Camper Advice Please

private penguin said:

Probably not as revolting as being donated a 15 year old caravan for a project which was missing the keys. Towed it home along bumpy lanes, managed to get the door open, and discovered that not only was the toilet casette full (bear in mind the caravan hadn't been used for over a year!) but they hadn't closed the little valve that stops the toilet regurgitating its contents all over the bathroom floor.

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zeaphod said:

If you're determined to go the Land Rover route and want camper levels of space, I would look at two options (the vehicle you have posted will have to be imported to the UK, and as you say is too far away to visit with confidence): An ex MoD ambulance body, or a demountable body on a 110 pickup. Either will be much less of a risk and more easily resold if you don't like the experience. Personally, I have tried a 109" as a camper and have ended up with a SWB or 90" as a living/dining room, with a tent for sleeping in. This gives a great deal of flexibility, and will go anywhere. With a decent tent and sleeping bag, you can camp just about anywhere in Europe, year round.

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private penguin said:

We used to have some coach built motorhomes (used for emergency support work) in the fleet. They were late 1990s Fiat/Peugeot models.

When I took on the role they handled horribly. I realised it was because the bed space above the cab was being used to store around 200kg of kit - lots of weight high up. Once reloaded in a more sensible manner the handling was probably slightly better than the defender ambulances. Over time they were phased out and replaced with highly customised panel-van-bodied motorhomes which obviously handled with a lot more manners!

For completeness... the landrover defender ambulances we had looked like this - this one wasn't in my area but we did borrow it from time to time

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zeaphod said:

Here you go: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C743472

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zeaphod said:

Or the coolest Land Rover (IMHO), pretty much the ideal camper base.: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C777546

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zeaphod said:

Note that it says "economical 2.5 litre petrol engine" lol. MPG will be in the teens. Ripe for a tdi conversion though, which should give you more like 25mpg if you take it easy.

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blue beasty said:

Can honestly say that the Series Marshal bodied ambulance never gave me any handling concerns.

Early ones were supposedly scary but anti roll bars front and back allows it to be thrown around.

Wouldn't want to load up a roof rack mind.

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John Laws said:

I currently own a coach built motorhome which is very comfortable but has zero off road abilities. Even a grassy verge under some circumstances can immobilise it!!

What I would like is to be able to do some off roading, nothing extreme just rough tracks and unmade roads, whilst still having a modicum of comfort. I tend to do extended trips rather than week/weekend so getting the balance between off road and comfort is the challenge. Also to be honest I like the idea of owning a Landy (Defender) over a motorhome.

I'm looking at a number of options within my limited budget (about 10k). A station wagon or hard top 110 that I fit out myself; one that has already been fitted or possibly a Defender which already has a camper body. I've also looked at the roof tent option but as I'm also a keen hammock camper, I don't really see many advantages but quite a few disadvantages.

I've found this camper on ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182220199261?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT (item number 182220199261)

Unfortunately its in a very inconvenient location (West Of Ireland) so viewing without a high degree of confidence is not realistic. My main concerns about it are (1) that it's not quite finished and may be a project which failed to live up to the owners expectations ( although he says he is selling it for family reasons ) and / or (2) the weight is a bit of a concern. It's about 700kgs heavier than standard although it does have 2" terrafirma suspension.

Apart from being interested in peoples general views on going the camper route, I would be interested in their comments about this ebay camper and how well they would expect it to perform/handle with the additional weight.

Thanks in advance

John

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blue beasty said:

Weren't too bad on a side slope neither



And if anything was better than standard over rocks

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Turboman said:

If you are dead set on the landrover , the ambulance route would get my vote. Never owned one, but been in several, and they are good, and not too much work to convert.

Just to play devils advocate, and think outside the box, have you looked into improving the offroad abilities of your existing vehicle?
Firms like Eaton make locking diffs and LSDs for most vehicles, and slightly more agressive tyres can make a big difference to traction.

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private penguin said:

I think I felt 5 years younger when I swapped my Volvo XC90 for a disco... Unfortunately its been a somewhat stressful year so according to my wife I look 5 years older!

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John Laws said:

Thanks for the info and the suggestion. My MH is a Fiat 2.5ltr fwd and weighs 3.5 tonnes. There isnt much you can do. Also I've come to the conclusion that hawling around 3 and a half tonnes for one mans camping pursuits is a bit excessive

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