Hi all
Having to give up with the caravan due to a nasty fall over a year ago and loosing being able to kneel down ,so thinking of a motor home shoud I keep any of the water butts waste butts elec cable etc or is it different in a motor home,Any thoughts,help or advise most welcome
Thanks in anticipation
Tim
------------- malletsmallett
Cometh the hour
cometh the VAN
I am new to motor homing but I would say the electrics are the same.
As for water butts and waste butts it is all dependent on if you are going to be staying more than 3 or 4 days on the same site with an awning fitted you will find them useful. Not as easy to just drive to the tap when you are all set up.
Or nip to the shop when you have ran out of milk and essentials, we felt very sorry this morning for one motorhome owner who had to walk about a mile into the village in the pouring rain and high winds, to buy some essential foodstuffs. They have been onsite for a few days now, and had simply ran out of stuff, with a large motorhome, and difficult parking on the main road through the village, they had no other option than to walk to the shop or go hungry.
We spotted them returning, looking very wet and miserable, if we had realised their plight before they left, we would have offered them a lift.
I would say keep your caravan equipment incase you change your mind and want to return back to owning a caravan, or better still try a motorhome before you buy by renting one. most motorhome owners also take along some other mode of transport, either a small car, scooter, or bikes, without them in some areas and situations you can become quite stranded.
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
As a motorhomer I would advise that you keep your caravan equipment as it might be useful. If you sell it with your caravan you get nothing extra for it so I'd wait and see what's useful.
------------- Jean
Sometimes a little rain must fall before you reach a rainbow.
The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you finish the work.
We Have a 6.24 motor home, and never have any problems parking, and all's it takes is a few minutes to arrange your property together, and away to towns or villages. We have been motorhoming 8 years and we don't take any other mode of transport with us whatsoever.
the difference bettween caravans and motorhomes, with a caravan once it is set up on site, then you can run around in the tow car, and use the van as a base whilst touring the area, with a motorhome we usally just pay for one or two nights then move on and find another campsite with better views, lets face it a walk to shops is more healthy for you.and you should be able to plan ahead food wise and pick something up when passing shops. there are water tanks on board motorhomes so you need something to fill the tank with, a container with a spout or a short length of hose, and the electric leads are the same. once you have been on site and are having a brew you'll wonder why you didn't swap years ago no hitching up, and you can use it for day trips and have lunch in comfort.
Hi All
Thanks for the replies plenty of food for thought there.
Can someone tell me what the difference is between a Camper van and a motor home ?
Again thanks in anticipation for the replies
Tim
------------- malletsmallett
Cometh the hour
cometh the VAN
Campervan or motorhome? - some people call van conversions: campervans, and coachbuilts: motorhomes - some people call them both campervans and some people call them both motorhomes. Some people use the two words indiscriminately.
So there isn't really any difference.
My parents called their Autosleepers: motorcaravans, but this term seems to have fallen out of use - unless you happen to belong to the Motorcaravanners Club!
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
We had several caravans over 17 years and loved every minute of it until we gave it up 8 years ago.
However 2 years ago we bought a campervan and have not looked back, we love the freedom of taking the van out and stopping off where and when we want. We live on the Devon/Cornwall border and if we do not go away, we make sure we take the van out for a drive and stop for a cup of tea and relax for a couple of hours, something we would not have done with our caravan.
The best bit is though when you arrive on a site and it takes seconds before you have the kettle on and are relaxed watching the caravanners unhitching, putting legs down, fetching water, setting up the awning etc. in the rain.
We swapped last year and definitely have no regrets. The only thing we kept was the Hook up cable, We sold everything else (not with the van but seperately), The only thing we do have is a black waste container incae there is no where to drain the waste tank off on site straight into a drain so I just fill up the black container with waste water and take it to the disposal point that way.
If you have knee problems you may want to keep your waste master as they just roll.
We haven't found not having the car a problem really other than when I had to go to hospital when we we're on holiday in Snowdon recently but it just meant my other half dropped me off and drove off somewhere with the kids then picked me up after, but that was (hopefully) a one off time
I agree with the poster who says they tend to stay somewhere for 2/3 days then move on as that is what we like doing, this was the main reason we swapped as we used to tour round lots of sites in one holiday and it was much more hard work with a caravan.
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
We swopped last year too and decided on a small motorhome for versatilityand economy it is only 6m and will fit in a standard car park bay and is perfect for exploring small french villages. It returns around 32-35mpg depending on type of driving. What we found useful to buy is a 'drive-away' awning. For stays of more than a day on a site we put our bbq, table, chairs and little camping kitchen storage unit in the awning, then we can just drive away when we need/want to without packing up. Not sure if we would do this on a UK site though. A little bit of re-education is required with motorhoming re supplies but for us the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Oh and we bought a little cassette hose for topping up the water and didn't keep our wheely water and waste carriers. It was a relief to get rid of those too. There seemed to be so much work to do with our caravan that now doesn't exist with the motorhome. More time to relax - it is meant to be a holiday afterall!
------------- Sometimes You're the windscreen; sometimes the fly
'The best bit is though when you arrive on a site and it takes seconds before you have the kettle on and are relaxed watching the caravanners unhitching, putting legs down, fetching water, setting up the awning etc. in the rain.'
Caravans don't have to have awnings any more than motorhomes do. Unhitching takes little more than a couple of minutes and putting the legs down doesn't take very long. If its raining then these tasks can be left until it stops.
If caravanners thought setting up was more of a problem then having the freedom of a car to get around in then they would get a motorhome.
People buy what suits them and I find people who like to feel superior really sad.
I don't think anyone was trying to sound superior, just sharing with others why we made the choices we made and what we each like about it. The good and the bad. there's no sense getting prickly about it.
I often look at people in tents and wish I could still camp, the close-to-nature peace and simplicity of it all, just pack up and go freedom. I feel envious sometimes. Then it rains and I think again. In any case I can't do it anymore so c'est la vie. I choose the next best thing and what suits us, our health,lifestyle and budget best. Superiority is usually found in politicians and celebrities. We are campers thank goodness and should relish the joy of the camping experience no matter what way we do it.
------------- Sometimes You're the windscreen; sometimes the fly
If you have a problem kneeling, look very carefully at the waste emptying situation. Some vans have an easily reached tap near the side of the van, others are partway under, some have a pull leaver under the van, which I find I have to kneel to be able to pull to empty. They can be adapted but its something to consider, as well as how easy the beds are to make up.
We changed 18 months ago from a caravan to a motorhome.We hired one first and so glad we did.The size is so important. We would have loved a large one with plenty of room but practicalities had to be considered. We eventually bought one about 6.2 metres long. It is so much easier to find somewhere to park.
Quote: Originally posted by brianconwy on 01/5/2012
........... Unhitching takes little more than a couple of minutes and putting the legs down doesn't take very long. ..............If caravanners thought setting up was more of a problem then having the freedom of a car to get around in then they would get a motorhome.........
You must move a lot quicker than I do then.
It's not just the unhitching and putting the legs down, there's the faffing around with towing mirrors, blowing up and deflating tyres, fetching and carrying water from the tap, finding someone to help me push the van back on to the drive when I get home ...... and believe me if I could afford it I would get another tomorrow and ditch the caravan.
As you say, horses for courses.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Caravan to motor home
