# School bus camper pro and con



## shawn dooley (Oct 10, 2016)

What do everyone think about converting a school bus into a camper???are they worth the money


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## Atlanta Dawg (Oct 11, 2016)

*Well.....*



shawn dooley said:


> What do everyone think about converting a school bus into a camper???are they worth the money



Not Much !  But.....if you all ready own the bus....take a bunch of seats out, get some repurposed lumber and build out a couple bunks and you are good to go !   After all....this is America :fine:::


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## kmckinnie (Oct 11, 2016)

Is it a short bus. 

I've seen some fixed up nice. Beats a tent may want to insulate the roof. I've seen condensation build up on them then drip down. 
Go for it!


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## Milkman (Oct 11, 2016)

I was in a club that used one. I would not invest in one myself   You can get a used camper that has everything needed for comfort for less work and expense.


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## greg_n_clayton (Oct 12, 2016)

Shawn, i see you are in clarkesville. There is a guy down there that has all the stuff you need if you decide to go with a bus. He buys up motorhomes for the engines and parts out the rest.


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## shawn dooley (Oct 12, 2016)

Cool thanks for the info.


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## T-N-T (Oct 14, 2016)

The gas mileage can't be good.  And they don't just get rid of a bus that isn't about worn slap out 
However, I think they are way cool.


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## 3ringer (Oct 14, 2016)

I think by the time you turn it into a camper , you could have bought a nicer camper.


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## boatbuilder (Oct 14, 2016)

I don't know how practical it is and I have never camped in one but I still think they are awesome. Make sure you put a wood stove in it with the pipe out the back window. Every proper school bus camper should have this feature. In my opinion.


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## NE GA Pappy (Oct 14, 2016)

you won't get it into most RV parks, but if you are planning on going to the Chattahoochee NF, or like that, yeah.

But like said here, you can buy a nice camper for what you will have in it, and down the road, someone will buy the camper from you.  Not so much with a bus.


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## north_ga fireman (Oct 26, 2016)

I had one and it's hard to regulate the heat either burning people up on top bunks or freezing on the bottom. I didn't worry about gas mileage at all.


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## JustUs4All (Oct 27, 2016)

Tall hunters will probably not be able to stand up in a school bus.


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## riprap (Oct 27, 2016)

JustUs4All said:


> Tall hunters will probably not be able to stand up in a school bus.



This...they are extremely cold in the winter. Ours stayed parked. We had a window unit out the drivers window. Needed a fan to get the a/c to the back or you would burn up. So many windows and so much metal. It did leak some up near the fire wall, but that was after many years of use.


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## Flaustin1 (Oct 27, 2016)

Yall are all crazy!  We had one for years.  We had a 3 burner gas range/oven combo.  Fridge, table, counters, 2 sets of bunks, a couch and a single bed in ours.  Oh propane 3 burner wall mount heater too.  I really hate we had to get rid of it. It was the best thing ever.


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## TimBray (Oct 29, 2016)

Friend had one he would use during deer season then move to his lake lot the rest of the year. Very nice inside. Never asked what he spent on it but I know he did all the work himself.
I do know that the private campground we are a member of will not allow any non-factory built camper in the campground (i.e.- converted school bus).


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## 7Mag Hunter (Nov 4, 2016)

Flaustin1 said:


> Yall are all crazy!  We had one for years.  We had a 3 burner gas range/oven combo.  Fridge, table, counters, 2 sets of bunks, a couch and a single bed in ours.  Oh propane 3 burner wall mount heater too.  I really hate we had to get rid of it. It was the best thing ever.




X-2...Guy brought one to our lease years ago, and it
had LOTS of room, sink, bunks, sofa and recliner
AC/DC power and air conditioning. !!!!

He said he had $3500.+ in it, and he did all the mechanical and interior work himself...


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## Artfuldodger (Nov 5, 2016)

I think it would be a nice hobby project. Kinda like building a Teardrop trailer or boat. I've always wanted to build a houseboat.

I would agree that these projects are a labor-of-love. My neighbors parents have a neat old Greyhound from the 50's that have converted twice already.

I would think the way to go on a school bus would be to insulate everything including some of those windows that won't be used. Can you replace the glass from the outside if the inside has been insulated and walled? Maybe take the glass panels out and replace with black metal panels. Darken the other windows that you will keep as windows.

Google "school bus conversion" Those on there look pretty nice. Although the wood stoves are vented through the roof and not out the back window.

I had a 1965 Econoline hippie van that someone else converted before me. Complete with orange shag carpet. I've always wanted to do one of those 60's or 70's van myself.

There was a man down the street from me that got in to making motorhomes. This was when companies were really getting big into makingmotor homes. He got pretty good at it. His looked like a 1969 Pace Arrow, the first motorhome produced by Fleetwood;


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