We have been camping for years, but I seem to have reached the (st)age when a caravan has started to become strangely desirable. (I hope I am among friends now - this is a big admission!)
However, my wife and I have 5 kids aged between 4 and 14, and we can't quite get our heads around how we would fit in a caravan. Variations considered include :
1. Fitting us all in a caravan. This seems difficult, given I haven't found one larger than 6 berth - although some feature a large double at the back (that could sleep 3 smaller ones) with 2 fold down beds above, plus a double at the front making 7 in total. Which makes me wonder why there are no 7 berth caravans ?...so,
2. Sleeping 6 in a caravan and one in an awning. But then, one on their own seems a bit unfair, so maybe..
3. Sleeping 4-5 in a caravan, with 2-3 in an awning or tent alongside, in which case...
4. Is it better to have a caravan with better living and washroom space (say a large 4-5 berth) and accept than someone will have to sleep outside, which makes me wonder...
5. Is there any washroom that can cope with 7 eg how much hot water for showers can a caravan manage between fill ups ? So maybe we need to plan on using on-site showers and toliets and not worry about the caravan washroom ?
There must be someone else out there with experience of this challenge. What would you advise works best in terms of caravan layout ?
You most certainly will not get anywhere near 7 showers in an acceptable time space, you will need to go to the shower block for sure! They only have small water heaters and the aquarolls only hold 40 litres from memory. There are only 2 of us and we just don't even bother to attempt it as the water always runs out just as you have soaped yourself......
You will probably find a 5 berth with the two eldest children in an awning annexe the best combination otherwise you are going to feel awfully cramped. Maybe you need a static not a tourer lol!!!!
I did see a 7 berth TEC caravan for sale at Elitecaravans.co.uk some time ago but think its gone now,
Although these people have a lot of foreign/unusual vans in so may be worth a ring,
We got our Geist from them and we're quite pleased with the service,
Alternatively the triple bunk layout 6 berths may be what you could have and maybe someone sleep on a small airbed on the floor at the back also inbetween the triple bunks and the single bed?
As for showers, you would be filling the aquaroll up a lot, although could keep the kids occupied in the mornings.
Good luck.
P.s. I know they do 7 berth motorhomes too but they also only seem to have 6 travelling seats with seat belts, and you are also looking at upwards of £35k
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
We had a 6 berth avondale leda malvern which had space inbetween for an airbed when we took friends of the kids so it can be done :)
DS decided that he didn't want to sleep with the girls so he chose to sleep in the awning so you might want to ask the older ones whether they would actually be happy in all sleeping together or would they want to have their own space in the awning. Our ds loves having his own space so when we got our new 'van with the triple bunks he still slept outside lol.
You can get awnings with 2 2 berth annexes either end but this does then mean that you are in effect seasonal campers still.
When it comes to caravans and kids i do think you need to listen to them when it comes to sleeping arrangements lol.
I'm assuming that you have a v large mpv or similar with that size family , most mpvs can be used for accommodating a couple of berths ,, or have an awning on the caravan as has already been suggested ,, might be a good idea to get yourself a telly too ,, ; )
Steveiem - Good point. I forgot to mention that we do have a VW Caravelle (fantastic car for camping, by the way) that will sleep 2-3 as the seats convert to a double (in fact king sized) bed. It also doubles up as a living room with facing seats and a little table. We have only had it for 6 mths, so are still exploring its role in the family !
Gazmister123 - We did look into hiring a motorhome in the past, but, like you, could find them that would sleep 7 but only had seat belts for 6 - we really couldn't live with that risk, and it obviously totally undermines the "we're not setting off until you all have your seat belts on" line.
I hope you find something suitable Andybrad, I have often wondered why the new triple bunks/end kids bedrooms don't have an option of putting an extra bunk over the single bed opposite the bunks to accomodate larger families,
The only other problem you may find is storage space inside for all the clothes and the weight of it all, so you may want to get a big roofbox to for your VW
------------- Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
We have the same issue. We are a family of 6 with a 5 berth caravan, I say 5 berth but really it is a 4 berth comfortably. We have an awning annexe and normally me and hubby sleep in there and the kids have the van. It's the most comfy solution that we can find at he moment. However on our next adventure the kids want to take it in turn to sleep in the annexe and are really excited about it. It's all about what works for you, I know the family that owned our van before and they used to fit 7 in at one time, so it can be done just all depends how comfy you want to be.
We have the same issue. We are a family of 6 with a 5 berth caravan, I say 5 berth but really it is a 4 berth comfortably. We have an awning annexe and normally me and hubby sleep in there and the kids have the van. It's the most comfy solution that we can find at he moment. However on our next adventure the kids want to take it in turn to sleep in the annexe and are really excited about it. It's all about what works for you, I know the family that owned our van before and they used to fit 7 in at one time, so it can be done just all depends how comfy you want to be.
If you're looking at vans with bunks you need to check the length of them & the weight they'll take. We had a 6 berth but the upper bunks would only take up to 11st (altho I wouldn't have liked to try & put anyone that heavy up there) & one was only 5' 9" long.
We've switched back to a 5 berth to gain the extra living/seating space at the back instead of having fixed bunks because even tho we had enough beds the teens still wanted to sleep in the awning annexe.
I'd think about what mix of ages & boys/girls you have & who would be best sleeping in the awning or the car (love the sound of your car BTW).
A caravan bathroom wouldn't be much use for 7 of you & we've always found it much easier to use site facilities anyway (bigger cubicles for when you're trying to get little ones clean!).
I am thinking a layout like this one might work best :
http://www.lunarcaravans.com/caravans/stellar-lexon.php#4
It has the flexibility to potentially sleep 7 in the caravan (eg for a short overnight stop), but also provides plenty of living space if anyone chooses to sleep elsewhere (awning, car, tent, etc) on a longer stay. It sounds like it might be best to assume 4-5 in the caravan and 2-3 out.
I also think this layout will work better than the fixed bunks that are available, as these often have restrictions on size and weight (as adsheadv points out) so are more of a "one-trick-pony".
And a decent shower/toilet is a bonus, but definitely not anything to rely on in any case.
Is a twin-axle caravan anything to worry about (rather than a single axle) ?
This van might be suitable for your needs it is a 2010 Caravelair Ambiance Style 516 (7) berth caravan priced at £9,995 want more details have a look on CaravanFinder
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: Best caravan for family of 7 ?
