get one of them teardrop ones

Not read the whole thread, but just wanted to make the plea that you don’t load the ‘van with food before you go. While it’s tempting and probably cheaper for you, it would mean that the whole holiday spend is done somewhere other than the island you are visiting.

Mine cost £500

Not sure I understand that statement? You’re saying he r shopping for food is an important part of the holiday so should be done when you get there?

He (I presume a he) is on about spending someo money at the destination. Don’t ship in all you need. Give to the island economy

AA – Your caravan looks good. What type & weight is it?

Oh yes I see what he means. Well caravan cupboards aren’t that big so we don’t bring much food, plus most of our money is spent doing stuff out and about anyway.

My point was indeed that it would be good to support the island economy if you are able. I tottally get that you don’t wan to spend your time shopping, but small islands rely heavily on tourists for their income.
Whatever you choose to do: enjoy the trip.

That little caravan is awesome!!

molgrips – Member

And why does Molgrips think you can’t have fresh milk if you’re a camperist?

I’ve extensively camped as well as caravanned. Milk tends not to keep that well without a fridge.

Get tent out and pitch in 30 seconds, or less.
Enjoy the extra 2 hours of holiday.
Watch caravanners get soaking wet while as they argue about who’s going to put the legs down and put the awning up.

I think you are comparing efficient camping with inefficient caravanning. You may be able to pitch a tiny instant pitch tent in 30 seconds, but the two things are in no way comparable. Trust me, I do know this. Did you know that caravan awnings are not mandatory, and for shorts stays most people don’t bother?

You can get packing up from camping down to a similar amount of time as packing up a caravan, but then you have to spend your holiday in a little tiny tent with no facilities and cook on the floor. Of course, you can bring a fridge, table kitchen, folding cupboards, folding beds etc etc, but that stuff isn’t all going to be got out and packed away in 30 seconds, is it?

Plus, no caravanner is going to be standing around outside in the rain putting an awning up. We sit in our nice warm van until it stops, obviously. And why would caravanners be more likely to argue than a couple in a tent? I think you are talking arse.

Get a cold beer from the fridge.

Is this the fridge that magically unpacked itself in the 30 seconds your tent takes to erect? Or is it a carvanner’s fridge which is already there and cold?

Caravan shit is expensive .

Spares can be, but they can also be cheap. I found it very useful that you can usually get replace,ent interior fittings for peanuts: hinges, door catches, new keys, rubber sealing strips, lights, plumbing etc etc. Yes, things like a new fridge from a breakers are much more than you expect, but then when you can buy a complete van for a grand it starts to look like good value.

Yep van is a good idea, but a £1k van isn’t likely to be that nice a place to be, probably damp and a bit musty.

I wouldn’t say ‘probably’. There are crap vans for sale at that price but also good ones. They are definitely around. You can get decent old vans from dealers but they are three times the price.

Make sure you check the available payload in the ‘van – some are pitifully small like less than a 100kg.

Modern vans it’s usually about 130kg or so, not including a gas bottle usually. There’s MIRO (mass in running order) and MTPLM (maximum technical permissible laden mass). Payload is MTPLM – MIRO, and MIRO includes a gas bottle (since 2011 anyay). Older vans though have much more generous allowance, perhaps for this reason. My 23 year old Bailey 4 berth 18ft van is 850kg MIRO and 1080kg MTPLM I think, which is pretty light and also gives a lot of payload.

Still – even 130kg is a lot of clothes and food.

I can do all that in my tent, which at 8m long, gives me way more space than a caravan. You save an hour on arrival because you don’t have to pitch a tent, I save an hour driving there because I don’t have to tow a caravan.

What I meant was, I can do it all immediately, without having to pitch a tent in the rain and unpack and setup all the furniture and cookers. It’s already there.

As I said – I’ve done both, a lot, and caravanning is better in many circumstances. Except the driving. But on balance, caravanning is better for me.

It’s also worth pointing out that the caravan can stay packed, which I find a little more convenient.

I think there is a little animosity between campers and caravanners on this thread. Which is pretty stupid, isn’t it? [/quote]
Post of the year, so far. 😆