Why (for me) a campervan wins over a caravan: (assuming a van based coversion rather than a huge coachbuilt)

You can drink at weddings/parties and then kip in it in hotel/pub car parks/a friends drive (as long as its obvious to plod that you are sticking around for the night)
You can use it as a day van…who’s going to take a caravan just so they can have a cuppa after a day out in the hills? Ours gets used as a day van on a weekly basis.
When on holiday, you can get back from a ride and then cook your dinner, eat, wash up and read a book whilst enjoying a fantastic view, then toddle back to the campsite later in the evening.
You can’t take a caravan if you need to tow a jetski/motorbike/horse trailer, but you can take a campervan!
A campervan (especially a RWD) is less likely to get stuck on a muddy campsite/event field than a car+caravan.

Works for me, I just wish we could take more ‘proper’ holidays in it.

Brand new caravans start at £12k or so, £17 or so gets you a really nice big one

FTFY

What, a £17k caravan’s not nice?

We’ve recently looked into this seriously – getting rid of our car and getting a really smart 4 berth T5.

There’s your first problem – look outside VW world.

They hold their value incredibly well (which is a blessing and a curse) but, IMHO, there are better vehicles out there for less money.

Wow, campers vs caravans. Fight!

FWIW my in-laws always wanted a camper, but went back to a caravan because they tended to stay in the same place rather than touring.

They hold their value incredibly well (which is a blessing and a curse) but, IMHO, there are better vehicles out there for less money.

which vehicles?

Campervans are like most things in life – if you’re doing it on a budget, then some things suffer.

For me it have to be big enough to have a ‘garage’ under the rear bed for the bikes and assorted stuff, doesn’t need an awning to be comfortable for four and not needed as an everyday vehicle.

We’ve a newish LWB Ducato horsebox and while its easy to drive and good on fuel no way would I want to have to use it every day – especially in winter as it takes about 20 mins for the engine to get warm enough to heat the cabin.

molgrips
£1300 gets you hot cold running water, shower, toilet, hob, grill, oven, fridge, blown air heating, loads of space, two single or one full king sized bed, and that’s without an awning.

Where? I want one.

T4 for 4 years. Ex AA van had no problems so far. Part conversion of bed and can get three bikes inside. Use it as a work van as well. No downsides here. Easy to drive and is OK on fuel. Have a drive away awning for when staying on sites. Will always be a van man.
If you struggle to get the Mrs camping though a van may not change that. Luckily my Mrs loves it.

What do you call those things you tow that look like large boxes on wheels, then when you park it up and press a button it unfolds into a wee camping hut thing? Saw a few in Australia and they looked bang tidy – certainly as far as the transportation issue goes. Were a decent size too IIRC.

Where? I want one.

South Wales, I have one I am selling 🙂 It’s not exactly new, mind..

which vehicles?

Small = Vivaro/Transit

Medium = Ducato/Transit

Large = Iveco/Sprinter

My mate has his life planned out & in a year or so he’ll be getting either a camper OR a motorhome. His budget for a MH is 50K. Repeat, 50K.
He hasn’t exactly talked his Mrs round to a camper yet but thinks he might start with a Merc Sprinter type affair. Now Steve is the type of guy who does his homework (he’s been buying ‘Motorhome & Campervan monthly or something for the past two years) & once he’s made his mind up there’s no changing it. He also knows best.
Me however, & for what I’d want to do, will be going for a caravan cos the Mrs doesn’t want a camper & I’m not keen on hauling a MH around. So we’ll probly spend 6-8K on a caravan & 10K ish on a decent motor to pull it.
My bike & fishing gear will fit in either, with the canadian canoe on the roof of the motor!

Short wheel base t4 is quite small, I’d only consider or recommend a long wheel base.

cant remember the last time i saw one ? – we regularly use my mates LWB HItop transit for bike trips and its never been an issue for us.

IT depends where in the country. Around London I’ve found very few but down on the south coast here lots on beach front car parks, but not retail parks.

As I always point out on these threads the money you’d spend on a caravan and or camper, especiallt when you consider the extra fuel, insurance etc. (and campsites if you can’t get away with being ghetto) mean that they only make sense if you use them a lot – otherwise aren’t you better off just taking a tent or booking a room?

Conversley I think a nice day van can make a lot of sense – but only if it can transport 4 people and 4 bikes safely and securely..

Staying in hotels or B&Bs isn’t the same at all. Not your own space, not your own stuff, you just bring your clothes in and that it. Plus you have to eat out.

Camping is more of a faff – if you have a nice liveable tent then it’s a major effort to erect, it’s not warm, and it flaps in the wind. Small simple tents aren’t much fun to sit in and relax, or hide from wind and rain. You also miss all the mod cons.

I have a lightweight camping setup that’ll still accomodate the family, in case we have to fly somewhere or travel by bike/train, but anything more substantial it’ll be the ‘van.

Campers suck
You get all set up and unpacked to realise
youve forgot the wine/coffee/beer
Only to have to repack to nip to the shop then you find you cant get in to supermarket carpark for the anti pikey bar

Theres a reason big motor homes have a moped straped onto back
At least you can unhook a caravan

Down side, you’ll spend all your spare time going away in it.
I have, 2 weeks in the Alps 2 in the Ardenne and I’m going to have to put up with 3 in France soon + I’ve slummed it for a wedding a long weekend in Swaledale and thats July over with. Oh slept in a few pub car parks as well.
Come to think of it you may be spending a lot of time abroad I had to put up with 8 weeks last year, now thats bad for our economy.

Eh. Dont you lot have bikes.

Camper stays where it is and you ride to the shop.

You don’t just go to the shops. If you have a car you can drive to nearby sights, or even futher away ones, same as you can at home 🙂

Ah ok sorry maybe im in the fortunate position of the mrs who cycles too….. A camper for us would be to drive to a new place to sleep to ride our bikes to see places

I guess not all wives and girlfriends like bikes too

Yeah, plus not all holidays revolve around cycling.

Sadly!

When we were kids, one holiday we stayed at a seaside town on the Med for several weeks doing the beach thing. One day we drove to Carcasonne, two hours away. That kind of thing. It was well worth it, great place to visit. Better than the local country lanes on a bike 🙂

My 2.5 T4 has been chipped, performance goes up and mpg goes up (currently 42mgp)! Downside for me is other running costs, VW’s are not the most reliable. We have an extremly cheap guy that services it for us but now use a run around fiat punto to keep the miles down on the van. Tyres are expensive (v low profile on mine)and parts are expensive.
Wouldnt sell it though 🙂

Ours do – 3 weeks in the alps this year its looking like.

Come to think of it you may be spending a lot of time abroad I had to put up with 8 weeks last year, now thats bad for our economy.

😆

The other half is hooked. She’s discovered France and mountains.

bin dun before on here by me, but we spend at least a month at a time in France in our T4, family of four.

This year, for a change (first time in 6 years) not going to France, but heading to scotland at end of summer instead. Am prepared to be dissapoint with difference between ease of French camping and british though..?..?

Love the camper. Was a second family car until I got the landrover. And I got the landrover to stop putting miles on the T4 as it’s up to 110k miles now (’03) and I want it to last another ton – the interior is holding up really well, as are mechanicals (well serviced and not ragged). No intention of selling it until we really dont use it. Cant see that happening for years. Only downside is we dont use it to get away for weekends as much as we ought to, mainly thanks to kids having things on. Might have to put my foot down…

Useful to have a big vehicle for day to day now and then too.

Think we cycled 20 miles to see this, then had a beer and cycled back

Cycled here as well, another unique church

and had to put up with a view like this

Tell you its pants.

thanks for all your thoughts. theyve got me actually considering yes, a caravan might be best option, then someone else comes on and im back with campervans again!! 😀
plenty to consider, gonna read the thread through again.

thanks

*deploys campervan marketing motherlode*

stop it stoner ….. reminds me – i saw one the right size for sale on the way to work this morning.

coachbuilt on a pug boxxer 52 plate. 16gs .

off to see if its on their website , see what the layout is

@OP

I would ask yourself what you want the van for, and how often you will use it.

Caravans are unwieldy, heavy and up fuel consumption while towing. The flipside is that you’ll have a vehicle free once you’re set-up, and you’ll have a bigger living space. They also don’t cost to keep (much) when compared to servicing / tax / insurance on a camper.

Campers (certainly smaller ones) can be used as ‘regular’ vehicles, require less space to keep, are far easier to drive than a car/caravan combo and a lot easier to get on the road for a weekend camping and riding in Scotland. They also make great bike / surf wagons and are more comfortable than a tent.

For touring (which is what we do) I’d never have a caravan as I couldn’t be doing with the faff of dragging it through small European towns. However if I were using it to go to Devon once a year with the kids, I think a it could be the better option.

Be interested to hear other’s views.

stop it stoner ….. reminds me – i saw one the right size for sale on the way to work this morning.

coachbuilt on a pug boxxer 52 plate. 16gs .

off to see if its on their website , see what the layout is

Check Which? for reliability on Pug Boxxers too. 😉

Caravans are unwieldy, heavy and up fuel consumption while towing.

Fuel for the Passat is about 32mpg from my fairly light 16′ old van, the previous van of similar size and weight was about 29mpg. So comparable with a campervan, but of course that goes back up to 60mpg when I un-hitch.

As kids we drove all over France with our van, through plenty of small towns and villages. Did plenty of touring with one or two night stops, and also longer stays. It’s not really an issue, caravanning is really popular in most places and you don’t get grief. A caravan is certainly more difficult to drive around with than a small campervan, but not much different to a big motorhome.

If you are considering caravans go to a dealer and have a look at some – you should be quite impressed with the size and space. However, think twice before buying from them, because at the lower end of the market you pay a huge premium – but then again you do get a warranty and chances are they’ll have fixed any damp and so on.

There are a few tricks and tips to finding good cheaper vans online, I can maybe help if you decide to look.

sorry – everyone rubbishes french cars …..

i personally would take a french motor before i bought a vw any day of the week……based on experiances with both brands.

tbh ive had an offer of a cheap old fairly solid known transit i cant really refuse – bit of a winter project to build her into a camper on the cheap nd give it a go i think.

bh ive had an offer of a cheap old fairly solid known transit i cant really refuse – bit of a winter project to build her into a camper on the cheap nd give it a go i think.

if youre converting it ‘yourself’, where would you start if you dont know what youre doing? just pay a company to do it for you? and if so who?

or are you pretty clued up with what to do and what you want?

Stoner that picture always puts a smile on my face. You little rascal!

Sadex, try sbmcc.co.uk.

I’m no longer a member as I tired of paying £15 a year when I was only really posting replies to those asking questions. After eight years it would be nice to get a discount for contributing.

But its invaluable for advice and help when you are getting started.

i have half an idea of what i want , I have heaps o tooling and access to anything i need via my dad(whos background is building houses and extensions from the ground up so is pretty handy with the woodwork) and an engineering background.

Wouldnt be doing owt fancy , just a garage for the bikes , a bed on top , a bench some chairs and a cooking area.

If that worked out for us and we used it alot then id look at buying something fancier

Check Which? for reliability on Pug Boxxers too.

It’s not the Pug bit thats a problem, it’s the fact that a Pug Boxxer/Citroen Relay is a Fiat Ducato underneath the badges.