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Original 1971 Dormobile VW camper custom - mint! Available for weekend hire and short breaks. London based Dubhire offer original VW camper vans to hire - perfect for festivals - 6 foot star gazer roof, amp and sub for music lovers, fridges - 7 foot full width bed, thermal window matts. Ideal for a surf trip to cornwall!
Filmed by David Lee of Tiktaa in June 2009

Duration : 0:1:16

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Technorati Tags: camper van rental, custom camper van, dormbile, Dubhire London, rent a vw camper, VW Camper Van

VW Campervan owners and ethusiasts are a sociable lot.  There are regional and local groups who meet up regualrly, clubs for each type of VW camper van and larger-scale events during the summer and autumn/fall.

There’s normally lines of each type of model for people to admire and and you can chat to the owners, competitions are serious, there’s always car spares and related VW camper stuff for sale, plus entertainment and a lot of socialising. 

its where like-minded people meet up and swap stories, share problems, discuss ways of improving their VW camper vans, plans to go travelling, what project to start on next.

If you’re new to VW campers it’s a great way to get started. Going to an event will help find your way round the different models, work out the pros and cons of each one, think about what kind of campervan you might buy, what you want it for, where to find a god VW camper van and how much the different models and different condition campers go for.  People are always willing to help a newbie so you get enough informatiojn to get started.

We’ll be collating events lists to include them on this site as the season gets started, so come back soon.

Technorati Tags: vw camper events, VW Camper Van, vw campervan, VW Campervans

Original 1971 Dormobile VW camper custom - mint! Available for weekend hire and short breaks. London based Dubhire offer original VW camper vans to hire - perfect for festivals - 6 foot star gazer roof, amp and sub for music lovers, fridges - 7 foot full width bed, thermal window matts. Ideal for a surf trip to cornwall!
Filmed by David Lee of Tiktaa in June 2009

Duration : 0:1:16

Read rest of story…

Technorati Tags: camper van rental, custom camper van, dormbile, Dubhire London, rent a vw camper, VW Camper Van

Whimsical maybe, but some interesting ideas.  Maybe we will all get better at making things last (if you’ve got a VW Camper van you’re already an expert) and finding sensibe ways of re-using objects once they’ve reached the end of their life.

Probably one of the most environmentally friendly and functional ideas is the Hotpod: a wood-burning (and therefore low-carbon) stove that incorporates recycled Volkswagen engine parts.

Read more of the article here

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If you’re thinking of re-building the engine of your VW campervan, here’s a good guide on getting started. It’s an aircooled engine so will be good reference for those of you with Type 2 VW campervans.

Duration : 0:1:40

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Technorati Tags: aircooled, engine, rebuild, strip, type, van, VW, VW Camper, VW Camper Van, vw campervan

Hiring is an excellent way of getting the feel of a VW campervan, particularly the VW bay window camper, as they’re the model most often avaiable.

You could rent one near where you live to go touring in, or as a more comfortable way of doing festivals. If you’re planning a trip to another area of the country or abroad and like the idea of your own campervan for at least part of your trip, there are hire bases in a large number of countries.

A VW campervan is ideal for a nostalgic trip up the west coast of the US - speed is not essential, and it is just the thing to explore all the surfing spots.

You can hire VW campervans in Hawaii, Australia, Germany and South Africa - the internet is a key tool here.

Watch for extras such as insurance, find out what the local campsite provison is like, where to get provisions, and plan your route. Check out therental company - are they organised and efficient? How do they maintain their vans - is is very ad hoc or can they show you records? Some companies are just a couple of individuals with a camper or three (which may be fine if they look after their campervans properly), others have modern controlled inventory and tracking syatems.

Also check exactly what model VW campervans they hire. Are they old, restored vans or newer models - such as T4s or the bay window campers made in Brazil? It is worth doing your research - you want to make sure you’ll not end up stranded without a back-up vehicle.

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If you’re interested in VW campers but confused about the different models, here’s a quick tour.

Type 2 Split Screen 1950 – 1967

This was the VW first camper van, which was adapted from the VW bus (known as the Samba) – which itself was adapted from the VW panel van. The campers were fitted out by Westfalia, a coachwork company who worked in partnership with VW for many years. There were a huge number of configurations of the furniture, and other conversions too. The campers had the same air-cooled engines as the panel vans and 6-volt electrics.

Type 2 Bay Window Camper 1967-1980

The taller and larger VW bay window camper van had 12-volt electrics, a sliding side door and larger engine. It still had the friendly, rounded shape but with better visibility and more space. Westfalia continued to do conversions, and a large number of other companies such as Devon, Danbury, Canterbury and Dormobile joined the market too.

There are also VW camper vans that have been converted by small companies and DIY conversions as well. Most were conversions from buses, but some companies (and amateurs) did the conversion from vans. Versions of the VW bay window were still in production in Mexico and Brazil long after VW had stopped production in Wolfsburg. The bay window campers are often known as Kombi’s - particularly in Australia and South Africa, and, confusingly the California was a VW Camper Van conversion which didn’t come from California!

Type 25 VW – the Vanagon 1980-1991

The VW t25 was larger again and provides substantial space. The shape is much more blocky with very 80’s square styling. It was known as the Vanagon in the USA and is often referred to now as the VW t3.

Type 4 1991-2003

This is known as the Eurovan in the US with camper versions by Westfalia and by Winnebago. This big difference is where the engine is - in the front! So it has a pronounced bonnet.

Type 5 2003-

This van is a direct successor to the T4 so it is a sizeable van . They are not avaiable in the US.

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A few pictures that demonstrate just how many different VW Camper Van models there are…

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An often-asked question. VW doesn’t make the camper van anymore, although there is a camper version of the VW T5.

For older VW campervans such as the bay wondow and T25 you can find them on Ebay Motors for less than $10,000 and there are loads of specialist sites selling VW campers and large cities often have informal sales where people gather to sell campervans. BUT there are loads of models and variants - so do your homework first.

Try this guide to buying a VW camper to start.

Technorati Tags: buying a vw camper, VW Camper Van, vw campervan