Van crew - assemble

[paulshane]

Grabbed an hour to do some more work this evening.

 

Tidy your workspace 🙂 (as much as you can anyway)

 

and mocked up the tilting table with the current lumber it was made of - it really doesn't need to be this sturdy 🙂

 

 

video of it 'in action' :

 

 

 

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

Got the new kitchen in at the weekend, last year we relied on a pull out drawer at the back of the van with camping stoves, which was fine but it's nice to have a working tap and the ability to sit inside and have a coffee without having to throw open the back doors

[Skip997]

5 hours ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

Got the new kitchen in at the weekend, last year we relied on a pull out drawer at the back of the van with camping stoves, which was fine but it's nice to have a working tap and the ability to sit inside and have a coffee without having to throw open the back doors

 

 

I like the look of this.

What van is it?

[paulshane]

8 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

I like the look of this.

What van is it?

looks like a Renault Traffic (or Vaux Vivaro, shared platform)

Edited May 17, 2023 by paulshane

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

Yep, it's a high roof lwb Renault trafic

They're great for conversion, loads of room and easy to drive, about a quarter the price of VWs with more room, cheaper parts and spares 

[Skip997]

Just now, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

Yep, it's a high roof lwb Renault trafic

They're great for conversion, loads of room and easy to drive, about a quarter the price of VWs with more room, cheaper parts and spares 

I'm converting a lwb Ford Transit Luton.

VW's must be among the most overpriced things in the world.

[MrsRookin]

My first time taking our van (and in fact my first Glasto since 2013!). It’ll just be me in the van - leaving hubby and the kids at home and going with mates 💪

Am I mad to want to leave the awning at home? I can’t stand having it attached, feels claustrophobic and I like being able to open the door to fresh air! When we need extra space at a campsite we take our bell tent and pitch it next to the van due to my awning issues…

Photo of Clive, although I see a lot of VW hate in this thread!

[Madyaker]

Is that a California? On the one I used to have (2007 model) the awning is attached to the roof so you can just leave it rolled up if you don't want to use it?

[stuie]

Hi van crew... I don't usually venture into these parts but I wonder if you can help me?

I've bought a VW T4 with a full width rock and roll bed but it doesn't have any cooking or washing facilities.  How would I best secure entry to Glasto's campervan fields?

I'm looking at putting in a sink and hob unit on sliders out of the back from under the rock and roll seat but with a T4 SWB and a full width bed, there's not much room inside for anything else. 

How have you guys got around this? 

 

Quote

What counts as ‘suitable fitted facilities’ in a camper/caravan?
Your campervan/caravan MUST have purpose-built fitted sleeping facilities and either fitted cooking or washing facilities. Any converted vehicles must clearly be live-in vehicles. This does not mean simply a van with a piece of foam cut to size for a bed, and a bucket for washing!

 

[t0paz]

Just now, stuie said:

Hi van crew... I don't usually venture into these parts but I wonder if you can help me?

I've bought a VW T4 with a full width rock and roll bed but it doesn't have any cooking or washing facilities.  How would I best secure entry to Glasto's campervan fields?

I'm looking at putting in a sink and hob unit on sliders out of the back from under the rock and roll seat but with a T4 SWB and a full width bed, there's not much room inside for anything else. 

How have you guys got around this? 

 

 

I’ve never had any sort of check like that. If you’ve got a bed, ideally made up, then that’ll do. It just needs to not look like a transit you’ve hired with an airbed in it.

[stuie]

Just now, t0paz said:

I’ve never had any sort of check like that. If you’ve got a bed, ideally made up, then that’ll do. It just needs to not look like a transit you’ve hired with an airbed in it.

Ah perfect... that's pretty much what I wanted to hear!

 

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

I had no cooking/washing facilities last year, they just gave the van a cursory glance

If it's got a rock and roll bed they will 100% let it in

[MrsRookin]

On 5/17/2023 at 10:02 PM, Madyaker said:

Is that a California? On the one I used to have (2007 model) the awning is attached to the roof so you can just leave it rolled up if you don't want to use it?

No it’s a T6 conversion. Sorry my photo did confuse my point a bit! Love the wind out awning, I mean our drive away awning. It looked like most in smaller vans take something along these lines, just wondering if I’m making a mistake planning to leave it at home (fine in a dry year but not sure if I’ll regret it if it’s a wet one

[paulshane]

Nice day for some DIY today 🙂

re-did the frame for the hinged tabletop:

The side panels are now recessed so they don't have interference when it's all folded down - left hand side is switches and stuff for the solar charge controller:

right hand side is the radio, with some smaller speakers as the old ones were too tall 🙂

 

and for some reason I forgot to photo it with the top on until it got dark, so heres an out of focus pic showing that I trimmed the plywood surface and then tablesawed a trim piece to go on the leading edge, I'm trying to learn woodworking basics and this seemed like a good thing to practice with 🙂

 

 

Some more paint needed to keep it looking tidy and damp proof, but as a silly project, it's going well 🙂

I'll be pondering ways to add drawers tomorrow, without needing too much hardware.

 

 

[philipsteak]

Was at Fell Foot at the south end of Windermere yesterday. The National Trust have set up a display of a caravan from the sixties (it was a caravan site then)

[paulshane]

thats ace 🙂

[Twiggy553]

We have that same tupperware in our van. Think my mother in law gave it to us. My wife uses it in favour of the much nicer malamine bowl amd plate set i already had 🤷‍♂️ 

[Skip997]

Floor and bed have now gone in.

[paulshane]

On 5/17/2023 at 12:07 AM, paulshane said:

Grabbed an hour to do some more work this evening.

 

Tidy your workspace 🙂 (as much as you can anyway)

Some more progress on the folding table. It's hardly bespoke cabinetry but it will do whats needed and keep the tiny space a bit less cluttered 🙂

Top painted - the holes are for 12v electrical sockets that will go back in later, the big hole in the middle is to pull it up to fold it:

Access to cubby space:

and some drawers, that replace a big unweildy box I had in that space previously.

Still more painting to do, and certainly a good hoover as well.

[paulshane]

Spent a relaxed afternoon re-doing the wiring for the desk. It's not massivly complicated, and is all 12v, so nothing tricky, but this time round I actually bothered to route the wires sensibly and used a load of cable trunking I had left over from a work job, so when 'opening' and 'shutting' the desk, all the wires stay where they should be and don't snag. Put back the sockets (which are 3pin XLR jack sockets 😄 with two pins wired for 12v, and I have a load of XLR jacks which I've added to stuff like lamps, laptop charger, MiFi router, car cig socket breakout etc)

 

cheap stereo works, basically just used for WorthyFM on tuesday evening/night 🙂

 

and voltage display wired up - I have this connected to the silver press button, as I don't need it to be on all the time, so just press and it shows the volts 🙂 Just using a spare car battery today, I'll move my leisure battery in place on the Monday before the festival, as it lives in my T5 and runs my amps for my bass bins 🙂

[Alvoram]

Come on folks, as somebody that aspires to build out a van one day, but just can't afford it, this is one of my favourite pre fest threads... Where's all the finished van photos / videos? 

Show us your tiny homes... 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Alvoram

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

Do people use levelling ramps at Glastonbury?

I don't have any and was fine last year but we're in quiet this year so worried it's more sloped than east general

 

Just wondering if I should get some last minute 

[paulshane]

2 hours ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

Do people use levelling ramps at Glastonbury?

I don't have any and was fine last year but we're in quiet this year so worried it's more sloped than east general

 

Just wondering if I should get some last minute 

a few short bits of plank will be enough, most of the East camping is pretty flat, so you won't need to level too much, but it is nice to have a flat bed to sleep in.

[Twiggy553]

7 hours ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

Do people use levelling ramps at Glastonbury?

I don't have any and was fine last year but we're in quiet this year so worried it's more sloped than east general

 

Just wondering if I should get some last minute 

I took them last year but didn’t/need use them as was flat. I was in East Quiet.

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

The trip begins, stopping off near DEYA Brewery tonight and on to Bristol tomorrow.