So, why did we choose a VW T5? Well, when the agreement was reached (after a number of years of debate) that we would actually get a camper van, the real work really started because we had a to decide what we wanted, and trust me there is a lot of choice out there.

Our LWB T5 – T32

We were clear that we didn’t want a ‘white box’ camper, but it had to be big enough to fit all our mountain biking and walking gear into, and yet small enough to get to the more remote places where we would want to do these activities. Lots of internet research later we had almost decided that a long wheel base VW T5 would fit the bill, but just needed to decide which supplier would meet our needs. After a visit to the NEC for the massive annual motorhome show we met the team from CMC Reimo who are based down in Hythe and liked what we saw – seats that would move forward to accommodate our bikes inside the van rather than being on the back rack, choice of fittings inside, and an elevating roof so we could sleep upstairs without having to move everything each night.

Two full size mountain bikes and wheels fit in the back

We later went down to visit them to decide on the details and then waited impatiently the 3 months whilst the new van was ordered and then fitted out.

We chose black paint as it was the furthest we could get from the ‘white box’ scenario, but have had to endure lots of comments from friends and family about driving around in a mortician’s van!  But we like it, and we never get lost in a campsite.

Inside we have 2 gas burners, a small sink that provides cold running water, a fridge with ample space for wine bottles, and a surprising amount of storage space involving clever use of plastic shoe boxes. No loo or shower, but we do have a PortaPotti – I’ll let you investigate for yourself what one of those is…..

A room with a view …

Recently we have had the van suspension lowered by 40mm to help with handling (even more like a car to drive, and less wallowing around corners) and height restrictions. We have also had an additional leisure battery fitted so that we can be self-sufficient for power for longer without an electric hook-up.

We’ve done a few small modifications – an extra shelf in the wardrobe (so that we can fit in more plastic shoe boxes!), we can rig up a blackout curtain between the front seats and the rear of the van for ‘stealth’ camping (i.e. parking somewhere where you don’t want to look like you are asleep in the back), we have a DIY bed extender for sleeping downstairs with lots of stuff in the back when we don’t want to fully extended the fitted bed, and various use of bungee cords and cable ties means we can store our bike helmets, walking poles, etc for easy access. To cope with poor weather we made a weather proof cover from silver  roof insulation and duct tape which wraps around the canvas roof and keeps us dry no matter how hard and long it rains!

A gaggle of VW Campers

Our mountain bikes take up most of the room and you probably wonder why we don’t use the rear rack more, but we feel they are more secure chained and locked inside – expensive mountain bikes can get stolen as we know from previous experience. For our ‘trip’ we have gone for folding bikes – they take up less space, are quick to set up, and for a local ride or a trip  to a supermarket or into a nearby town we feel much happier leaving them chained somewhere whilst we do our  stuff.