Hi Everyone, after being in wet tents for the last couple of years we have decided to take the plunge and look at buying a caravan, We are a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children (7 and 10). Do I look at a 4 berth, 5 berth or 6 Berth. The 6 Berth with fixed bunks looks appealing but is this over the top. We have a 2.0l D Mondeo estate which seems to be a good tow car. Would a 4 berth be too small? budget will be around 7k. Also are their good deals to be had in winter?
------------- Somedays I sit and think. somedays i just sit
Like all things it will boil down to personal preference, when we looked for our first van last year we found it really useful to go round various dealers in order to see what's out there. As a family of 4, although our kids are younger at 2 and 5, we opted for a Bailey Pageant Provence which is a 5 birth twin dinette. As the kids grow older we will use the rear dinette as their space during the day. At the moment we leave the rear double made up as the youngest still has a daytime nap and also keep the pull down bunk set up which the eldest uses.
I also tow with a Mondeo estate TDCI and find it to be a good tow car - loads of grunt.
Hi
I have just been in the same situation, 2 adults and 2 daughters aged 11 and 13 and not sure which layout to go for. The advice varied dependent on the layout of the caravan they owned and what they used it for!! People who use sites with no facilities want a bigger bathroom. The most common layout for 4 is the rear bathroom with side diner bunks. I thought my 2 are getting to the age where a bunk would be a bit limited in space as they are both tall kids. I also liked the layout you mentioned but again, I wasn't sure about the size of some of the bunks.
We have ended up buying the twin dinette layout in a 5 berth (the 5th berth being a bunk over the rear dinette which can be used occasionally if we take anyone else with us). The rear double is plenty big enough for both kids without them falling out (either literally or emotionally!!). We have yet to use the caravan as we only picked it up last weekend but the layout seems practical for a family of 4. - hope this helps.
Hi there - another converted camper here! I have two girls age 9 & 11 and have recently purchased a 4 berth lunar chateau which has front and rear dinette which both convert to 2 good size double beds. I have a choice of a full or porch awning to add to the living space for bikes, muddy wellies etc...
I tow with a Focus 1.8 TDi estate so the weight of the van was my main concern. The van is smaller than a lot of 4 berths but the layout makes it very roomy.
I have to agree with Duckers above - have a look around local dealers to see what you fancy. You can also spend hours on the net like I did looking at used van ads to see what's about and what you can get for your money.
Good luck with the hunting and have fun!
It might be a good idea when you are looking for a caravan to take you children with you and that way you should get a reasonable idea as to how you would cope in a 4 berth. Not forgetting what others have said about matching the weight of any caravan with you towing vehicle.
Good Luck and enjoy both the searching for a van and the holidays thereafter.
------------- Don't know where I'm going but will be happy when I get there.
as JADONAMY says, all of the family go to a few caravan dealers to see what will suit you,so many layouts, and people like different things, we are a family of 6 so have one of the rear fixed bunks and side dinette/bunks layout, its not the layout that I would choose if I only had 2 children, I would go for a 4/5 berth with double at the front and the kids bed at the rear, with a sliding door, then if you have friends around for a drink or want to watch tv etc, you can sit in the van and not disturb the kids too much, the side dinette/bunks and the fixed rear bunks only have a curtain around them.
I think (having twin 4yr olds myself) that the fixed end bunks are great.We have a 6berth and it's ideal.Having the awning obviously doubles the space and is great,but you have to look at the weight of the 'van you are towing.
We tow an Avondale Dart 556-6 which is light at 1300kg MTPLM.Pulled by a Volks Touran easily and we tow at 33mpg often as it's diesel.Make sure you're within the 85% towing capabilities and get the biggest,lightest 'van you can i'd say!With your budget you're probably end up with a 3-4yr old 'van at that size.
When we were younger and used to go on family holidays we had a 4 berth but me & my brother slept on air beds in the awning and loved it , we were plenty warm enough and it was a bit of an adventure.
we have 2 kids also 4 and 7 and went for the 550-6 (not available any more?) for the end fixed bunks and is a match for our mondeo also it is all down to you and what you want really look around we looked at hundreds before we settled on ours then just checked weights were ok on what tow car
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Topic: what size do I get
