Hi, we did the same as you a few years ago. ie converted canvas campers to tintop camping. I do miss the tent but the caravan is far less faff to set up. You asked about manufactures, the problem there is you'll only get personal preferances, all manufactures have their "issues" My personal advice is to find a good well regarded local dealer and don't rush into it (I note the timing of your question and assume you're on the look out for this year) Bear in mind that if the 'van is still in warranty, you'll need to return it to the dealer for any claims. For what it's worth, my preference is for slightly older (they're generally better built it seems) rather than brand new. Again my preference is Swift and Coachman but that's just my opnion.
The layout is very important to get right too. We are limited to 7M overall length (space on drive) So we opted for a good sized 2 berth (Swift 442) The end bathroom is quite roomy and the bed is made up in a few minutes once you realise it's better that just one of you do that
I'd 100% advise you to go to caravan dealers, check out the layouts, lie on the beds if you can. We like the larger (longer) lounge area seats as it means we can both stretch out if we want too. I'd certainly reccommend you buy one with a motor mover and budget for a decent awning too, you'll want one almost certainly. Other costs: Towbar (Removable/dedicated) £650 to £800. Awning anything from £500 to £2500. Towing mirrors £50 to £120, waste and water butts £120 (new) Chairs/table/windbreak/elec cable/chemicals.....you get the idea... It often pays to buy stuff 2nd hand.
The car's towing ability has been discussed above, hopefully like me, you'll spend some time getting your head around the confusing weights information. If your car's kerb weight is 1800kg, then the sensible weight limit of a fully laden caravan (MTPLM) would be iro 1500 to 1550 kg. If your Q5 is a 2 litre TDi, it should pull that size of 'van pretty well.
As for general advice, I'd say take a look on You Tube and check out "The Trudgians" Dan does a whole range of REALLY useful advice vidoes.
we are actually looking for next year. We realise its going to be a difficult and probably long search.
As for the whole weight thing, that`s a bloody nightmare to try and work everything out. Your cars max towing weight is pointless if thats not what you can actually tow. and all the other things weight wise to consider makes my head hurt trying to figure it out.
we love our camping holidays but are getting to old and to be honest we cant be bothered with the hassle of trying to pitch our huge family tent these days.
This may have been said before, but just because you can tow 1600kg (or whatever) doesn't mean you have to. The two of us are quite happy with our small combo of Xplore 304 (not fixed bed, 1043 MTPLM) and Ford Focus, but if we had a suitably slightly bigger car we might well move to an Xplore 554 (fixed bed) at just 1325kg MTPLM - for example, obviously other similar makes and models are available. As someone else above said, have a look and see what you like. You'll probably know "your van" once you walk into it.
Quote: Originally posted by Gray631 on 13/7/2023
Thanks for the reply,
we are actually looking for next year. We realise its going to be a difficult and probably long search.
As for the whole weight thing, that`s a bloody nightmare to try and work everything out. Your cars max towing weight is pointless if thats not what you can actually tow. and all the other things weight wise to consider makes my head hurt trying to figure it out.
we love our camping holidays but are getting to old and to be honest we cant be bothered with the hassle of trying to pitch our huge family tent these days.
That's good to hear (that you're not rushing in) very wise.
The weights thing is a bit silly, but if you just ignore the manufactures so called towing limit, it'll make more sence. As someone said before in the thread, a caravan may weigh less than a low loader but the effect of it's shape makes a huge difference in terms of safety. Personally, I'd advise going with the 85% of the cars Kerb Weight for a fully loaded 'van. Bear in mind the 'van has 2 weights too, ie the weight it leaves the factory (MRO) which also includes a battery/gas bottle/elec cable/WC water, and the MTPLM or the maximum weight the trailer is allowed to be with all of your "stuff" in it. Remembering that the Motor Mover cut's into that quite a bit. Thos numbers are always on a little silver sticker, usually by the caravan door (if not in the front locker)
So, simply take your Kerb Weight, divide it by 85% and that'll give you a sensible "MTPLM" figure to aim at. Keep below that and you should be fine.
A good question would be to ask who are the better dealers in your location.
Take your time, and ask as many questions as you like
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Topic: Advice needed
