My parents bought a Dormobile in 1960 and kept into the 1990s. In the 1960”s we explored Europe, travelling behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ travelling through the USSR and East Germany and Poland. Often we were the first people from the West the locals had ever met. The van created interest everywhere we went. I remember a crowd gathered round us just off Red Square in Moscow as my sister and I demonstrated how the bunks, sink etc worked. We had to take a lot of spare parts with us for the van so we were really laden. The little table you describe under the wardrobe was actually a seat so you could sit to cook. And yes the canvas bunks did rot and I went through mine!

My Dad had one of these as his first Camper, instead of a car. They were relatively affordable since they didn’t have purchase tax. It was very low powered, even by the standard of the day….. all vans were in the 60s. I guess no worse than the contemporary “splitties” but for fun now not commuting…..! Magic though.

Love this video guys. This van is exactly the same as the one that my Dad had when I was a nipper. We went all over the UK and Europe back in the 60s. Great family holidays. I remember flying the van from Lydd to Le Touquet rather than getting the ferry and driving down to Gibraltar. Amazing memories and I guess that’s why I have a van now. Love this. Thank you ❤❤

ooh what a beauty .. around 2000 i had a 1980's dormobile based on a bedford CF ... and of course we want to see a Dormobile Defender

Friends of ours used to have one of these in the early 70s in a mustardy yellow colour and we saw them every year at what used to be the Ganavan Sands caravan site just outside of Oban in Argyll and Bute. There were about six or seven families who all returned to the same site year after year and spent weeks just kicking about the sea, sand and hills letting us kids run about from breakfast till teatime and beyond sometimes with no worries for our safety. Lovely times and this vid has brought back some great memories of that time and sitting with pals eating sandwiches in the dormer. Great vid 👍

My parents bought one of these many years ago, on an F plate. Had a deeper windscreen if memory serves. We travelled high and low with that van, as a family of 5! Me being the youngest had to sleep on the floor alongside the galley (on a lilo admittedly) It was a whole great bunch of memories for us and once dad bought an awning to go over the back doors ( what you'd call a driveaway awning these days) we actually went on hols with my nan and gramps! Yes ! 7 people travelling in a romany dormobile ! That engine certainly earned its corn! Seem to recall dad getting a more powerful engine from a victor I think which did improve the speed/economy however it was still cursed with the "three on the tree" gearchange which seemed to take at least two lamp posts distance to change gear! But we loved that van despite the cross channel ferry handling! Great times! And this one looks peach- well done Dormobile!

Love this video as we had one when I was small. Being the eldest I slept in the bunks with my sister. It was like our own little den. Then we had more siblings so my parents bought a very old folding caravan and joined the back of the camper onto the caravan with a picnic tent which my mother altered to fit. 3 kids in the camper, a small one in the caravan with my parents. We loved it, running from one end to the other. Must have looked strange as people always asked about it. I still remember her telling us to stop giggling and get to sleep. Happy days.

Killer. Cute little camper van. Should we be saying “We’ve come a long way since 1962.”

I remember going on a family holiday in a Dormobile, think it was a VW, in the late 60's to Scotland. I remember my Dad complaining the clutch was very heavy to use.

The "table" which pulls up from the front of the wardrobe is intended as a seat for the cook and a step to assist in climbing up into the stretcher bunks.

My grandad sadly passed away we got his 1960 out of his garage after 14yrs loads of memories for us all 👍🏻

Bedford is the great retro camper 👍👍👍

Just looked back at a photo of my Mum sitting in their Van in 1965 which my parents had bought! They much later donated it to my family when we had 2 small children in the 1970s. Wonderful holidays and a lifetime of Campers including the last one - Ford Transit converted especially for wheelchair users with a garage for a mobility scooter for my Husband. Sadly it was stolen from outside our home 6 months before he died in 2014.

I had my first campervan holiday in one of these in 1967 with my schoolfriend Sarah Scot and her dad. We went to Norfolk and it was so hot Mr Scot drove with the sliding door open. Oh happy days.

My late ex Father in Law had a late 60's Romany CA campervan. I've never seen one since that had the extras style his had. It had a deeper windscreen (so MK2), the headlights had a 'cowled' fibreglass? appearance. The side flash went into a curved 'fin' and if I remember correctly the rear indicator lights were mounted in the 'fin' along with a red stop/side light. I've seen the front cowl effect on other CA conversations but never a front and rear treatment that his had. The interior plastic Formica type woodwork was in a greyish wood effect. The sliding doors had a catch built in so they could be driven open. No seatbelts back then either so today that would be a nightmare of sliding off the seat whilst driving 😯 Enough of memory lane in 2024. Cheers DougT

We once saw a ca 1950 ties Ford Bedford in orginal as a RV,the interigor in all teak wood orginal cream withe if I remember. But the wooden interigor, yes it was more like a boat living area, but, but, but, that young bloke had it after an unkle! It was something extra! It was in Sweden on a carpark for several big shopingcenter's!

Absolutely love this video, brings back so many memories from when I was a child in early 70's my dad had a red with white stripe, I have so many memories from that van sleeping in the back on the way back from hols, both the rear seats were put down and my sister and I went to sleep whilst travelling obviously no seat belts then, the van was so underpowered one time we was travelling to Dorset and the van was so loaded we got to a hill and it would not get up it, my mum my sister and me and the dog which was only aJack Russell then had to get out of the van and walk the hill whilst dad reversed up the hill because of the lower gearing he got up there. Sausages at the side of the road for lunch whilst travelling to holiday, so many memories, the final memory of that van was watching it being sold I cried my eyes out when that went but I think I was only around six years old.

Great memories of childhood with one of these. Bedford CA dormobile. My dad's first camper van of many. He bought it from Tettenhall near Wolverhampton in late 60's. It yellow with a white stripe. It had a top loading gas powered fridge with the exhaust via a piece of copper pipe out the window... luckily we didn't all die from CO poisoning 🙃.

More like this. Please