#vanlife

[TigerTedd]

I could go seek out a more specialist forum for this, but why, when I’m already a member of the best forum in the world?! I’m sure someone here will have an opinion. 

move been spending so many nights a month away recently, all paid for by my clients, that I’m wondering if it would be financially beneficial to just charge them a £50 a night accommodation allowance, and then use that money to pay for finance on a campervan. Then I’ve got a campervan basically paid for by my clients that I can use with my family. 

But I have certain requirements, which is why I’m looking for recommendations. It would need to fulfill 4 distinct roles:

1) normal day to day use: school runs and such. It needs to be reasonably small. With room for 5-6 people. (Lots of campers i see only have seats for 4, but I know you to 6 is possible with 3 across the front).

2) overnight stealth camping: I need to be able to park up in a customers car park, or on the street outside their premises, and get a night of kip without anyone knowing I’m there. So no popping the top at that point I’ll be sleeping downstairs. and it needs to look like a normal van. But I still need reasonable storage for my work kit. And somewhere to at least brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning would be important. Behind that, I personally need no other creature comforts. 

3) weekends away with the family: so it’s got to sleep 5. I’ve seen we can have 2 up too and 2 below, but 5 can be struggle, but you can get beds that go across the front seats which would be perfect. 

4) weeks away with the family: as above, but we’d have awnings and tailgate tents to allow us to spread out a bit more. 

the other requirement is that it has to be a plug in hybrid. It’ll be replacing my currently all electric vehicle. So it would be a shame to waste the plug. I’ve seen there is a transit PHEV that has an electric range enough to do the daily school run and stuff for when I’m working from home, which would be perfect. 

Does anyone have any recommendations or links for vehicles I could be looking at, people I could be speaking to?

Or any tips or funny stories about #vanlife in general. 

[Rev]

VW Buzz.

[TigerTedd]

1 hour ago, Rev said:

VW Buzz.

But they’ve not made a camper variant of it yet. Coming next year apparently. Or are their people already doing custom fits?

[Rev]

12 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

But they’ve not made a camper variant of it yet. Coming next year apparently. Or are their people already doing custom fits?

I didn't realise the California version wasn't here yet!

Seems very pricey for a Non camper version, in that case, although all campers look crazy money at the moment.

[Ram-Alf]

2 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

 

2) overnight stealth camping: I need to be able to park up in a customers car park, or on the street outside their premises, 

😁

[TigerTedd]

1 hour ago, The Last Post said:

😁

It’s all connected.

[Archied]

5 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

I could go seek out a more specialist forum for this, but why, when I’m already a member of the best forum in the world?! I’m sure someone here will have an opinion. 

move been spending so many nights a month away recently, all paid for by my clients, that I’m wondering if it would be financially beneficial to just charge them a £50 a night accommodation allowance, and then use that money to pay for finance on a campervan. Then I’ve got a campervan basically paid for by my clients that I can use with my family. 

But I have certain requirements, which is why I’m looking for recommendations. It would need to fulfill 4 distinct roles:

1) normal day to day use: school runs and such. It needs to be reasonably small. With room for 5-6 people. (Lots of campers i see only have seats for 4, but I know you to 6 is possible with 3 across the front).

2) overnight stealth camping: I need to be able to park up in a customers car park, or on the street outside their premises, and get a night of kip without anyone knowing I’m there. So no popping the top at that point I’ll be sleeping downstairs. and it needs to look like a normal van. But I still need reasonable storage for my work kit. And somewhere to at least brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning would be important. Behind that, I personally need no other creature comforts. 

3) weekends away with the family: so it’s got to sleep 5. I’ve seen we can have 2 up too and 2 below, but 5 can be struggle, but you can get beds that go across the front seats which would be perfect. 

4) weeks away with the family: as above, but we’d have awnings and tailgate tents to allow us to spread out a bit more. 

the other requirement is that it has to be a plug in hybrid. It’ll be replacing my currently all electric vehicle. So it would be a shame to waste the plug. I’ve seen there is a transit PHEV that has an electric range enough to do the daily school run and stuff for when I’m working from home, which would be perfect. 

Does anyone have any recommendations or links for vehicles I could be looking at, people I could be speaking to?

Or any tips or funny stories about #vanlife in general. 

Let us know how you get on , the way the countries going many of us might be living in one of the buggers full time 🤷🏻‍♂️

[TigerTedd]

4 hours ago, Archied said:

Let us know how you get on , the way the countries going many of us might be living in one of the buggers full time 🤷🏻‍♂️

I used to live in the caravan in my parents drive to be fair, so I’m just going back to what I know. 

[1of4]

Customize one of these. 

 

[FindernRam]

Be very carful with your insurance as this could be interpreted as business use, particularly if you park on their premises.

[TigerTedd]

On 04/06/2023 at 22:17, 1of4 said:

Customize one of these. 

 

I could get a lot in that. Surely it would like I’m coming to install a carpet though?

[TigerTedd]

22 hours ago, FindernRam said:

Be very carful with your insurance as this could be interpreted as business use, particularly if you park on their premises.

Is that a bad thing? My car is currently insured for business use anyway, it has to be for the army, and 90% of what I use the car for is for business. My next thing is to speak to an accountant about how much of my vehicle can be tax deductible. 

[MarsdenRam]

Campervans look like campervans. Vans with mattresses look like vans.

[Mucker1884]

6 hours ago, MarsdenRam said:

Campervans look like campervans. Vans with mattresses look like vans.

But the OP was talking about stealth campervans. I believe stealth campervans look more like vans than campervans. 
Although I could be wrong as I’m not sure I’ve actually seen one!  👀

[TigerTedd]

2 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

But the OP was talking about stealth campervans. I believe stealth campervans look more like vans than campervans. 
Although I could be wrong as I’m not sure I’ve actually seen one!  👀

Stealth campervan look like this, but campervan shaped:

[TigerTedd]

Actually something more like this:

VW Multivan plug in hybrid. 

Or something like this:

 

ford transit tourneo PHEV. 

top down and you’d barely know I was there  

both these examples only have 4 seats though, so I’m trying to find someone locally who can customise either of these two vans.

I know it’s frustratingly possibly, but can’t quite find the right configuration online. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by TigerTedd

[FindernRam]

On 06/06/2023 at 07:41, TigerTedd said:

Is that a bad thing? My car is currently insured for business use anyway, it has to be for the army, and 90% of what I use the car for is for business. My next thing is to speak to an accountant about how much of my vehicle can be tax deductible. 

Not at all. It was just a thought that you may not have considered ,but obviously have.

A mate had an old Caravan he used to sleep in when on-site away from home. It burnt down one day, but the insurance refused to pay out because of the way he had covered it.

[TigerTedd]

Speaking of #vanlife, and this might seem very hypocritical given my intentions, but what’s the deal with gypsies?

Some have taken residence in the car park of my kids gymnastics. This is the second time in a month the same family has rocked up. Last time their dog bit two of the kids and the owner.

Apparently all police can do is to ask them politely to move on, but there’s some law or something that allows them to stay wherever they want if they identify as gypsies. But surely the landowner has some sort of rights?aren’t they straight up trespassing and the police can boot them off? What’s to stop them coming back again and again?

[Ram-Alf]

2 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

Speaking of #vanlife, and this might seem very hypocritical given my intentions, but what’s the deal with gypsies?

Some have taken residence in the car park of my kids gymnastics. This is the second time in a month the same family has rocked up. Last time their dog bit two of the kids and the owner.

Apparently all police can do is to ask them politely to move on, but there’s some law or something that allows them to stay wherever they want if they identify as gypsies. But surely the landowner has some sort of rights?aren’t they straight up trespassing and the police can boot them off? What’s to stop them coming back again and again?

Gypsies are classed as a minority, But they can't just set up camp where they like, Well they obviously do, If the landowner wants them evicted he/she has to apply for an eviction order through the courts which can take upto 30+ days, Gypsies are fully aware of the laws, As long as they are doing nothing illegal the police will stay well out of it.

There's a place in Sawley(Notts)that might be what you're looking for concerning modifications

https://www.wildrivercampers.co.uk/

Edited June 7, 2023 by The Last Post

[Stive Pesley]

15 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

Speaking of #vanlife, and this might seem very hypocritical given my intentions, but what’s the deal with gypsies?

Some have taken residence in the car park of my kids gymnastics. This is the second time in a month the same family has rocked up. Last time their dog bit two of the kids and the owner.

Apparently all police can do is to ask them politely to move on, but there’s some law or something that allows them to stay wherever they want if they identify as gypsies. But surely the landowner has some sort of rights?aren’t they straight up trespassing and the police can boot them off? What’s to stop them coming back again and again?

We quite often have them rock up on the playing field near us. The advice we were given on FB  was

Anyone that calls the police ( Derbyshire Constabulary can also be messaged on Facebook!) please ask them to use 'section 61' powers as recommended in the Home Office guidelines on Unauthorised Encampments 

The guidance states in paragraph 59 that:

"There are locations where immediate action to remove them should be taken because the presence of the encampment is seriously disrupting the ability of the settled community to make use of facilities or to conduct their business

So sounds like that could apply here if the local community are having access to a gym business disrupted?