DUBBED OUT CAMPOUT 2026

There is a point every year when summer starts quietly packing its bags.

The nights get darker a little earlier, the mornings feel sharper, and campervan trips start involving hoodies, heaters and the unspoken question:

For Vanilla, though, the 2026 camping season isn’t finished yet.

From Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2026, Dubbed Out is heading back to Hooton Lodge Farm near Rotherham for its final CampOut of the year.

And it looks exactly like the sort of weekend Vanilla was built for.

Vans.

Awnings.

Firepits.

Friends.

And a field full of people who understand why sleeping in a converted Transporter is perfectly sensible behaviour.

The CampOut is different.

Much smaller.

Much simpler.

And, for me, that may actually be part of the appeal.

The organisers describe this September weekend as a proper family camping event, rather than another full-scale festival.

Think less giant stage and wristband chaos.

Think more campervans arriving, awnings going up, chairs appearing outside and somebody inevitably wandering across the field carrying a mug of coffee.

Perfect.

The venue is Hooton Lodge Farm, Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

It has become one of Dubbed Out’s regular CampOut locations and previous weekends there have attracted hundreds of campervans.

The site provides the important camping basics, including:

• Showers
• Toilets
• Elsan disposal

There may also be entertainment, food and drink available through the venue during the weekend, although these extras are separate from the main CampOut itself.

And I rather like that.

If there’s entertainment, brilliant.

If not?

Vanilla has lights, heating, music, food, power and probably enough technology inside her to make NASA slightly uncomfortable.

We’ll survive.

The 2026 ticket is refreshingly simple.

• One campervan
• One awning
• Two nights camping
• Two adults
• Up to three children
• Pets

There is no electric hook-up included.

And after all the work I’ve been doing on Vanilla’s power system this year, that actually makes the weekend more interesting.

The fridge can run.

The lights can run.

The Webasto can deal with a chilly September night.

The solar can quietly put some of that energy back during the day.

A little rolling NIX power station sitting in a Yorkshire field.

This one matters.

The September CampOut is open to campervans of all makes and models.

But:

You need to arrive in the campervan you are actually camping in.

So despite Dubbed Out having strong Volkswagen roots, you do not need to own a VW.

Transporters, conversions and other campervans are welcome.

Caravans, however, sit this one out.

Which means Vanilla gets the weekend entirely to herself.

If you are travelling with friends and want to camp beside each other, the sensible plan is to arrive together.

Once vans have been parked, moving everyone around afterwards may not be possible.

So the plan is simple:

Meet nearby.

Form the convoy.

Roll through the gates together.

Job done.

There are rules around noise, and for this sort of camping weekend they make sense.

Music should be turned off by 9pm.

Large speakers and loud campsite parties are not what this event is about.

It keeps the atmosphere firmly in relaxed campervan-weekend territory.

Food finished.

Lights glowing.

Chairs outside.

Conversation.

And the occasional sliding-door slam echoing across the field.

Now we’re talking.

Firepits are allowed, provided they are used sensibly.

They need to be extinguished by 11pm.

Late September.

Outside Vanilla.

A little fire going beside the van.

Webasto waiting inside.

That’ll do nicely.

Dogs are welcome too.

They need to remain on a lead while on site, which is entirely sensible when a field could contain hundreds of campervans, families and other animals.

It is one of those weekends where the entire campsite becomes a little temporary village.

Just with far more Transporters than most villages normally have.

What interests me most about Dubbed Out isn’t really the vehicles.

The vans are obviously a huge part of it.

You can wander around looking at everything from beautifully restored classic Volkswagens to modern Transporters, Crafter conversions and clever self-builds.

But the recurring theme is the community.

People talk.

People wander around looking at each other’s vans.

People compare conversions.

Someone will ask about your wheels.

Someone else will want to know what solar panel you have.

Before long, you are standing outside a stranger’s van discussing leisure batteries.

Campervan people are gloriously predictable.

Vanilla is a Volkswagen T6.1 Transporter, so she lands squarely in the world from which Dubbed Out grew.

But she isn’t really a show van.

She gets used.

She travels.

She cooks.

She powers equipment.

She carries bikes.

She disappears around Britain and Europe.

And occasionally she gets covered in enough road dirt to completely undo several hours of cleaning.

That feels rather appropriate for a CampOut.

This isn’t really about parking something polished in a row and standing three metres away from it.

It’s about using the van.

Living from it.

And meeting other people doing exactly the same thing.

There is another reason I’m particularly looking forward to this one.

Vanilla’s electrical system has changed considerably during 2026.

The upgraded roof solar, Victron MPPT, SmartShunt and DC-to-DC charging should make a no-EHU weekend considerably easier than it once was.

So Dubbed Out becomes a nice real-world test.

Fridge running.

LED lighting.

Phones and cameras charging.

Possibly the projector.

Webasto keeping the September chill outside.

All while watching exactly what the battery and solar system are doing.

Camping with telemetry.

Naturally.

September in Britain requires a slightly different philosophy to July.

The weather could produce warm sunshine.

It could also produce horizontal rain travelling at approximately Mach 2.

Therefore the NIX packing strategy will involve both optimism and waterproofs.

The awning will be coming.

Warm clothing will be coming.

The Webasto will definitely be available.

And there will be enough food and coffee aboard Vanilla to ride out most known weather systems.

There is something pleasingly old-school about the idea of Dubbed Out CampOut.

No huge itinerary required.

No complicated schedule.

You arrive.

You pitch.

You wander.

You talk.

You eat.

You sit outside.

You look at vans.

Then on Sunday afternoon everybody packs everything away and the empty field slowly reappears.

The official weekend runs from Friday 25 September until Sunday 27 September 2026.

Just enough time to disappear from normal life for a couple of nights.

So that’s another date firmly marked in the NIX calendar.

Dubbed Out CampOut Hooton Lodge Farm Rotherham 25–27 September 2026

£60.

Two nights.

No EHU.

No caravans.

No giant sound systems.

Plenty of campervans.

And hopefully one Indium Grey T6.1 sitting somewhere among them with the kettle already on.

Summer may be starting to pack itself away.