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Newest Member Gene Williams
Whats all the fuss about campervans and how did it all start? The modern way for cheap holidays seems to be no longer by caravan but by a small motorhome or weekender.
Campervans may be equipped either with a "pop-up" roof which is raised during camping or a fixed roof, either shared with the commercial van that forms the basis of the vehicle (commonly a "high-top" model), or as part of a custom coachbuilt body.
Campervans usually have a small kitchen with a refrigerator (which is often powerable by a choice of gas, battery, or mains electricity) and a two-burner gas hob and grill. They generally have dual-voltage lighting which can work from either a dedicated battery (other than the van battery) known as a deep-cycle or leisure battery, or from AC power, supplied at a campsite via a hook-up cable. Larger models may include a water heater, space heating and air conditioning, a portable toilet and even an internal shower. Smaller models often carry a "porta-potty" portable toilet, and sometimes an external shower which operates within the privacy of an awning.
The term "Dormobile" is sometimes used generically in the United Kingdom thanks to a once highly popular conversion brand, and "Kombi" is used in Australia and other countries. The popularity of this type expanded in the 1950s after Volkswagen commissioned the Westfalia company to use the Kombi version of their Type 2 transporter as the basis for a campervan
Pop-up roof variants share certain design elements with roof tents as sometimes fitted to more robust four wheel drive off-road vehicles intended for expeditions rather than relaxed camping. A compromise between these two worlds is sometimes reached by basing the conversion on an off-road vehicle. Sometimes the conversion is demountable from the back of a pick-up truck body.
Not to be left out of the picture the clever Japanese manufacturers jumped onto the band-wagon. They primarily took the standard vehicles and simply converted them to weekenders or campervans. They could be 'doubled up' as ordinary vehicles during the week and at weekends voila transform into a fun vehicle that could take the family away in and be used to cook, sleep and have fun in. Since the 1970s, Japanese vans like the Toyota Hiace and the Datsun Urvan, as well as European models based on the Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato and Bedford vans have become popular as base vehicles for conversions.
Amenities
A modern campervan will contain some or all of the following features:
Gas/electric powered refrigerator
Gas/electric grill
Microwave
Gas/electric powered water heater
One or more beds, some of which double-up as daytime seating
Electricity supplied by leisure battery or external hook-up
Toilet with removable disposal tank
Shower
Television (with aerial and/or satellite dish)
Air conditioning (at least the normal vehicle's cab system)
Water tank
Wastewater tank for "grey" (wash) water
Extensible external Awning
Bike rack
Author Resource:-
The UK is seeing many of these vehicles now being imported from Japan due to their versatility, better condition and of course value for money. Algys Autos is a major importer of these vehicles based in Bristol, UK and if you visit their website there are many examples of various clever camping conversions.
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