Hi , as promised here is the next update. Lots of people ask us how we live in such a small space. We would argue that its not actually that small. Especially for a caravan.
Although you may have loads of “Space” in a house or flat how much are you really using at anytime?
People also seem to think we have to give up basic comforts and while its true we don’t have a bath or a huge amount of storage we actually have a surprising amount of space and more than most people think.
So I though I would take a load of pictures of the Van an show exactly how much space we really have and you can see that if you get rid of clutter and put in storage things you don’t need for this season or use very often then you have ample space for day to day living.
Even working as we do from the caravan.
Starting from the outside: Our van is a 2004 Lunar Delta 640 EW
This is our Caravan being pulled by my pick up, its a pretty long van at just under 8m (7m body). plus the 5.5m truck means a total of 13.5m which is pretty long. Weight wise its just under 1800kg for the van loaded and as it sits there around 2.5t for the truck so around 4.3t for the little 2lt diesel to pull along. The caravan and load in the back are well under the trucks limits though with over 700kg spare to tow or load more into it. It tows it fairly well if a little slow on the acceleration and hills front.
This is it parked up today at our new site in Essex, Sunnybrook Farm in Felsted. Set up with the awning and Cadac and chairs. takes me about 90 minutes to set it all up from scratch taking my time. Maybe about an hour if I had help or rushed it.
At the front of the van the Cadac is connected to a external gas connector under a flap. This means we can have it connected all the time safely. We prefer to use the Cadac to cook most of the time. I will do a little review on it at some point.
In this picture we can also see the front external wet locker where we store lights and electrical extension leads for the awning and also a gas heater for the awning if we want to sit out in it in winter.
This is the front gas locker where we store and connect the gas bottles and bits like hook up leads and levelling ramps and when we are driving the hitchlock and wheel clamp. The spare is also stored in here out of the sun as well as a couple of other items.
On the front offside we have the vent (covered) for the Truma water heater and the fridge vents. We also have the battery box which contains a 135Ah battery with dual terminals and we also connect the hook up or solar panels into here.
At the offside rear we have the water inlet and external pump connector for filling the on board 58ltr freshwater tank. The locker here opens up into the under bed storage area and this is where we store the awning and pumps and a few spare bits when we are towing.
At the rear we have the three drain pipes for the grey water, kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower. Most vans have 2 but some Lunar’s have 3. One for each. we drain it into the 40ltr Wastemaster with a few bits of plumbing pipe connected together,
On the nearside rear we have the Thetford Cassette door for emptying the doings from the bathroom. above it the small door is the fill point for the flush system.
In the awning we get a fair bit of usable space, storage for bikes and other kit such as gym equipment etc. We also have a table and chairs in here. If we think we need more space we put up a small pop up Coleman shelter to store the bikes and gym stuff so we have enough space in here for 5 or 6 people to eat. most of the time though we only need this space. We put down a breathable groundsheet to prevent the grass from dying.
Inside the Van:
Slightly blurry but just as you enter the door to the right we have our heater and office storage area. this cupboard has important stuff like Coke and paper in it as well as cleaning products in the bottom.
Above the heater we have a drawer full of bits and bobs like some basic tools and fitting like spare fuses and door catches as we keep breaking those. A bit like that drawer everyone has in the kitchen!
Above the heater we have the work surface where we have the printer/scanner. also the caravan control panel and battery charger for our spare batteries for headtorches etc. plus a fire blanket and extinguisher. everything is stuck down with 3M Velcro pads so we can leave all in situ when towing.
This is the heater, it works on electric or gas and blows hot air all around the caravan through vents or can just act like a radiator. In hot weather we can just use the fan to circulate cold air.
This is the fixed bed, its almosta full size double with just a small bit cut off the corner so you can walk around it. its 6ft long so I just fit full stretched out but if I slide down my feet bump the end. Its actually pretty comfy
This the storage under the bed, We put the awning at the back of this but you can see here cleaning kit for the van, a box full of Maxine’s outdoors kit and My outdoors kit and suitcases/holdalls for travelling. quite a bit of space under here.
Opposite the bed there is a storage unit, at the bottom is a drop down flap where I store my bike shoes
above the wheel arch.
Above that are two drawers where I store various bike clothes and work clothes for driving Lorries which I do part time sometimes.
Above that and to the side is a shelf with my fire engine wash kit bag and a small cupboard with belts, gloves and a few other bits stored.
Above the drawers we have my main wardrobe with hanging space for Shirts and coats and shelves for clothes that can be folded.
The door of the wardrobe has a good length mirror as well.
Above the bed on the side above the window Maxine uses the three lockers for clothes storage.
Above the head of the bed I use the two lockers for more clothes storage.
To the side of the drawers next to my wardrobe is another small storage area that Maxine uses for odds and ends.
The end washroom is fairly spacious as far as caravans go, its has a separate shower, sink and toilet areas with lots of storage below the sink and on shelves above it. A good size mirror too.
The shower cubicle is a little smaller than the one you will have in your house but big enough for a lard arse like me to shower in with space.
In the bathroom area is another full length wardrobe
Maxine uses this for all her hanging clothes, the door doubles as the toilet/bathroom door if you want privacy.
Right up above the heater and printer is the microwave, its a full size home microwave which we can only use when we have electric hook up as it uses too much power. Above that is another locker with spare printer ink and the laminator and other office stuff. to the right is the lit cocktail cabinet! Which as runner we use to store drinks bottles and soft flasks!
Above and to the right of the cooker is a turntable in a cupboard which is supposed to be the place for a telly so you can watch it from the bed or the seating area. we don’t have a specific telly as we use our laptops so we use this for more storage and plug all out MyWifi boxes into the power sockets in here.
Above the sink is the storage area for plates and cutlery etc
We have a 55ltr 3 way fridge (electric/gas/car powered) with a small freezer section. good enough for a few days fresh food.
Under the seating area on the left (Maxines’s seat) we store shoes. plus some DVD’s in boxes. We are slowly uploading all the DVD’s onto a large hard drive to save space and weight.
Between the two seats at the front we can if we wish pull out bed slats and make the seats into a large double bed if we have people visiting, or the seat scan be two individual singles if needed.
In between the seats is a fold out table that we use for everything from eating to a work desk. I have fitted power a supply to the front off the van so we can plug all our devices in here if we want. it will also be connected to the inverter if needed when off grid.
This is the main kitchen area, an almost full size cooker with 4 burners, lots of drawers and food storage and even a pull out work surface under the sink. the sink has a glass cover so it can be used as prep area too.
Under the slide out slats is drop down storage area where we store the hoover of all things, a small caravan hoover which takes up little space.
Under my seat on the right is the hot water boiler with electrics and pipes.
The inverter (500w Pure sine wave) which is wired directly to the battery. Plus the consumer unit (240v), just like your fuse box with trip switches at home. Plus the battery charger when towing or on hook up. Plus all the 12v fuses
We also store our box of maps and navigation teaching aids under here.
Above the seating areas are lots of overhead lockers with various things stored in them.
They go all the way round the front of the van and the centre one houses the CD player and radio. We can Bluetooth laptop sound or phone music to this if we want it to play out from caravan speakers.
In between the seats is a set of drawers where we store stationary and other office stuff.
Both seats are 6ft long and can be used as beds or stretched out on if watching a film or just relaxing, we cover them with throws just to protect them.
As well as shedloads of windows which all have blackout blinds and fly screens there are three skylights ranging from this small bathroom one…..
To this larger bedroom one……
and finally a very large one at the front of the van, all open to various degrees and let plenty of light and air in as needed.
There is also an Omnivent above the kitchen which can extract cooking smells/Steam or force cooling air in if its really hot.
So that is a bit of a tour round the van, Hopefully you are still conscious!
So do you still think we have no storage or are very cramped or have had to compromise on space too much?
Obviously it is a small space but we are outdoors a lot and have a massive garden that someone else mows and we can change anytime.
Lindley
