Camping Wagons

[Stew]

Honestly she'd just fill that as well. Yesterday she was seriously suggesting we get an inflatable sofa to take camping with us :oops:

Inflatable sofa is acceptable if it’s part of the chair quota not an extra. I have thought about it to save overall space but decided it would just be a pain as we get it in and out of the tent, sitting in groups, etc.

I bet you get a roofbox in the next year and the point is to put stuff in it…. :p:p It’s handy as a mucky zone as well - sand filled wetsuits, etc!

 

[Saint-Just]

As useful as a trailer can be, it's just another thing to buy and store. Even a roofbox seems like more hassle than it's worth, given how rarely these things happen. That and I don't think I'd trust her with a towbar sticking out the back :oops:

To be fair I was only suggesting it for the kids and the dog :devilish: :p

 

[Renton]

Not sure if i put this on ROF or not

 

[Juttle]

Oh yes, I really want one of those!

 

[Andylaser]

Had something similar turn up when I was working at Garmin.

 

[Fast but dim]

I've gradually been improving the hiace I took to the lakes in September...
I scored a ply guys cuillin bed system for it off marketplace for 20% of the rediculous new cost, and it's now fully insulated and ply lined.
I've taken the bulkhead out, made an insulated/ blackout cab curtain and fitted a window to the sliding door.

Still not fitted the mojo hi capacity leasure battery, or diesel heater, but I've been using it all winter with the excellent tundra bag a few of us bought off nafof.

Obviously I can't post pics, unless I WhatsApp them to someone with the ability to post them for me

 

[Stew]

Or you could just upload them to postimages.org :p

 

[Fast but dim]

Or you could just upload them to postimages.org :p

Give me two hours🤣🤣🤣

 

[Fast but dim]

First trip, Pembroke. Just a fishing bed.

Rof lakes trip, still the camp bed.



Deadmat and insulation


Bulkhead out, ply lining



Ply guys bed, 250kg slide out drawer. -4 in borrowdale.

I've had the van nearly six months now, it's old school technology, which is good. I get about 40mpg.

I've put some winter A/T tyres on the rear, and some summer A/T's on the front: my plan is to swap them over in march. It's rwd, and has literally no grip on anything but tarmac. Coming from a landcruiser that was a massive shock.

I've still got to fit a leasure battery, diesel heater and maybe solar. I'm still undecided about what to do 12v wise. I've got an ARB fridge, but it's massive, and power hungry. Tbh I could easily manage 4 days with my passive Coleman Xtreme cool box and a power bank for phone charging.

 

[Fast but dim]

I literally cannot believe that worked 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Saint-Just]

Well done mate. The dogs had a great time, didn't they?
I don't think I would go for the fridge option, as you say very power hungry and in this country your Coleman will do well most of the year, and ice cubes to cool it are readily available.
The heater, however, is a good idea, especially when you use it year round (or thereabout).
I had an Eberspächer (the air one) in our yacht and it was an absolute godsend. Not cheap I know (ours came fitted by a previous owner) but reliable and safe.

 

[Fast but dim]

M Coleman Xtreme is very good, but, but with a compressor fridge and solar you've got guaranteed cold beer. Passive coolers are ok until you're forced to replenish the beers with warm cans out of the shop😉


I've got solar on my caravan purely to run the ARB fridge. Last summer it was 30° outside and 2° in the fridge all week, off grid.

It's a tough choice. My van is small. The mojo battery plus the fridge has got to be 100kg. That's a lot of weight to lug around considering the Coleman is 7kg.

When you look at that written down, it definitely makes sense to go with the cool box🙄

 

[Nice65]

Well done mate. The dogs had a great time, didn't they?
I don't think I would go for the fridge option, as you say very power hungry and in this country your Coleman will do well most of the year, and ice cubes to cool it are readily available.
The heater, however, is a good idea, especially when you use it year round (or thereabout).
I had an Eberspächer (the air one) in our yacht and it was an absolute godsend. Not cheap I know (ours came fitted by a previous owner) but reliable and safe.

Funnily enough, I’d do the fridge if you’re fitting a leisure battery and considering a solar panel. You're going to need a leisure battery to power the heater on start up and to ensure you can run it overnight if need be, you might as well run the fridge too. During the hot spell we had the Coleman box on the shady side of the van, and it was invaluable. But food needs to be stored properly as it’s inevitable it’s going to be floating about in water after a while. This is a potential hygiene problem too. I was a bit wary of drinking out of cans from the water, particularly if all ice had melted and the box got warm.

Are you using the Chinese heater from your ambulance fit? I‘ve got a couple of decent fuel filters spare. The clear hard plastic one that came with it cracked where the jubilee clip was tightened and pissed diesel out under my flooring. You’re welcome to a decent one if you want.

 

[Saint-Just]

All depends on how you manage your cool box. I know you speak from experience but I sailed for weeks during the holidays in my younger days in Brittany and in the Med (Corsica, Greece) without a fridge. Keeping the purge open means water drains and nothing floats; you lose a bit of insulation but provided you can have ice every day/other day you’ll be fine (and we often had fish (virtually) given to us by local fishermen).
I know on board we always had 2 batteries, on e whose sole purpose was to start the engine and the other one for everything else so you have a point there. But to produce cold inside a fridge needs to produce heat outside, which in hot days means operating your fridge outside the van. It would be fairly low on my list of must have if I had a Yeti or the Coleman…

 

[Nice65]

All depends on how you manage your cool box. I know you speak from experience but I sailed for weeks during the holidays in my younger days in Brittany and in the Med (Corsica, Greece) without a fridge. Keeping the purge open means water drains and nothing floats; you lose a bit of insulation but provided you can have ice every day/other day you’ll be fine (and we often had fish (virtually) given to us by local fishermen).
I know on board we always had 2 batteries, on e whose sole purpose was to start the engine and the other one for everything else so you have a point there. But to produce cold inside a fridge needs to produce heat outside, which in hot days means operating your fridge outside the van. It would be fairly low on my list of must have if I had a Yeti or the Coleman…

Sure enough. I can see both arguments, but I’m punting the fridge as it’s built in, it can’t go outside, and it doesn’t produce much heat. Well, I’ve never noticed any heat. There’s literally nowhere to store a coolbox in the van without it being in the way. With the box outside, the drain open and a log propping up one end, we still ended up with stuff swimming about because of a washed off label or poly bag blocking it. That and not always being able to get ice all the time.

Not to mention that lovely cheese of yours, the Brie, tainting everything with its ripe smell after a hot day. No need at all to mention coleslaw. 🤮

 

[Nice65]

I literally cannot believe that worked 🤣🤣🤣

Now you know about the huge tarantula you’ve got living in the rear door too.

 

[Fast but dim]

I'll have to see. I've managed a few January nights without the heater (or fridge🤣🤣🤣)
All I've needed a leasure battery for is phone charging: I use usb chargeable lighting, and a Bluetooth speaker for entertainment, that also acts as a power bank for the phone.

To fit the leasure battery is a good £100 for the split charge bits, plus a days work, plus 100kg of payload, and I'll lose valuable space in the van ( I can't move the £400 ARB fridge outside when I stop for the night like you can with a coolbox)

The only time it'll be a benefit is when I'm stopped in one place for a while, but that means I'll need solar🙄 (I've got a 60w panel spare from my old van) or to choose a site with hook up to run the fridge / charge the battery.

The more I think about it the more I'm going off the idea.
The vast majority of my trips are one or two nights, and a bag of ice is only a quid.

 

[Fast but dim]

I'll have to see. I've managed a few January nights without the heater (or fridge🤣🤣🤣)
All I've needed a leasure battery for is phone charging: I use usb chargeable lighting, and a Bluetooth speaker for entertainment, that also acts as a power bank for the phone.

To fit the leasure battery is a good £100 for the split charge bits, plus a days work, plus 100kg of payload, and I'll lose valuable space in the van ( I can't move the £400 ARB fridge outside when I stop for the night like you can with a coolbox)

The only time it'll be a benefit is when I'm stopped in one place for a while, but that means I'll need solar🙄 (I've got a 60w panel spare from my old van) or to choose a site with hook up to run the fridge / charge the battery.

The more I think about it the more I'm going off the idea.
The vast majority of my trips are one or two nights, and a bag of ice is only a quid.

Just bought a 25l icey tek cooler off FB marketplace. This thread made up my mind🤣

 

[Nice65]

What actually is that on the rear door?

 

[Winnet]

Looks like an octopus hanger.

G

 

[Fast but dim]

Looks like an octopus hanger.

G

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/29533139...O2U5ln6SDK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Yep.

 

[Quarterstaff]

I've put some winter A/T tyres on the rear, and some summer A/T's on the front: my plan is to swap them over in march. It's rwd, and has literally no grip on anything but tarmac. Coming from a landcruiser that was a massive shock.

I know exactly what you mean! Only recently parted with my 1999 Hiace, a fairly rare UK 2.7 petrol, 143bhp, certainly lively on the back end in the winter.
I fitted some Michelin Agelis tyres, van figment, all season, in test they were preforming as good as some pure winter tyres, they did help.

When I first got it, a combi type with 2 move/removable seats in the rear. The only changes made was the tyres and I had the windows tinted. 7 years of absolutely trouble free ownership.
I’m considering an import 4x4 version due to missing it

 

[Fast but dim]

I know exactly what you mean! Only recently parted with my 1999 Hiace, a fairly rare UK 2.7 petrol, 143bhp, certainly lively on the back end in the winter.
I fitted some Michelin Agelis tyres, van figment, all season, in test they were preforming as good as some pure winter tyres, they did help.

When I first got it, a combi type with 2 move/removable seats in the rear. The only changes made was the tyres and I had the windows tinted. 7 years of absolutely trouble free ownership.
I’m considering an import 4x4 version due to missing it

Nice van...older Toyotas are amazing vehicles.

 

[CaptainBeaky]

Nice van...older Toyotas are amazing vehicles.

Agreed!

 

[Nice65]

Nice van...older Toyotas are amazing vehicles.

I got 15 years pretty much trouble free out of that blue 03 RAV4 I took to the BB Lakes visit and ran it up to 178,000 before it wasn’t worth fixing.

Replaced it with another one exactly the same, 17 years old with 78,000 on it. Swapped over the Grabber ATs to the new wheels and it’s great fun on and off road.