A 1990 Autosleeper Harmony on a Talbot 2.0 Petrol base. The picture was taken in the border country, near Bambergh. It's 16 feet long, and more of a van than a camper. Basically I was looking for the smallest van I could get which had a proper toilet and shower. Now I've tried it for a few days, it seems like a good choice The toilet is useful in the night, though I doubt if I'll use the shower much. Campsites all have showers which are hotter and don't use up valuable gas. One factor was to stay under five metres, which keeps the cost of ferry trips down. I love ferries, so that was a big factor for me.
After getting used to the van for a while, I'm still happy with the choice. It is a bit of a handful to drive, with a rather balky gearbox, a clutch which engages at some unpredictable point when your foot is six inches off the floor, and non-powered steering which gives a good upper-body workout on roundabouts. The van will do 70, but only after a very long time, preferably with some downhill bits to get a run up. It is most comfortable cruising at 65, and that is probably easier on the petrol, too. I get to mix in with all the big lorries, and never use the fast lane on a three-lane motorway. People get a little impatient when they're stuck behind me, especially if they are driving fast cars on winding roads, but you know what? I don't care.
As far as living goes, it is very comfortable. I have set up one side as my workstation, with my big monitor on the table and a good working position, and have sorted everything out so that things are secure unless they are actively being used. The van is educating me to be neat, by dropping things loudly on the floor if I drive off without putting them away. All the hoses and wires took a bit of time to figure out. It makes you realise how much you know about normal houses, none of which applies here, of course.
I've lost count of the number of times I've bumped my head on the overcab. This is only about five feet above the ground, so you'd think you would see it, but you turn around, and start doing something else, and forget it's there, then whack - another bump on the head. The kitchen doors are another thing which I'm being trained to close by the time-honoured pain method.
Another addition after about a month - still happy. The head-bumping thing is no longer an issue, and I've solved the kitchen door problem by never actually opening anything - I just open it part of the way and reach in; I know exactly where everything is by now, of course. I have learned to carefully coil my 50m power cord, rather than let it get into a tangle which takes ten minutes to sort out. It's all a bit like those solitary round-the-world sailors, except that I get to see all sorts of interesting things, instead of just waves.
