griffo5 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I am thinking about downsizing from my Autotrail Tracker, possibly to something like the Bilbo's on a long wheelbase VW T5 base vehicle. Some of these are hi-top, others with a rising roof, and I am curious to know how people with rising roof campers get along in the winter ? Any advice would be most welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Don't forget with a rising roof you can leave it down to help in bad weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docted Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 "how people with rising roof campers get along in the winter ?" Very closely B-) Seriously you have to ensure that the van you pick has a heater; furthermore remember you don't always have to put the roof up even overnight. With the roof down you are not heating a big empty space after all heat rises. Good luck with your hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Hi We have downsized to a short wheelbase Bilbo Nexa with a rising roof, and would suggest you bite the bullet and go for the standard wheelbase as this will fit into a normal parking space. (We even parked in the underground carpark at the Guggenheim in Bilboa with room to spare! This year in France we awoke on the top of the Central Massif, temperature 3 degrees so it had obviously been down to zero during the night (this was with the roof up). We were quite warm but my wife turned the diesel heater on and within a minute or two I was complaining I was too hot. The diesel heaters are worth their weight in gold, if somewhat expensive. I would not anticipate any problems ski-ing in this vehicle and, as has been suggested you can always keep the roof down in bad weather. We use the Duvelay mattresses which roll up easily and store in the roof when parked. We are so glad we downsized - plenty of lounge space, full kitchen and a portaloo and, in the heat, an awning, giving us additional living space. Good luck. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCC Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 We only put the roof up when we need it. It's not just heat that goes through the roof, it's also lets more sound in. We leave one of the front windows open a crack for ventilation (we have wind deflectors so there are no problems when it rains). The main times we use the roof are when cooking (which we don't do a lot of) or when it's very hot and we want extra ventilation. It's surprising how little the loss of full standing headroom affects us. Our roof is easy to put up but not so easy to lower - I use my head to hold up the roof slightly while I tidy up the canvass sides. Some roofs are much better in this respect. I believe the full size Bilbos roof folds down much more easily and some roofs have elastic cords fitted in them that pull in the sides. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 For a start its nothing like your Auto-Tracker. Its smaller, less comfortable and colder. If you've any imagination then use it. Go and sit in one and try to do all the things you would normally. Don't kid yourself its the same but smaller cos it is not. Why do you have a need to fit into a smaller space? We never camp unless the temperature is in the mid 20's. What's the point? Old bodies deteriorate with age. If you are under 40 and fit, the VW is a wonderful run-about, it does everything and goes everywhere. We had a large Rapido. It served its purpose. Now it does not. The VW does. Do your research and make a decision. But don't complain afterwards that you made a mistake, there are far too many who fall into that category. Ps Why do we have to be attacked by Tesco when certain words are posted. Its enough to cause me nt to write !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Will85 - 2014-05-26 12:33 PM ...Ps Why do we have to be attacked by Tesco when certain words are posted. Its enough to cause me nt to write !! Come on Bill - you'll need to be a bit less mysterious than that. What are you actually complaining about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I use a laptop for main use and when I type certain words a Tesco advert covers the page. Let me try one ........ Not working on my post but in Alans post previously there are three words. 'Heaters' 'Mattresses' and 'Awnings' that appear to stand out. They are not a Tesco ad but an ad never-the-less The font is blue and double underscored. A right nuisance they are. Perhaps its time I had a PC Fix ? W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Will, you've got adware/malware on your machine that is underlining the words and linking ads to them so you need to remove it: If you haven't already got it, download the below free: This one should stop these sorts of programme starting up when you turn on your machine: tdsskiller This one should remove any malware (ie cr@p) that allows these to be installed in the first place: malwarebytes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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