervan was non compliant with the low emission zone and it will cost me £100 per day to use it within LEZ.

I had no idea what the LEZ zone meant or that I lived in one!!!!!

I had seen the signs coming off the motorway saying a LEZ was coming up, but had assumed it was closer to London, not the whole of Greater London. I also thought it just applied to dirty juggernauts or vehicles that wouldn't pass the MOT

Well I was learning fast.

They gave me 28 days warning and then they would start to charge me.So I had no choice but to sell my lovely campervan to some-one who lived miles away from the LEZ

I then had to find a replacement but would not be able to afford a younger campervan that would be compliant, I think the date when the regulations for all new vehicles came in was 2002 (my campervan was 1993)

So I thought the best thing I could do was get a Transit Van and do a simple conversion (my skills were not capable of much but so long as it served the purpose for which i need it it didn't matter).

But most importantly I wanted a window in the back otherwise it would feel very claustrophobic.

I started looking on-line and was very lucky to find this Van which was already partly converted to a campervan in-so-much as it was a conversion to a mobile office/workshop.

It had windows all round and blinds, and lots of cupboards and a knee-hole for a desk/dining table.

I could put a mattress down the middle.

September 2014

Had a fabulous time at Kelling Heath Star Party with 2 full clear nights (I stayed a week).

I tried sleeping on the worksurface this time but had previously worried I would fall off, but it was OK.

Since coming back I decided I needed to change the ridged rubber worksurface which is really difficult to keep clean, so I pulled it off and have put lino type floor tiles on the worksurface.

Not only was the work surface difficult to keep clean with that ridged rubber, but so was the floor.

However this couldn't be done before the leak in the roof had been repaired and I was having great difficulty in finding any-one to repair it.

It was leaking through the extractor fan and seemed beyond the capabilities of the local garages.

Eventually I was given a tip off to try BT Fleet Services who service all the BT vans, but the nearest one was in Wimbledon. They managed to repair it and the extractor fan is now sealed over, but I never used it any way as I didn't want to run down the battery of the van.

So in May/June 2014 I decided to replace the flooring.

The rubber flooring was pulled up, under the knee hole was quite difficult as it was stuck down fast.

(Ignore the dates on the photos, don't know how that happened)

I adapted some Campervan thermal window blinds, to fit the two windows that didn't have blinds, including the sliding door.

When my noisy camping "fridge" broke down, I decided to get myself a mini fridge which is noise free.

I removed the sliding door, which goes across behind the driving compartment, as it was very stiff and replaced it with curtains.

These slide on the top runners which still worked well, and obscure less when open so enabling better use of the rear view mirror and are really easy to pull across at night.

View from the driving cabin (I utilised some old lounge curtains, so cost nothing). I lined them with black material which I had in the loft which also cost nothing.

I decided to order a new camping cooker:

a) As the existing one, is starting to get a bit temperamental and I think will pack up soon.

b) It was difficult trying to use a single hot plate when the camping cooker was in position, so I have bought one with integral hot plates

Unfortunately it is bigger than the hole where the cooker normally goes, but the good news is the fridge fits into that space perfectly and now the oven is a decent height, and the fridge doesn't need to go onto the work surface, I can probably even leave it where it is if I use a bungee to keep it in place while I am travelling. However the cooker might need a protective "mat" underneath it, I won't know this until I try to use it.

October 2015

I decided to get the van undersealed and the same garage removed the yellow flashing light from the top of the van and sealed a plate over it, so that should be the last leak repaired at the same time.

I am really loving my van, it is quite comfortable to live in at camp.

May 2017:

My latest DIY job, is a Home made Awning:

"Canvas adapted from an old gazebo, suction pads from China/Ebay approx £5, two pronged tent poles from a camping shop, total cost, £37.

When the van is on a slope it's not easy living in a sloping van, the cooker need a wedge or the pan and frying pan contents are all on one side, and sleeping on a slope is also awkward. so I bought some ramps to level the van.

This works fine, but now I find when the ramps need to be used the height of the van is too high for my small "step".

Since I recently had a fractured knee, this is not a good thing, so I also bought some new steps for the van.

Late March 2020

The Van passed it's MOT in February but I was warned it would need a lot of expensive welding in the next few months (over £1000) and that considering it's age I should think about whether it is worth keeping it going.

This was a real shame as mechanically I have only had to have 1 repair in 6 years and it always started first time.

I pondered about what to do and decided to keep it until after Kelling in October and then probably scrap it since I could hire a caravan at Kelling and there was the option of either a basic Cabin or a POD at the East Sussex campsite we normally go to.

However:

End March 2020 - enter the Coronavirus!!!!

It became obvious to me that I wasn't going to get any use out of the van in 2020 and the tax and Insurance was due in April and May, so it made no sense to me to pay the cost of having it sit in the road unused and deteriorating only to have to spend either over £1000 on it later in the year, then pay for it to sit in the road over the winter period as well. Plus the cost of a residents permit as well.

So decided to see if I could sell it on Ebay, perhaps there would be some-one out there who might be capable of doing the necessary repairs.

I advertised it stating that social distancing rules would have to apply to the selling encounter, and got 2 offers. I accepted the second offer - a man not too far from where I lived who wanted a project to do during the lock down period. I had stated about the corrosion issue (and attached a photo) in the advert, so was completely "up front" about it.

He later sent me some photos of his conversion of it to a proper campervan, and has done an excellent job.

SO SADLY I NO LONGER HAVE A CAMPERVAN!!!!

Just wondering when I will get a chance to go to Astro camp again, I would guess not until 2021