 Poster: A snowHead
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@admin, just seen your van described as "a mobile discotheque which prints in colour"... immediately spat my tea out all over the keyboard I laughed so much !!! 
I'll remember that next time it's parked outside my place...
Made my day that has... ah well... it's the little things in life...
Sorry about the intrusion, I'll let you all get back on topic !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@sucette, be careful what you wish for 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Argh - so frustrating when you think you've found on eBay a van at the right combo of features/age/mileage to substantially derisk a bid without viewing and then it shoots up 3k overnight (why do people bid things up before closing day anyway? )
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@Dave of the Marmottes, what you looking for? There's a nice looking one on on our VW FB group.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Not really looking for a VW as most of the ones in my target starter van range carry a lot more mileage. Looking at Traffic/Vivaro or Transits mainly
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@Dave of the Marmottes, Don't know you budget but could be worth looking for Transit welfare units as a base. Years ago when I worked on the railways they had additional heaters for a drying room, toilet etc. May not suit you configuration but you could stand up in them and I am 6'
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-56209550
It is likely those in the UK, probably a lot from big Scottish cities who usually trash places like Spain in the summer, will be dumping in Scotland this summer.
Living in one of Scotland's national parks (Loch Lomond and Trossachs) I thought I would proffer some advice and observations.
There has been a lot of activity builiding and repairing car parking sites at the base of lochs, walks, and mountains near me. This has included the practice of maximum headroom barriers, roughly about 2m which I know can be a problem for some campervans. I looked at the recent revamp and it appeared excellent for overnighting in a campervan, with firepits and picnic tables and chairs. Almost as good as some places in the Canadian rockies. The only issue is the maximum headroom barrier, so be warned.
There has not been an increase in littering recently, generally the litter accumulates from local large cities during bank holiday weekends and influxes of those who do not normally come here has been dampened by long periods when it has been deserted. However, people regularly chuck things out their cars and it accumulates by the riversides and in drainage ditches which flow into the river. I recently cleared a drainage ditch across the road from me and a small 30 yard stretch of the ditch filled a large plastic tub full of cans, bottles, crisp packets, etc.
Rubbish accumulation is an unfortunate part of rubbish people who are allowed to own cars. This may reduce in the future with electrification of cars.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Bigtipper, the litter around here makes me ashamed to be British! I don’t know why you think electric cars will hold fewer people prepared to lob beer cans and McDonalds wrappers out the window into the hedge!
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| Bigtipper wrote: |
This has included the practice of maximum headroom barriers, roughly about 2m which I know can be a problem for some campervans. . |
One helluva " no overnighting" clue right there...
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You know it makes sense.
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We're coming to the end of our 2 weeks annual leave. Week 1 was spent predominately decorating both the bedrooms, week 2 has given me some time to work on the van.
Managed to get the row of seats out the back, which I need to sell.
Put down insulation/deadening on the floor, and a new ply floor down.
Sound deadening done also on both wheels which I couldn't do before due to the flooring that was down that needed the seats removing to take out.
Today I managed to build a bed in the van and it's looking fairly smart. Will post some pictures when I can figure it out.
I've gone for a width way bed across the back, 172x120. It won't be our forever set up, once I've saved the cash I'll do the usual rock and roll/rib bed down the left hand side, cupboards etc down the right, but for now it's a much cheaper alternative.
It's ended up costing me around £250 for all the timber, an IKEA foam mattress and hire of a mitre saw. Much cheaper than the c.£1500 for a crash tested bed.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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OK so the VW thread has repiqued my curiosity.
After much cogitation I'm leaning toward a Ducato/Relay/Boxer type van in H2L2 size. Primary driver being a bit more space to make winter snowfaris a practical proposition rather than do one night then check into a B&B. How much of an issue is the height thing - not sure there is a H1L2 - thinking access to car parks primarily, not multistory/underground but where there is a barrier.. Guess I could do a car prep trip where I drive round everywhere I would consider going and see how much height would be a disadvantage.
Second question is there much of a scene in RV "swaps" e.g. letting some Merikins use your van for a trip to UK/Europe while you use their RV over there. Realise insurance is probably the biggest issue plus chances of someone not used to narrow British B roads binning your van into a wall or somesuch.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Dave of the Marmottes, there's no particular possible/impossible threshold. Just increasing degrees of interior convenience balanced by decreasing degrees of exterior convenience.
That said, 2m is a significant external threshold, which tends to correlate roughly with the significant interior convenience of being able to stand up.
For example, there are toll booths limited to 2m which makes absolutely no difference to you at all... until you arrive at a toll with massive queues at all the other booths.
There are lots of car parks with 2m limits. Sometimes that means using the carpark that is 3-400m further away... sometimes one that is 3km away. Then again, sometimes the limit is 2m10, or 2m15 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| admin wrote: |
@Dave of the Marmottes, there's no particular possible/impossible threshold. Just increasing degrees of interior convenience balanced by decreasing degrees of exterior convenience.
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Yeah that's it in a nutshell. If I'm too paranoid about external size then I end up with something at least in winter that is marginally more practical than an estate car plus roofbox i.e. could sleep in it for odd overnights but probably don't want to stay in for a full trip but yeah I want a campervan so I can go places and stay there (not permanent residence) not just camp on campsites and park in big out of town carparks.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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There's also length to consider.
The LWB T5, I have is right on the limit. It fits almost all kinds of parking space, even though there are 'convenient gaps' I can't squeeze into.
Any (eg 30-40cm) longer though, and various types of parking space would become inappropriate.
Of course, I can't stand up in it but there is a high-top version.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Do not forget that sometimes the limit is 1.9m. (for example on a ferry which says you are a car rather than a van below 1.9m, and so significant cost saving). Many underground heated car parks are 1.9m, and 2m can be a very tight squeeze.
It depends on how tall you are, and how often you will need to stand up inside. I personally think it is much better to have to occassionally duck, than to be obstructed in access. Most of the time in the van you will be sitting, or lying down. If you want to stand up get out of the van.
My current thinking is the creation of sleeping pods surrounded by heavy insulation in the shape of cylinders or square cylinders. Once you are in the sleeping pod in the back of the van, there is no need for heating as the insulation will be so thick and there is limited space to heat from body heat.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 26-03-21 19:25; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Do not forget that sometimes the limit is 1.8m. (for example on a EuroShuttle).
Like I said, no binary threshold but IME 2m is the most common limit.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Bigtipper wrote: |
My current thinking is the creation of sleeping pods surrounded by heavy insulation in the shape of cylinders or square cylinders. Once you are in the sleeping pod in the back of the van, there is no need for heating as the insulation will be so thick and there is limited space to heat from body heat. |
What a brilliant idea! 
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@admin, 2m is the common limit agreed. However, it is a shame to be ducking all the time anyway, and not be able to access all areas!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, Automatic sausage ejection?
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@Bergmeister, I think the best solution for pods would be a honeycomb formation as this is the most stable and would permit the ability to fill some of the pods with skis.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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https://matadornetwork.com/read/everything-need-know-sleeping-japanese-capsule-hotel/
I am examining the size of the Japanese style pod hotels. Clearly the pod height would need to be reduced in a van, and maybe the width. Although it does look like you could get three of four pods in the back of a transit van. Perhaps three pods and the rest of the space for storage.
I thought initially of cylindrical pods, but clearly this would be difficult to sleep on as you might need to change sleeping positions during the night. The standard single bed mattress width is about 90cm which you could probably get two (maybe reduced size) in the width of a standard transit van. Height wise,90cm is probably the maximum if you want a mininum of three pods.
The idea of cylindrical pods initially was so that the cylinder could roll during the night as you changed positions.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Did he say at the end - packages for kitting out as cheap as $80,000?  $18k I could believe
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Poster: A snowHead
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@spyderjon, great vid and van that. Shows what can be done.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| Did he say at the end - packages for kitting out as cheap as $80,000? $18k I could believe |
You can buy the Fifty spec van for $61,700 including the new Sprinter 144 4x4. Prices are here: https://alpinevans.com/build-schedule/
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@spyderjon, I don't think you've read that right have you?
$61,700 is the MSRP for the unconverted van.
| Quote: |
| All listed vans are available for reservation and customization. Your cost to drive away a Sprinter will be MSRP + Build Cost. Base builds start at $32,500, “50 Project” builds begin at $55,000. |
So from £116,700 for a "50 spec" vehicle
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| admin wrote: |
@spyderjon, I don't think you've read that right have you?
$61,700 is the MSRP for the unconverted van.
| Quote: |
| All listed vans are available for reservation and customization. Your cost to drive away a Sprinter will be MSRP + Build Cost. Base builds start at $32,500, “50 Project” builds begin at $55,000. |
So from £116,700 for a "50 spec" vehicle |
Lorra lorra cash for a bunkroom on wheels. Very nice but pays for a lot of hotel/motel rooms. I know his specific requirements probably still justify it but I've seen equivalently nice home or custom builds on vans available under £30k (with the caveat being base vehicles with mileage on them).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A friend of mine does conversions starting @ £16k + the cost of the vehicle.
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"Cool" van, but it's going to be noisy with the heat on if those Eberspachers really are in the seat bases.
Cheap too; compared to what we are about to spend on a new motorhome
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It doesn’t look very practical, all that heat loss and condensation with single glazing in the cab. I’m just finishing my own conversation of a new Ducato (25k) with fully winterised living area. I’ve not added up total cost yet but significantly less than a “professional” conversion and with much better insulation and vapour barriers, also no skimping on kit. Separate full height drying room/gear store in the back
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I don't know if i've just not paid attention to it in the past, but the number of campervans and motorhomes driving around is mad.
I drove from near Bristol last weekend, down to Hamble-le-Rice near Southampton for a wedding, and I reckon around 1/3 of all vehicles on the road were campervans or motorhomes.
We now have an awning rail and awning for the side of the van, an absolute bargain for the awning from a friend that never got on with it and has just gone for a gazebo set up instead, and we've had a couple of weekends away during June, one to the Brecon Beacons and one to Braunton.
We have 2 weeks off at the back end of August and are planning on doing Scotland and the NC500.
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| swskier wrote: |
| I don't know if i've just not paid attention to it in the past, but the number of campervans and motorhomes driving around is mad. |
We've been looking at buying/converting over the last few months/year and yes a lot of people are doing it. We went to have a chat with a convertor a few weeks ago and he was saying he'd bought a van himself for conversion and had to several go before he had a chance. Had to drop everything and drive to South Wales to get the one he had. We've parked the idea (excuse the pun) as for us it's more a long term thing. Much of it is Covid related of course and will die away over the next year or two, when there could well be some bargains to be had for anyone buying then.
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FAQ
vintage moonboots on the other hand.... 
