campervan V tent ?

2 adults 2 boys already have a great tent and all the equipment been camping since the boys where 6 weeks old, we all love it.

I have always fancied a VW and a T25 may have come available at a reasonable price, problem is whats a camper van going to “add” to the party ?

going to be a another expense i.e. tax insurance repairs/mot etc

more space in a tent

easier to go out in the car for day trips from camp site

car more economical

the sensible side says stick with tents the silly side says buy buy buy !

advice gladly taken

Depends how many times you’d use the camper van, I guess… and if you’ve got somewhere to store it for all those months when it’s outside your house doing nothing.

I always kind of fancied one, but we camp two, maybe three times a year, so even if we could afford one it wouldn’t ever be worth it.

Camper vans are cool though.

You have to work out how much not having to pitch a tent in the pissing rain at midnight after a long drive is really, really worth. 😀

Personally, I think you pay an awful lot for very little extra convenience.

Great idea, but I don’t think I’ll bother unless I was pretty much going to live in the thing.

tent doesn’t need an MOT or fuel. T25’s need both (both cost lots and lots and lots!) For the price of a T25, how many B&B’s could you stay in?

My feeling is that I have a tent, but I know I don’t have to use it because it wasn’t a huge investment.

If I had a camper van, I’d be a slave to it. Every holiday we went on would have to be in the van… our personal lives would revolve around it… I’d find myself going to the same places, time after time, because it’s convenient for the van… and pretty soon I’d sell the damn thing and get the tent, pegs, sleeping bags etc etc etc out the cupboard.

Stick with the tent. The money can go towards another bike.
Go on!you know you want another one. 🙄

hearing good stuff here…

just acquired a new hybrid 😉

Having a van is not about replacing a tent, doing tent holiday but in a van, its about doing things that you just cant in a tent or a car.

Pull up on the side of a remote scottish road with an amzing view.
Picking up kids and going to the beach after school, playing out and dinner in the van.
Parking up near a pier to have a ‘family night’ playing board games and watching a storm batter the coast.
Sharing dinner with friends somewhere different than pizza express or the same old chinese restaurant, takeaways in a van are ace.

Its like having a mobile living room with the outside world providing the entertainment rather than another crap ant’n’dec show.

I should point out, i dont have a van, dont even have a licence, the above are just snippets of what i experienced when staying with my grandparents when i was young, twas ace!

Coming back to a camper has its advantages. Like proper (heated) beds, satellite telly, a hot shower, facilities to cook a proper 3 courser & an ice cold beer.

It’s a no brainer….buy it. You know it makes sense.

an eriba caravan could fit the bill…

How much would the camper van be, out of interest? Would you buy an old, knackered one or a brand-new spangly beast?

EDIT: A caravan?

* senses thread moving to the dark side and unsheathes lightsabre *

£3000 bit *shabby*

Camper-vans just seem astronomically expensive for what they are. Would love one, but can’t justify the cost for something which will rust away in 15 years.

If I had £3000, I might consider the camper van on the basis that I wouldn’t freeze little camo off taking a midnight slash…

no toilet in one so the kids will still freeze when they go for a tinkle !

Ah, back to the tent it is then… 😉

Think what you’d miss if you went van:

No cussing at the Mrs whilst struggling with the tent put-up and trying to come across all Bear Grylls…

No hours spent blowing up airbeds with the wrong attachment that you can just about get to work if you squeeze the nozzle a certain way…

No airbed disfunction at 2am midway up a Welsh mountain and 200 metres from your car…

No rain dripping in after the eighth hour of solid deluge…

No drunk adolescents on orienteering experience in the next tent cussing at each other in the wee hours… and then getting up to play no light football and crashing into your guide lines (which happened to us last year)…

You’d lose all that AND fork out £3000? 😉

I think that for £3k the camper van is not going to be very good, it’s probably old, small and with a host of mechanical problems waiting to happen.

You could get a pretty reasonable caravan for that money, bathroom, proper cooker, you can stand upright, proper beds, fridge etc.

If you get a camper van, every time you want to drive somewhere you have to put everything away. If you have a caravan you just get in the car and go.

back to the Vango tent it is then…

but I want it, i like the VW

Aspall organic cider you are not helping (on my second 500ml bottle)

Karinofnine you speak sense sort of its that whole caravan thing…as said before Eriba caravan cool and its a caravan!

I understand, they ARE lovely things – there were 4 on Theobalds Park site when I left this morning. 3 of the modern ones, one of those with a tent thingy that joins on, looked very smart with its alloy wheels and tinted windows. One with an ordinary tent next to it, and my friend’s one, black with a red/blue metal flake through it, smart as a carrot (but cost significantly more than three grand) and 1 of the old ones, with a pop top. VERY COOL indeed but VERY SMALL inside.

Please don’t make your decision while cidered up 🙂

Karinofnine no worries on that !

This will be my next tent…

I think that for £3k the camper van is not going to be very good, it’s probably old, small and with a host of mechanical problems waiting to happen.

You can make a cuppa while you wait for the RAC though.

Unless you travel and camp a lot then totting up the figures it’d probably be cheaper to stay in hotels than to buy, own and run a camper. Especially if you are camping with children as you’ll probably want to make use of paid for sites with hook ups and the related amenities.

The sense of campers over caravans and tents is being able to wake up somewhere different every morning. If you expect to be basing yourself somewhere and day-tripping from that base then a tent or a caravan works better for that.

back to the Vango tent it is then…

but I want it, i like the VW

We have one, it’s fantastic.
Have 2 lads who have had some amazing hols in it with us.
Get a Khayam awning (goes up in 10 mins) and you have a huge amount of space.
The best bit about a camper is rolling onto a site when it’s windy and raining and just popping the top, cooking tea and sleeping all snug and warm.
VW van has the footprint of a car so you can park anywhere and tour tiny lanes etc.

Carries a load of gear too!

Have had a (now) 30 yr old T25 for the past 15 years since just before the kids were born. It is a mixed blessing.

A couple of years ago when we thought it had a terminal ailment they were both more upset than if a family member had died!
To our 14yo daughter it certainly aint cool!
12 yo son hates the thought of selling it.

For all it gets used the tax, insurance & minor repairs cost more than staying in a hotel

We don’t go that far in it locally round N Scotland. It would be ace to go to continent but the fear of ending up broken down in middle of Englandshire for whole 2 weeks puts us off.

It was great on outer isles – much warmer & drier than a tent. Confortable seats to sit in & watch the storm outside (did at one point think the wind would overturn us!)

It is a PITA when you have to pack up whole van to go out for the day.

Wondering whether to sell it – but can’t bring ourselves to.
We know a caravan woud make far more sense – but certainly can’t bring ourselves to do that! However an Eriba…

if you buy the VEEDUB and it turns out to be a mistake you can sell it and you will regret the decision for about a month. Don’t buy it, and you could regret it for a whole lot longer.

interesting, we’ve thought about caravan, camper, tent. Dismissed camper as our plans are to go to X, base and the day explore from somewhere we like. Caravan means more comfort but our destinations are most Scot H+I, remote Scot and general UK. After doing some caravan research and more thinking – (*we live in Berks)ferry costs, pita long slow drives, small roads at destination etc esp for islands and I suspect cheeky caravanning might not be that welcome I’m now back to ‘structured’ hoidays and tent.
Do the H+I etc over the next 2/3 years with tent,can (hopefully) balance cost by using B&B on bad days and tent when suitable. Then try caravan for more mainsream and general mainland holidays. (*also helped by fact that current car is only 1.6 and wrong towing limit for reqd caravan)

Now seeing if there is such a thing as a quickish pitch tent with a built in sleeping base(gf has plated shoulder so comfort essential), have seen roof rack tents – but they’re king expensive and limited access etc, and have come round to wondering about a ‘normal’ van (vito etc) with a 9″ false floor – bikes on top – decent pull out mattress underneath false floor and a popup/quickpitch tent

VW type campers really come Ito their own if you’re cruising about exploring places. Staying a couple of nights somewhere, moving on, find a little secluded bay and stop over with a great view, campsite for another couple of nights etc. Brilliant in france where you can stopover on aires for free often in some amazing places and mix it up with campsites.

We bought our van after a trip camping in Scotland and a wet weekend on mull stuck in a damp tent watching a Swiss family playing in the sea and then sitting down at a table in their t4 camper eating a hot meal and drinking hot drinks whilst we were freezing in a tent.

Someone earlier said, you can get out forthe day in the winter and watch storms at the coast sat there with a cuppa and the heater on all toasty after a walk or bike ride.

Funnily enough you don’t keep going back to the same places in the van like we used to in a tent. You don’t worry about moving on if somewhere isn’t great as its so easy. Don’t think I’d be so relaxed about moving on with one of those massive tents, windbreaks, cookers, kitchen sink units you see people with…

We use ours as a daily driver but don’t have to commute. We’ve just bought our second one as we used the last one so much. I think either you get it or you don’t. My sister thinks we’re mad.

Have had/used tents, caravan and camper van. Currently have camper van. The main advantage of the camper van is moving about from site to site on a day to day basis. If basing at one site then tent/caravan. We very rarely stay more than one or two nights in any one place with the camper van.

It is a PITA when you have to pack up whole van to go out for the day.

We find being organised and tidy helps. A place for everyting and everything in it’s place. The camper van isn’t that spacious and quickly becomes so cluttered you can’t move. So things are used and then generally put away. Not much to do to move off each day.

If you get a camper van, every time you want to drive somewhere you have to put everything away. If you have a caravan you just get in the car and go.

And then realise that you/wife/kids have left something essential in the tent/caravan. We always found the faff of deciding what we needed for the day took longer than just heading off in the campervan with everything. The days plans can be more fluid if you have all your kit/clothes/food/cooking facilities with you. YMMV.

Just sharing an alternative view as the need to pack up and take everything with you in a camper van is often touted as a negative, it has a positive side too.

Interesting debate, good points of view.

Here’s some more from me: slow drive? no, on motorways my car can tow at the legal limit for caravans (60), it can very easily tow at 70 – which is the national speed limit anyway – and I have gone faster, briefly, to see if the car could do it (it can, easily). Generally though I stick to a little over 60, I love trucking along watching the road come rushing towards me and disappearing in the rear-view mirrors.

The newer VWs can outpace me, no problem at all – but I can easily go faster than the old ones, especially uphill where they do seem to struggle.

As for stopping anywhere, it’s true I can’t get down tiny lanes but I have stopped in all kinds of lay-bys and got into bed. It’s lovely, silent, and feels a little bit naughty too 🙂 For me, any downside in terms of speed and/or agility is more than set-off by having my belongings and my dogs with me.

I’ve had some great adventures in mine.

001 by Davesport62, on Flickr

040 by Davesport62, on Flickr

056 by Davesport62, on Flickr

092 by Davesport62, on Flickr

061 by Davesport62, on Flickr

Panorama 2 by Davesport62, on Flickr

Panorama 3 by Davesport62, on Flickr

Buy it 8)

From experience:

Tents are great if you like to suffer. I’ve watched too many get blown to bits in storms and the “happy faces” of tenters first thing in the morning tells me all I need to know. Did it a few times years ago and the memories are enough to deter me now.

Campervans and motorhomes are great for convenience. Pull up and in a few minutes your all set. Nice and warm and dry. Very little real storage space. To add more space the roll out awnings are quick and easy. But to go anywhere you need to pack everything up. They are suited more to touring. Travel a bit, stop overnight, move on. Having to preform bed making gymnastics to make up enough beds for everyone is a pain. Best for couples really.

Caravans are great for going to one place and staying for longer. Slower to get there (but no real difference to a motorhome) and longer to set up than a camper but similar to a tent. Warm, dry and more space than a camper. You have a car to travel about in. A lot cheaper than a camper or motorhome. Storage on a drive can be an issue. Same amount of work as a tent with water etc. but you have proper beds and kitchens and toilets. Best for families.

Hotels: best for couples on a “dirty weekend” 😉

Buy a van, then buy a Bell Tent

You can bring your wood burning stove for the tent.

image by piemonster, on Flickr

I’ve had some great adventures in mine.

I very much doubt that cost around 3 grand so isnt too pertinent to the thread. Very nice though.

I like the look of those eriba troll caravans, small and easy to tow, and two, albeit small, double beds. Would be suitable for both family weekends with me and my wee one, and biking weekends.

spent an hour at my friends parents who have a Westfaila Atlantic wow ! (it was their retirement present to themselves ) i still want one maybe not that one way out of my price range

longer to set up than a camper but similar to a tent.

Have to disagree with that. Setting up a caravan involves winding a leg down on each corner. Then you open door, get inside. As long as you’ve not filled it with junk of course, but then you can do that with campervans. Yes you have to get water, but you always have to do that.

Fridge full of cold food/beer, stand up kitchen and sink, hot and cold running water, heating, shower, full comfy king sized bed, comfy sofas, double glazing, blackout blinds, toilet, and all for £1500 and no tax, MOT or insurance.

Campervans are an outrageous rip off. And even the big ones are tiny compared to caravans. You can have a table at one end with the kids playing on it, all their toys in their own cupboards, and a grown up sitting room at the other end, if you like.

Probably better of with a Folding camper

Seems a bargain
Folding camper £ 2,600

Dandy winterised Bargain £ 2,300