Camper van for use in the Alps - suggestions pls

A snowHead

Hello All,

Snowheads has fared well for me with advice before so I thought I would try on camper vans too.

I am looking for a van capable of housing two people and dalmatian for a couple of ski/snowboard trips to the Alps per year and surfing summer holidays in the UK, Ireland and nearby Europe. I would prefer to be able to live off the grid as well as on electric hook up and I'm not made of money so I intend to run this as my main vehicle with a motorbike!

This is the list of what I think I need to achieve this in sufficient comfort:

Cruise control
AC in the cab
Winter heater - Propex or Ebersbacher
Decent insulation
Double glazed windows?
Insulating window covers
All water tanks and pipes inside the vehicle
A 2 ring hob
A bed sufficient for me at 185 cm and the girlfriend at significantly less
Snow tyres or A/T tyres
Snow chains
Possibly a bike rack or storage inside the vehicle
Surfboard rack
75w solar panel on roof

An engine big enough to pull us and all the toys up hill.

Does anyone have any additions or suggestions?

So far I am looking at a converted 2.5 Mk6 Ford transit vs a VW t4 Westfalia California Exclusive 2.5Tdi

Clearly the latter will be better appointed but also costs more than double.

Thanks in advance,

A snowHead

Motorhome & Caravan Show at NEC this week, but I think it's an expensive and uncomfortable way of doing it.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

2 people and a dalmatian in a t4 with cooker/sink & a 3/4 bed will be cosy, no way you are going to squeeze an internal bike rack in there or a surfboard but that could go on the roof or the back for the bike and there is always that daily faff of moving the bed back to a seat, getting everything out etc so good organization is the key but it's totally doable.

You will of course need it insulated and as you say a good cab heater, AC i wouldn't worry about but it's nice if you have it, don't think you get many double glazed van units and tbh with good thermal covers i wouldn't worry too much about that, for off grid and a heater and i don't see a fridge there for the summer months? i would be using 2 batteries and a bigger panel.

No doubt go with the Cali, it's twice the price for a reason and if you buy smart you will lose next to nothing or possible the van will appreciate that is how well liked they are, the transit is not going to do that ever, and the 2.5 engine is really nice for everyday driving and goes forever.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

At the end of the day, the only thing you "need" electricity for in your van is lighting. These days with low power useage bulbs, LED battery powered lights, solar rechargeable lights totally integrated for the garden at bargain basement prices, you really do not need much.

The 75w solar panel will be useful, but overkill if you do not use a fridge. Most of my electricity went on my stereo system.

People generally run their engine at night until bedtime, and so heating is largely redundant except for an overnight gas catalytic heater for those very cold nights. Electricity comes from the engine when it is running in the evening. Two people under the duvet together give off body heat, which means only your nose gets cold provided you have sufficient togged duvet.

Fire extinguisher is not on your list, along with fire blanket. I had several fire extinguishers, each for different types of fires. I also had some fire training with a fire brigade on a petrol fire. Definitely worth considering, as these types of fires are difficult to put out.

Toilet? Number 1s can easily be done into a sealed container (I used a funnel, and there are attachments for women to use such things too) Number 2s are a bit difficult with another person in the room. I tended to use toilets if they were available, and make sure I go before bedtime. In emergencies, I had a Tommee Tippee potty and some bags with what looked like a tampon inside them to soak up any wet number 2s. I did have to use this potty about twice over a period of 3-4 years. Another time I just did it at the back door like a dog and picked it up the next day in a dog bag.

Insulation is probably your number 1 priority. More in this case is more. As many layers of insulation as possible. The roof in particular needs lots of insulation, and doors sometimes have gaps in them. Windows can easily be plugged with insulation material at night, with suction plugs.

My skis were 180s, I slipped them under the bed at night. The bed was a double futon bed which had been cut around wheel arches so that it took up all the space in the back of the van. I had a carpet on the floor, but in hindsight I should have added much more insulation there.

I had a 1.9 D which struggled to get up the road to Val d'isere sometimes without overheating. It usually made it, but I had to stop sometimes to allow it to cool down. I did not have snow tyres, but I did have snow chains which were used. (and essential)

Wheel chocks to stop van moving at night, when you take the handbrake off so that it does not seize on due to the cold. Wheel chocks which allow you to level the van when you park on a slight incline.

Strangely enough, I still have most of the useful items I had with the van. When the brakes had rusted to bits, the electrics were knackered, and I had lost interest in sleeping in -20C and drinking alcohol until I could not walk, I got rid of the van but kept the best bits.

This is the inside sitting on the converted futon in reclined position (it was always in recline)

On the left you will see my one ring gas catridge cooker, with basin for doing dishes, having a bed bath, and other things you need a small amount of heated water from a kettle. I can also see a hot water bottle, a catalytic gas heater (1 KW), and a kersone heater (4 KW). There is also a battery charger in view, but I rarely needed that. Running the engine would recharge the battery at the back, and the spare battery in the cabin space. I also used small solar panels to keep the engine battery topped up, and the leisure battery in the back. 5w trickle charger for the engine battery was more than sufficient on sunny days, and 20W solar panel for the leisure battery was never enough to fully recharge the battery at the back but it kept it topped up. I am not sure if I would have been comfortable putting £150 solar panel on display for thiefs to take. (they did break in to the front cabin and steal a 10 year old pair of Nordica ski boots in a back pack, total loss about £50) Also on the top shelf you can see a gas cartridge which is used for the catalytic gas heater. One canister would last most of one night, so it could not fill your van with gas as there was not enough in it. There was no need for a gas fitter, as all you had to do was screw it on and light it once putting it on the correct full heat setting.

And from the outside

I still have these solar panels, and the charge controllers along with so many electrical attachments and crimping tools that I do not know why I have them! I guess they will come in useful someday, or maybe I might sell them in a job lot.

on the road....

Passenger door with padlock on it after the break in which buggered the door lock.

Three night stop here in St Anton due to having to wait for Monday when the bank which stole my bank card opened. I got my card back, but waited until I got to Switzerland before I tried it again (it worked in Switzerland).

I stopped in Chamonix once, and decided that my van was not very welcome there. I guess it depends on what your van looks like, as to whether it fits in or not! Old knackered vans with dogs (think aggressive Alsation) in them appeared "in" in Chamonix out of town car parks (where the ticket machines were all vandalised and unuseable)

you cannot cook very extravagant meals, but you can drink a lot of champagne.

All waste water stayed in the van, in a sealed container with urine. I did not waste much water. It did not freeze once, although water in water bottles did.

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I spent two and a half months in my motorhome in Chamonix last year and will be doing the same again this year. Mine is a bit bigger than you are talking about. I would say two weeks is going to be cosy for two plus a dog (what are you going to do with the dog whilst skiing?).

- Think about resort. You want to be as low (warm) as possible. Chamonix is only just over 1000m so doesn't get as cold as say Val T. So if I was planning on three valleys I'd consider finding somewhere to park in Brides.

- Get a small pallet to put outside the door for stamping snow off boots. Also keep a brush by the door to finish the job. Keeping the interior dry is vital.

- My van has insulation in walls, floor and ceiling but not very much I have sheets of insulation made up of bubble wrap stuff in reflective metal foil for all the windows.

- I use quite a lot of gas in the heater but still masses cheaper than accommodation. A gas heater with blower is far more effective than just a heater. With the latter the air at the top is baking and your feet are freezing. I don't run the engine for heating as it pisses people off.

- My van has it's water tanks underslung and the pipes did freeze sometimes so I just kept a container of water inside as a back up.

- I have a small very quiet generator for electricity. Much quieter and less smelly than running the van's diesel engine, and it gives me mains power for my computer (I work as well as ski whilst I'm out there).

- I have a chemical toilet in the van. If you don't then think carefully how you are going to handle that one. Going in the bushes is inconsiderate to the locals.

- if you have a gas heater with an outside vent then take great care to keep the vent clear of snow!

I have to say that once I got everything sorted I just loved it!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

If you have any waste water outlet pipes make sure they all go steeply down hill (no bends to trap water) and empty out into a bucket rather than something like a wastemaster as it is easy to tip out a bucket full of frozen water but impossible to tip out a closed container.

We took our caravan skiing for many years rather than a motor home, and preferred to have an electric hook up but could still be completely self sufficient if we had to be.

If your van can have a small (steeply sloped well supported roof to help snow slide off) awning attached over the doorway that little bit of transitional space makes a huge difference in really foul weather, but that may not be too practical in a car park.

After all it is free

That sounds good, @MadMountainMan. Running the engine till bedtime is Shocked

A T4 is better suited to surf than ski holidays, I reckon. I wouldn't bother with a camper for a week's holiday though. A little studio is cheap and much more comfortable. My nephew and his daughter stayed near my place in a T4 size van with a gas heater (he's a qualified gas fitter - gotta get that right) and they were OK but enjoyed hot showers in my apartment and when all their gear got very wet one day I dried it all during the evening when they came up for supper. The gear would still have been wet in the morning otherwise and the van full of condensation. He had a chemical toilet. In need of a number 2 early one morning when daughter still asleep he put it outside between his and the next vehicle and sat there with his newspaper.

We are looking at much the same spec. I have a few ideas from my own research, just have to bite the bullet and get started.

Renault trafic/ vauxhall vivaro are the same size as T5 but much cheaper, parts etc are also much cheaper and there are enough around for conversion parts to be available. They have a pretty good reliability rep (they are NOT built by Renault whatever it says on the front!). Those who have T5s love them but I am tight!

Think of wet gear, I am planning a wet locker inside the rear for boots etc and wetsuits in summer instead of the "wardrobe" you usually get

Diesel heating over gas! there are all sorts of problems with gas in vans, restrictions on some ferries, certificates needed etc. A local converter has a brilliant combined diesel stove and van heater http://caledonianconversions.co.uk/product/diesel-heating-system/ which is top of my shopping list.

For winter go for a high top. You will end up like Quasimodo in a low roof but pop tops don't give much insulation if open. With some creativity you should be able to rack boards up there for travel (and stick them underneath when you stop)

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I have a long wheelbase, high top Movano which .i use for the business. It's also a chiller van meaning it has 4 inches of foam insulation all round and the mother of all ac units. For the summer.

My plan is to convert it when I finish using it for business.

Quite often chiller units break and the vans go very cheaply.

The other great thing about the Novano is front wheel drive is great for snow.

I wouldn't worry too much about having power tiger up hills. Vans are designed and geared to carry far more weight than you'd use in a camper.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

The height of the van can be critical at times. Ferries charge more if your van is over 2m. Many car parks, and particularly underground covered heated car parks, will be restricted to 1.9m or 2m maybe less. The van I used was 1.9m and fitted into most restricted height areas. However, I have considered something like an astra van and taking out the passenger seat completely. However, that would really have been too restrictive. There are some vans which are slightly lower in height than a Peugeot Boxer, and these would probably be ideal if you used covered "heated" car parks fairly often.

When I parked in covered, heated car parks, it was warmer at night than anywhere else at altitude and no heating inside the van was required. Typically with good insulation, the inside of the van was 10C when the car park was 5C. An outside car park would have been about -5C to -20C at night and inside the van between 0C and -15C without heating.

snow reports

I agree with @pam w, that I probably wouldn't bother with a van for a one or even two week ski trip. The extra cost on ferries/motorway tolls/fuel consumption might just counter the accommodation economies.

Wet gear is an important point particularly if you are going for more than one week. I use the toilet/shower room/cupboard as a drying room. It has one of the blowers from the heater in there so being a pretty small space it gets very warm and, with the little skylight open, stuff dries out very quickly (which is also very handy for doing the washing!).

Condensation and damp can become a major issue as well. I recommend opening doors and windows each morning for ten minutes or so as you are getting ready to go out. Gives everything a good airing.

These questions are much better suited to motorhome forums IMO (http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/index.php). The advice you get there is astonishingly good.

I had a Hymer. Cost about £29k (think it was 6-8 years old at the time). Sold it 2 years later for £2,500 less. Though it did have a few extra bumps and bruises when I sold it due to my atrocious driving. 20,000 miles done in that time around Europe. Absolute bargain in my opinion.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

The fresh water tank is inside the van so almost zero risk of it freezing, the waste is generally external and would need extra insulation, however most people then just leave the tap open and use a bucket or something similar outside.

A snowHead

Exactly what I do - and I've lost count of the buckets I've trashed by rolling her down off the levelling wedges before getting the bucket out of the way Sad

A snowHead

I don't think that the OP's bucket list is going to fit in any thing much less than 6 mtrs long.

We have a high top LWB Sprinter conversion. It is essentially a race transporter rather than full-on motorhome but it doesn't lack much. Propex blown air heating. Water heater. Seperate loo/ wet room shower. Bunk over garage and pull out settee that makes a full size double bed. Also cooker, fridge, sink and microwave.

The garage is designed to hold 2 motocross bikes plus a fair bit of kit so all your expensive toys are secured out of site.

With the insulation and roof lining fitted i can stand upright inside the van and i'm about 5'11". All this is squeezed into a van that is just over 6 metres long.

It has underslung fresh and waste water tanks. This is where panel vans lose out to proper coach builts. In-laws have "full timed" in a french built fully winterised Pilote. As stated above the tanks and plumbing are sandwiched between an upper and lower floor section to protect them from the elements.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Many people quote condensation and damp as an issue with a winterised campervan. This was not a problem with my van, and I think I attribute it to the following:

1. Use of silver foil lined bubble wrap on all metal surfaces and windows stopped the cold meeting hot humid air.
2. Do not sit in one car park for periods of longer than 1 week (I was always moving resorts, sometimes going to beaches at the south of France and northern Spain)
3. Giving the van a thorough heat every week or so either by driving for long periods, or going to where there is free electricity and putting an electric fan heater on for several hours (overnight sometimes)
4. Running the engine in the evening, and using the fan engine heaters throughout the van, blows away any damp condensation issues. Air circulating around the van stops humidity building up
5. No steaming hot showers inside the van....
6. No steaming hot bath inside the van... (see 5 above and go to Balerno, or swimming pool)

When I was using the van there were places where free electricity was available. I do not know if this is still the case. Some petrol stations in Switzerland had free electricity plug in points for campervans. Also in France, some campervan sales outlets, had one or two free plug in points which you can use overnight before the campervan outlet opened the next day. Of course you could always ask a homeowner, or park next to a Formula 1 and slip a cable out of one of the bedroom windows.

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I`ve owned vw t4s and 5s for work; they are smaller than Vivaro`s, so look for LWB versions. They are also not as reliable as people think, but that`s style over substance for you. I wouldn't get one again, even though I fell for their looks twice. There are some very respected German conversions for winter, normally based on Sprinters, but I can`t remember the name. Subscribed to this thread as we are planning 6 months plus round Europe in 3 years time, and began by thinking we wanted something small and easy to park in towns, but the reality of living in something that size for up to a year is beginning to dawn on us.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I picked up the BU5 4 DUB for snowHeads field-duty a couple of seasons ago.
It's a LWB 4motion T5.
I've crashed in it in Winter and Summer but the intention was never to go completely off-grid for long.
It was more important to me to have the option of carrying a few extra passengers than to have kitchen facilities. So I put in floor mounts for a 2nd row of quick release seats. Hence it can be 2, 3, 4 or 5 seater as required, giving extra luggage/manoeuvring space when needed. But that space is perfect for a sink/cooker unit if you don't need the seats. Spinny captains seats up front add a surprising amount of extra 'social space'.
Critical, from my perspective, was the clear 1m90 between the rear seats and the back doors (skis at an angle waste so much space!). So, a 1m90 bench/fold-out bed/ski locker fits perfectly.

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One further issue is picking the time when you drive up to ski resorts. I was jogging along the road today, and a big coach full of tourists turned a corner ahead and struggled to fit between the crash barriers and the car on the other side of the road. Now, the road I run on is not as windy, narrow, or steep, as the road to some ski resorts. Neither is it icy, but it was wet.

Getting to the point... I found that there were certain times of the weekend when there was a large amount of coach traffic. The rest of the week was generally quiet, and not full of coach traffic. So avoid driving up when it is a Friday, or Saturday afternoon or evening. Mornings are usually quiet in my experience (except for the occasional mini bus of local kids).

Driving at this time also tends to avoid when the roads turn nasty and icy (evenings after a warm snow melting afternoon). Temperatures fall rapidly, and wet roads turn to icy roads.

When coaches go up steep hills, your best bet is to assume they have right of way regardless of the highway code. They will overtake on blind summits, accelerate around corners on the wrong side of the road, and will try to meet a timetable. AVOID AVOID AVOID

When leaving resorts, afternoon is a great time when the roads will be warmest and traffic low. You will have the best opportunity and ability to brake, with your rusted disc brakes. (get your brakes checked regularly for corrosion, and clean with non salty water regularly when driving on salted roads)

In all the time I was driving up and down steep roads in the Alps, I had one close shave. I was going down a narrow winding road, and another van the same size was going up. The wing mirrors clipped each other on a corner, and neither of us could stop at the point of impact. (no passing places and a very steep hill) I drove on further down the hill and pulled over to the first passing place. My wing mirror had the plastic cracked, but the wing mirror still functioned. A minor scrape on the metalwork too. I looked up the hill, and there was no sign of the other hit and runner. (if you look at the photo above you can see the passenger side wing mirror after I repaired it with some plastic padding and black plastic spray paint. Not a perfect job, but functional)

Lesson : you cannot stop on these roads to exchange insurance details. Therefore, do not drive your brand new van with lovely clean paintwork, and expect it to stay like that.

snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I spend the winter in the alps in my self converted campervan, last winter I was in Italy for the season.

I have a 2006 LDV Convoy with a Carver SB1800 gas caravan heater flued out through the floor, the cab and the rear seperated. There is a silver bubble foil vapour barrier and then 75mm of celotex in the roof, 50 - 75mm in the walls and 75mm of celotex in the bulkhead wall (last winter only 25mm) and 25mm under the floor with 12mm ply on top (the 25mm celotex has been added new for this winter) It was very warm last winter but sometimes a little chilly on the floor in the mornings, hence the added 25mm. Another layer of silver foil bubble wrap and then 3.6mm ply lined. I have made window insulating panels that fit in perfectly with 50mm celotex and ply backed for strength. Thermal curtains to stop any little draughts that get through.
It is super cosy and warm with lots of space for one person, two people would be ok but the dog might over do it.

I have 2x100w solar panels and a 245ah battery, 3 way fridge, double bed, 2 gas hobs and grill, sink and lots of worktop (kitchen) space and overhead storage, ski rack, and ski boot drying/shoe rack. For a shower I generally rely on swimming pools, friends apartments, or washing from the kettle and the sink.

I run my LED lights and my laptop from my solar panels, sometimes my fridge. I have such large panels so I can keep it topped up nearly all the time and not worry about the weather or running out.

The van was cheap to buy and is cheap to run, not the fasted but will happily cruise along at 60mph. I did all the conversion myself so it was only the cost of the materials and time spent doing it.

LDV Convoy is fantastic van to use as a base if you can find a well looked after one; even after all the insulation I can still stand up inside.

After all it is free

Welcome to snowHeads @Bainton,

@Bainton, Where did you park your van? Or did you move about all the time?

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Supermarkets or Hypermarkets in France sell main replacement parts for many vehicles. In particular they have a good range of Peugeot parts stocked. I do not remember seeing LDV convoy parts stocked, but they were probably there somewhere.

Peugeot Boxer parts were plentiful....

wink

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Bigger over newer an old real camper van is much better for living in then an newer van converted into a camper.

It's very hard to live comfortably in a T4/traffic sized Van, yes easier to park tolls etc, but if you are living in the thing these don't count.

As others have said DON'T consider an LDV, you can't get parts outside the UK

Go with Mercedes, Peugot/Citroen/Fiat, Renult/Nissan/Opel/Vauxhall or even (much as I hate them) Ford

snow reports

I have lived in a few camper vans, mostly VW's official conversions. For more than one or two people, you really need space to sit around a table and a kitchen area. For one or two people, living is pretty easy in a Peugeot Boxer. (especially one person)

I could not fully stand up straight in the Peugeot, once the ceiling was lowered for insulation and the floor raised to include a bed. However, I never actually needed to stand up fully. I could dress and put clothes on without standing up straight. There was enough room to do this without it being something I noticed as difficult.

In the van I would sleep, eat, and listen to music or portable DVD player. (could have used a portable computer I suppose) I do not do any of these things standing up!

Certainly go for a second hand van, as you will wreck it in a resort due to corrosion. However, I would disagree regarding getting an official conversion. They are not designed for winter stays in extreme cold. They are designed for family living, for two adults and one or two children. They may be more accepted by your neighbours, but the conversions are very expensive waste of space for a ski van.

Peugeot/Citreon/Fiat all have similar vans, which have interchangeable parts sometimes.

What about this?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Teardrop-caravan-tear-drop-trailer-sleeping-pod-touring-caravan-/381464991425?hash=item58d115d6c1:g:4B8AAOSwo6lWNhBH

I have seen people with caravans parked in Tignes car park. Not sure how this would tow up these hills, but looks light weight.

You know it makes sense.

I have just fitted a diesel heater to my van. It is an MV Airo. Early days yet but seems very good and doesn't eat my battery. It is quoted as drawing 0.9A at 12V. It obviously needs more than that at start up or max power but it soon settles down to low power operation to keep the van warm (not tried it at -15 yet!). At that rate you would use around 24Ahr a day, that is within the useful capacity of a typical 85-100Ahr battery.

Slight health warning, I only use the battery for the heater and some very low power LED lights. No fridge, no water pump etc. If stuff like that is already using power then a heater will make a big difference. Based on one van I hired with one I think propex/gas type are less efficient, they certainly make more noise for less heat although even then the battery would last the night OK.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

0.9A at 12V seems better than the Propex heater listed here

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Propex-Heatsource-HS2000-Blown-Air-Heater-12v-MOTORHOME-CAMPER-BOAT-CARAVAN-GAS-/191954958352?hash=item2cb1683810:g:-i4AAOSwgZ1XwIUD

which says it uses less than 2 amps in normal operation. I have no details yet of the Eberspacher regarding battery useage, and I thought 2 amps for an extraction fan is a bit excessive.

I know that using my parafin heater, it used 0 amps in operation from the battery. I tried running an extracter fan through the flue which went out the top of the van instead of the bottem, but that also used too much power to make sense. I therefore only ran the heater when I was awake, and able to deal with any fire. Most of the fumes still went out the flue due to heat rising.

Whilst your calculations for battery useage might be strictly accurate, performance of batteries at sub zero temperatures is less effective. From experience, my one 120 AHr leisure battery would not support more than one or two nights at that sort of draininge of power.

Another thought I had, was what hapens to the system when the power cuts out? Does it remain safe?

ps. I just read the details on the 2KW MV Airo, and its says the power useage in operation is 14-29 W. (rated power consumption). So it is probably similar to the Propex heater, in terms of power useage.

pps. I have just read details on some low power consumption, silent, bathroom extractor fans which run at 5W power consumption. That is a significant difference in power consumption!

A snowHead

My battery is inside the van (under the passenger seat) and therefore not at low temperature when the heater is running. The MV heater and Eberspacher both have voltage cut offs which shut down the heater at low voltage. This should make sure that the heater shuts down safely, and protects the battery from being run flat. It needs about 3 mins to go through its cooldown and shut off cycle.

I agree that 2 or 3 nights will be the limit without charging. I reckon an hour of driving is enough to top up again. My set up is meant for weekends in Scotland not weeks in the Alps so that works fine.

Note the Propex is on/off control so it starts and stops and runs at full power all the time. The MV modulates so it keeps running but varies the power and the fan speed. At full load it draws about 2A but soon settles down to 1A and a nice quiet fan when the van is warm.

A snowHead

The Eberspacher I have has voltage sensing n' stuff so yes, it shuts off safely if there's not enough to run the fan properly.
It seems to have a multistage thermostat so that it runs at a pretty hectic rate until it gets close to the desired temp, then calms down a bit before eventually turning off for a while.

I've a 190ah battery which is ample for a night or 3 of heater operation although that doesn't last long once I fire up the espresso machine rolling eyes

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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I think it requires another leisure battery, either for sole use, or to be connected in parallel with the other one. Two 190ah batteries might solve the problem, especially if they are calcium batteries (better performance in cold). Maybe lithium ion batteries might be more effective? (there do not seem many for sale in the UK yet, but it will come for leisure batteries now they have overcome the fire risk)

I guess that would mean a bigger solar panel is required too. My 20W solar panel would have no chance in recharging two 190ah batteries in one sunny day.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I have lived for months/years in a variety of vehicles from diy Sherpa van conversions to a US built luxury 28 ft class A motorhome with 4kw generator blown air heater A/C and monster fridge freezer. I roamed all over the mountains of Europe and the USA while hang gliding and made some short visits to ski resorts. Here are some some observations from my experiences.

A semi high top would be my choice for a diy conversion.

You want a side sliding door. A van with damage to the rear doors can be picked up very cheaply. Your conversion will likely block off the rear so a repair can be made using sheet metal and no hinges or locks.

The Mercedes Sprinter series and VW vans are more comfortable to drive than Transits.

You want a separate house battery from your engine starter battery and a split charge system with diodes..

To have any hope of relying on solar think BIG. at least 300 watts and 400 is better. Do not bolt it flat on the roof but install it so it can be propped up to point to the south.

If you are going to stay off the grid with no chance of an electrical hook up I would definitely go with a generator. In a small van you are looking at a suitcase type. Honda is the weapon of choice because they are quiet and reliable but there are many other cheaper options. Budget for a serious piece of chain and a Kryptonite lock. They get stolen a lot. If you have enough space a well insulated 1500 rpm diesel generator is unobtrusive. Make sure your exhaust is well away from any ventilation openings.

The Wave series of catalytic heaters use no electrical power, Webasto heaters and similar are power hogs.

Use LED lights. Conventional lap tops are power hogs, use a tablet instead. Get your TV over the internet on the tablet.

Floor the van with vinyl or some kind of finished wood not carpet. Loose throw rugs work.

If you are doing a home conversion you need insulation 1/2 inch foam is better than nothing. I personally never bothered with side windows but always had large roof lights scavenged from crashed cars. Find double glazed if you can but a simple blanking plate works on a single. Condensation is a serious issue especially with a catalytic heater.

On a diy conversion consider installing captains chairs that turn around.

Add a roof mounted rail and fit a heavy curtain to blank off the very front of the cab.

The MOST EXPENSIVE way to buy gas are the French camping gas bottles. Consider going to a local cooking gas supplier for a 10 kg or bigger bottle. What ever kind of bottle you have make sure it is fitted in such a way to have an external drain.

FIT A SMOKE ALARM CO ALARM AND LPG GAS ALARM. People die every year in campers.

You can make a decent shower from a kids paddling pool with a shower curtain made into a tube and hung from the roof feeding into the paddling pool. Take a Whale Baby foot pump and mount on a piece of wood. You then need about 10 feet of hose and a T piece. Cut the hose to give you about 2 ft 6 in and drill 3mm holes at 80 mm intervals. Make a loop of it with the T piece and connect the pump to the T piece with the long piece. Add hot water to the pool and place the loop around your neck. Operate the foot pump as required.

While hang gliding throughout Europe I often envied people with fantastic Renault Master/Mercedes Sprinter/Peugot/FiatHymer van conversions that were faster roomier and had a more comfortable ride than my diesel Sherpas. But I watched as the rough roads that lead up to the mountain top launch points broke all those posh vans. The Sherpas kept going and going and going.

You'll need to Register first of course.

I had smoke alarms, CO alarm, and a CO sensor (which showed if there was any CO in the van). None of the alarms ever went off. I checked the batteries, and tested the alarm by pressing the test buttons. I had open flames for cooking, enclosed flames for heating.

The coleman blackcat, which you can see attached to the front of the paraffin heater above in the pictures, would generate 1kW of heat and run all night (or most of it) on one can of gas. This was very helpful, as it never heated the van up completely, but it did increase the temperature on some nights from -15C to -5C. Never set any alarms off, did not have an open flame, and fumes went up through the ventilation shaft. It used 0 W per hour as well. The paraffin heater which was 4KW, would heat the van up to +15 C to +20C when the start temperature was -10C to -15C.

Some people suggested I get a catalytic gas fire fitted to the side of the van, with proper in/out ventilation and attach it to a larger can of gas. I visited a few places in France, one garage who sold them said they could fit it too. In the end I decided to get a coleman blackcat, and test the problems with it. One problem it had was that it did not always light properly, and across the whole of the catalyst. Eventually, you had to use a lighter to start it properly. However, I found it the safest way to run a heater overnight without the potential fire/gas risk of a large can of gas and open flame whilst asleep.

Help!!

Camper van for use in the Alps - suggestions pls

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