Who lives in a van? Or wants to?
- Thread starter David Clapson
- Start date
Boudicca
Seaside Queen
I bought a bit of software that is supposed to help you plan but it's crap and I'm not going to recommend it. There are loads of self build facebooks groups, some general and some specific to particular models of van. I joined a local Bongo group, they were very helpful but totally obsessed with the vans. So we would meet in the New Forest but no-on wanted to move more than 3 foot from their van and viewed my suggestion of a walk with horror.
Will you will get a bike, a bed and a kitchen into an Alphard?
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
Well, you're half right. They do make copies but they are nowhere near the Honda ones which have 6 axis IMU, ABS, USD forks etc.
TopCat
Putin fanboy
The price differential though is huge. Anyway don’t want to derail too much. It’s a nice thread so far.
Though if the caravan owners turn up it will likely kick off. You know what they can be like.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
don’t drive and don’t enjoy being inside vehicles, so hard pass from me
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
Good that you felt able to bring yourself to tell us, though. Baby steps, and all that.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
No need to be a dick about it
David Clapson
Well-Known Member
Bed or bike, but not both.
On the whole subject of just pitching your van on the side of the road and making it your overnight stay I'd say be careful where you choose.
My parents live in the Forest of Dean and anyone who knows the forest will know that the foresters are different and do things their own way. At the start of lockdown 1 with infection rates very low in the forest (have they have remained virtually throughout) a lot of campervans and other vans suddenly appeared on roadsides, laybys and car parks in the forest. I understand the owners of said vehicles learnt pretty quickly that is not what you should do in a global pandemic.
My parents live in the Forest of Dean and anyone who knows the forest will know that the foresters are different and do things their own way. At the start of lockdown 1 with infection rates very low in the forest (have they have remained virtually throughout) a lot of campervans and other vans suddenly appeared on roadsides, laybys and car parks in the forest. I understand the owners of said vehicles learnt pretty quickly that is not what you should do in a global pandemic.
keybored
Well done. You remember cat good.
The thing to do is to stash your keys some distance from the vehicle if you fancy a drink. Supposedly the keys need to be in the ignition for the "drunk in charge" to stick, but better safe than fucked over.
I had a colleague decide to pocket his digs money and sleep in his van instead, he got caught over the limit with the engine running because he was cold. Had to fess up to the boss that he'd been sleeping in the van, fair play though the boss came to court and testified that the guy always slept in the van when working away and he got off.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Article about folk living out of their trucks and vans in the US here:
www.theguardian.com
Off-road, off-grid: the modern nomads wandering America's back country
Across US public lands thousands of people are taking to van life, as featured in the Oscar-winning film Nomadland
han
love is the answer
I posted that up a few posts ago.Article about folk living out of their trucks and vans in the US here:
Off-road, off-grid: the modern nomads wandering America's back country
Across US public lands thousands of people are taking to van life, as featured in the Oscar-winning film Nomadland
Still, it's a great article!
weltweit
Well-Known Member
So what happened?
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
I drive an XLB hi-top Iveco, and the biggest thing to watch out for is those height bars in car parks!
There is a railway bridge near where I used to live that is 3.2m high, and I can hear an aerial scrape when I go under it...
My fucking enormous bus, earlier.
View attachment 252741
(btw, I say "my"...the former Mrs E, it turns out, had designs on exporting it to France when she went. Until she spoke to a few People In The Know who explained some of the many and varied aspects of French bureaucracy that she might be able to learn and love if she did so...at which point it became MINE, muahahaha)
Just got to get it MOT'd and back to Lovely Laugharne.
Am I the only person who ducks their head a little bit when driving a high van under height restriction bars?
I know a few road cats. Just got to be careful when parking up with site dogs . A bb gun to the muts nuts can be effective.
Top tips :
Heating - Woodstove or diesel heater.
Cooking-gas
Power 2v batteries powered by solar/lampost/
Internets - pick up with biquad hack with aircrack/pixidust/reaver
Security - SIM card cctv and a weapon . Go incognito .. If you have a burner hide the stack and camoflage as a works/highways vehicle.
Most people in Europe are highly prejudice towards you as soon as you are on the road. France, for example, have expelled the Roma .
However, with a bit of PR, you will be surprised what you can get away with. (boast) : I have 6 written references from landlords/estates in the county I am in now .
Squat the fucking lot .
dessiato
🇪🇸 my spirit is crying for leaving
Due to Brexit you can no longer come into EU for 6 months at a time, except with appropriate visas. Without these you can only stay for a maximum of 90 days in any rolling 180 day period.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
You can go to Croatia, Bulgaria and Cyprus for as long as you like though, so three months in the Schengen zone and three months in Croatia/Bulgaria. Or just get a tourist visa to stay in the Schengen zone for longer that is a possibility.
klang
klang
do you lean forward when driving in foggy conditions?
David Clapson
Well-Known Member
I think that works just for LEZ, not ULEZ. Specialist tests for lorries As far as I can see, Euro 1-4 diesels can't be cleaned up to ULEZ standard. No way. Euro 5 can, but Cybrand, the manufacturer of the only TFL approved devices for diesel vans, has quoted me 5 grand!
Euro 5 came in from Sept 2009 to Jan 2011. Euro 6 came in from Sept 2014 to Sept 2015.
This is the list of vans which Cybrand modify. (Also listed upthread.)
Boudicca
Seaside Queen
Hum
Which I guess is why there are a load of Euro5s on the market and there is a big step up in price for a Euro6.
David Clapson
Well-Known Member
Or get something 40 years old. Historic vans are exempt.
<edit 
>
>
Absolutely loving this thread!! 
Probably mainly because our van has scarcely moved from outside the house since March 2021, very occasional big shoppings apart .....
At least our hightop Renault Traffic conversion (2004 and turbo-diesel
) managed to make it to Glastonbury (town) a couple of times last summer.
Back when it was actually allowed to leave Swansea and close area, that is
We've been strictly part-timers van-wise even in normal years since 2015 when we got it, mind-you.
Can't bloody wait to get back to normal years with festivals in them!
2022 is eagerly awaited!!
It's at fests when we get to chat with serious vanowners/vehicle dwellers -- it's from them that I've learnt most about vans, and because of them that I actually understand some of this thread's chatting
And I can't even drive -- I'm very festivaldeb dependant on that front
Probably mainly because our van has scarcely moved from outside the house since March 2021, very occasional big shoppings apart .....
At least our hightop Renault Traffic conversion (2004 and turbo-diesel
) managed to make it to Glastonbury (town) a couple of times last summer.Back when it was actually allowed to leave Swansea and close area, that is
We've been strictly part-timers van-wise even in normal years since 2015 when we got it, mind-you.
Can't bloody wait to get back to normal years with festivals in them!
2022 is eagerly awaited!!
It's at fests when we get to chat with serious vanowners/vehicle dwellers -- it's from them that I've learnt most about vans, and because of them that I actually understand some of this thread's chatting
And I can't even drive -- I'm very festivaldeb dependant on that front
Last edited:
So glad that you reminded me of that!
I recommend a read (or re-read!) to complement this one
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
Only 14 years to go for mine, then...
keybored
Well done. You remember cat good.
The locals prevented the campers from sleeping by playing EMF - You're Unbelievable outside the vans at full volume on repeat.
ska invita
back on the other side
whats the name of a female long time poster who lived in vans a lot - she hasnt posted in a couple of years now i think though
Last edited:
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
Nope! And my ex used to chuckle, if I was struggling to overtake something, at my tendency to strain forward, as if I could add another few horsepower with the power of my mind...
klang
klang
stuff it? very nice woman.
Last edited:
Similar threads
