INDEX

Camelot Auto Sleeper. - Short wheel base Fiat ducatto. The first van. Small, compact, it has everything. The best bits about it were the toilet compartment which we could seal off from the rest of the van with proper doors.

The shower wasn't used as intended, but I did store the tinned food in the shower tray under the floor! The beds were a pain to make up, but fairly comfortable. However, only one person could be in the van while the beds were put together, as there wasn't enough room. Not good in the rain!

I bought it from a car dealer who went bust. (Thank goodness the credit company was legit!) Then found out that the gas fire was faulty. It was removed and I built in a small chest of drawers in its place, and used an electric fan heater instead. The over cab bed was also taken out. It wasn't big enough for adults anyway, and had cupboards built in the space. Much more useful.

Compass Drifter - bought from Marquis in Southampton.

A nice van, but drafty and cold. The layout and useability were good. The kitchen area was great.

Again the shower wasn't used, as I thought it too small. I liked the bench loo, but not the tip up wash basin, as it dripped onto the loo.

It was a 2nd hand van, and I had a few teething troubles which marqis soon fixed. (timing belt went bang!). It also had a blow out as the van had been sitting for so long the tyres had rotted. I bought this one while Jack was in Australia on holiday. (Again on credit through Black horse)

Knaus Sun Traveller- bought from Hants & Dorset motorhomes at Havant, Hampshire

Great little van. The fixed bed in the rear corner was a joy after making up beds. The matteress was poor though being of thin foam. I added another layer to pad it out a bit.

There were a few problems with the brand new baby, but Hants & Dorset sorted them out. It was just a pain travelling over to Portsmouth from Cornwall. The cupboards in the toilet area were plastic, and they deteriorated into powder! The rain came in round the windscreen, and it was replaced (the wrong one had been fitted!) After it was traded it in I heard that the GPS body work parted company from the cab and the unfortunate MCC member who bought it got very wet!

The van drove well and was easy to park. The under bed storage was capacious, and took most of a mobility scooter. The shower was useable if there was no alternative. It was quite roomy for a small van.

There wasn't a lot of room between table and cooker though, which bugged me. The dinette made into a bed which was a very narrow double, it was also very short at 5ft 1inch my feet hung over the end! (Again on credit through Black horse)

Swift Sundance 630L - Marquis Plymouth (7.34m long)

The internal layout of this van was good. It was everything Jack wanted. I had beeny boxes added (by a great Cornish Company) to carry the out door gear which were great; and air bag suspension to aid the driving. But I hated it. It was a struggle to lift the mobility scooter in and out, and the wind caught the huge hump of the luton. After the low profile Knaus it was horrible. I was scared of driving it in windy conditions.

The payload for this van was very poor too. Sold as a 6 berth, it would have been overloaded with 6 people in it. It was over-weight with just the two people!

Sat nav was added by Nick at Adventure Leisure which was then swapped to the next van

Giest Phantom RG - Cleveland Motorhomes

This was the nicest van I ever owned. The Mercedes automatic was a joy to drive, and left other vans behind! The "Sprinter" is aptly named.

The inside was well designed and well built. If I could be picky, the table fixing on the wall was poor, as were the external locker catches which had to be replaced. I felt the over hang was a bit long, and would have liked to see a twin axle. The van went to Adventure Leisure to have Gaslow fitted and also a vented toilet system. Nick also re-installed the blau punkt sat nav.

I only got rid of it because Jack was finding hard to climb up into the bed which was over the garage. With hind sight (a wonderful thing) I should have kept it!

This was a very warm and cosy van with masses of storage. I started full timing in this van, so it got a lot of use. I did 16k miles in a year.

Hobby 700 ELC - Brownhills at Newark

Still full timing! A nice van internally with rear transverse bathroom and twin fixed beds. The mobility scooter was stored under one of the beds.

The Left hand drive was great -once I'd got used to it. It scared Jack a few times though!!

Lighting was added to it in the "living area" by Nick at Adventure Leisure; and also under the beds as these were dark areas. The kitchen and bathroom were very good. the shower was as good as a domestic one. The fridge freezer were impressive. I removed the table as it was too big, although it was very sturdy .

There were a few teething problems, and some were outstanding when I traded it in for the Adria and cash back.

Adria Twin - Chelston Motorhomes, Wellington, Somerset

This van ticked all the boxes on the extensive list. Needs had changed as I was no longer full timing. The van fits into a parking space at the flat which was important. The mobility scooter fits under the rear fixed bed, with the washing machine, awning, chairs etc! The bed is comfy, and the dinette bed is adequate(?). The bathroom is minute, I wont be using the shower in this one! The kitchen is small but workable with some imagination. The fridge is tiny, with an icebox which takes a small bag of peas or 2 small individual pots of icecream!

Like all my previous vans it went to Nick at Adventure Leisure to have a SOG toilet system fitted and the Gaslow filler tap moved to ourside the van. However, after using it a few times, Jack hated it, especially after pulling up at a rally and being requested for "4 hot dogs & a bag of chips"

Learning to drive right handed again was weird. Did direct swap for the next one!

Rapido 743F - - Brownhills at Newark

5 years old with 14k on the clock, it is 2ft longer than the Adria, but I am still able to park it at the flat. Parking in town will be easier once I have a rear view camera installed. At least it is a full 3 berth now, not 2 plus a half. The mobility scooter went under the bed again. The bathroom is roomier, the wardrobe longer (although my dresses still hang up in the shower cubical). Best of all it has a proper freezer! It is going to Nick at Adventure Leisure for Gaslow (He ripped out the gaslow from the Adria before trade in). It also needs new batteries as the 2 on it only lasted 2 hours!! I will protex the tyres again, for my peace of mind. I'm not going to bother with S.O.G. toilet system. The seats were remounted on lower seat bases (I had trouble in reaching the pedals). The work was carried quickly & efficiently by Wyvern Leisure, near Shepton Mallett. I did away with the fixed table, as it was too big, and in the way. In removing it I had a hole through which I could see the driveway underneath; so I glued a sheet of MDF over it, rebuilt the floor, cut a lifting panel the size of the floor to form the bed base; and installed a swivelling table, fixed to the bench behind the driving seat. It had to return to Brownhills for a new fridge door and new wash basin as they were broken.