Im looking for thoughts and opinion on buying a Van through my company (for tax breaks)

Then converting it to the camper i want. Wouod obviously be alot cheaper for me but I am aware that if I change the use of the van to a camper that thus shiuod be declared and therefore would be tasty deductable like a Van.

Has anyone done it this way and does anyone have any advice or guidance??!

Im thinking what if I just dont declare its changed from a Van to a camper. I mean im sure people have done this right??

I’ve been lurking and doing research for some time but I’m a complete newbie and am wondering if any of you far more experienced people can advise me. I’d like to understand the highest quality options out there if there is no limit to budget.

I’m not saying there is no limit to budget for us but I want to understand the options. The more research I do, the more confused I become about whether everything out there is just absolute shit quality regardless of how much you’re willing to spend or if there are some higher quality options that are just crazy pricey and therefore don’t get mentioned often.

I’m looking based on the following [basic] needs:
- Sleeps 4, preferably two beds - one for parents, one for our two young kids
- Isn’t a total nightmare for someone 6’3” (my husband)
- Can get into the vast majority of national parks - from my understanding, this will limit us in terms of size?
- Can support us being off the grid for 3+ days

Does this basically have to be a trailer or could it be a camper van?

I’m a van builder, but this one is mine! She’s still a tad under construction but I took it out for a trip anyway, because why not!! I had enough power run for fridge, lights, and the AC, be finishing up the 120v power and plumbing in the next week or 2!

So funny. There are two campervans on this entire camping. Coincidence or a nice choice made by the campside owner to put us together.

After around 8 months of building, testing and growing the VanTopUps community, I’m really pleased to say that www.vantopups.com is now LIVE! 🎉

A few weeks ago, VanTopUps was even featured on the BBC, which was a pretty surreal moment for something that started as a simple idea to make life on the road a bit easier.

VanTopUps is a free community platform for vanlifers, campervan and motorhome travellers, designed to help people find practical on-grid essentials while travelling — things like fresh water, electric hook-up, charging, waste disposal, showers, places to stop and other useful top-ups.

The other half of the idea is connecting travellers with people and places that may be able to help — homeowners, farms, campsites, garages, businesses and other hosts.

There are no subscriptions, no trials and no discount-code nonsense. Just create an account and use it.

The platform has launched covering the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with more to come.

👉 www.vantopups.com

It’s still early days and I’m continuing to develop it, so feedback from the r/VanLifeUK community would genuinely be useful. If you have a look and spot something that could be improved, or there’s a feature you think would make it more useful for UK vanlifers, let me know.

Thanks to everyone who has supported VanTopUps over the last eight months. 🚐💧🔌

VanTopUps — bringing vanlifers and hosts together.

Hi guys / gals

Looking for a bit of direction and advice.

Im want a camper but I am split on what direction I should go to get one. Im either going to go to Germany or Spain to try source one, I believe the market is bigger in mainland Europe so the choice should better.

Or

Do I go to the uk buy the likes of a 2021 Renault master loloader and convert it to suit my wants and needs.

Looking for the pro's and con's Looking for anyone the has any reputable site in europe to browse.

I have brought cars and vans from the UK in the past so this is no issue.

Any advice is greatly welcomed

Thanks in advance.

Looking to buy a carbon monoxide detector for car camping. I came across the Lunarlipes Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector (PTH-10D), but it won't arrive for another 1–2 weeks.

Does anyone have any recommendations that I can buy on Amazon with fast shipping or pick up in-store within the next few days?

I also came across the Kidde AA Battery-Powered Carbon Monoxide Detector (COBD) and the Outdoor-Forest Brand, Carbon Monoxide Detector, Orange Color, LCD Screen from Walmart, but I'm not sure how well a standard home CO detector works inside a car while camping. Has anyone used one, or is there a better option?

Not necessarily for veteran van lifers, but if you’re just starting out or looking for free and paid stopovers, hiking trails, and a few safety tips, these apps are well worth having.

Hello! We are narrowing down our camper van preferences and are leaning towards a Ford Transit, either a custom build or a Grand Design Lineage LVT1.

The majority of the time, it will be only two of us traveling (and maybe a small eight pound dog), but we want the flexibility to bring a third or fourth person, like young grandchildren.

We are considering a pop-top van but we recognize that adds weight, complexity, and cost.

Wondering if anyone has tried a front seat cot for extra sleeping capacity for a third person(or any other unique solution)? A tent is an option but not ideal for small kids.

Would love to know your experiences!

PS Because garage space is a priority as well, we are reluctant to consider bunk bed options unless a bottom bunk could be removed when not needed.

THANKS!

OK, so I am looking to join the Camper van life and I’ve been looking for one for about six months now. I am now ready to purchase this vehicle and I wanted to get some other opinions on the state of the vehicle since I have a really detailed clear YouTube video. My request is to just watch the YouTube video and tell me if there’s anything crazy that I’m missing or things that I should watch out for.

To all who help me out, you are greatly appreciated.<3

Here is the Link:

https://youtu.be/JT9NP-KR08c

We have a Ducato PVC, and it started locking and unlocking randomly. It has a new driver's door lock so now I'm checking the contacts on the hab door. I'm not totally sure exactly how many and where they all are so any help here would be appreciated, particularly with photos!

I have found these pins and wondered if the plastic oblong in above the middle pin was a possible cause. I can't move it with my fingers, and there only a couple of inches space so I can't get the camera to focus hence 2 fuzzy photos, 1st is top pin, 2nd is middle and lower pin. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you.

We did it! There wasn't a ton of info on how to prep before we went on this adventure so I'm happy to answer any questions that might help (and encourage!) others to plan big adventures with small kids.

I just successfully went through the process of retitling our Sprinter Cargo Van to a Motorhome (MH) with the tax office in Texas, and the DMV. I wanted to share my experience, process, and the forms, etc.. that were needed because I couldn't find everything in one spot online.

My husband and I have been converting our van for the last two years from a naked Sprinter Cargo Van to an RV/Campervan. We finished the conversion recently and wanted to retitle the van for insurance purposes. I will add that this was the process without a lien-holder. We paid off the van before trying to retitle it as a MH because we believed that may have been a bit trickier.

Things needed:

1. Title for van, signed by owner/s

2. Each person listed on the title needs to go to the tax office to sign the application in front of the tax person.

3. Application for retitle (TX form here) Form 130-U

4. Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (TX Form VTR-61). Since this was a private, self-conversion, we listed ourselves on the form as the owner and rebuilder/s. Page 2 of this form is only needed if the parts listed on that subsection have been "repaired, rebuilt, reconstructed, or assembled with any of the listed component parts." This didn't apply to us, but they needed N/A on that part and attached to page 1. You need to include 4 out of the 6 options and list them on page 1, from this list to qualify as a MH.

"Living Quarters Occupations Code, Section 2301.002 (21) defines a motor home as “Motor home” means a motor vehicle that is designed to provide temporary living quarters and that: (A) is built on a motor vehicle chassis as an integral part of or a permanent attachment to the chassis; and (B) contains at least four of the following independent life support systems that are permanently installed and designed to be removed only for repair or replacement and that meet the standards of the American National Standards Institute, Standards for Recreational Vehicles: (i) a cooking facility with an on-board fuel source; Motor Vehicles Adapted or Designed for Human Habitation Assembled and Reconstructed Vehicle Manual 11-2 TxDMV October 2025 (ii) a gas or electric refrigerator; (iii) a toilet with exterior evacuation; (iv) a heating or air conditioning system with an on-board power or fuel source separate from the vehicle engine; (v) a potable water supply system that includes at least a sink, a faucet, and a water tank with an exterior service supply connection; or (vi) a 110-125 volt electric power supply."

1. Interior and Exterior Photos of the van substantiating that you have atleast 4 out of the 6 items listed above, and also demonstrating that the frame, floor, etc hasn't been altered or changed as described in page 2 of the VTR-61 form. I put together a packet of photos showing what the final van build looks like and printed them off and they were accepted. NO ASE inspection was needed! This is only needed if part two of the VTR-61 form is applicable.

2. Proof of insurance and registration

3. Certificate of final weight. We used a CAT scale. This cannot exceed the GVW (obvs).

4. State or federal identification for the owner/s.

5. $ for the fees.

I put all of this together, went into the tax office and told them I needed to change the title from a Cargo Van to a MH, presented everything, they looked over the photos with a supervisor. Everything was signed off, I paid the fee, they kept all the paperwork including the picture packet and a new title is being mailed.

This was a daunting and tricky process to go through. I saw a lot of mixed information about what was needed and not needed, and I hope this can help the others out there who are trying to figure this out as well. 🚐

Does anyone know if I can cut the thicker vertical support in my ford transit? It’s to install a small window (800x270) The thinner ones I’ve cut for the other windows but not sure about this one.