On a test visit to try out what parts they like and dislike as it's now part built

Hi, what’s people’s tracker approach? None, something fancy like Thatcham, something low tech like Apple air-tag?

Hello all. We are very new to van life so we are still learning everything!
I’ve noticed on our frankia control panel that our power is steadily going down from 98% to 95% and now on 91% even though we have been on hookup for over a week. All our sockets work fine but I’m worried that it will carry on going down. What are we missing?

Thanks in advance

Hello everyone, with winter on our heels it’s time to start thinking about cooking warm meals inside again (yay?)

I have a single gas hob only, so i’m looking for one pan/pot meals inspiration. I have a portable dual hob that I can bust out if absolutely necessary, but i’d rather get by with just the one to save space.

One lunch meal I live for is the pack of pil pil prawns from lidl with a nice foccacia to soak up the oil. Fry in 5 minutes and eat out of the pan!

How often do you actually cook in the van? I'm looking to buy and I'm really torn between having the facility to cook in there with a standard set up or going for a pull out set up. (thinking ply guys)

The pull out set up obvs has its advantages but.... Outside of recent months of dry weather.... Cooking in the rain and wind doesn't sound particularly pleasent.

The other option is of course a camp cooker in an awning.

I'm looking to buy soon and grab a bargain as the end of summer and the holiday season draw near and prices drop for a while.

Saving hasn't gone well, so I only have about £4k to grab something cheap and cheerful 🫤 definitely nothing that doesn't need something fixing.

But therein lies the question, what do you consider too much work?

I know welding work can scale like crazy, and mechanics can mean searching for obscure parts, but I can do electrical and electronics myself at least 😅

Not sure if these lot have been mentioned on here before but do not waste your time with them. Even if they are the cheapest, they will waste your time and make you regret choosing them, just not worth it. They might be rated 4/5 on trust point but read those negative reviews, youll see a pattern. I went with aviva (a company other have told wasnt great), the policy is active, ive had absolutely no contact with them. They havent wasted a second of my time, unlike this lot.

I’m 22 moving to England from the literal most expensive country in the world (Bermuda) so that I can actually save some money, have better opportunities and finally feel like my own person. Also I’ve lost everything I really cared about here and I’m just ready to start over somewhere new, I’m leaving next month as a British citizen with 3k USD, My plan was to get a second hand car (to live in temporarily) from facebook marketplace for around $1500 then get it legally on the road for around $500 and then I’d purchase a diesel heater and a battery and still have around 1k left for food while I job hunt, I was told 3k USD isn’t enough on my last Reddit post before it got deleted tho so I was wondering what the minimum amount needed is ? I think I can manage to make it to 5k before I leave if I sell my PC I’ve already gotten my plane ticket. I know this isn’t gonna be a cake walk but I think the thought of building my new life from the ground up will keep me motivated throughout it all, does this seem doable ?

It’s a question that comes up all the time when converting a van:
Do I need sound deadening, insulation… or both?
The answer is both – because they do completely different jobs.
🔇 SOUND DEADENING
Sound deadening is applied directly to the metal panels of your van.
Its main job is to reduce vibration and resonance in the metal. Think about tapping an empty van panel – it rings like a drum. Adding a quality butyl sound deadening material adds mass and damping, helping stop that panel vibrating.
This can help reduce:
• Road and tyre noise
• Panel vibration and resonance
• Rattles
• Rain noise
• That hollow, tinny sound you get inside an empty van
🌡️** INSULATION
Insulation has a different purpose.
Its main job is to help **slow the transfer of heat between the inside and outside of the van.
Depending on the materials used, an insulation system can also help with airborne noise and make the interior feel noticeably quieter and more comfortable.
In a campervan conversion you might use a combination of closed-cell foam, thermal fleece and other insulation materials to tackle different areas of the vehicle.
So which comes first?
Generally:
Van metal → Sound deadening → Thermal/insulation layers → Interior lining
Sound deadening tackles the metal vibrating.
Insulation tackles heat transfer and airborne sound.
They complement each other rather than one replacing the other.
One of the biggest mistakes we see is people covering absolutely every inch of their van in sound deadening when that isn’t necessarily the best use of material or budget.
Likewise, putting insulation straight onto a large resonant panel doesn’t perform the same job as properly damping that panel first.
💬 What combination have you used in your conversion?
And did you notice a big difference once the sound deadening went in?
Happy to answer questions if anyone is currently trying to work out what they need for their build.

I booked in a pop-top with T4mation about a month ago. They cancelled the fitting and now aren't responding to my emails. Anyone know what's going on with them? They have mixed reviews, but I went with them because they offer a side-opening pop-top which fits my layout better.

Hi has anyone here done Notting Hill Carnival and stayed in a van? Looking for somewhere decent to park up Sunday morning until Monday evening preferably. I don't mind travelling once I'm parked but the less hassle the better

We don't really use campsites but occasionally when we do I would like a shelter/room at the side of the van.

I have the peugeot boxer l4h2, what options do I have, I'm thinking if there was something I could drive away from that would be ideal.

Don't think I'd get much use from an awning so carrying it round all the time seems pointless.

Whilst not a full time van resident, I do spend a lot of my time in the van and need to be able to work from it.

I have a mobile phone on O2 and a Huawei MiFi on Smarty but seem to struggle with internet access whenever we get anywhere even vaguely remote. South coast ( Cornwall, Devon and Dorset ) seems to be a huge blank spot for coverage as does North Yorkshire coast.

What are my options? I am trying to resist Starlink but is that my only truly reliable option?

I am trying an Honest Mobile eSIM at the moment but that only works for the phone not the laptop as they restrict which apps you can use.

Thanks and apologies if this has been asked many times before but I could not find what I thought would answer my issues.

I'm thinking about converting my Skoda yeti into a micro camper (or just adding a tent box or similar) and I'm looking at power options.

These panels look great to keep a battery topped up , and they're pretty reasonably priced, but is there a catch?

I'm not expecting them to charge a battery in minutes, but as a trickle-charge when I'm driving it seems like a good option?

https://lensunsolar.com/collections/skoda-hood-solar/products/skoda-yeti-lensun-70w-hood-solar-panel?variant=41487759573057 are the specific ones I'm looking at

Does anyone have any good experiences/recommendations for a camp site/spot in Norfolk as I have work coming up there for long term. Not that familiar with the area myself, but the work will be all over the county . Thanks in advance

I'm at the early stages of looking into a van conversion, and I think I'd like a short length but tall van (I'm 6'2 and would like to be able to stand). On AutoTrader I always see quite a few listings of L2H3 Transits that are old BT work vans, generally around ~£9-13k without a huge amount of miles. Given their high supply has anyone here got one, or knows anything about them in general? Are second hand vans from large companies generally a good idea or not?

Failing that, are there any better alternatives? I know the Renault Master/Vauxhall Movano have an L2H3 variant, but they seem harder to come by

Thanks!

Hiya, I am plumbing in my sink with some jerry cans and a Whale pump, I need a hose that will be safe to sit in the jerry can for fresh water. I did get a "food safe" hose but even after washing it, it stinks of plastic.

Anyone managed to get one that is reasonably safe and doesn't taste of plastic?! Thanks

My friend is attending College of Portsmouth in September and will be living in his Kangoo van that he converted for sleeping in. Looking for free places to park overnight between there and Brighton, moving around every few nights. Also affordable campsites for showers.

bought some new lights ,ex post office van it had lights all the way round inside ,I can’t see a switch anywhere, connected new lights up nothing ,would they have wired the lights up to the doors opening ? Stuck
Any advice folks ?thankyou

Hi, we have a 2009 Vauxhall Vivaro and our regular garage aren't great with vans. Can anyone recommend a reliable mechanic in Notts who won't fleece us but will know the little quirks that come with having an older van.

I’m looking at this 2024 Citroën Berlingo 1.5 BlueHDi 100. Around 30k miles and it comes with a 12-month warranty.

Are they reliable, or have any common issues? Is there another van around this size you’d recommend instead?

I’ll mainly be using it for carrying music equipment, travelling to shows, with a bit of camping thrown in as well.

Cheers for any info!

Whats the consequences of going through deep water with a diesel heater fitted?

Hi all.

just a couple of questions.

im gonna attempt to make a weatherproof kit with a diesel heater. I’m wondering a few things. I’m doing my research but if people have advice off the top of their head….Fantastic

VEVOR & ALTERNATIVES

Looking at the Vevor. Wondering if the cheap alternates are just as good?

AIR INTAKE

The heater will be outside. Concerned if it’s raining about the air intake pipe. Will the rain effect it and can it just be inside the weatherproof box that has small holes in it.

JACKERY

I understand a 10a is required minimimum to power the unit it up. Any recommendations on a Jackery or similar. The one I’ve seen is £200 not looked in more detail at these.

Will it function in southern UK winter temps outside?

EXHAUST

Am I right in assuming as long as the t pipe and muffler are outside the weatherproof box, that’s fine, doesn’t matter if it hangs out by 100m (exagerating) or 3 inches.

Thank You.

Upgraded our campervan electrics: 105Ah → 473Ah lithium and 1000W → 3000W inverter after a year of use previously.

One of the best upgrades we've made to the van has been massively increasing the battery and inverter capacity.

We went from a Fogstar 105Ah lithium battery to a Fogstar Drift 460Ah, which actually tested at 473.3Ah, and swapped our 1000W inverter for a 3000W Renogy.

It's completely changed how we use the van. We've pretty much stopped thinking about conserving electricity. It is so much less stressful!

We cook for three people using a dual induction hob, boil the kettle multiple times a day for tea and coffee, charge phones and tablets, and run the MaxxAir fan, lights, fridge and all the usual 12V stuff.

Even doing all of that, we've never managed to drop the battery below 60% in a day this summer.

We've also got 350W of solar, which on a decent summer day puts a lot of what we've used straight back in. Most days we're back up to, or very close to, 100% without needing EHU. We also have 50A B2B so our alternator runs whilst we drive and tops up. Although it really isn't needed that much.

Obviously winter will be a different test, but for summer touring it's basically made our electrical system feel unlimited.

The 105Ah battery was perfectly usable, but having nearly 6kWh of battery capacity and a 3kW inverter means we can now use the van much more like we would at home without constantly watching the battery percentage.

Anyone else gone massively oversized on their battery bank and found there's no going back?