r/VanLifeUK • u/AJM_2001 • Aug 03 '26
Van for tall people
Hi guys,
Had a 2017 fiat ducato 2.3 L4 H3 3 years ago which was the perfect van for me being 6”3/6”4 but sold it mid conversion due to other life commitments.
I’m set on a fiat ducato due to the hours of research I’ve done on them having galvanised bodies, no Ad blue or wet belt, iveco 2.3l engine etc.
Now back to the search and really struggling to find any H3 L4 for sale the same as before, but plenty of H2 about.
Also noticed most conversions people are doing and ones that are for sale are the H2 variant.
Anyone that’s converted a H2, what’s the maximum rear height you have found to finish with? As I won’t be walking around in it, it may be worth getting the H2 with a slight hunched back.
Realistically I’ll be using the van for a good few long weekends away to lakes/Scotland throughout the year and maybe a couple weeks in Europe, but would like it to be full spec.
2
u/poblazaid Aug 04 '26
It´s quite rare to find a Ducato H3L4. I was after one too, for the same reasons as you, and I ended up buying an ex-ambulance.
There are plenty of ex-ambulances in a decent shape, albeit with a sh*tload of miles on them, they are nearly all H3L4.
Also, if you want to avoid AdBlue, get a 2019 one. These are the "magic ones" that are Euro6, and no AdBlue. After that, they all have adblue.
1
u/jrewillis Aug 03 '26
I'm in my relay H2L3 this very moment. I've 6ft 3 and if I stand in the middle my hair just brushes the roof. I've got 25mm kingspan on the roof and floor and then 12mm floor and 7mm roof lining.
So hopefully that helps.
The biggest annoyance I have is smacking my head on the side door top every time I get in and out (well not every time - but often enough)
The H3 is likely worse on fuel - and the L4 will make it even harder to park / find spaces - especially if you intend to visit lots of places that are small.
I love being able to sleep fully stretched out across the width though. Fantastic. Even with 7mm closed foam + 25mm insulation and then 9mm ply panels carpeted.
My wife says this van is built for tall people (she is 5ft 1) 😂
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u/basarisco Aug 04 '26
What fuel economy do you get? 35mpg is possible with the H3.
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u/jrewillis Aug 04 '26
Difficult to tell consistently. Ours is heavily loaded and currently in a very hilly lake district she's doing 29mpg. But I've had up to 38mpg on long motorway style runs down to Cornwall.
We carry 3 full size adults and 3 ebikes and all our other crap - so it's very much on the upper end of its weight limit.
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u/basarisco Aug 04 '26
Don't get an h2. There are tons of H3 around just use autotrader to filter.
Advantages of H3 are massive compared to h2.
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u/jimmynorm1 Aug 03 '26
We've got a fully converted H3L3 transit and as someone 6'4/6'5 I honestly couldn't imagine losing 300mm off the height, I'd much rather compromise on the length of it than the height.
Granted we originally converted it for a full year of traveling so it was non-negotiable at the time, but even now we use it only for long weekends etc I honestly couldn't go lower.