I'm getting a bit annoyed. I used to caravan alot, haven't been much for a while. However in 4 weeks time I'm setting off around the UK for a few weeks/possibly months. I'll be towing with my VW T4 Transporter. This van is my only transport. It is currently in the process of being converted to a camper, but as yet doesn't have the windows in the back. It does have an extremely well made rock n roll bed in the back, and a sink and cooker.
It isn't dirty, it has graphics on the side that look a bit like tribal tattoos, actually quite stylish, but it very definitely doesn't have any advertising on it. Nor does it hold a family of travellers or 7 rottweilers in the back. I don't do business from it, it is purely a leisure vehicle. My caravan is very clean and well looked after. I always keep my pitch clean, and am very quiet.
Having started looking for sites to stay, I'm getting rather annoyed at the amount that are now saying "no vans or commercial vehicles", as though I'm some sort of low life because I'm not driving an Audi or Volvo. I actually feel I'm being prejudiced against! For the record I'm a 44 year old mother of two, my children have grown up and are in university or about to start university, and I'm selling my house, which I have worked hard all of my life to buy, to fund my travels.
I'd be interested to hear if other people feel the same. Especially considering VW T4's are now becoming as sought after as the bay window or splittie classic campers that people all seem to love! My own van will be having several thousand pounds worth of work done on it over the next year, to turn it into a very funky campervan.
"trailer trash 1970" probably doesn't help if you use it in any other context but I do sympathise. I use a classic VW caddy mk 1 pickup as a personal vehicle and although this is a highly desirable vehicle in some circles it can be seen as an old commercial.
Many sites are afraid of getting the undesirables in and tend to apply rules in a heavy handed manner.
I do understand that holiday campsites don't want a camp site full of builders, who may leave behind brick rubble, or travellers who leave trash everywhere. But labelling every van as someone who will cause trouble is out of order. I may well pull up at a site wanting a quiet relaxing holiday, only to have a family of chavs turn up next to me with a beaten up Sierra chucking out black smoke, towing a dented and battered caravan, with kids who keep running around others caravans, and letting the dog off the lead, but there's no blanked "no chavs" or "no caravans with dents" or "no cars showing rust" rules! You can't assume someone is a particular way JUST because of the vehicle they choose!
If you drive an unconventional outfit as you describe then you may fall foul of campsite rules that are in place to exclude those who would not be described as ordinary recreational campers. It is fair to say that campsites, perhaps in a particular area do sometimes apply these rules retrospectively after 'incidents' have occurred. To try & portray this as snobbery as you appear to be doing really is a straw man argument.
Most campsites apply these sort of rules selectively & if you present yourselves as normal touring caravanners then you will probably be admitted. Unfortunately though if both campervan & caravan is being slept in you may get charged for 2 pitches.
You could probably help yourself by having windows fitted in sliding door & opposite side here for example, £290 for 2 windows won't break the bank, & not that far from you.
Sorry i can see where your coming from but,instead of venting your anger here, why not at the site office ?
Did you know before you bought your vw that you might have problems getting onto sites ?If yes, well what can i say to consoul you.I do know there is a problem though.
The windows you suggest are already a plan for my van conversion, and would have been fitted many months ago had the engine not developed a fault and needed replacing! I will however be having them fitted as a matter of urgency once the new engine is in, just because of this situation. I also wonder what the site owner classes as a van, and what is a campervan, and what is a minibus?! A vehicle which was made as a van but has had windows fitted might be seen by one person as still a van, and by someone else as a camper. As an example, Adrian Flux have insured my van as a camper due to it having a permanent bed, cooker and sink. Other insurance companies however insist it has windows.
As I will be travelling alone I will only be sleeping in the caravan, and should I at some stage invite anyone along who wants to sleep in the van, I would obviously expect to pay for another pitch.
As I stated in my original post, I am interested to hear others opinions, that is, after all, the point of a forum, ie for people to discuss things?! I cannot hear others opinions just by venting to a site office. By the way, I'm not angry, just annoyed. I would find it interesting to find out for example, if someone has been refused entry to a site when using a T4 minibus to tow, which they bought to transport a larger family? After all, it is in essence the same vehicle, just has glass and seats installed. Come to that, is a minibus a commercial vehicle?
I was completely unaware of this ruling even existing when I bought my van. I would never have dreamed that anyone would ban everyone who drives a particular type of vehicle. I can totally understand rulings of no caravans/motorhomes over a certain length, as space and size of pitch can be an issue. Or no camp fires as this damages the pitch. I have absolutely no problem with rulings that have valid reasons for their existence, but I cannot understand how someone can turn away for example a brand new van which might have very expensive top of the range accessories, air con, full electrics, heated seats, etc, yet admit a beaten up, dented Passat which is dripping oil all over the place, and chugging out black smoke over the other units!!
The probable solutions to your perceived 'problem' are all in the answers in this thread, it appears you have not actually been turned away from a site yet....& you appear to be making an awful lot of assumptions about people who drive Audis, Volvos, beaten up Sierras/Passats & tricked out top the of range vans.
i drive a van,therefore have the same problems.i understand the sites views on allowing commercials on site and what members of the public would be driving...nuff said.we live in the U.K.around every corner is a campsite,maybe not quite where you wanted,fuel up.i enjoy naturism,these sites dont ask usually ask what you drive.nite
Drove a batterred volvo 850 SE (P Reg) was red bu after 14 years of ownership was pinkish lol ....never been turned away from a site lol..........Point being who cares what anyone drives ....It bothers me not a jot...just what they like .
We have had no problem with the cc&c sites.
I normaly email them and ask first giving a full description of our van.
I see T&C's state "no conversions" Which when you look at the idealist picturs on the net alway show a nice little camper van with a tent.
Regards sleeping in you should inform the site as its for their insurance purposes.I tell them(in our case) it for transporting camp stuff only.They may argue on the 'no windows' thing here.Our local tip still is undecided wether we are a van or a car!
Cars, 4x4 are all bigger and now are what a lot of campers use for their gear.Campsites will have to realise that not everyone will turn up in a mini with a trailer.
Hello Trailer trash and BTW dont feed the Troll ;)
When you say 'you may invite someone along to sleep over', are we talking someone you know (relative/friend), or someone youve picked up at the pub that night?
On the face of it, it shouldnt matter, but particularly if its somebody youve only met that night who you dont know from Adam, im not sure i would want you pitched next to myself if im honest.
In general, a lot caravanners are looking for quiet and sedate existence, so to have something looking a bit like a hippy bus roll up on the pitch next door, with its owner having the propensity to possibly 'invite folk to stay over' as the whim presents itself, isnt something i would personally be happy about.
That said, there are more than a few 'regular' caravanners that i wouldnt care to share adjacent pitches with ever again,either.
I think the op is looking for problems that don't exist. If she can afford to do what she is proposing then she can afford under £300 to fit 2 side windows into the van which will solve the problem. The place linked to is not far from where she is & does the work in 3hrs by appointment.
I'm sure her 'sterotyping' attempt was just jesting but those turning to ukcs for camping related solutions can usually find them....as she has found out.
What I find a bit confusing is why you need to tow a caravan, if you are traveling alone and already have a bed in the converted van. The only thing I can think of is that you want to use the van during the day for traveling, so a permanent bed in a caravan is your solution.
A bit like the ones who drive a huge leisure van and tow a car behind it.
I know it costs a bit for a respray, but there are an awful lot of converted campervans that don't have any trouble finding a site because they have been resprayed. If the van has graphics that can be covered with those stick on decals, you could use those.
It has always unfortunately been a problem. You could be self employed and your only transport for towing your caravan could be your work van. It might well be a £20,000 van but sites still see it as a commercial vehicle.....Please ignore the TROLL as someone has already said!!
Post last edited on 22/03/2014 10:01:41
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
Hahahaha!! Oh Mick S your post really has me laughing! "Picking up someone I met at the pub that night"
I never have, and never will, invite someone to stay that I have met that night. That, to me, is a horrendous thought! When I said invite someone to stay over, I meant my sister, son or daughter, or my niece with her two lovely children. All of whom, by the way, would probably prefer to stay in the caravan anyway!
I think that from my posts, maybe the picture that has formed in people's heads is that I'm a bit of a hippy! Let me assure you that's not the case. I am, I can assure you, a normal everyday person, I have a shower every day, I go to work every day (I'm a supervisor). Until my van is fixed, I drive a (nice) Land Rover Discovery. I currently have a very nice home, with the usual flat screen telly, daffodils and greenhouse! My clothes come from Next, Oasis, M&S, Go Outdoors, etc, and if I stood amongst 20 other people on the campsite, I would not be able to be picked out as "the one in the van" lol! I can categorically state that I am a completely normal person, who happens to have decided to use my van for my extended trip around the UK instead of a car, as it will hold more equipment.
As stated above, the stereotyping was in jest. If people got a little upset about the mention of Passat's, Volvo's and the like, then maybe they can now see how I feel about being stereotyped because I drive a van! No two people who drive a Volvo are the same. Just like no two people who drive a van are the same. That post proved my point exactly
Thank you all for the feedback, this is exactly what I think a forum is for, everyone discussing their opinions, offering help where possible, and sometimes pointing out the obvious!
As suggested, I have not been turned away from a campsite yet, but I would feel dreadful if I turned up at a site and got turned away, especially if it were one of the sites where the entrance is tight, and I'd hold up other people eager to start their holiday, by trying to get my outfit turned around.
Also thanks to the people who also drive vans and have offered helpful advice, some of which shows that two people will see something completely differently (as in, the local tip not being able to decide if it's a van or a camper!)
The upshot from this discussion is, as stated above, the windows that I had always intended to have put in the van anyway will now be put in BEFORE I start the trip. I will remove the cushions from the van so that any site owner can clearly see no-one will be sleeping in the van. And I will very definitely be speaking to the site owner/operative on the phone before setting out, to make sure I don't get turned away. Heck, I'll even send them a photo in an email to make sure they know what to expect lol!
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Topic: Vans and commercial vehicles
