Adventure Overland 6/7 October Daventry

[HarryMann]

..and just to give you the flavour, T3 Syncro Dopplekabins as well as full-blown campers are used for expeditions



Up in the Picos...



Love this smilie

[RMS]

Hi Clive,

Thanks for those words, and pictures.
It was good to meet you and Jenny, and to chat.

We've often said that VW Synchros make a good expedition camper (or the VW van with limited slip differential ) especially after someone in the Series 2 Club mentioned being followed up a very difficult track by a couple of them.

Yes, a good weekend - much more 'expedition/overland' oriented than our usual Land Rover shows, and it certainly gave us food for thought.

It looks like Tom has booked the same venue for next year, Oct 5th & 6th. Shame he couldn't get an all-grass venue, but we hope to get there anyway. Hopefully we'll be able to tell the tale about our latest expedition, wherever it might be

Oh, and we only moved on to your pitch after you had moved off as all we could see was that big blue wall in front of us!

The Searle Carawagon roof definitely looks like it should have been the original, doesn't it? I think the marine ply and aluminium, with no fibreglass or plastic in sight, gives them a uniquely classic look - that's why we like them so much

This 'smilie' is actually my son's Carawagon (Patrick's), drawn and animated by him, correct even down to the colour of the curtains.

Cheers,
Robin.

PS. Yes, it was Steve in the other Carawagon

[WhiteKnight]

Hi Clive et al.

Yes you are right, it is Robin and Steve.

We enjoyed seeing your vehicles. We must come and spend some more time with yours next year!

Sorry we nicked a bit (!) of your pitch
Tom told us we had to or we would have to leave

Pleased you liked our old campers too.

Cheers

Steve & Robin

[HarryMann]

Nuff said, you took our pitch and we moved down to a larger site with more level gravel

Ah sorry, I think that came out wrong, should have said we moved down to a better pitch and you then took over the site... anyway, good for you, plenty of room there then. Think Tom made a wee miscalculation estimating our requirements, but soon got it sorted.

We'll definitely keep an eye out for you next year then, we'd ideally like to end up on flattish grass (I suppose most would). I was wondering about the wisdom of mixing clubs and traders, rather than having traders on the gravel and seasoned campers on the grass; mentioned it to Tom, so it'll be factored into the mix next year I imagine .

Yes, we seem to be able to get to most places LRs can, and some pretty steep rocky ones courtesy of our difflocks, sometimes through sheer willpower and persistence as the campers can gross over 2.5 tonnes.

Rgds

PS. The VW T3 (circa 1980~1980) Autohomes Kamper conversion, used a folding roof that the Searle reminded me of. Having end panels for locking the roof up into place and concertina side-panels, though the top was not flexible... Popular, quite heavy and a lot uglier than yours...

[WhiteKnight]

Yes, we too would have preferred to be on grass, as it were.

Hopefully the show will run next year. There were some really interesting characters around.
Enjoyed the talks too.

I like the way that VW roof pitches, and personally prefer the 'box' version rather than the 'cheese' version as it gives consistent headroom and to me just looks right.
Impressed too that yours can do the business off-road, especially given the weight.
Having said that I reckon mine tops out at about three tons fully laden.

Some of the vehicles at the show must have cost a pretty penny.

Like the bike with this one...



The kitchen sink et al...



And this fully kitted is about £25K, not including the donor vehicle!



PS Sorry, they are all Landys!

[flyingant]

The Searle Carawagon roof definitely looks like it should have been the original, doesn't it?

No way José!!
The first, and original, elevating roof camper was by Martin Walter (Dormobile) on a Bedford CA in 1949/50. They were also the first to convert the VW Combi. Westphalia VW campers used the Dormobile roof under licence, until they got tired of paying royalties, and fitted an end-elevating roof to get round MW's patent. Searle only came into the camper market much later. Get your facts right chaps!

[HarryMann]

Steady there, we were only surmising

..but the horses' mouth feedback is appreciated, I can now show off my 'new-found' pop-top history, thanks!

Westfalia is now owned by an Italian company I believe, so VW do their camper conversions in-house at Nutzfahrzeuge Hannover.. .

Steve, Some of our our lads came back from a walk around the traders saying that one of those LR camper conversions was knocking on £100,000 all-in

[flyingant]

Harry - I suppose horse's mouth is better than the other end!! My contribution was mainly directed at Robin, who tends to forget that the Carawagon is a poor man's Dormobile! I am now going into the bunker and battening down the hatches!!

If you are going to quote me on Dormobile history, I had better clarify the dates! While Martin Walter/Dormobile were producing conversions to commercial vans (Ford, Bedford and Morris) from 1949/50, the first production elevating roof conversion on a Bedford CA was probably around 1954.

[overlander]

Tony, I think you'll find that Robin will be along soon to say that you've misunderstood what he was trying to say - I am sure he is well aware that Dormobiles came along way before Carawagons.

Sadly, although the Dormobile company was represented at the AO show, I did not spot any Land Rover conversions, which seems to add weight to the argument I've heard in the past that the Dormobile conversions were more suited to trips to the Lakes with Mr and Mrs Smith and the two kids in tow, whereas Carawagons were bespoke conversions for customers with wider horizons in mind - as Robin would say Let battle commence, handbags at dawn?

Clearly Rosean and Jonathan Hanson of Overland Expo decided that the two Carawagons at the show represented what it was all about: http://www.overlandexpo.com/overland-te ... how-1.html

cheers

John H

[flyingant]

Now then John, you can put your handbag away! I was only trying to pull Robin’s leg – however I think it must be sunning itself on a beach somewhere!

Mr & Mrs Smith & family could have had a comfortable holiday in a Dormobile - on a Bedford, Ford or VW chassis. Meanwhile, years before the Carawagon, engineers, archaeologists and explorers were crossing deserts and mountains in their Land Rover Dormobiles – as you very well know!

There was very nearly a LR Dormobile at Daventry - I was very tempted. Unfortunately there was a local show here the same weekend.
All the best
Tony