Having a car with four seats and a small boot is quite limiting for some and these days a number of people are choosing vehicles that offer a lot more space and versatility. Also, having a separate vehicle for your sporting or leisure activities can be quite costly, and of course you have to have the space for parking.
A leisure or day van is a vehicle that has some of the facilities of a campervan or motorhome but is not used for long camping trips. A typical day van might include a small fridge, basic cooking facilities and a bench or bed.
A day van as well as being able to comfortably carry all of your gear gives you the facilities to prepare and enjoy meals and also camp out for the night if you so wish. Having the ability to feed the family whilst on a day trip or beach outing can also be a great way to save money compared to the usual purchases of drinks, snacks and meals out.
Day vans can range from builders vans with the inclusion of a travel kettle and bench right through to professionally converted vehicles with a range of appliances and gadgetry. Modern vans are a lot easier to drive and handle more like cars making them popular as an everyday vehicle. A high seating position and a good view of the road is also popular for some.
Day vans are great for anglers to carry all of their equipment and provide shelter and a means to make a hot cuppa to warm up on a cold day. VW transporters have been popular with the surfing community over the years allowing them to travel the country looking for the best waves in style and also providing comfort and shelter. Day vans are also popular with people who race motorcycles to provide facilities during the day between races and heats and also have the space to carry their bikes and tools.
Using a van as your everyday vehicle isn’t really a problem. Most vans will comfortably fit into a single parking space and with power steering manoeuvrability shouldn’t be a problem. One restriction is parking height barriers that frustrates most campervan and motorhome owners. To overcome this you could opt for a smaller van.
So if you are fed up with the small amount of space a modern car offers you and would like a vehicle that suits your lifestyle a day or leisure van could be the option for you. There are many options available and if you have the budget you could take your van to one of the many conversion companies in the UK offering competitive rates.
If you are considering doing the work yourself there are a lot of things that are quite achievable to make your van functional and comfortable. Whether you are fitting a window or installing a water tank if you plan ahead and allow plenty of time things are sure to go well.
Why not take a look at our conversion guides to help get you started?
https://buildacampervan.com/conversion-guides/
Written by Bill Langdon for www.Buildacampervan.com
