Van Camper for festivals, advice?

Subject: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: wilco
Date: 13 May 03 - 10:11 AM

I've just sold my 21' Sunline camper trailer, which I've used for several years at festivals. To replace it, I'm looking at a short-wheel-base, full-size Chevy Van (250). I want to add a "pop-up top," like VW has, but I can't locate one. Any leads on a manufacturer of the pop-tops? How about the VW camper van? Any experience with it?

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: Bardford
Date: 13 May 03 - 11:12 AM

Can't help with pop-top suppliers, but can share some of my experiences with an '83 VW Westfalia. This was the first year that VW went to a watercooled engine. (4 cyl, 1.9 litre - kinda gutless on hills, but not bad at cruising speed. With a tail wind.) These early watercooled engines are notorious for leaky head gaskets and other coolant issues. My engine is at about 140,000 km (what's that, about 80,00 miles) and on it's last legs. A positive aspect to this is the people factor- I've met many of the tow truck drivers and VW repair folks in western Canada over the last few years.

The camper aspect is great. If you arrive at your destination, pull in reasonably level, pop the top, and you're done. None of the set-up pains I went through when I had a tent trailer. Propane stove, three-way fridge, water, storage. There's room to sleep four, but with luggage, instruments etc., two adults and a small child would be a tight fit.

If you are looking for a new version of the VW camper, expect to pay house-like prices. Even older vans seem to hold their value. Also, if you are used to the sound insulation provided by a hard-shell trailer, the VW, with the canvas sided pop-top is more tent-like.

Another thing if you end up with a VW camper - you are automatically and irrevocably enrolled in the "Cult of waving at other VW van drivers". I don't know if this happens with, say, Topaz drivers, but when one sees another VW van, one is obligated to acknowledge with a wave. Once, I neglected to do so, and was visited with a case of the guilt miseries for weeks. Corrollory to this - it was a VW westy driver that rescued us from the side of the road and drove us to the nearest town during one of our van's breakdowns. "We are family...."

The van is perfect for us from a camping aspect. We can keep the bedding, some clothes, non-perishable food stowed, so need only do a little packing before we hit the road. Too bad the thing is so unreliable engine-wise. I'm thinking about getting someone to drop a new engine in, but that's a few dollars that I'm not sure I can justify spending on a vehicle this old. I've actually considered doing something like you're thinking of- gutting the VW camping bits and installing them in a Chevy or Ford. But then, who would I wave at?

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: Marion
Date: 13 May 03 - 11:40 AM

Wilco, there's someone in Toronto trying to sell an old VW van:

Kiki the Love Machine

Marion

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 13 May 03 - 11:56 AM

a large hall or marquee would be better ,depends on how many tickets you are hoping to sell. Most festivals have several venues of different sizes so get more than one van! Could be quite an intimate atmosphere .

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 May 03 - 12:50 PM

You might want to take a look at RV Classifieds to see what people are getting rid of. I haven't looked at the "Pickups and Vans" category, but in the Travel Trailer section there are about as many new units advertised as old ones.

Not suggesting these are good guys to deal with, as I don't know that much about the site; but they do give a good "birdseye" of brands and models in the market.

John

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: Dave Swan
Date: 13 May 03 - 01:42 PM

Just a thought regarding safety. While the VW has some nice features as a camper, in the event of a collision involving the front end you have little or no protection. Fractures of the lower extremities are almost a given in moderate to severe front-end involved VW van accidents.

This message is a public service from you friendly Mudcat firefighter-paramedic,

D

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: Amos
Date: 13 May 03 - 02:02 PM

We used a Chevy V8 Van conversion for a couple of years and loved it. It had the raised fiberglass roof so there was six feet of head room and had a porta potty, stove and fridge, slept three fully loaded. Depends on the conversion what you get, of course. Reliable and convenient and small enough to take through city streets.

A

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: open mike
Date: 13 May 03 - 02:23 PM

i saw one of these at the strawberry music festival last year:
http://www.agencyrv.com/Vixen.HTM
the Vixen waws last made in 1989.
there are only 500 or so remaining.
400 are BMW diesel, and the others are GMC gas engines.
http://stannerair.hypermart.net/Vixenhome.htm

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 May 03 - 02:48 PM

By coincidence, I've been doing some web cruising for info on trailers, and have run into some "misplaced links" for vans. I didn't save links on them, but the following should be easy enough to find with a search.

Leisure Travel: Vans only
Sportsmobile: Popup Van Conversions only
StarcraftCorp: vans and conversions (and handicap vans)
Winnebago: Has small units, but don't advertise them much.

They might give you a lead on where to get the pop-top to put on your own wagon.

One of the dealers in my area has had a Winnebago on an expanded "compact station wagon" (Chevy?) chassis that he's been trying to get rid of for at least a couple of years. He says the problem is nobody wants the 4 cylinder engine. (for an idea of the size).

John

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: kendall
Date: 13 May 03 - 03:13 PM

I like my Winnebago Itaska on a Toyota chassis. It's 21 feet, has all the bells and whistles, sleeps 6 (lives two) and it averages 15 mpg. The only trounle I had on my Florida trip was a flat tire.

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 May 03 - 04:32 PM

Re-looking at the original question "Who makes the pop-top," I get the impression you're looking for the top cap to add to a van you have - or intend to get?

The "classic" roof elevation was from "Turtle Top," but they apparently don't "sell retail." You might find something at Turtle Top Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer Parts Catalog, but they won't let you look unless you log in. I didn't look at what their requirements are for getting logged in.

Once you cut the top off a standard van, you've lost a lot of the stiffness of the entire body. You've got to do a pretty professional job installing the "raised" roof to get any structural integrity back, so it's not really a job for the typical "back yard mechanic." A good body shop could handle it, and they likely would go to Turtle for parts. It's not a "slap on and glue" job, if you want something that will stay together. (Like if you happen to roll it off the road?)

If you're really wanting a do-it-yourself job, you go to the salvage yard and get a similar "hull" that you can cut some panels out of to patch the gap you get when you raise the roof - and re-use the roof you cut off. (Looking funny is probably an advantage, so things don't have to fit perfectly?)

John

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: John P
Date: 13 May 03 - 11:57 PM

I've been driving VW camper vans for years. I love 'em. Easy to drive, if you get the power steering. I have an '85 right now and it works like a champ. The bed is as comfortable as any bed I've ever had in a bedroom. Sometimes I sleep upstairs, which is pretty good as well. I can park it easier than my wife's little Honda Civic. Not as much power as a big V8 thing, which I consider to be a definite plus.

JP

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: alison
Date: 14 May 03 - 01:23 AM

I have a pop top campervan (Mazda)..... which is great for one or two people (although it reckons it can sleep 4!!).... I put a van tent (3mx 3m) out the back..... it is a free standing tent... but has a "tunnel" which hooks over the raised back door of the van ... giving me a bedroom... so I don't have to rearrange and make up a bed in the van every night... + I can walk through to the kitchen to make cups of tea without having to go outside.....

my only problem with my van is that by the time I load all the instruments in there isn't much room left.


slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: Shields Folk
Date: 16 May 03 - 10:04 AM

I've got a 69 VW. You should buy one if only for the smile it puts on your face as your driving along.

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 16 May 03 - 11:25 AM

All this #$!&:**@ talk about vans and such (and my complaints about having to start getting the old trailer ready for September), just tipped SWMBO into "urging me" to sign up to buy a new 31' travel trailer.

While I'm mulling over debt for the rest of my life - any one interested in our old (1995) Jayco tent trailer is welcome to PM me or Lin In Kansas (it's in Wichita area). Sleeps 6 max, potty & shower, refrigerator not working(?), new battery & spare tire, 2,000 lb with 2" ball. (But I don't think the tent top would fit on a van.)

Now I've gotta go move 40 feet of privacy fence to make room to get the new monster in the back yard before we pick it up.

John

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: GUEST,Ver y old
Date: 30 Apr 04 - 10:32 PM

Did you ever find a manufacture of pop tops for your van?

Subject: RE: Van Camper for festivals, advice?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 01 May 04 - 07:05 PM

(fellow) old -

The little bit of poking around that I did, some of which didn't get posted, indicates that the manufacturers of pop tops generally won't sell anything to a "private user," probably because of the liability involved in letting you cut holes in your van.

The only "conventional" way to get a pop top is to go to a shop that does "conversion vehicles." They seem to be able to get the parts and pieces from manufacturers who simply won't talk to "us real people."

I was not able to locate a conversion shop willing to talk about working on a "used" vehicle, and most of them expect you to deal with them only through an automobile/truck dealer. You order a new van, the dealer has it delivered to the conversion shop and returned to him, then you pick it up from the auto dealer.

If there's an "aftermarket" pop top you can get to put on a vehicle you already own, I didn't find it. The closest I got was a couple of "truck toy" shops that had a few styles of openable "sunroofs" (windows) you could get put in as an add-on. That would at least give you one place where you could stand up (with your head sticking out) to pull your britches up, but even this would require some "modification" since these kinds of windows are usually only intended to open a couple of inches. You'd have to pull the pin in the latch, and put a removable clevis pin in, or something similar, to get the window to open far enough to be helpful.

John