Morning all. I am thinking of changing my adored campervan to a car and caravan combination. My van is ageing sadly and is really too expensive to run as my everyday car now I'm an OAP. I really like the look and layout of the Elddis Xplore 304. There's only one of me and vans with parallel seats would just be wasted space for one person (and the occasional stowaway grandchild!)
I've been reading the posts about the Freedom and weight and obviously have a lot to learn but one thing that bothers me is wind, either when towing or when sited. I like out of the way campsites but they are often pretty blowy, eg, west coast of Wales. I also live on top of a very windy hill so parking up at home would also worry me.
Has anyone got an Xplore and can tell me what you think? And can anyone also advise me about my concerns about wind?
I would also be seeking your thoughts about a suitable tow car - cheap and small definitely the best!
I've got a 2berth caravan same size as what you describe & I've never found wind any problem when parked at night. You might detect a slight movement but not any more than you get in your campervan.
As for towing try to avoid towing in force 9 gales if you can but othewise no particular probs. If you find wind a problem in exposed roads just slow down a bit. A 1.6 diesel car is ideal tug for a caravan of the size you describe. Mpg while towing should be in mid 30s. If you want petrol then go for similar sized car with a turbo petrol for reasonable towing performance but mpg will be worse than diesel.
If you want a cheap car then go for older 1.6 diesel with good service history. An older 1.6petrol will be thirsty with not that good towing performance although it will do the job if thats what you want. Check the spec of any car you consider to ensure it can legally tow the caravan weight.
After many years caravanning ,camping and now being a sole camper I have acquired an Abbey Iona caravan.Slightly narrower and shorter than most 2 berths but has all mod cons fitted.Easilt towed and sited.Cost me £1200 complete ! Just an idea for you to think about.
We have just sold our Xplore 302 which we had for 6 years, used it in winter most of the time and experienced some windy conditions.
Not really a problem, I had the same concerns regarding strong winds when pitched, but me thinks the smaller size is beneficial due to the reduced surface area.
Towed it in some gusty weather, just took my time and I used sizeable tow vehicles.
Con: Low weight it might blow over.
Pro: Smaller footprint so less surface area for the wind.
If you really think there is a risk, park you car to help deflect the wind away from it or plant something.
Keep some heavy weights in the van, low down on the floor right over the axle and equal weights each side.
Add some weights to the corner steadies and/or wheels. Although this may affect the suspension over time.
I like my towcar to far exceed the recommended towing weights. My current van is just 72% of my cars unladen weight. The van is not loaded anywhere near its max and there is plenty of weight in the car so when actually towing it will be even lower than 72%.
No worry of the van taking control of my car.
Even though its a big car it will do close to 60mpg on a run. Whats the point in a smaller car? Get an extra 10mpg around town? But a smaller car may take a bigger hit on the fuel consumption when towing.
I get a lot of wind where I live next hill to a wind farm and I have twice recorded over 100mph wind speed caravan never moved although it was a wee bit shaking about if you were in it
As to car mpg we have a fiesta 1.4 tdc and a Mondeo 2.0 tdc the Mondeo gets better fuel mileage than the fiesta as the engine is never working hard and it is heavier and easily towed our caravan however insurance and road tax are higher on the Mondeo
For towing a bigger car with bigger engine is much better
Until we bought a large 4 berth to site on a seasonal pitch we toured for more than 20 years with tiny 2 berth caravans. All of them with sub 3.5m interiors and all weighing less than 1000kilos fully laden. All the vans were towed with smallish diesel cars. We towed and camped many times in high winds and never experienced any problems. A bit of buffeting in high winds but nothing to worry about and one occasion when the wind was so bad we delayed our journey home by 2 days, but then so did most of the other caravanners on site, regardless of the size and weight of their outfit.
I've got an Xplore 304 and initially when I bought it I was really concerned about high winds, but after a couple of years it doesn't really bother me. You can certainly feel the van moving around from the wind, but nothing excessive. I think as long as the van is loaded correctly and it isn't storm force gales most vans are fine being towed in high winds.
As for the van actually onsite during high winds, again nothing to worry about. I was down in Cornwall last week in June and first week in July and the first week was really bad, but the little van held its own and that was with the awning on.
Regarding a towing car, I have a Citroen C4 1.6 and it tows it fine, I have to drop the gears when going up hill, but it clocks along on Motorways at 60 just fine.
I agree with Grampian91's comment that it's not as simple as saying smaller, lighter vans are at greater risk of instability in high winds because surface area will also have an influence. However, if there were instances of caravans tipping over in high winds whilst sited this would be all over forums such as this one. Don't forget that the caravan - regardless of its size - is supported by steadies at all four corners when pitched and you would need a hell of a lot of wind to lift those. I'd be surprised if it felt any worse than your current campervan does.
We looked at the Xplore range a couple of years ago at the NEC whilst in the process of choosing our first caravan and thought that they seemed very flimsy inside - the whole of the interior wall between the kitchen and washroom moved if you leant on it and we felt that the Venus and Quasar ranges from Lunar seemed more robust. However, that was just our impression and you might be happy to live with it if it's only you using the van.
Suitable tow car - VW Golf or similar. Diesel is generally better for towing but petrol is better for short solo journeys so it really depends on how much towing you'll be doing and what else you'll be using the car for.
Just to say a huge thank you to everyone who has replied to my enquiry. I'm encouraged that others like the Xplore 304, the layout would work really well for me, I'm going to go to the NEC to have another look then scout about for a used one. I just wish there was a similar layout, esp the L shaped lounge, in a small motorhome - I might push the boat out for that. The information about tow cars is also really helpful and will help narrow down the best one for me.
I was out in the campervan last weekend and did have to put the roof down in the middle of the night because of the noise on the canvas sides from lashing wind and rain. Noise wouldn't be an issue with a caravan presumably.
Rain does make a lot of noise on the caravan roof, enough to make it hard to hear the telly. It is only noise though and in lighter rain is actually quite relaxing.
We have a Bailey Pursuit 400-2 which is 2 berth with a lovely big end washroom cum dressing room. All the tall stuff at the back means the living area has a lovely spacious feel.
It's easy for a small van to feel a bit claustrophobic. Ours is only a bit bigger and heavier than the Eldis. 1090 MTPLM.
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Topic: Changing from campervan to little caravan
