New to caravan/camping lifestyle - bought a Rapido folding caravan fairly recently :) My daughter is not convinced and has decided we should have bought an old caravan - so to compare the internal size we went to see one that was listed on ebay.
Was a bit puzzled - under the Rapido it's rock solid steel (?) right across between the 'joists', the caravan we looked at seemed to have an underneath between the 'joists' of the type of stuff used on the backs of flatpack wardrobes. So
A - is that normal? I'm guessing not ? and
B - if next year we were to decide to change the Rapido for an old caravan what would we need to look for? I was a bit hesitant that the caravan we looked at was also freshly painted internally and the front of the caravan was flexible when you touched it - one to stay well clear of (we did btw) ?
Any advice anyone?
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Buy a damp meter and check the van over i think (from what i've read) 20+ is a start for concern and if the floor feels spongy then it's delaminated the different layers of floor board has seperated.
A Rapido folding caravan is more like a solid trailer tent, it is nothing like a conventional caravan. Caravans have plywood floor, usually with insulation in between laminations & most of the rest of the construction is wood frame & sheet aluminium. If you want to buy an old one, main checks required are for damp in the structure.
Thank you, I've read some bits about delaminated floors now
So the plywood underneath, exposed to splashback off wet roads etc, is normal then? Won't that go soft and rot in a nano-second? I always assumed a caravan would be as solid underneath as it was on the outer shell.
I learn something new every day :)
------------- I know nothing....but I learn quickly :)
The floor on mine is ok after about 27 yrs & it is just bare wood. The only way the floor will rot is if water is coming onto it from above to eventually saturate & rot it if the leak is not fixed. You need to check around the underside edge of floor, particularly in the corners where floor may have rotted away if the seal around awning rail & front have gone, you would have rotted timber inside walls as well.
Splashback from normal driving will not rot the floor because the water soon dries. The worst thing is if floor has been undersealed or painted as this can come away & hold water. Floors will have been treated with preservative when new & that is good enough.
If you are looking for an old caravan, a small lightweight low spec model will be less likely to be damp than larger 'van due to less body flex. Ebay is probably best place for a cheapie, mine was less than £400 & dry.
Ahhh, thank you Tentz, that's made things a lot clearer :) We'll see how we get on with the Rapido this year, but a small lightweight low spec caravan would be the next step for us.
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Hi wiffwaff,I had an Esterel folding caravan for some time, the folding caravans tends not to get damp problems to the same degree as normal caravans (unless they have been very badly looked after),in conventional caravans the awning rails, window rails, and door seals over time can let water into caravan seams, you do not have that problem to the same extent with a folding caravan, as the sides are folded down and under cover of the roof, and as long as sky roof light seals are ok, and roof skin ok, there should be no problems with water ingress from the roof. I have lost count of the number of folding caravans I have looked at, and only a handful have been damp and they had some form of damage to the outer skin. Two main advantages of folding caravans, 1. you use less fuel when towing(dose not have the same wind resistance as caravans, 2 it can be stored in garage and can be stored on most driveways in areas where caravans are not allowed, as they are classed as trailers, enjoy your van, try caravanning for a while to see if it for you before you invest in a more expensive van. Remember to look in the Features/Tips at top of this site it will give you information regarding speeds/towing/set up and a host of other information. Hope that has been of help
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Topic: Old caravan floor question -
