A Week in Provence 🔆

Posted 27 August 2020

With most UK destinations either packed out or locked down, we bolted the camper to the truck and headed to the South of France and the beautiful area of Provence. We joined up Barrie from Active 4x4 Adventures who knows the area well.

We arrived after a 12-hour drive to the first camp near Castellane. From there, each day was spent exploring some great tracks. The smell of the lavender fields never far away. Such a break from all the Covid craziness back home!

Following on from the last trip, I prepared the camper as follows:

Added a water gauge to give some idea when the tank was full (when filling) or nearing empty.
Replace battery
Better clothes storage
Some minor fixes i.e. wastepipe.

Under-tray Boxes

Posted 01 February 2020

It's been a while since my last post. There's been lots going on though the camper has not been used much. Though a few weeks ago I managed to get some toolboxes to fit under the tray. These are made in Australia by Norweld who also produce trays and canopies.

Toolboxes

Great use of space. They've proved ideal for storing strops, shackles as well as tools and things previously stuffed behind the rear seat.

Second Outing

Posted 14 September 2018

Another outing, this time for three days at Thistledown in Gloucestershire. Learning from the first trip last month the biggest improvement was adding a solar panel. As long as the weather is reasonably bright, the kids' iPads remain charged and fridge contents won't turn to mush!

Thistledown

We were in the "Orchard" area where other campervans were set up. Only tents are allowed in the main camping areas, which is a shame because there is more open space for games and it backs onto woodland for the kids to explore.

Solar Panel

Posted 07 August 2018

During the trip last weekend it was clear that the small 70ah battery was unable to keep up with the needs of the fridge and other electrical items. Without a charge it lasts about 24 hours. One option would be to get a bigger, or second battery but I'd rather invest in a decent solar panel. This providing continuous power during the day and hopefully buffer some into the battery for use overnight.

Solar Panel 1

The camper already uses a CTEK Dual 250S charger which has both alternator and solar inputs. No need for a separate regulator - the panel can connect to it directly.

I went for a 130W flexible panel from Photonic Universe. It didn't need to be flexible as the roof is totally flat. But these are panels narrower (540mm) than the rigid type and will fit on the roof without sticking out the side. I also bought 5m of 4mm cable with MC4 connectors to match those on the panel.

Maiden Voyage

Posted 23 July 2018

The UK heatwave continues and at last we had a weekend to try out the camper. The four of us (plus dog) took a trip to Harrys Field in Hampshire to test it out and meet up with friends.

Boys Say Hello

The boys insisted on sleeping on the lid with Mum, relegating me to the worktop 😳

Mounting the camper on the back this time I put on some 4.5mm rubber matting on the tray to ensure it didn't move when on the move.

Over the weekend it never rained at all, so we didn't need to spend much time inside during the day. It's comfortable enough to sleep in though and so nice in the morning to be able to actually stand up, change clothes, wash and make coffee etc.

Here's a rundown of what worked and what didn't:

Add Graphics

Posted 09 June 2018

Between work and the kids football we've not had a chance to get out with the camper yet. In the mean time I've been doing some small jobs. One thing I mentioned in previous posts was adding external graphics, and back in February I got some from Fatstripe-Signs on eBay.

Graphics 1

So yesterday I dug them out and knowing this could go horribly wrong, read through the [very brief] instructions and gave it a try. Here's how it went...

Older posts are available in the archive.

What are you doing?

Boys eye view

One of the joys of camping is reflecting on ways of doing it better. It's especially so for overlanding trips and more again if travelling with others.

In 1998 when I first got the bug for overlanding I had a Defender 90 with an Echo roof tent on top. I was single so it was all pretty easy back then. It was still comfortable in later years travelling with the wife, despite the extra bedding and bags of shoes. We could spend three weeks in a '90 and roof tent and still be on speaking terms.

Michelle and Landie

When the kids arrived, camping was more sedate: Devon and Cornwall in a family tent as opposed to long foreign trips. But they were good travellers and when the youngest got to four years old I started thinking about overlanding again. And how to fit everyone in. The reality was that the Land Rover was just too small. We were sorry to see the it go, but it was time to move on.

So why not just get a four-man ground tent?

When on an overlanding trip you're always on the move. Ideally you want to set up camp or pack away in a few minutes. Plus have easy access to your gear when stopping for a coffee or lunch and not rummaging around under tent bags and bedding! Ground tents of course suffer the usual downsides of cold uneven ground unless you bring more gear (for insulation) with you.

Why not stick with the roof tents?

Twin Roof Tents

A few reasons I've decided to move on from roof tents:

They're a bit cramped
They're not so comfortable to hang out in if the weather is bad. You don't have access to the cooker, fridge and can't make a coffee.
Everyone needs to remember to bring the next days clothes up into the tent. Forget and it's a cold trip down the ladder in your undies the following morning.
A night pee means clambering over everyone to get down the steps.

All the above is bearable with one or two people but takes discipline for four and that 'aint us! There must be a better way.

I finally decided to create something similar to the Trayon slide-on camper. Looks a simple design, how hard can it be?

Trayon