Camper Advice Please

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I agree with you 100%. Its a trade between comfort on the road and comfort when you pitch. I guess I've done the comfortable pitch bit so I would like to try having a vehicle thats a bit more agile. I think the 101 could be a great compromise size wise, but I would be concerned about its on road driving. Might be a bit too retro :)
 
If you're concerned with on road driving, why are you asking landrover people?
It would have been much more comfortable, quicker, quieter, do have a land cruiser or literally anything else, but always wanted a defender.
 
John Laws said:
I agree with you 100%. Its a trade between comfort on the road and comfort when you pitch. I guess I've done the comfortable pitch bit so I would like to try having a vehicle thats a bit more agile. I think the 101 could be a great compromise size wise, but I would be concerned about its on road driving. Might be a bit too retro :)
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Have you ever driven a 101 ?

If not do it.... they are a military gun vehicle, you are sitting over/in front of the engine and VERY close to it.
 
If you're keen on on road comfort with the ability to cope on snowy alpine roads.. why not consider a TD5 disco? Not a huge amount of space inside but plenty of people have converted them into mini-motorhomes. Add a roof rack with a side (or better still rear) enclosed awning and you're sorted. And space to store (And tie off one end of) a hammock for those nights that you want to be a bit more "outdoor"

Example at
 
NiallRussell said:
If you're concerned with on road driving, why are you asking landrover people?
It would have been much more comfortable, quicker, quieter, do have a land cruiser or literally anything else, but always wanted a defender.
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Good point. It's a heart Vs head thing. I'm a bit uncomfortable with the "motorhome image" and believe I will look and feel at least 10 years younger in a Landy lol
 
ER1C said:
Have you ever driven a 101 ?

If not do it.... they are a military gun vehicle, you are sitting over/in front of the engine and VERY close to it.
Click to expand...
I have briefly, around a yard off road. It did come as a bit of a shock but not sure whether it was just that vehicle or 101s in general. I've made a couple of posts asking anyone with a good 101 in the SW if they could give me a quick peek. So far no one has offered.
 
private penguin said:
If you're keen on on road comfort with the ability to cope on snowy alpine roads.. why not consider a TD5 disco? Not a huge amount of space inside but plenty of people have converted them into mini-motorhomes. Add a roof rack with a side (or better still rear) enclosed awning and you're sorted. And space to store (And tie off one end of) a hammock for those nights that you want to be a bit more "outdoor"

Example at
Click to expand...

That would be too much of a sacrifice comfort wise. I'm planning on spending a couple of months in the Alps this winter so don't really fancy the idea of living out of the back of a car.
 
Disco with a Roof top tent. And you're away!
4e3b16cd5222375f038f585fbbaa57f4.jpg
Disco 1 is basically a Defender but with leg room.
 
I think you could quite easily live out of the back of that Discovery, if you brought a Td5 Discovery it would be far more comfortable for the journey down within budget, and if you did the conversion yourself, you could make it your own.

It would come within budget, and if you purchased some pelican cases you could strap them too the roof for extra storage.

It would be comfortable for long periods as long as your personal administration was acceptable.
 
I'll try and put some photos up later of my extremely budget 90 based camping solution.
My aim was to be able to remove everything from the vehicle and use it as a daily runaround, and to be able to have it fully set up for camping within half an hour.
It's not the most comfortable of things, but it's cost me about £70 so far including the camping mattresses!
If I were doing it again I'd definitely go for a 110, and if I had the budget I'd go for a 130, as in the 90 the bed is set up over the front seats, meaning you've got to partially dismantle where you sleep to drive anywhere. I've been camping in it a few times this summer, and for next year I'm planning on building a large awning/tent to provide a decent bit of living space.

Just had a look and I don't have any proper photos of it. I'll take some later and put them up. It's probably not the solution for you, but might help someone!
 
mP6yThQ.jpg


You just cant beat it.. and unlike the 101, it can sit at 65 on a motorway and still get 350 out of a tank.
 
The Landys look great with the roof tent....but for a solo traveller I can't see the point when compared to using a hammock. I think maybe this thread is getting a bit long because the roof tent suggestion keeps popping up ;-) and I keep making the same comments.

My guess is you could set up a hammock inside a 110. You can definitely set them up in mpvs. But most of the time you would use the vehicle as a tie off point making it much easier than finding two correctly spaced trees. A properly set up hammock is very comfortable even if that seems counter intuitive to non users. I also think a roof tent is particularly pointless as it's not a very practical living area unlike a ground based tent, so it's just has a single use.

If I had shelled out £1500+ for one I'm sure I'd be singing their praises too but they don't stack up either Vs a standard tent or a hammock particularly when you consider the price difference. I think it's a case of believing the more you spend the better the solution must be.

I'm not convinced roof tents are very suitable for any application which doesn't involve dodging dangerous wild animals, but they are particularly pointless for a solo traveller like wot I am :)

I guess nobody is going to talk to me after this rant ;-)
 
Pillar said:
I think you could quite easily live out of the back of that Discovery, if you brought a Td5 Discovery it would be far more comfortable for the journey down within budget, and if you did the conversion yourself, you could make it your own.

It would come within budget, and if you purchased some pelican cases you could strap them too the roof for extra storage.

It would be comfortable for long periods as long as your personal administration was acceptable.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you will agree that with camping (like most things) there is no substitute for experience. I don’t think you can draw conclusions from a few days camping or even a couple of weeks camping, and assume the same applies to 3 or 6 months.

Long term camping should be enjoyable rather than some sort of endurance test. I'm just back from 5 months touring southern Europe. Could I have done it from the back of a car? Sure. But I'd be very glad it was over. I wouldn't be itching to do another 3 months in the snowy Alps, that's for sure. The main difference between camping for a night or two or even a week or two is all the myriad of small things you can ignore in the short term but eventually if you are exposed to them for long periods, wear you down.

Which brings me back to the 101. I think I could just about squeeze in enough home comforts to make it comfortable yet still have a relatively compact foot print. But as was pointed out earlier they aren't the most pleasant to drive. I had assumed they wouldn't be any worse than my 3.5 ton 20 year old Fiat 2.5litre motorhome. Based on my one and only experience of driving a 101, it was a lot worse. I don't know whether it was that particular 101 or whether they are all like that. Hopefully I will get a chance to drive a good one so finally answer that question. If there is anybody out there in the South /South West willing to oblige I would love to hear from them
 
John Laws said:
I'm sure you will agree that with camping (like most things) there is no substitute for experience. I don’t think you can draw conclusions from a few days camping or even a couple of weeks camping, and assume the same applies to 3 or 6 months.

Long term camping should be enjoyable rather than some sort of endurance test. I'm just back from 5 months touring southern Europe. Could I have done it from the back of a car? Sure. But I'd be very glad it was over. I wouldn't be itching to do another 3 months in the snowy Alps, that's for sure. The main difference between camping for a night or two or even a week or two is all the myriad of small things you can ignore in the short term but eventually if you are exposed to them for long periods, wear you down.

Which brings me back to the 101. I think I could just about squeeze in enough home comforts to make it comfortable yet still have a relatively compact foot print. But as was pointed out earlier they aren't the most pleasant to drive. I had assumed they wouldn't be any worse than my 3.5 ton 20 year old Fiat 2.5litre motorhome. Based on my one and only experience of driving a 101, it was a lot worse. I don't know whether it was that particular 101 or whether they are all like that. Hopefully I will get a chance to drive a good one so finally answer that question. If there is anybody out there in the South /South West willing to oblige I would love to hear from them
Click to expand...

I suppose it all depends on the individual. I would consider that Discovery to be luxury and would thoroughly enjoy spending time living in it!

As for driving a 101, I think you've got your heart set on it! It's going to be dreadfully unpleasant driving it over distance but that might be a compromise your willing to make.
 
As commented, my 101 ambi is LHD. In the uk, theres times when you come up to an angled T junction, indicating left, but fools still come up the left hand side, as your road position makes it look as if youre turning right.

Really, what ive done is position the vehicle such as i an actually see down the road to my right. The little window behind the (in my case, passenger) seat helps a little,but not by much.

I think, with a PAS conversion (which mine does not have) and decent tyres (which mine does have) theyre would be no more bothersome to drive than any other large vehicle. Sure theyre heavy, and have drum brakes, and leaf springs, but you just compensate a bit. Its not like, in a motor home, theres ever much point in pusing the edge, with regard to speed.

My (diesel converted) will do 60 all day long without stress - probably 65. Its possible to exceed the speed limit with it, but, at that sort of speed, youre eyes want to be on the road, and not on the dashboard... (i have altered the transfer gears, but dont have an overdrive)

Big truck mirrors will, im sure, make things better. They look a bit silly on a GS, but ive seen them on ambis before, they look the part. I have a set, but not fitted yet.

The bonus of being able to adjust the mirror from the driving position (theyre motorised) will be huge.

Reversing cameras are another cheap mod, that, i think, will make things easier.

If i get an MOT on mine at any time soon, ill happily take you out for a drive. If you can prove to me 100%, beyond any doubt at all, that your insurance would compensate me to 100% of its insured value, then id be happy for you to drive it also.
 
ps

mine has exmoor trim classic high back seats in the front - they make *so* much difference to the driving experience.

im 6 foot ish, and i dont find leg room an issue.

what i do find bothersome, however, is the noise. i drive with ear defenders on. I suspect that will get better when i make a new engine cover, that does not leak noise (&heat) into the cab quite as badly, but its never going to be that quiet.

i dont remember the V8 to be as terrible though
 
Pillar said:
I suppose it all depends on the individual. I would consider that Discovery to be luxury and would thoroughly enjoy spending time living in it!

As for driving a 101, I think you've got your heart set on it! It's going to be dreadfully unpleasant driving it over distance but that might be a compromise your willing to make.
Click to expand...
I'm sure your Discovery is much more luxurious than my motorhome.. But I'm really talking about the comfort of being able to do all the basics... store / cook food under variety of weather conditions, wash, the loo, etc etc. In the short term you can improvise but not in the long term.

To be fair I think it's because we have slightly different priorities. As an example I'm only interested in off roading to get me to a location... not interested (not yet anyway lol) in the fun of off roading.

Im sure you believe you would enjoy living out of your discovery for 5 months but I'd be willing to bet the reality of doing without all the small stuff we take for granted would soon change your mind.

I love the look of the 101 and as I say I think the back is just about big enough but I don't think it will work for me. Based on the comments here (and my brief experience) it may turn out to be too difficult a drive. A few months back I drove for about 6 hours (my normal duration is about 3) across the interior of Spain in 35 degree heat. It wasn't a problem but neither was it enjoyable. It might a bit of an endurance test in a 101. The other reason it's not looking promising is finding the right vehicle at the right price. My skills and knowledge base on the mechanical side is poor. But I will continue to look and I may look at it as a long term project, as a bit of fun and find a more practical solution to my next trip. I'm aiming to be gone by December 1St.
 
Thanks
julianf said:
As commented, my 101 ambi is LHD. In the uk, theres times when you come up to an angled T junction, indicating left, but fools still come up the left hand side, as your road position makes it look as if youre turning right.

Really, what ive done is position the vehicle such as i an actually see down the road to my right. The little window behind the (in my case, passenger) seat helps a little,but not by much.

I think, with a PAS conversion (which mine does not have) and decent tyres (which mine does have) theyre would be no more bothersome to drive than any other large vehicle. Sure theyre heavy, and have drum brakes, and leaf springs, but you just compensate a bit. Its not like, in a motor home, theres ever much point in pusing the edge, with regard to speed.

My (diesel converted) will do 60 all day long without stress - probably 65. Its possible to exceed the speed limit with it, but, at that sort of speed, youre eyes want to be on the road, and not on the dashboard... (i have altered the transfer gears, but dont have an overdrive)

Big truck mirrors will, im sure, make things better. They look a bit silly on a GS, but ive seen them on ambis before, they look the part. I have a set, but not fitted yet.

The bonus of being able to adjust the mirror from the driving position (theyre motorised) will be huge.

Reversing cameras are another cheap mod, that, i think, will make things easier.

If i get an MOT on mine at any time soon, ill happily take you out for a drive. If you can prove to me 100%, beyond any doubt at all, that your insurance would compensate me to 100% of its insured value, then id be happy for you to drive it also.
Click to expand...
Thanks Julian for the offer. I would probably arrange temporary cover. My motorhome is also lhd and I have exactly the same problem. There is no complete substitute for direct eye balling. My blind spot is relatively small but the mirrors don't help really because you are viewing at an odd angle. I don’t think adjusting your mirror "real time" is practical.
But I have found that a side camera solves the problem. One facing forward also helps a lot with overtaking but that's not something I do much of so I didn't bother (see attached - the monitor has 3 cameras attached, the side and a narrow and wide angle pair at the back)
rear view.jpg
 
John Laws said:
I'm sure your Discovery is much more luxurious than my motorhome.. But I'm really talking about the comfort of being able to do all the basics... store / cook food under variety of weather conditions, wash, the loo, etc etc. In the short term you can improvise but not in the long term.

To be fair I think it's because we have slightly different priorities. As an example I'm only interested in off roading to get me to a location... not interested (not yet anyway lol) in the fun of off roading.

Im sure you believe you would enjoy living out of your discovery for 5 months but I'd be willing to bet the reality of doing without all the small stuff we take for granted would soon change your mind.

I love the look of the 101 and as I say I think the back is just about big enough but I don't think it will work for me. Based on the comments here (and my brief experience) it may turn out to be too difficult a drive. A few months back I drove for about 6 hours (my normal duration is about 3) across the interior of Spain in 35 degree heat. It wasn't a problem but neither was it enjoyable. It might a bit of an endurance test in a 101. The other reason it's not looking promising is finding the right vehicle at the right price. My skills and knowledge base on the mechanical side is poor. But I will continue to look and I may look at it as a long term project, as a bit of fun and find a more practical solution to my next trip. I'm aiming to be gone by December 1St.
Click to expand...

I drive a Defender 90 which is even less refined than a Discovery!

And typically spend 8 or 9 weeks living from a black north face bag and on occasion 7 months! I can fully empathise with the situation and would suggest that that Discovery in the video would be amply hospitable!
 
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