Hi there,
We (2 adults 3 daughters 15, 13 & 8) have just returned from a 2 week tent camping holiday in France and now find ourselves at a camping crossroads........do we continue with the tent and buy a couple of more items to make it more comfortable or do we take the ultimate plunge and buy a caravan?
So why are we thinking about a caravan? Well this year in France we had a few periods of prolonged rain (i.e. all day and/or night and next morning) and found that it became quite suffocating in the tent, and dodging puddles running to the loo in raincoats became a pain - I found myself looking in envy at those around us in caravans with running water/toilets and their great big awnings. Also the 2+ hours it takes to set up camp and 3+ hours it takes to pack everything up is wearing thin - I have this perception that you can arrive on site in your caravan and have everything set up in 30 - 40 minutes? Am I deluded? Also our 2 older daughters announced this year that they are fed up with the tent - they love France and they love the campsite we were at this year (La Garangeoire - superb!) but, the lack of running water, lack of privacy, lack of some basic comforts and proximity to Dad snoring made for 2 grumpier than usual teenagers.
So any advice, pros and cons, etc that you can give me to help us decide would be most welcome.
As newbie tenters a few years ago this forum was a source of lots of great advice and ideas. I'm now hoping for more of the same in respect to Caravanning. If we do decide to go down the caravan route, we are starting from a position of having no clue about caravans - not an idea, so no piece of information or advice is too basic. I have read a few posts on here and have figured out that one big issue to look out for is damp. Also, apart from the obvious (i.e. 4 wheels instead of 2) what is the difference between a double axle and single axle 6 berth? Is it all down to size and weight? I've also figured out that finding out what weight caravan our car can tow is important. Mine is a Citroen C8 2L Diesel, 6 speed manual transmission, 136 bhp. How do I find out what weight we can tow? I've seen a few abbreviations regarding weights but I don't know what they mean.
If we do decide to buy, we would want a 6 berth, preferably with parents sleeping at one end and kids at the other, to mitigate the snoring issue! I've seen a Bailey Ranger 540/6 for sale that has the triple bunks, that I quite like the look of. Any opinions on that? Any advice on layout?
Basically I will accept and appreciate any information and advice.
Thanks for taking the time to read this essay!
Post last edited on 15/07/2014 17:42:03
------------- 2016: La Garangeoire
2015: La Garangeoire
2014: La Garangeoire & hopefully a couple of weekends in Ireland
2013: Des 4 Vents, Ile de France & Portland , Normandy, O'Connors Riverside, Doolin
2012: Actons, Clifden, Co Galway; Interlude, Ile de Re; Salthill, Co Galway; Westport, Co Mayo
I recently did a long weekend at the Le Mans Classic races in a tent and it was at best a soggy experience - made me appreciate our caravan which is our camping accommodation of choice.
We moved from a folding camper to a caravan in 2011 and have not looked back. Just changed ours for a fixed bed as our kids want to sleep in the awning annexe.
Re weights, the MIRO is the ex works weight plus essentials, the MPTLM is the max loaded weight (the most important one).
You should find out the kerb weight of your car and ideally choose a van that weighs no more than 85% of that weight at MPTLM. There are some online resources for tow car matching eg whattowcar.
Also consider the overall length of the van vs where you intend to park it, we store ours at home behind locked gates and out of site but this restricts us to sub 7m vans.
Re layouts, watch some of the fixed bunks as they are not all great for taller kids! Take all three kids when you go shopping so you get buy in from all.
We joined the caravan club and attended a towing course which was very enjoyable and gave us the confidence to use and tow the van safely.
Damp us an issue with used vans, a dealer van SHOULD have been checked and sorted, private sales less secure so get a damp meter and prod every surface inc inside the lockers.
Have fun and enjoy the process!
This is a great resource for advice, I expect some more experienced vanners will be along soon with further pearls of wisdom.
For you I would have thought the length of tow if you want Southern France would be a pretty big issue. Even northern or mid France. More fuel, ferry costs, tolls etc.
I would advise hiring a static in France first to see how you get on with it. If your caravan is only going to get limited use this may be a long term solution.
If you do go for a touring van you are right - damp is the big issue to avoid. Single or twin axle depends what you are going to tow it with and how much room you want.
Layout is really personal choice. Our preference is for an end bathroom with a bit more space.
The C8 published towing capacity is 1850kg but the vehicle weighs in at 1779kg. At 85% guideline you are looking at a van around 1600kg max.
A caravan carries other costs of course. Servicing, storage possibly and insurance. Your towbar will also be about £300.
We moved to a tin tent last sept and are really pleased we did. A big reason for us is the much longer season.
Re layout all 5 of you go and look round lots of different layouts and think practically about how you would use the space. Our friends with 3 primary aged kids have a 6 berth ranger with a fixed bed at the back, side dinette and long front seats that can be used as single beds. The thing about having all of you looking is you will soon get an idea of whether there is enough space for you all. I think it was a 5 berth bailey Olympus which has good sized fixed bunks (I only know this as I saw a family with one of these and they had 2 teenage boys).
As with camping set up gets faster each time. We have a 6 berth with fixed bunks even though there's 4 of us, that way we have enough room for a wet weekend without needing an awning. Set up is definitely faster than camping but the time I notice most is packing up which is far less stressful because your kit's not spread out all over the ground before the giant game of Tetris begins as you pack the boot.
Re weights as has already been said fully loaded caravan should be 85% or lower than kerb weight (unladen weight) of the car.
Lots of advice here
http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/new-to-touring
If you're just thinking of using it in the summer unless you buy a very cheap old caravan it will be cheaper to stay in statics but if you're wanting to go away more then the money works out better.
We all love ours and are really pleased we took the plunge.
------------- From tents to trailer tents to a tin tent to an air tent to trailer tent and back to tin tent!
We've rented a few statics, nearly put us off caravanning for life. Nothing like staying in your own van on your own bed etc. we probably get up to 30 nights a year. Who knows if that it good value vs what it costs us or what our hols could cost elsewhere but we didn't buy a caravan to save money - we just enjoy the whole process of owning, looking after and using it.
We wouldn't part with ours - wish we'd got into it earlier!
We love going in the caravan but our daughter has turned 14 and looks down on caravan holidays. She would rather be with her friends. She does still come with us but it isn't the same as when she was younger.
Hi there Clare, just moved from a FC to a caravan, best thing we ever did!! Have a look on this web site for your towing weight http://www.towcar.info/index.php
Our FC seemed to take forever to put up and down, and I think I came home more tired than when I went sometimes!! The caravan is far more leisurely and I don't have to keep looking at the weather forecast all the time!!
Hope you enjoy whatever you choose and keep us all posted on your progress!!
We entered the tin top world just after Easter. 5 of us in a ours. Teenage son not so keen on sharing a double with the 3 yr old but now the weathers getting better he has asked to sleep in the awning.
Best decision we ever made. When under canvas we struggled to get away as OH hated the set up and put away :(. Since getting the van we've been away 3 weekends already, another 2trips booked and I'm planning new year somewhere :)
You'll be surprised with the bits that you'll still use from your tent:)
We have camped for many years, and last year bought a small caravan. There are only the 2 of us now though.we find its just so much comfier than the tent. The weather doesn't bother us at all now!
------------- Enjoy life while you can, none of us know what's round the corner!
Go to a dealer with lots on display and look at the different layouts.
Be prepared to have to buy a heavier car to tow a van thats big enough for your little tribe.
Look for a layout that puts the girls at one end in (convertible) bunks.
Or get a smaller one but buy a full awning and get a pod or two for the girls to sleep in. That will allow you to buy a slightly smaller van, and allow them to use the loo etc in the night.
We've just upgraded to a caravan from a tent and although we have yet to have our maiden voyage (to France and not far from La Garangeoire actually), I am really looking forward to dispensing with the several hours of set up and take down! That in itself is going to be luxury!
There's only me, my son and the dog and we've gone for a fixed bed fo me and my son will sleep in the lounge area bed, until he's big enough to sleep in an awning annexe (need to find a reasonable price one first!). We did a lot of looking and testing, at dealers and on ebay and i ended up getting a cracking bargain on ebay for £2.5k that has been checked and serviced and is aokay.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.
Lots of good information and advice to mull over.
Audicab26, that's great information on the weights and advice re the fixed bunks - thank you. Yes, where to store it when not in use is something we have been thinking about and are looking into. As a matter of interest, does anyone know what is an average rate to pay for storage?
Millermicm, thanks for working out those rates for me - very helpful. Yes, the additional costs are something to consider. We already tow a trailer with all our camping gear when camping in Ireland or France. I actually did 2 comparison quotes last night for ferry prices with the trailer versus a <8m caravan and the price difference was only €60. In addition to France we would envisage using the caravan for weekends at home, and would hope that it would lengthen our camping season as waiting for the perfect weather to tent camp in Ireland can lead to a very long wait! Also, the set up time for the tent has made weekend camping less appealing.
Greenhill, yes we'll have to bring everyone caravan shopping and get everyone to lie on the beds! As you said I imagine the set up and packing up to be a much smaller job, which is very appealing.
Brianconwy, I know it's not the same as the kids get older, even though ours still enjoy going on hols with us (not that they have a choice!) but I can empathise with their issues regarding the tent.
Fredted, that website is great - thank you. I want to be able to not worry about the weather forecast on hols either! Even this year, in the final days of our holiday we were watching the forecast closely, as if there was a risk of more of the rain we had had earlier we would have had to pack up early and find a hotel for our last night.
Yes, putting a couple of them sleeping in the awning is another option to consider - thanks.
Ljhomer, this was our first time at La Garangeoire and won't be our last. We loved it, even if we were unlucky with the weather. It is a fab site - hope you have a great time.
I have sourced a few dealers both here and in Northern Ireland, and will make some phone calls and work out who is worth visiting. Newbridge Caravans in Co Kildare seem to have a great selection - does anybody have any experience of dealing with them?
Thanks again for your help - I love that all the responses are so positive regarding caravans!
------------- 2016: La Garangeoire
2015: La Garangeoire
2014: La Garangeoire & hopefully a couple of weekends in Ireland
2013: Des 4 Vents, Ile de France & Portland , Normandy, O'Connors Riverside, Doolin
2012: Actons, Clifden, Co Galway; Interlude, Ile de Re; Salthill, Co Galway; Westport, Co Mayo
We had to store ours locally for a month when we were having building work carried out at home. It was a very secure storage facility and cost us £36 for the month. Dare say it would be cheaper long term?
Some storage places are better than others and can have an influence on insurance costs so shop around - ideally you want something local so you can drop by easily. Your dealer may be able to advise and some campsites offer storage.
Can't tell you what is right for you and yours as we are all different.
We changed early last year from a FC to a caravan and have no regrets and we use it more.
Does cost more overall as don't store at home and servicing and insurance are more than they were
We searched round and looked at lots of different vans and their layouts and decide on fixed bunks being right for us. Then set out to find most spacious bunks so they would last as kids grow which led us to Adria as they are 2ft 6 wide and full adult length
For us our Adria Altea 542DT was an easy choice as soon as we stepped inside as was so open and airy which really suited our wants
As to set up time, well depends if short or longer camp but yes you can be pitched up on site with water and EHU on and kettle on/wine open within maybe 20 mins or so
you do still then have awning to go up which in our case takes us around 15/20mins or so including pegging out for a 390cm porch awning
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: To buy or not to buy a caravan.........?
