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Touring Caravan


Armageddon

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I cannot believe I'm even typing this having just turned 43... but we are thinking about buying a touring caravan, we're travelling around for long weekends quite a lot and trying to get a hotel/AirBnb with a teenager and a dog is a total pain.

 

So, what are peoples experiences of what I should be looking out for?  Ideally we would have a side bed which can slide in/out, end bathroom, a mover and an awning.

How much does storage cost?  Any tips on that front?

 

All advice appreciated - all abuse about being a Nigel isn't appreciated.

 

Thanks!

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We bought a motorhome in April, best thing we could have done for this year… had great holidays, been away ever second weekend to somewhere different, hardly spent any money other than on beer &whisky… kid loves it, new friends everywhere we go….

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8 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

Nigel, 

You thought about a motorhome/campervan?

Yours

Also a Nigel :lol:

 

I'm thinking along these lines too...

 

Hi Nigel,

We have but we park up then need to be out and about, also internally the motorhomes seem really small compared to a caravan, and 3 times the price.

Best wishes, Nigel

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Harry Potter
24 minutes ago, Armageddon said:

I cannot believe I'm even typing this having just turned 43... but we are thinking about buying a touring caravan, we're travelling around for long weekends quite a lot and trying to get a hotel/AirBnb with a teenager and a dog is a total pain.

 

So, what are peoples experiences of what I should be looking out for?  Ideally we would have a side bed which can slide in/out, end bathroom, a mover and an awning.

How much does storage cost?  Any tips on that front?

 

All advice appreciated - all abuse about being a Nigel isn't appreciated.

 

Thanks!

lots of you tube videos on caravans, have a good look to see what size and fit out would suit you.

TBH the market might be more expensive just now as a lot of folk are buying for stay cation holidays.

mind you coming up to winter to maybe a bit cheaper, remember your weight ratio for car to caravan when towing.

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35 minutes ago, Armageddon said:

 

Hi Nigel,

We have but we park up then need to be out and about, also internally the motorhomes seem really small compared to a caravan, and 3 times the price.

Best wishes, Nigel

I used to go on caravan trips with a pal's family when I was a kid, adults in the van, young ones in tents. The dad's logic was always that you want to go places when you're on holiday and once you've parked the caravan up your car is free to use. With a campervan (caravanette in the old days) you had to move your accommodation every time you wanted to drive somewhere. 

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Auld Reekin'
2 hours ago, Armageddon said:

 

Hi Nigel,

We have but we park up then need to be out and about, also internally the motorhomes seem really small compared to a caravan, and 3 times the price.

Best wishes, Nigel

 

Starting-off with a caravan isn't a bad idea, as you can get a reasonable second-hand one for much less than you'd pay for a roadworthy and liveable motorhome. That's what we did, but we did then end-up going for a motorhome as parking and setting-up a caravan was going to be difficult for my partner on her own when she was taking her grandkids away, for example. Neither of us were confident or happy about trying to reverse with the fecking thing either!

 

I'd recommend getting out-and-about and looking at as many 'vans as you can (Gumtree can be a good place to start looking for 2nd-hand ones) and then you'll get an idea of what you'll need to spend to get what you want, unless of course you're going to buy a new one in which case get yourself round some of the dealers. Depending on your budget, I'd say go for a reasonably-priced one, see how you get on with it and how much you enjoy it, and then upgrade if you want to or need to.

 

When we had our 'van, we stored it at a facility up by Perth airport near Scone. It was a few years ago now, but we were paying around £20 a month. There's a really good caravan / motorhome showroom and supplies store at Errol, it you're up that way. If we'd had a spare £80k, we would've happily driven off in one of their lovely, top-of-the-range campervans! There're storage sites nearer Edinburgh, including one near Tranent and another near Dalmeny: no idea about prices at these though.

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2 hours ago, Tazio said:

I used to go on caravan trips with a pal's family when I was a kid, adults in the van, young ones in tents. The dad's logic was always that you want to go places when you're on holiday and once you've parked the caravan up your car is free to use. With a campervan (caravanette in the old days) you had to move your accommodation every time you wanted to drive somewhere. 

Wise words. I own a motorhome so need to stay at sites that are within walking distance of a town or near cycle paths or bus stops. Easier done in France or Spain than in rural parts of Britain.

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Rodger Mellie
6 minutes ago, EIEIO said:

Wise words. I own a motorhome so need to stay at sites that are within walking distance of a town or near cycle paths or bus stops. Easier done in France or Spain than in rural parts of Britain.

Can you not tow your car on the back of the Camper van? I live out in the US and almost all the ‘vans I pass on the road are towing cars or Jeeps. 

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3 minutes ago, Rodger Mellie said:

Can you not tow your car on the back of the Camper van? I live out in the US and almost all the ‘vans I pass on the road are towing cars or Jeeps. 

Can you imagine trying to navigate highland roads in an RV that size?

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Rodger Mellie

True!  I was just in Acadia National Park and some of the yanks don’t give a ****. They were driving those huge RV’s on some pretty precarious roads. 

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15 minutes ago, Rodger Mellie said:

Can you not tow your car on the back of the Camper van? I live out in the US and almost all the ‘vans I pass on the road are towing cars or Jeeps. 

You can with most models but it makes stopovers more tricky especially if not using campsites as a fairly huge parking space is required eg Camping Aires in France.

 

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Had a caravan the last 6 years.

Was doubtful at first but absolutely love it.

Generally don’t go more than hour and half for a weekend. Bit longer drive if we go away for longer.

Still like my time in the sun though as well.

 

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8 hours ago, Armageddon said:

I cannot believe I'm even typing this having just turned 43... but we are thinking about buying a touring caravan, we're travelling around for long weekends quite a lot and trying to get a hotel/AirBnb with a teenager and a dog is a total pain.

 

So, what are peoples experiences of what I should be looking out for?  Ideally we would have a side bed which can slide in/out, end bathroom, a mover and an awning.

How much does storage cost?  Any tips on that front?

 

All advice appreciated - all abuse about being a Nigel isn't appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Don't know where you live.

We use storage at West Calder and pay £350 per year.

 

Since covid there has been an explosion in caravan/motorhomes.  Go to Knowepark  or pass the big one past Perth they literally sold out.

Bummer is sites are far busier and harder to book.

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jack D and coke

I’d honestly just buy a big tent. Towing a caravan is a nightmare and driving a big campervan worse. Like others have said at least with a caravan you can unhook it and drive the car. 
The converted vans with awning a better option imo too. 
Each to their own though. 

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Konrad von Carstein
41 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

Don't know where you live.

We use storage at West Calder and pay £350 per year.

 

Since covid there has been an explosion in caravan/motorhomes.  Go to Knowepark  or pass the big one past Perth they literally sold out.

Bummer is sites are far busier and harder to book.

Think there may be an explosion of used motorhomes, campervans and caravans for sale(at much reduced prices) toward the middle, end of next year if Covid begins to disappear in the rear view mirror and folk start flying again.

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Kalamazoo Jambo
5 hours ago, Rodger Mellie said:

Can you not tow your car on the back of the Camper van? I live out in the US and almost all the ‘vans I pass on the road are towing cars or Jeeps. 


Yep, over here motor homes more often than not have a car/SUV (a.k.a. a ‘toad’) in tow. Although recently we found one towing something else…

 

F3B8D885-C066-454D-A338-EAFAF5C2FC3C.jpeg6325CC3C-888C-4CB8-AB7F-79F93A49F4EA.jpeg

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Kalamazoo Jambo

Anyway, on topic of caravans, it’s interesting that no-one in the US would dream of towing one with a car. Even towing with a mid-size SUV can get you funny looks. Vast majority tow with pickup trucks. To be fair, sizes can be much bigger over here. We tow our ‘travel trailer’ (no-one knows the term caravan over here) with a fairly hefty SUV.

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3 hours ago, jack D and coke said:

I’d honestly just buy a big tent. Towing a caravan is a nightmare and driving a big campervan worse. Like others have said at least with a caravan you can unhook it and drive the car. 
The converted vans with awning a better option imo too. 
Each to their own though. 

 

We've got a massive Berghaus air tent but it's a bit of a pain in the hoop to be honest and miss that bit of luxury of a fixed bed and everything else.

 

West Calder is about 20 minutes from us so would be ideal for storage - this is all a great help!

 

My folks have a caravan and we've been using that as a trial but they're a nightmare for advice as the thought of us paying £15-20k for a van is a scandal - they also store it at their house 🥴

Edited by Armageddon
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jack D and coke
7 minutes ago, Armageddon said:

 

We've got a massive Berghaus air tent but it's a bit of a pain in the hoop to be honest and miss that bit of luxury of a fixed bed and everything else.

 

West Calder is about 20 minutes from us so would be ideal for storage - this is all a great help!

 

My folks have a caravan and we've been using that as a trial but they're a nightmare for advice as the thought of us paying £15-20k for a van is a scandal - they also store it at their house 🥴

Hire one and see how you go is my advice. 
Tow a caravan once and that’ll be you I reckon 😂

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  • 7 months later...

Can't believe I'm even contemplating this but I've got a bigger car, could easily tow a caravan.

 

What's the basics I should know about?

 

Can you tow any size on a regular license?

What should I be looking for in terms of power supply (battery?) And waste disposal? Is it actually cost effective at campsites?

 

Any other pitfalls or stuff I should think about? Other than being a Nigel 😂

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Auld Reekin'
11 minutes ago, Alan_R said:

Can't believe I'm even contemplating this but I've got a bigger car, could easily tow a caravan.

 

What's the basics I should know about?

 

Can you tow any size on a regular license?

What should I be looking for in terms of power supply (battery?) And waste disposal? Is it actually cost effective at campsites?

 

Any other pitfalls or stuff I should think about? Other than being a Nigel 😂

 

As far as I know, you can tow most sizes of caravan on a regular licence, but you'd need to check. You'd also need to check that your car is powerful enough to tow the size of caravan your thinking of. It might also depend on when you got your licence, as the regulations were tightened-up at the beginning of 1997.

 

By power-supply, do you mean your car battery, or the 'vans leisure battery? If the latter, any caravan you buy should come with a suitable and compatible leisure battery. The main thing you'd want to do, however, is to test it to ensure it's got enough life left in it, unless you're buying a brand new one.

 

Regarding waste disposal, again any caravan you buy should come with this ready installed. For on-board toilets, I think there are two main types: the "portapotty", where the waste tank is accessed from inside the 'van and therefore you need to carry it through the 'van to take it for disposal, or the "cassette" type, where this is accessible via a hatch on the outside. The latter is probably preferable and more hygienic, but it's down to personal preference.

 

I think the charges at most sites are pretty reasonable and cost-effective, but some are quite a bit more expensive than others. Places like Haggerston Castle, which are big and provide a lot of leisure facilities and entertainment, tend to be expensive, whereas the smaller and more basic sites - with just toilet & shower-blocks, and laundry & dishwashing facilities - tend to be much cheaper. If you're able to be entirely self-reliant (using own power, water, and energy) then the sites can be very cheap indeed.

 

We don't actually have a caravan these days - we have a campervan instead - so I'm not able to give any recommendations on makes to go for or things like that, but I hope the above is of some help. :icon14:

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Auld Reekin' said:

 

As far as I know, you can tow most sizes of caravan on a regular licence, but you'd need to check. You'd also need to check that your car is powerful enough to tow the size of caravan your thinking of. It might also depend on when you got your licence, as the regulations were tightened-up at the beginning of 1997.

 

By power-supply, do you mean your car battery, or the 'vans leisure battery? If the latter, any caravan you buy should come with a suitable and compatible leisure battery. The main thing you'd want to do, however, is to test it to ensure it's got enough life left in it, unless you're buying a brand new one.

 

Regarding waste disposal, again any caravan you buy should come with this ready installed. For on-board toilets, I think there are two main types: the "portapotty", where the waste tank is accessed from inside the 'van and therefore you need to carry it through the 'van to take it for disposal, or the "cassette" type, where this is accessible via a hatch on the outside. The latter is probably preferable and more hygienic, but it's down to personal preference.

 

I think the charges at most sites are pretty reasonable and cost-effective, but some are quite a bit more expensive than others. Places like Haggerston Castle, which are big and provide a lot of leisure facilities and entertainment, tend to be expensive, whereas the smaller and more basic sites - with just toilet & shower-blocks, and laundry & dishwashing facilities - tend to be much cheaper. If you're able to be entirely self-reliant (using own power, water, and energy) then the sites can be very cheap indeed.

 

We don't actually have a caravan these days - we have a campervan instead - so I'm not able to give any recommendations on makes to go for or things like that, but I hope the above is of some help. :icon14:

 

 

Cheers for that. Something to look into. Defo wasn't thinking of a new one. More a case of an old one for a few grand to save putting a tent up 

 

I like camping but the Mrs won't go near a tent.

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Auld Reekin'
4 hours ago, Alan_R said:

Cheers for that. Something to look into. Defo wasn't thinking of a new one. More a case of an old one for a few grand to save putting a tent up 

 

I like camping but the Mrs won't go near a tent.

 

:thumbsup:  Yep, I've done both but much prefer the (relative) comfort and protection from the elements that a caravan or campervan provides! That said, if you get one with an awning or buy one separately, you can combine camping and caravanning and increase your living-space considerably when you're away somewhere.

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Jambo-Jimbo

My laddie has had a large transit sized van converted into a campervan, fold down bed, table, sink, electricity, flooring, black out windows etc etc.

He travels a lot and was spending a fortune on hotels, so him & his wife who are both into camping as it is, looked at a touring camper, but they were way way too expensive, so looked at this option and worked out way cheaper, to just buy a decent sized van and get it converted.  They are away up North over the week-end and working their way down the country this week, plan was to either stop at camp-sites or large lay-by's/car parks or wherever, saving them a fortune already, plus they have the freedom to go whenever and wherever they want to.

 

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highlandjambo3
1 hour ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

My laddie has had a large transit sized van converted into a campervan, fold down bed, table, sink, electricity, flooring, black out windows etc etc.

He travels a lot and was spending a fortune on hotels, so him & his wife who are both into camping as it is, looked at a touring camper, but they were way way too expensive, so looked at this option and worked out way cheaper, to just buy a decent sized van and get it converted.  They are away up North over the week-end and working their way down the country this week, plan was to either stop at camp-sites or large lay-by's/car parks or wherever, saving them a fortune already, plus they have the freedom to go whenever and wherever they want to.

 

Conversion is the way ahead…..I don’t get this industrial camper van units fully fitted out, way to expensive for what you get……this is coming in at 66k

 

 

8425DC22-7181-47F9-9319-926502976E8E.jpeg

Edited by highlandjambo3
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