After another nearly wet pack up, almost got the canvas dry on our tt, then another shower, then nearly dry, then another shower, arghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!. Not to mention back ache shoulder ache etc etc with the packing up and erection of a tt. after nearly 20 years we are considering giving it up and buying a small caravan. Am I mad, is it easier? We're fed up with worrying about having to dry out the tt at home as we can no longer put it up in our garden and quite frankly finding it all a bit of chore (age related I reckon )
So my question is, has anyone had the same dilema, are you glad or sorry about your decision to go to a van? Have you gone to a caravan then back to a tt or even a folding camper. Any advice most welcome.
We have had to do just that. After this last year and only because I had an accident going backwards in my wheelchair, we moved for Pennine Fiesta to Lunar 2 berth caravan.
I will not say it was done without a lot of thought, it just made the final move easier at the end as we had , had 9 weeks of wet, dry ...... al through the 9 weeks but would of continued as we have a preference for going under canvas.Also they allowed us to have it in the back gdn. Not so the c.van it has to be paid for in storage and that is 30 mile away.
But we knew it was time for us to change over. It is just too much for Bob to do on his own. He already has to do alot caring for me. I did as much as I could, now I can do more for him when packing down or putting up.
If I was fit & mobile the answer would be very different i would not of changed except for a folding caravan maybe, but their expensive, and certainly not as big inside as an fc. Beds made up all the time is like having a fixed bed, no small caravans have them. Yet fc's do.
Your choice though in the end, wish you well in whatever you choose. Enjoy it.
I changed this year and have no regrets. Admittedly I still look at tents with a bit of longing plus they have more space but an awning helps a lot. The extra comfort is great but most important is the lengthening of the season. Also having just been away with a group of campers it showed how quick we pitched and packed up compared to them.
Hi, we have gone from a tt to a fc to a caravan and I don't think I would go back again. The fc was lovely,such an improvement on the tt it was easy to tow and lovely inside.....but I don't miss unfolding it to pack items before a trip or worrying about having to fold it up wet then drying it out. The caravan is bigger to tow but you do get used to it, but once you are on site it only takes minutes and you're set up!
Of course it's easier . It's warmer and quicker. And comfortable when the weather is bad.
But I have always looked at tents and thought of camping again. But would I no.
Because I have sat in the caravan on a wet cold day and felt sorry for the people in tents. ( even though I'm sure they are very happy )
Because they don't have the worry of where to store it the cost of it . When it needs servicing then repairing or when things go wrong.
we had camped in tents for 20+ years but 3 years ago changed to a caravan. we have 2 pre teen children and kept 2 of our tents just in case. We now say we wouldn't go back to tents and use the caravan all year round with 45+ nights away in the caravan a year. With weather and time it took to pack / unpack / dry tent etc we were lucky if we got 10 nights away in a tent a year. When we used tents if it rained we ended up spending a fortune eating out where as it doesn't matter with van, I can still rustle up a good meal in the van and sit and enjoy it in the warm. My husband was never going to have a caravan and took some convincing but he doesn't regret changing to a van at all. It works really well for us as a family. He now sits there watching tents pack up in the rain saying how he is glad we don't have to worry about that now.
Seems to me theres little difference from owning a trailer tent to a caravan, both have to be towed, stored & maintained/insured & both cost extra to take on a ferry. Ok, a new tt is cheaper to buy than a new caravan but secondhand there is less difference.
If the op just wants to change to a small basic caravan he will find little difference in ownership costs, plenty of early 90s small 'vans on ebay cheap enough & now at the end of the season is the time to buy.
If you have room at home for both then buy the caravan in the next couple of months & sell the tt next spring.
Hi, we camped in tents for over ten years actually glamped for the best part of it, we went over to a caravan for a few reasons the weather, extending the season we use the caravan all year round and also because I have arthritis and it was getting more and more difficult packing up, we have never for one moment regretted our decision.
same as beanpark ,loved my folding camper for its space ,made up beds ,easy tow and storage ,but after this years horrendous weather and having to paddle across flooded fields in the middle of the night for the loos ,i said enoughs enough .
so we sold up and bought a nice 2 berth caravan from a friend .we now have the inconvenience of having to make up a bed every night ,but we have in exchange a longer season .blown warm air heating ,a oven ,large fridge ,a easier to erect awning ,built in toilet/wash room /shower .
the choice is yours and basically its down to what your car can comfortably tow .!!!!!
We felt like we wouldn't be real campers anymore if we bought a caravan, but wouldn't go back now, it is camping but with a little more comfort.
Love the fact we can go all year round, instead of the weather dictating when we start and stop, so no, no regrets at all.
------------- "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.
Never regretted moving from tent to caravan, I loved camping but hated waking up to wet walls, ceilings etc and packing wet tents and having to dry them out. I guess I have decided I am a fair weather tenter. I am tempted to buy another small tent for good weather 1 or two night stays etc ( won't get much use out of it then ) because there is something about being in a tent which I enjoy.
That said, roll on next week as I am away in Norfolfk for the week in the caravan of course.
We went from trailer tent to caravan because we had nowhere to dry it out. The final straw was having to put it up my works car park to dry it out. You will still have to do the same with an awning if its packed away wet. I now have bigger garden and cqn do this easily, if needed. We are probably going for seasonal pitch next year because its a bit much trying to set up van and awning with three kids under three. We have to go with other people to give me a hand.
We never used to have a problem drying it out, our back garden is huge. But our landlord has now changed the gate at the side of the house and now I cant get it round there. It would have to sit on the front drive and I dont fancy that, leaving it erected with all the stuff inside and I'm not going to empty everytime we come back wet.
I shall still keep a couple of tents as I don't want to give tent camping up entirely, but they go in the back garden no problem, I can put our favourite little frame tent up on myu own. The tt is also getting such hard work now, it wasn't even a couple of years ago, feeling old age creeping up. Wouldn't bother with canvas awning, may have lighweight one instead.
Quote: Originally posted by Aceselect on 29/8/2012
Never regretted moving from tent to caravan, I loved camping but hated waking up to wet walls, ceilings etc and packing wet tents and having to dry them out. I guess I have decided I am a fair weather tenter. I am tempted to buy another small tent for good weather 1 or two night stays etc ( won't get much use out of it then ) because there is something about being in a tent which I enjoy.
That said, roll on next week as I am away in Norfolfk for the week in the caravan of course.
If you need a fix one of those po up tents in the garden may cure it
We just changed to a caravan, sold all my camping things and almost new tent a few weeks ago as we were so fed up with trying to dry out the tent when we got home (that and the amount of time it take's us to set the tent up) looking farward to our first trip in our new (to us) caravan, it can rain all it want's we will be nice and dry in our caravan lol.
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Topic: Any regrets?
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