campervan interior

Here is what you probably don’t want.I had this vehicle when I was 18 years old…1960 VW Cargo Van (no windows so it’s hot as heck).Wide Oval tires on fat Mag wheels (looks cool but you can’t turn it).A 4 track tape player with 12 speakers (sounded like a tin box).Hippie Beads between the cab and back (got all tangled).Flat Black interior with psychcadelic day glo paint and a black light.(Dark as Hell).Old Oriental rugs on floor (Stank really bad and covered with melted wax.It also supported a colony of cockroaches).Incence burners on walls(I smelled like a Patchouili bomb).Skylight from Sears(leaked like a shower).School Bus yellow paint job with peace signs and surf stickers (the cops honed in on this like Radar).Flat spare tire (and no jack).Top Speed of 48 MPH.Oil consumption 2 quarts per tank of gas.Man I miss that Van. RB

1.41

  1. 1968 VW bus

  2. 2 months…but not lately because I bought a 78 Dodge 25" RV for that.

  3. Been down as far as Puerto Escondido. Baja couple times a year. The eastern Sierra’s some times. to the beach 4 times a week. To bashams to pick up blanks and to the glassers.

  4. Trips to Home Depot. for hauling stuff around

  5. The bus was a passenger van. I converted the back into queen size bed and storage compartment.I do all my cooking and whatnot out side. I have a full size rack on top for all my stuff

  6. Lots of room to sleep

  7. Gets kind of cramped when it’s raining outside…

hey Paul- after seeing your van at big sur, me thinks you could do a nice little side business building custom excursion van interiors-impeccable!

Side business…???..

All my work is side business…

Get in, Get the money, Get out…

Seen the new VW microbus?

http://www.vw.com/microbus/concept.htm

nice but Id rather one of the new stock vans

http://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/newtransportershowroom/

and customise the interior. Do you get these in the US?

Turbo Deisel - 117mph and 44mpg

http://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/newtransportershowroom/index.php?fuseaction=root.frameSetShowroom&option=fuelConsumption

much less conspicuous than a camper when parking up overnight, especially in europe where you all too often get moved on if in your a camper van. With a normal van its difficult to tell if its just parked up empty or someone is living in it :slight_smile:

Just dreaming…still love the old buses like Shipman’s (nice pics! is you dog a pointer or pointer cross?)…just something about them, many pleasent memories of surf trips taken in them, but fuel economy and speed are a getting a bit long in the tooth these days and good ones are harder and harder to come by. But I beleive you can still get a brand new one from Mexico?

If I was to custom fit a van for an extended trip i’d be looking to include:

  • gas cooker ( a mate of mine even has an oven in his VW wesfalia conversion)
  • water tank + sink
  • fridge
  • extra battery to power electrics, switchable so alternator can charge each one or both?
  • Solar panel and/or mini wind turbine to provide electric
  • bed with board storage underneath (no racks, to easy get you gear stolen and a lot of carparks have height restrictions)
  • Front seats wich swivel to face back of van (VW do thse in there vanagon wagons in Europe), very neat.
  • soem form of ventalation that allows all windows to be closed

Any Aussies out there got any tips on the best (cheapish) van to travel Aus in? Toyota?

MrG

How do we perceive our vans/campers?

We seem to call it a van more than a camper, why would that be?

While we are on the van subject, I’d like to ask what is the longest amount of time you have stayed/lived in your van. I’d like to do that this coming summer, guess I have to buy a van first huh.

Hey monkstar

I lived in a van with a friend for 7 months in australia.

no worries

never felt so free

pic below was taken in our first month, top of the cliff, 12mile beach, esperance, just west of the nullarbor

great memories of great vibes and awesome waves

Windsurfers favor Sprinter vans. Sprinter is sold by Dodge in the US, but is a Mercedes product & marketed as such in Europe. So for $35K or so you get a super reliable Mercedes diesel engine, comfortable driving, great gas milage, and a TON of empty space in the back to customize. FedEx uses these in their fleet.

Google: Sprinter and windsurfers (or what ever they call them now; sailboards, etc) and you’ll get a good idea of how LOTS of boards, equipment, and living space can fit in a vehicle.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=7365