Looking seriously at moving from tenting to caravaning. I have a 2011 1.8 TDCi Mondeo and I also passed my test after 1997 so I need to keep my combined weight down.
What make and models of caravan tend to fall into the more lightweight category? We're after a larger 2-berth or smaller 4-berth (2 adults + child) model.
Its not as restrictive as you think, you go by the combined weight (3.5Tonn) as long as the van doesnt weigh more than your car kerb weight. I think your car can tow a caravan up to 1500kg but (from a quick google) your car weighs over 2200kg gross ... so thats a maximum of 1300kg
Aim for a van with a maximum authorised mass of 1200 MAX !
You should find a good 4 berth under that.
baileys do some lighter ones too. It tends to be that the more "Starter" range from each manufacturer are lighter than the plusher, more expensive ones.
As mentioned above the main factor to calculate is 85% of the kerb side weight of your car (this is the best guide but legally you can tow up to 100%). Our 2006 Vectra is very light so we were limited to a select range of vans. Like you this was our first move into a caravan this year and it needed to suit us and a 8 month old baby. We ended up joinng the caravan club as they have an excellent outfit matching system on their website. Our choice came down to a bailey ranger 470/4 (used 2007 model for £8k) or a new bailey orion (£13k). After a lot of thought and advice from others on this forum we brought the ranger as it had a lot more storage, bigger hot water tank, and was also £5k less! The large seperate shower was also a plus for the OH!. We don't pick it up till end of this month but can't wait!. The ranger is very light and has a front double and two side singles in a bunk arrangment. There are lots of rangers available on the market 2nd hand and depending on your budget you can get one 10 years old or less then a year. We felt they made a good starter van and we will aim to keep it for a few years until we maybe change the car and can tow something a bit bigger.
Good choice Alan We couldn't get any time off this month so the dealer is holding ours for us till the end of August, that way we save on a months storage and paying the balance! We have just booked 3 weeks away and can't wait. We are doing 1 week in Poole once we collect it, then later in September are going to the Norfolk Broads....and finally (and weather permitting) we are off to North Devon at the begining of Oct! We wanted to get as much use out of it before the winter comes on and its packed away!
Our Lunar Quasar 462 2 berth is 1040kg MRO & 1200kg MTPLM loads of room for 2 and has and end washroom, we pull it easily with our 1.9TDi Octavia which has a kerbweight of 1435kg, similar to your mondeo.
Lunar zenith 4 really light , 915kg MIRO 1145kg mass really modern and airy, we had one and it was a great van, I liked the fact you had bunks at the end and a divider so any little ones could have peace if they went to bed early and the adults didn't wake them.They are not to wide and a reasonable price too.
------------- "I'm a fool for my dogs"
Adopt a rescue, rescue dogs make great pets, don't support puppy farms.
The road can be tough and rough,but what you put in you get back 10 x more.
Its just a shame that they stopped making them new a couple of seasons ago, the newest Zenith 4s that you will find have rear fixed beds, the end bunks (like ours) are in pre 2006 Zenith 4s. We have a 2006 model and are very pleased with it, there are a few to choose from around the dealerships if you google them, expect to pay around 6k for a 2006 in good condition. Beware of those marked at low prices, they maywell be a scam or damp, theres one advertised privately for 3k when i looked earlier this week, as well as the dream-on prices of nearly 8k asked by some dealers for a caravan of the same year,
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!
I will leave weight issues and models to those with more experience than me. I just wanted to say that when we started out, we too had one child and went for a two berth, thinking our son could sleep in the awning and we would have plenty of room. By the end of our first summer, we were looking at 4 berths, I think son was 9 or 10 at the time, and I hated lying in the warm cosy van listening to the wind and rain lashing the awning during the night, knowing he was out there in all weathers! We ended up with the side dinette, end bathroom layout, which suits us perfectly, because son can sleep inside or outside, as he wishes, without three of us using the front double bed. Now he's 14 and prefers his own tent, but we still have the bedspace if necessary. I dont know how old your child is, but Id go for a layout with as much space as you can, weight permitting.
Check out the Trigano Silver range, they weight less than 750kg for most models, and with the roof that folds down, it saves more on fuel costs too. These are probably the lightest current fully equipped caravans around.
Hi all and thanks for the help so far. We've been out having a look today and as Anniemacxx says, we definitely need the extra sleeping space so daughter (8 years old) can go to bed earlier (hopefully!) than us and in her own privacy, especially as one of our reasons to moving to a caravan is to extend the season and so we won't always have the awning up. We now just need to find a 3/4 berth which suits us.
Can't make our mind up about whether to spend a litte like a couple of grand to start with or take the plunge and spend a lot more for a newer model. We've been camping for the last ten years all over the UK and Europe, so we know we like the 'camping' and so in theory I shouldn't be hesitating and buying the best I can affford in the first place
I just bought a 1997 Avondale Harrier 4 berth for 2.5k and to us its luxury (we had a 1984ish 2 berth before it) and i couldnt be happier, its got end wash room with shower, blow air heating, full cooker, awning etc etc so you dont need to spend more really, but if i had more cash to spend i dare say i would have !
We had the same issue when upgrading from the trailer tent last year. We have a VW Bora 1.9 TDi 130BHP, our kerbweight is 1440kgs.
We looked at lots of vans and changed our preferred choice of layouts many times. Dont be afraid to look at lots and ask loads of questions, some sales reps provide more information than others. Its a big decision and you need to get it right.
We were originally set on a Bailey Ranger 5 berth because of the option to keep the back as a bedroom, the Ranger's I think are the basic entry level and whilst there is nothing wrong with them we like the luxury of the van we chose.
We have a Lunar Ultima 524 (4berth with side dinette), the MIRO is 1065 with a MTPLM 1300kgs, the finish is excellent for a lightweight van. We carry the awning in the car boot rather than in the van to help with the weight distribution. We have just returned from 2 weeks in Cornwall and the kids chose to sleep in an inner tent in the awning rather than the van. Worked well for us.
You can try all combinations of compatability on the caravan club site, we also phoned them a couple of times and they were extremely helpful.
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Topic: What are more lightweight caravans?
We couldn't get any time off this month so the dealer is holding ours for us till the end of August, that way we save on a months storage and paying the balance! We have just booked 3 weeks away and can't wait. We are doing 1 week in Poole once we collect it, then later in September are going to the Norfolk Broads....and finally (and weather permitting) we are off to North Devon at the begining of Oct! We wanted to get as much use out of it before the winter comes on and its packed away!
