Hettie the Camper Van

Introducing Hettie the Camper Van ... Hettie is a 1990 VW T25 or T3 Kameo camper van she has a hi top roof which is great as you can stand up straight inside plus noodles of storage, in fact of all the VW camper vans even the very latest models the T25 is definitely the largest inside, in production from 1979 - 1991 ours is one of the last ones off the production line, with their distinctive square front (often nicknamed the brick or the wedge) they come in with a huge range of different styles with hi tops, pop tops and a variety of inside configurations.

We have owned Hettie for 6 years and hands down she is one of the best things we have ever spent our money on but its not all living the dream ... As a classic vehicle they require a lot of tender loving care and maintenance, you will never have any spare cash if you own one of these as they are always work in progress!

Here are some photos of Hettie on our first trip ....

You will see there have been a few changes to the interior later on 

Some people prefer to keep their vans original ( purists ) and will go to huge lengths and expense to restore and source original fittings.

I wanted to put my own stamp on Hettie after all she isn't going anywhere she is staying with me so why not make her my own and create a space that works for me.

She has had lots of boring stuff done such as new gear box, full pipes, starter motor, exhaust, regular servicing the list goes on and she is still in need of work next jobs on the list are the suspension and replacement of some of the panels, welding.... eventually leading to a full respray but like I said a van like this is always work in progress so these are all pending over time, obviously if it breaks it becomes a priority bumping things down the list!

The interior is again work in progress but this is something that my sewing skills and creative colourful nature can help with, over the 5 years I have made some funky denim curtains with appliqué flowers and mushrooms on, added a long side door curtain and centre cab curtain which makes it feel so cosy inside at night, it reminds me of a gypsy's caravan.