Author Topic: concrete van site  (Read 4126 times)

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Offline cancan

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concrete van site
« on: November 23, 2010, 08:33:41 PM »
Hi all...new here and thinking of purchasing a CT.
We got a last minute sight booked for Christmas but the only option is a van site with a concrete slab to one end.
With the tent it has been easy, tent on grass side and tarp over concrete side but getting a bit tired of loading and unloading the trailer and then having to put up the tent and tarp so thinking of purchasing a CT. As we have no hope of having 1 built before we go our thoughts are to get a cheap old (very old with our budget) CT which we can resell next year after we see what use we get out of it plus to get a feel for options etc as I have been going overboard looking at pictures.
Anyway back to my queston, how do most people position the CT taking into account the concrete slab?
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Offline DANBRI

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2010, 08:40:45 PM »
Slabs suck for soft floor campers. You need to assess each one, as often there is a gap in the slab to the earth which will create an issue if the floor or body of the camper is on it. Hope that makes sense.

Offline GS

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2010, 08:41:17 PM »
If you have enough room you can turn the camper 90 degrees so that the awning is over the slab.

Not always possible though.

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Offline Kit_e_kat9

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2010, 08:43:40 PM »

Hi and Welcome.

We might reverse in and park up against it like a caravan and put the awning over the slab.  We have a (rear fold) hard floor, so this would make it possible.  We've never been into a van park and I'm hoping we never will.  We love bush camping too much.  Rear folds also work well for National Parks that have the long bollarded spaces.  Awning might hang over it a little but that's okay ... won't need to get the chairs out ...

You'll have to work things out for whatever side your camper will open onto: drivers side, passenger side or rear.

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Offline DANBRI

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2010, 08:44:54 PM »
Another point, some parks don't allow you to have your trailer in any other way then the drawbar facing the road. Which is even more soft floor racial abuse!  8)

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2010, 10:03:30 PM »
Ifthe park allows it, park the camper on the slab, turn it 180 deg, and fold the tent out to the side.  If the tent folds over the reight hand side of the trailer, you wont need to turn it even.

Offline speewa158

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2010, 11:11:07 PM »
Dont know never had to use one . Never found a slab in the bush , closest Icame was 1/2 a brick used to chock the wheels  :cheers:
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Offline BigJules

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2010, 06:26:55 AM »
We've stayed in van parks with our soft floor camper, and only once had a situation that was just too hard. Even though you've got that booking, ask again when you turn up of there is anything else available, as sometimes they keep a bit of grass for last minute arrivals.

There are two things to consider if you need to setup over the slab; how you'll peg it down and damage to the floor. I have a used a Jerry can full of water in the outer two corners on occasion when we couldn't get a peg in. I have a large ground sheet normally used in the annex which I have laid under the tent to protect the floor from the concrete (or even worse is those small pebbles NPWS use).
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Offline Tracey family

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Re: concrete van site
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2010, 06:55:22 AM »
Another thing you need to ask is which side the sites parking area is on. We were recently on a grass site but had a look at the slab sites for future reference. Each sites parking area was to the left of the site. Had we been on a slab site our draw bar would have been sticking into the neighbours parking area. We have a side fold tent so we would have backed in then turned the camper 90degrees so the main tent on the van slab and awning on the annex slab. Make sense ???


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