At 09:53 24/06/96 -0500, you wrote:
>
>according to people i have talked to and reviews i have read the dormobile
interior is not that great a 
>utilization of space

That may be true of the early conversions (splitties), but for my money
Dormobile beat the rest hands down in bay-windows.

I think the biggest problem with early Dormobiles is that the cooker is supposed
to go at the back, above the engine. I'd imagine this would make for serious
build up of steam & cooking fumes in the bus (unless the rear hatch were open,
but even then it wouldn't be ideal). 

>> 
>> there is a nifty skylight or two in the roof, so it is nice and light inside.
>>   i have heard that the plasticy canvas doesn't breathe very well and it can
>> get kinda steamy in one of those  :)
>
>yes I have herad that too, I guess that is the major shortcoming of the
roof is it's (realtive) lack of 
>ventilation as compared to the conventionional westy roof of that period

I've honestly never noticed a real ventilation problem in my '62 or my
boyfriend's 
'73 Dormobile, but then I've never camped in anything else! ('cept a tent).

This w/e at Beetle Bash (UK) I saw an original Dormobile Splitty (1963 -- all
original & complete, possibly the only complete splitty Dormobile on the road.) 
I talked to the guy but he'd never used the cooker so couldn't comment on the 
ventilation issue. It looked very nice, & made me think again about tracking
down 
my missing bits... 

Beetle bash was fun, but very expensive (L45). The high point for me was being
part of the Split Screen Van Club display -- around 50 splits in a huge circle.
By coincidence I camped right next to Lee Griffiths and his Samba in the SSVC
camping area !

Sarah
'62 Dormobile
---------------------
sarah@sprynet.co.uk
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/slg/