Useful Modifiations for anyone

Night Alarm

After reading the forums about what can happen overnight, especially at Aires or wild camping, we thought we needed to do something about security.  I am not a fan of making anything like a fortress.  If someone wants to break in, they will.  And if it is a fortress they are likely to cause more damage than anything else, and also escaping in a fire is going to be difficult.  So we decided rather than to fortify, we’d ensure we’d wake up if anything did happen….

In a van conversion, we are fortunate all doors activate the interior light.  This means there is an existing circuit in place to detect any opening of any door….

So, we installed a simple switch and 12v buzzer utilising the interior light cabling.  Simply work out which wire goes live when doors open (and light is on), and which is earth.  Stick a switch and buzzer in line with this – and hey presto, when armed (switched on) – a loud buzzer sounds when a door is opened.  Simple!  The buzzer pops in the roof void (and is glued to stop rattle) and all you can see is the discrete switch.

Changing stereo to habitation battery

Generally, vehicle stereos are powered off the vehicle battery.  Some only work when the ignition is on, and some (like our Ford CD6000) will work for an hour only with ignition off which can be annoying.

When we installed our larger habitation batteries we cabled the stereo directly to the habitation battery (fused of course).  In addition we installed a relay so that we could emulate the “ignition” feed from the vehicle battery.  This then provided exactly the same functionality but using the habitation batteries.  However, we also installed a bypass switch in one of the blanking plates so that when switched, we can fool the stereo that the ignition is on and hence it can stay on for as long as we want.  The switch makes it possible to use the 1-hour sleep mode as well as have constant-on if needed; and when “off” the stereo behaves exactly as if it was still connected to the vehicle battery.

In addition we have installed a 3.5mm jack input to the stereo for MP3/movies

China/Pan tray

The Van from new comes with the end cupboard being designed with a moulded plastic area for melamine plates etc.  There is no specific storage for saucepans or glasses.  A slight oversight – I mean – where else can you put the pint and wine glasses????!

We spec’d the van without an oven, and had this area converted to a cupboard with a static shelf and enough room underneath for a spare gas bottle.  This shelf was okay – but a pain to get to and get stuff out of.  So Mel had a brainwave which I had to implement and thus I made a tray that is fully removable and slides fully out making it all accessible.  Its based on our home china set (bye bye melamine!!!!) and can store:-

• 4 x dinner plates
• 4 x side plates
• 4 x bowls
• 4 x cups
• 2 x 1 pint glasses
• 2 x wine glasses
• 1 x Frying pan
• 1 x Large saucepan
• 1 x small saucepan
• 4 x cutlery (knife/fork/spoon/teaspoon)

The space is designed to hold all items in situ whilst travelling via “snug” fit, and also some elastic bindings.  Roy Wood Transits kindly supplied the gray material that covers the unit (and matches other areas in the van).  The shelf is at such a level that the gas bottle can remain in situ as originally required, and this meant the dinner plates have to sit “low” and hang out of the bottom of the shelf!  A simple bolt holds this in place snugly for transit.

The design was a pain in the butt, and it took hours to make .  However the improvement is superb, and frees up a cupboard and makes the most of available space.  I would recommend the builders to make and offer something similar but perhaps with a plastic moulding which would be much easier to make (sadly I neither have skills or facilities for this).

Shower Curtain

When we are out and either wild-camp or the site facilities are poor or non existent, we happily use our internal shower.  Full marks to the van designers, the shower is superb!!  Shame we can easily empty the tanks 100 times over as we do like our showers!!  However, as it is, we can both happily shower with the amount of hot water we have (okay – its wet/soap/wet/wash/wet/rinse rather than a good soaking!!)

However, this has a few downsides.  Firstly it wets everything which then needs cleaning; it also wets the toilet, and to be fair I do not trust the toilet sealant as it had to be replaced twice; and finally the bathroom door leaks and leaves a wet patch outside the shower room.

(I hasten to add, the new model cavarno has a different toilet and a better designed door, so our issues should have been designed out).

However, for us – a simple solution is to install a shower curtain.  This is neat, tucks out of the way, and a cleaver mod of the shower rings means the runner is right at the top of the room and the curtain still fits inside the door lip.  The curtain covers the door, toilet, and enough wall space to make 1/10th of the mess of a previous shower.

In addition, it also means we can hang up our wetsuits on the curtain rail and heat the bathroom to dry them out!!! And STILL keep the bathroom usable!! Bliss – much better than putting them on cold and damp the next day!

Cab Insulation curtain

The habitation area is fairly well insulated and we have winterised it as much as possible.  However, the cab area suffers from single-glazed glass; un-insulated doors; air vents; and a floor that is directly on the chassis.  As such when it is cold outside and windy the cab can become cold and make the whole van cold.  On hookup this isn’t an issue as the electric heating is powerful, but when wild camping it is a bit of a pain.

In addition, our van is fairly stealthy, but with cab curtains drawn its obvious we’re sleeping in it!

The solution we’ve implemented is to have a black double layer (cotton & fleece) curtain across the cab area.  After a few versions the latest is fully velcro’d around the perimiter and is draught-proof.  (you can still climb into the cab through the curtain overlap).  From the outside the van just looks empty and is discrete. 

This curtain makes the habitation area much warmer when its cold outside, and though we loose the two “captain chairs” we just turn the lounge into 2 sofas which is absolutely fine.

Van Upgrades

Upgrading battery power from 85AH to 200AH

The van originally came with a single 85AH battery which is sufficient for short summer wild camping or if hook-up is used, but its a little low for long wild camping breaks – especially with heating on.  We bought 2x 100AH carbon fibre leisure batteries from Outdoorbits and installed them both under the passenger seat running cable to the fuse boxes under existing standard Ford floor ducting.  Batteries are clamped in place with a ratchet strap.

We “over fused” the setup for maximum safety utilising 25/30A fuses between the batteries and before the ducting cable.  In hindsight it would have been nice to install a dual battery monitor but this would probably have been more of a gadget!

We also installed a Landrover Voltage Sensitive Switch which delays charging the batteries until the engine is running and the alternator is running and producing sufficient voltage.  In addition we added an “always on” 2x 12v and 2x USB device to ease charging needs.

The old 85A battery could have been left in situ to give 285AH but as it was 3 years old and would have different characteristics to the 100AH batteries we thought it wiser to remove.

Incidentally, the converters now offer 2x85AH or 3x85AH battery conversions – though – and unless you like fiddly DIY then this may be the better option!

Winterising

As we were planning to take the van snowboarding and to undertake more winter wild camping we thought it prudent to winterise it more than it was.  This is a fairly simple job and unique per van – its basically insulating everything possible!  We insulated water tanks (see below); all external pipework (including waste that is run under the vehicle); and also fresh pipes that were run behind the fridge.  With the fridge vents removed we were able to stuff loads of gaps with normal loft insulation.  Our van lacked insulation above the fridge (under the sink) and we could stuff a load more to the left and right of the fridge and in various other gaps.  NOTE: ensure fridge has sufficient airflow for it to work – see your manual.

There was a very small gap in between some roof lining which (if you stuck your finger in) could get damp.  This was due to lack of insulation, so cramming more in there made it bone dry.

The final two winterising jobs were to add cab insulation and to modify cupboards to block draughts (see later)

External water tank heater/insulation

On the Cavarno range of vans, both the fresh and waste water tanks are external and with sessions in freezing conditions they are liable to freeze.  Using products from caktanks we removed both the fresh and waste water tanks and clad them with special tank insulation.  When camping in freezing temperatures we would simply drain the waste constantly into a bucket.

For the fresh tank we fitted a 12v (30W) thermostatically controlled water heater.  With the insulation this should keep the water ice-free down below -26′ which is absolutely fine!  As the heater is automatic it uses as little power as possible.  We did note though when driving through France the heater was needed whilst driving due to the wind chill on the tank.  The installation was simple and we have a fused 12v switch inside for simple active/inactive use.

Without this, the water would have frozen without a doubt.

Gaslow refillable gas

Our van was able to carry 2x 6kg propane bottles, but knowing we wanted to have long trips with heavy gas usage in places where compatible bottles were not available – Gaslow offered a solution.  This meant replacing the installed 6kg cylinder with a refillable cylinder (with 80% safety cut off).  We can also carry a 6kg calor spare just in case we run out of gas from the Gaslow.  However, with 2 gauges on the Gaslow systems running out is not going to be easy!  We tend to top it up at 50% for a cost of £3 (so £6 from empty rather than £21 from calor).  We have all adapters so can fill up from any LPG station – and so far we’ve had no problems.

When pricing the bits for the installation we noticed our supplier (Roy Wood Transits) could supply and fit – and as the external filler needed a hole in the body work positioned to just avoid other pipes we thought it wise to let them do the install for us!

Back Box (with camera)

This idea was a bit of a saga!  Whist the van has loads of storage (even for a 2 week holiday we didn’t fill it) – for a longer trip (months+) we would benefit from extra space.  For instance, where to store wetsuits; running kit/bottles; hiking boots; satellite; water bottles; extra clothes; laundry; outdoor chairs/tables; tools; spares; etc etc…..

So we had the idea of getting a back box.  However we have some problems!  We needed to ensure it fitted under the bike rack (as mountain bikes are essential!); and it needs to look reasonable.  We found nothing on the market suitable.  Either they looked naff; don’t fit in our space; are top opening; or are unsuitable for other reasons.  So the only option was to design and build our own!!

We bought a bak-rak which is a perfect and strong tow-bar mounted platform.  There are a few on the market, but this was the cheapest and the guy who sells them was very friendly and very helpful.  So we bought this then worried about what to put on it!  Clearly weight was an issue so we opted for 2mm aluminium with internal reinforcement.  A friend knew a company who could make this, so he turned my sketch into a detailed manufacturing drawing, and also added internal strength and extra folds where he envisage weak points.

Ultimately the company he used made a great box, bang on spec and dimensions, and my friends enhancements and requests were implemented in full.  The box mounts well onto the bak-rak using 4 u-bolts, and is clipped to the bike rack for stability.  It is solid as a rock and should be very safe and steady.  We reckon the box is c. 25kg, and so probably have 75kg legal carrying capacity – though I envisage 20-40kg maximum usage.  Internally we can strap boxes or other items in with premade holes and bungee cords.

The lighting was from a cheap tow-sure trailer board stripped to parts and re-cabled. 

We have also installed a second waterproof socket that carries video-signal and reverse power/earth to the box to mount a second reverse camera connected to the existing internal LCD mirror I have.  The easiest connection for reverse power was to connect into the cables in the offside rear cluster and follow the same cable run as the existing towing cables.

LED lighting

The van was well lit, with the living area having 5 halogen and 1 strip light, with 2 additional strip lights in the kitchen and one in the bathroom.  We found though that the halogen spots got very hot indeed and zapped the battery power.  We replaced the 2 halogens in the cab with LED’s and then changed the 3 remaining halogen fittings with directional LED lights which all use around 10% of the power. 

Some people don’t like the LED colours but we find them absolutely fine for both reading and general lighting.

All parts and fittings were supplied by Oleary Motorhomes

Cruise Control

The 2000-2006 transit didn’t come with cruise control, though with 2007 onwards it was an option.  We decided we wanted it as we knew we were going to have lots of long drives.  We had an after-market electronic solution installed by Conrad Anderson.  This has been pretty good and faultless and makes long drives really quite relaxed.  The van has plenty of power for hills without needing a down change, so the controls can be set and left meaning much less long distance fatigue.

Van Modifications

When we look at what we’ve changed you may think it is due to a badly designed van.  In fact its far from it, our requirements changed from a weekend van to a 2-month van, and our usage requirements changed along the way.  Below is a list of all the changes we’ve made which are expanded on further pages.  If you want more information please let us know.

In additon to the document pages below, check out the tagged blog posts that are van related as new and minor mods are tagged in this way.

Upgrades (click here)

• Upgrading battery power from 85AH to 200AH
• Winterising
• External water tank heater/insulation
• Gaslow refillable gas
• Back Box (with camera)
• LED lighting

Useful modifications for anyone (click here)

• Night Alarm
• Changing stereo to habitation battery
• China/Pan tray
• Shower Curtain
• Cab Insulation curtain

Minor tweaks (maybe specific to van) (click here)

• Extra power outlets
• Moving hot water switch
• Cupboard conversions
• Cupboard insulation
• Extra table hole
• Shelving wardrobe

Van Details/Review

This page aims to provide details and a review of the Horizons Unlimited Cavarno 2 Campervan as sold by Roy Wood Transits.  Overall its a positive review completely independent from RWT and its not a paid advert.  But if you ever visit them after reading this be sure to name drop me so they can buy me a beer!!  See disclaimer in footer.

Horizons Unlimited Cavarno 2

Back in October 2005 we picked up a brand new 2006 model and slightly modified version of the Horizons Unlimited Cavarno 2 from Roy Wood Transits.  Rather annoyingly when we ordered it we said “Don’t care when it arrives we’re not in a hurry” then rapidly changed our mind and wanted it tomorrow!  Steve and his team kept us up to date with build progress, and to be fair we got it well within reasonable expectations.

Technical Specifications & Options

• Ford Transit SWB 280 (4.85m long!!)
• Metallic paint and alloy wheels (part of Stealth plan!!)
• Tow hook and bike rack installed/supplied by RWT
• 125ps engine (upgraded from 85/100).  Even fully laden its fast, and as the transit is a good road holder, even on the twisties in Scotland and the Lakes, we seem to be held up by cars rather then holding others up (or maybe thats us..!!).  It sits at above motorway speeds; goes up hills as per a car without having to change down; the only downside is when laden overtaking has to be planned – it doesn’t have Lotus-like 40-70 acceleration.  MPG is 30-35 (even how we drive) – but engine isn’t really run in yet (7000).  We tend to enjoy the torque rather then revs.
• LCD Rear View Mirror and rear view camera – makes reversing a doddle.
• 4x forward facing seats that are all belted for safe transport of passengers
• 1x Double or 2x Single beds depending on usage.
• Shower/Toilet room self enclosed and very good.  The shower is so good you want to stay in it – but obviously water quantity stops the enjoyment!  Hot water is sufficient for 2x people to have full strip wash and wash hair with ease.  This room also has heating in to dry out clothes
• Grill/4x Hob: We had the oven removed to have an additional cupboard suitable for carrying a second gas bottle instead
• Full size fridge: 3x way, so 12v, 240v, or gas.
• Kitchen sink: Indeed
• Storage: Loads of storage – we can go for weeks with all clothes and food and everything else – so a surprising amount of space considering.
• TV Aerial: A freeview amplified 360′ aerial installed on the roof – and also finished neatly with a 12v socked for TV
• Gas heating included, but we also use a 240v heater for winter camping
• Hot Water a gas AND 240v water heater (hence on sites we use 240v and seldom use gas)
• Water Tanks: A 50L fresh and 25L grey waste water – with careful use we fill up every 2-3 days.
• Lights: Loads of lights are installed – we’ll change some of these to LED from Halogen at somepoint.  We had the cab lights modified to have 2x movable spotlights rather than a single light.
• 85AH battery which is good enough for 2-3 days careful use wild-camping, but not in the winter when the heater is on. (see modifications)

Review

On picking up the van we were (erm – I was) very picky about every minor mark.  I was politely told to remember it was hand-made and not mass produced – and so we have a bit more lenience!  However this is very true throughout and we’d much prefer hand made than cheaply built…..  (Edit:  Van now on 18,000 miles and has just come back from a 13 weeks solid use, and the conversion is holding up well – still looking new – unlike some second hand ones we saw before we bought)

Build

The furniture in the van is oak-framed and boy is the wood solid.  Making minor modifications and drilling holes shows how solid the wood is.  No sign of MDF or cheap ply here.  (My poor drill!!!).  DIY is a challenge as you have to reverse engineer how the designers put the thing together.  Due to the lack of visible signs of build this can be quite challenging!  In addition, due to the quality of the build and the carpentry, you have to be careful to ensure any changes match their quality – else it’d look out of place.  So – no £1.99 white plastic socket – you have to do the job properly to keep the quality high.  Compared to the mainstream vans the quality of this van should not be underestimated!

RWT will provide matching parts at reasonable cost upon request.

That said, all the parts that could fail, such as boiler; heater; pump; fuse boxes etc are all accessible without having to dismantle much to get to – so it seems to have been designed with future maintenance in mind.  (Edit:  Some may not be as easy to get to as others, but a competent DIY’er will be fine)

Driving

Well – its a 2.5 tonne transit!  It isn’t the quickest thing off the mark, but its no slouch either.  You can drive it like a car and apart from slightly slow acceleration its not really a problem.  (By Slow – its not as quick as a performance car – but it can win the odd TLGP…! )  On country roads it keeps up (is held up!) by other cars.  Cornering is great and smooth (once balanced) and nothing gets thrown around.  Even fully laden (including bikes/water etc) it is smooth and rattle free.

Top speed is, well, above the motorway limit.  You can set the (after market) cruise control at 70 and it has no issue holding this even on big motorway hills. Turbo lag is noticeable if you pull off quickly with the revs too low, and then keeping it floored till the power cuts in goes from “slllloooooowwww” to “wheelspin” quickly!  Even Mel has squeaked it a few times!

However on normal driving, the traction control and ABS doesn’t cut in too much.  In fact, the traction control is pretty useless…

A 100ps engine would suffice but would be less fun!

It is heavy – so it can get bogged down on wet and sloping grass.  We’ve not had to get towed out yet – but you need to learn how to drive on mud else you will.  Its only a matter of time before our technique reaches its limit!!!

The MPG is as expected and increasing all the time.  500 miles on a tank with normal usage easily – about 30-35mpg.

Living with

Quite obviously, any van of this size is a compromise.  But what is surprising, is that this van has (or appears to have) more usable room than some vans that are 1m bigger. 

The living area is flexible.  Both driver andpassenger seats rotate 360 – this can be done with all doors closed.  You can have 4x single seats, 3x seats + 1x Sofa, or 2x Day-beds (good for naps!), and tables (small and large) can fit in one of 3x locations.  How we have it depends on whatwe’re up to – but generally we use the captain chairs with a table between.  The TV is easy to see, and everything is in easy range.  Sometimes we use the drivers chair and the sofa combined for a cuddly position to watch TV.

You have to be “close” to live in this van – its not really suitable if you argue a lot or need your own space!!

Bathroom

The bathroom is small but adequate.  In truth if you are 20 stone then, quite frankly its too small.  But for us its perfect and we have no issues using it.  We tend to shower/wet/wash/rinse rather than staying in under a full shower. 

On our version the door leaks (see our mods) and dribbles in the “hall” when you shower; and the sealant on the toilet had to be replaced (twice I think) – and this does not inspire confidence.  We’ll keep an eye on this and hopefully our mod will prevent this from being a problem.

If you aren’t parked level then the water doesn’t drain very easily.

The toilet has a huge capacity but the “full” light didn’t work (don’t ask – really).  It was fixed on first service.  The toilet roll holder is great and seals for when the shower is on, and there is plenty of storage.

Cooking

The kitchen area is sufficient.  Its not huge and the amount of worktops are fine and usable, and its big enough to cook, store and wash up.  There is sufficientstorage but it is cramped and I guess you can forget a 3-course meal.  (unless starters is soup and desert is ice-cream!)

The kitchen sink is just about big enough, but if you are off level it can take a while to drain.

The 4x ring hob is great, but the grill appears to be a bit inefficient!  Not as good as the one at home – but hey – its a van! 

Worktops can be used in the kitchen, and there is a drop-down extension near the rear door and if you are desperate you can use the TV table or the off-side table we’ve not actually found a use for.  The cutlery drawer is okay, but we found it a pain to get just a spoon out, and the plate cupboard was a bit inefficient.  We’ve modified this (see mods)

Sleeping

We’ve only ever used the traverse sleeping arrangement – and we find this works fine.  We’re 5’6 and 5’10 and sleep across the van easily.  The bed broke (Mel was overactive!) which we had to fix – and this was due to the ply backing to the back being too thin.  We understand this has been resolved.  The bed is made by laying the 2x rear seats flat and using the sofa-back as the infill.  We use a “sheet” made of a sleeping bag liner and a sleeping bag, and quilt which is a standard quilt shrunk by abut 25cm.  (No point carrying extra if it just overhangs).  The windows (except front screen) are double-glazed and have blackout blinds, so sleeping is quite an easy matter!

Of course, getting out can wake the other person, but both the kitchen and bathroom are accessible with ease.

Making the bed takes <5 mins – normally I make it when Mel makes a hot chocolate!  In truth, you need to be fairly fit to make it – you need to clamber around.  This type of van may not be suitable for those with very low mobility.

Storage

There is loads of storage.  A wardrobe; 3-shelves; loads of storage under both rear seats; big area above cab; 4 side cupboards; big pullout shelf unit in kitchen and underneath you can store loads of beer/wine or whatever.  There is also an internal gas cupboard where you can also store all chemicals and all the other household bits you need.  Everything has a home.  Seriously, for 2 weeks for 2 of you, storage is unlikely to be a problem.

Under the floor accessible from the rear is enough space for ramps, spares, toolbox, tow-rope and most other out-door equipment.

Dealer/Warrantee

The dealer was very professional throughout.  No salesman pressure and very helpful.  We were disappointed with only 12 month habitation warranty, but nothing went wrong and to be honest RWT are always helpful.  Even now (well beyond 12 months) they happily supply extras; offer advice on making changes; and confirm facts with factory if required.  Personally, I’d prefer this level of service than a 3-year warranty and an unhelpful dealer.

We bought it for a fair (but list) price – and failed to negotiate any cost reductions.  So don’t expect a big discount (if you get one let me know!) – but ultimately we knew compared to what else we’d seen the price was fair…..

RWT can service both the van and the habitation area – no pressure to do both, but either way the prices I’d consider to be fair and genuine.

Summary

Overall we’re very pleased!  We think it was a bargain, and honestly, almost everywhere we go we find people nosing through the windows (not thieves); people asking about it; and even people wanting to look round.  It stands out and is very tardis like!  Its well made, good value.  It may be too small for a lot of people, but we believe its worth looking at for ideas and to see what other vans lack.

Ratings based upon acceptance of compromises – not vs. Ritz!:-

• Build: 9/10
• Driving: 8/10
• Living: 8/10
• Sleeping: 9/10
• Cooking: 7/10
• Bathroom: 8/10
• Storage: 9/10
• Dealer: 9/10

Mistakes

In hindsight we would have slightly changed the specification on purchase.  These options were available but our planned usage on purchase didn’t require them – but after changing our usage we may have benefited from these.  So – suggest you give these options further thought:-

• SWB280 to 300 upgrade:  This gives another 200kg payload capacity.  This is almost certainly not needed for short trips, but for longer trips when hauling loads of equipment then its worthwhile.  Costly if possible at all to upgrade afterwards
• Internal awning:  RWT offer a recessed internal awning as part of the roof moulding.  This can only be added when built.  We decided not – but in hindsight it would have been useful at times.  And as the roof needs to be changed to have this option – its not viable after the event

The transit has changed since our purchase, and now (cost no object) we’d consider the 4×4 version due to the 4×4 and stonking towing capacity; and also we’d have the cruise control fitted as standard.

Our Van

As mentioned elsewhere, one of our dreams was to buy a campervan at some point later in life. However, we bought one much earlier than planned! So September 2005 saw us buy our toy – a Horizons Unlimited Cavarno 2 from Roy Wood Transits.

To be fair, this van was never designed to be lived in for long periods, and had we known we were going on our adventures when we bought it, we may well not have bought it and may have opted for something bigger.

That said – the van really is superb and stands up well, and as long as you are prepared to make compromises we see no reason why it won’t survive and excel in a long trip! We’ve written a full review which can be seen here. If you are interested in a detailed review then look at the previous link as you will only see a basic summary here.

Specification / Features

Almost everyone we mention “We’ve got a campervan” to appears to assume we’re living in an old VW with very few facilities. When we say its under 5m long, they assume its cramped and has no room at all. That is, until they see it!

The specifications are:-

• Ford Transit 280 SWB conversion
• Stealthy gray
• Uprated to 125 Engine (e.g. absolutely not slow!)
• Heated electic mirrors
• Heated windscreen
• Air conditioning
• 4 Belted Seats
• 2 “Captain” rotating / reclining armchairs
• Sofa
• 2 x Single beds or one big double
• Bathroom with flush toilet; sink and power-shower
• Kitchen with full size fridge; 4 hob gas cooker; gas grill; and of course kitchen sink
• Running Hot and cold water on board (70L total?), and onboard waste too.
• Gas heating
• Rear view camera linked to LCD mirror
• Multiple table positions
• Loads of cupboard space, Wardrobe, Utility cupboard.
• TV Aerial and booster built in
• Habitation area double glazed
• 240v & 12v power
• Rear bike rack

We’ve made a fair few modifications and fine-tuned the factory defaults for our specific needs.  All modifications are indexed here which will hopefully be useful to someone.

So clearly, it is a really very cleverly designed home from home with very few mod cons missing. It is very homely and full of fun! You do, absolutely, need to get on well with your spouse! Not many places to hide!

A great investment. Maybe not financially as its never going to make us money – but in the opportunities it has given us.

Update February 2009

When we were looking at vans in 2005 we looked at some second hand ones of various makes.  Generally even the nearly-new ones looked tatty and worn and we always had fears over wear and tear.  Hence we bought new. 

After 18,000 miles and over 200 nights away (8,000 miles and 90 nights within a 100 day period over winter 2008/2009) we are amazed by how well the Cavarno conversion is holding up.  After we clean it and give the van a wash, the condition inside and out is almost new.  The oak framed furniture is virtually unmarked (one exception which was entirely my fault).  Mechanically the van has been faultless and feels like new.  The only failures have been minor and easily fixed – and just due to a failed part and considering its like a house being in constant earthquake we can’t really complain!

Back in November 2008 we met a couple – Barry & Hazel – in a campsite in Holland where they had a little Mazda Bongo camper. We showed our van off and showed how much you can cram into a small space.

Then another “internet contact” was selling his sister van to ours, a Horizons Unlimited Innovation model, and I helped set up a web advert for him. Anyway – he ended up trading it in.

Barry & Hazel decided to upsize a little and saw Andys old Innovation van at a dealer and ended up buying it – obviously trying to keep up with the Joneses

That was coincidence enough, but yesterday we accidentally bumped into them at Lake Trasimeno in Italy! They were heading South, and us North, and bizzarely we chose the same spot on the same day – and considering this area has oodles of camping spots the probability is really quite low!

Now where is my lottery ticket….

As appears to be normal, the van was in bits the day before we left – but its now reassembled, packed, and ready to go in the morning!

As we had the idea of going snowboarding, we’ve just finished doing everything practical to winterise the van. We’ve removed both fresh and grey water tanks and insulated them to the hilt; insulated all pipework we can get to – including waste pipes; and also fitted a water heater to the cold water tank which should prevent freezing.

We’ve also added some foam backed carpet; fleece blinds, and Mel has packed her hot water bottle!

Hopefully the sun will be out in Malaga and the snow will be out in the mountains!

Back in January sometime!!

When coming back from Germany, we said “We’re off to Spain/Portugal next – then where?”. As in Feb the weather is crap, we thought about simply going snowboarding. So started googling snowboarding, then looked on the map to see where the resorts were.

“Hmm – we actually almost pass Andorra and the Pyrenees on the way back, and oh look, there is a ski resort in Sierra Nevada just a few miles from Malaga……”

Only problem, is the van really isn’t winterised for really sub-zero temperatures.

Cue:-
- Installing pipe insulation
- Installing extra “loft insulation” in all the gaps
- Buying “frost heaters” and tank insulation for our fresh water tank
- Buying snowboarding trousers.

So currently, the van is in bits, the water tank is in the dining room, and we’re awaing delivery of the last lot of parts.

Hmmmmm. De Ja Vous from the last trip using the 11th hour to fit extra batteries!

Where do these stupid ideas come from!!?!?!

So maybe this year, Christmas on the beach, and New Year snowboading…..

Maybe….