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Camper was better for car-like manoeuvrability, caravan for comfort. Who knew?
That's just two of the compromises!
If (big if) I was say, going to do a lot of continental touring & need to cover big distances, I'd probably prefer a camper/MH, but for what we do in the UK a caravan is easily the best option. Another compromise is fuel consumption. With a MH you'll get what 30 ish mpg all the time? & a T5 maybe a fair bit more I expect (but then you lack the space, another compromise) Our Xtrail does 30mpg with the tin tent on the back & 45 without it, so when your'e mooching around down country lanes.....etc etc.
As an aside, how many MH's do you see on folks drives that hardly move? There's one round the corner from us that I have to pass to get out of the estate, they got it new in 2016 & I've noticed it missing about 5 or 6 times. (My mate uses his a good bit more mind) I can't understand folk who spend 40K + to have something stood on the drive.
'Because they can afford to' I suppose.
OP. On average how many nights does your van stay in one place? Is it on a building site? Will it stay as clean as it is ? Do all your work mates assume they can stay in it?
If that was mine it would be full of every low life and his mate within seconds.
Our tab is great behind the van, knocks the mpg to about 35mpg on a long run. In France this summer it's outdoor living if weather good and waterproof if not. Takes about 30mins to set up for a two week stay. Means I can have 4bikes in the van and not have to worry about space. The fact the transporter is longer than the caravan always amuses those in the huge tourers.
If that was mine it would be full of every low life and his mate within seconds.
Only if you let them.
Is your house equally invaded by ne’er do wells?
Great thread. About to stick my toe in the water of the caravan world with a very 2nd hand Trigano trailer tent. On the face of it looks like a great compromise between tent and full caravan, though whether it's the best, or worst, of both worlds remains to be seen! Camper in question owned for some years by friends, so no issues with being done and we're getting it for a song, so can't really lose. Opportunity for family with three kids and a dog to try it out, if we like will probably go down the full caravan route.
I can understand the different opinions, but I see the advantages of towing your holiday abode as follows:
- Cheaper than holiday cottages/hotels. No more need to spend hours agonising over this cottage or that hotel, and booking months in advance. Just hitch and go.
- Way closer to nature (for the most part), opportunity to stay in myriad of amazing scenic places, for little money
- Much, much more sociable if you have kids.
- Better on rainy/wet/windy days than a tent. Done lots of camping back in the day, but the thought of two teens and a four year old and a dog (not to mention my missus) cooped up in a small tent with crappy folding seats (tall people with bad backs don't like folding seats), knocking over the cooker and treading in the butter and getting damper and crosser by the minute fills me with dread. Not to say that none of the above could happen in a caravan, but at least it's more solid, dryer and more comfortable
- As said above, easy to uncouple car and sally forth, unlike with van (unless you're one of those who can afford to tow a Smart car behind your massive motorhome, in which case good luck to you
Picking up the Trigano this weekend, so may well post again contradicting all of the above in the near future..
Problem with caravans? apart for the usual clogging up the roads stuff. Campsites. You cannot wild camp in a caravan. You cannot get to the really nice places. 😉
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– Much, much more sociable if you have kids.
This x 1 million.
Also this thread
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/caravans/
Just checked, and apparently we're getting a Folding camper, NOT a trailer tent. Which is nice as the folding camper looks a lot nicerer.
You cannot wild camp in a caravan. You cannot get to the really nice places.
Mostly true, though I'd say "some" of the really nice places. Horses for courses though, you can take your folding camper (in my case) and then head off for a day or two with the 2 man on your back (or strapped to your bike) if you want to go proper wild like. Beauty is for relatively little dosh you can own both a nice caravan and a decent tent!
You cannot get to the really nice places.
Yes but you can own a tent too!!
my camping spot, £10/night.
Plus the cost of the camping equipment - unless you are into back to basics camping, you could easily spend £1k getting all the stuff you need.
you could easily spend £1k getting all the stuff you <s>need</s> think you need /want .
I have no issue with caravans.
What grinds my gears is people who turn up and spend an hour errecting a tent off the side of what ever they want to sleep in. -surely you'd have been as well just bringing a tent only.
But if you buy sensibly that cost is split over many nights. We bought our first light tent and camping gear about 15 years ago. Initial spend £300 for 2 people used it for 12+ years added some bits maybe another 200£. Had a baby bought another few bits and bigger tent. Another 300£. So £800 over 15 years mini 14 nights a year. 800/210 = £3.80 a night.
If you wanted to go down the caravan route I bet you could set up for £3k without too much trouble. If you got 5 years from the kit sold the caravan for £1k, averaged 14 nights a year £27.57 a night on top of site fees. So cheap when it comes to family accomodation.
.
You cannot wild camp in a caravan. You cannot get to the really nice places. 😉
That's what bothies are for Jeremy. You simply park your caravan/MH/camper & ride off to chosen bothy!
Our Vango Kalari inflatable awning goes up in about 15/20 mins & doubles the size of the space we have, sitting out, storage etc.
Nah - bothies are where you meet drunken Neds 😉
One thing I have found with camper vns that I assume applies to caravans as well( I have had a good few holidays in campers) if you are not careful you never speak to others. You have your cold beer waiting in the van. you can cook a nice dinner, you don't bother going to the bar, you never speak to others.
you never speak to others.
We do! (unless theyr'e 'nerdy' caravanners, like the one's who go to every caravan rally going & LOVE to tell you all about them)
Nah – bothies are where you meet drunken Neds 😉
Was that Camban or Meanach? 😉
if you are not careful you never speak to others.
Screw it you have sold it for me I am selling my rent and buying a caravan
Nope, definitely can't get to nice spots in a caravan 🤔
And sister in law lives here - Ardnamurchan, will be visiting soon
I can see the possibility (when I’m old) of having a caravan somewhere really nice eg near a beach in Pembrokeshire. Right now I prefer the camper van, which we can take all over the place, wild camp most of the time and occasionally use a camp site when we feel like it. Other than that I really love proper wild camping across Dartmoor, with everything on your back and a few days in the proper wilds.
As far as the faff of packing everything in the camper I kind of like having everything organised and contracting your life down for a week or so.
bit of comfort but really still feels like you are living outside
To be honest, so does a caravan. There are loads of windows which are usually open, in our case, you sit really close to them and you see greenery on all sides.
Campsites. You cannot wild camp in a caravan. You cannot get to the really nice places
No, but you can still wild camp if you own a caravan - you just don't take it with you 🙂 Or, you can take the caravan away for a week with the wild camping kit in it, then leave the caravan for a night or two. The possibilities are endless!
I still own camping kit and I will still wild camp and even family camp, depending on situation.
I'm only teasing. I have really enjoyed using campers and do understand especially if you have kids. Ardnamuchan is lovely BTW artist. Rather you than me driving there with that outfit tho 🙂 Saw several struggling as I cycled past them 🙂
Some relatives and a local retired couple left their posh caravans at our place for years because we have the space, they only seemed to take them out maybe twice a year. Always seemed a bit of an extravagance for such little use. Was quite handy though as they used to make donations for storage and we used them for over-flow sleeping when lots of people staying over. I never thought I'd ever use one but in recent years, now kids have left, we are going to a lot more festivals and events. The past couple of years we have just hired a big motorhome from a place nearby for £60 a day for this - bloody great when you are too old to do festival camping - secure for beer and stuff, proper bed, cooker, fridge etc. Can't see the point of owning a caravan/big motorhome though, just hire when needed suits us. That said, mrs keeps looking at 'cute' Eriba ones on eBay..., so I fear a late night purchase coming on after a few sherberts, followed by questions in the morning like, would you mind driving 250 miles to collect something?
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Here's one I made earlier...
Love a caravan, sold my (regularly) towable one a few months back. But have a 1960 Safari I plan on restoring/converting into something to tow. The one above is destined for life as a tiny home/Airbnb as it's a bit lardy for use as a tourer.
airstream?
Check out the florals on this bad boy:
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Pretty pleased with the floor tbh - huge improvement over the shit pink carpet, and vastly more practical. Good thing all vans come with it these days.
A bedside mini-jerry can instead of a beaker?
You alfresco show off!
Don't come knocking when the caravan is rocking
This is ours, at Luskentyre on Harris last week:
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OP I think I was following you toward Woolacombe earlier in the month. You were certainly not holding anyone up. Nice set up but I’d shit myself towing something that big.
Wasn't me pal, taken it from Derbyshire to Norfolk and down to Hertford so far.
You get used to it pretty quickly, although this one is wider than normal vans. Towed my last one through central London when I was working on the Olympics
OP. On average how many nights does your van stay in one place? Is it on a building site? Will it stay as clean as it is ? Do all your work mates assume they can stay in it?
If that was mine it would be full of every low life and his mate within seconds.
It will vary, but never on a building site and never with anyone in it, apart from the Mrs and maybe the daughter. Taking it to Y-Not festival and even my best mate is under instruction not to come anywhere near it - he's too lairy when he's drunk.
ust checked, and apparently we’re getting a Folding camper, NOT a trailer tent. Which is nice as the folding camper looks a lot nicerer.
Not sure I get these to be honest. Hope you prove me wrong, but they seem like the worst of both worlds to me
What grinds my gears is people who turn up and spend an hour errecting a tent off the side of what ever they want to sleep in. -surely you’d have been as well just bringing a tent only.
Awnings are a nice space to sit and eat if it's not amazing weather outside, keep bulky non-valuable items and take off mucky boots/clothes, without making a mess of your caravan.
I'm sat in mine now on the computer with Radio Paradise on, a fridge full of cold beer and the heating set at 20 degrees. Took the ebike round Hertford to check a few pubs out after work before settling in for the evening. If I wasn't here, I'd be sat in a hotel bar, running up a big tab
If I wasn’t here, I’d be sat in a hotel bar, running up a big tab
Instead your sat in £20k of caravan, having ridden £3k of bike with £20 of supermarket beer in the fridge...
😉
Instead your sat in £20k of caravan, having ridden £3k of bike with £20 of supermarket beer in the fridge…
Hotel bill (sans bar tab) £330/week x 48 = £15840 p.a.
Finance on caravan £400/month x 12 = £4800, site fees £330/month x 11 = £3630, insurance £500 - total = £8930 p.a
Spend at least £100-150 in the bar a week including some food, spend £50 in the van - more than covers fuel and other stuff.
Yeah, I could live cheaper in hotels, or have an Air B&B, but this way I get a caravan out of it to boot.
The bike's irrelevant, I already have that. 😉
What grinds my gears is people who turn up and spend an hour errecting a tent off the side of what ever they want to sleep in.
It only takes an hour if you're utterly clueless. Our old style awning took about half an hour, the new air based one takes about 10 mins.
The awning does a few things:
1) It's nice to sit in when it's nice out - see above comments about being nearer nature.
2) A traditional awning is pretty big so the kids can actually play in it if it's pouring all day.
3) If you're somewhere hot it's cooler.
4) It's somewhere handy to take your wet shoes and/or coats off and leave them. Compact ones are good for this.
We only put one up if we're staying more than a few days. The handy thing about them is that they are optional, unlike the tent when tent camping.
Good on you OP. Makes financial sense, plus you already have the appropriate car for towing. I’ve often wondered why more people who work away don’t think a bit more laterally.
Looks like a really nice van too
I’ve often wondered why more people who work away don’t think a bit more laterally.
We don't always get the choice. I'm a corporate employee, so I have to follow their procedures which have all sorts of strings attached. For example, if I were to stay on a campsite whilst away, it might be considered a benefit somehow, or it might not be covered under the corporate insurance that would otherwise cover me whilst at work. Minefield.
Once during half term we all went to where my assignment was and stayed in the caravan - but I didn't expense it.
It sounds like the OP might not be though, which may make a difference.
You're too easy to hook in OP. 😉
I totally get why you have it, and how lush it is. Nice one.
It only takes an hour if you’re utterly clueless. Our old style awning took about half an hour, the new air based one takes about 10 mins.
The awning does a few things:
1) It’s nice to sit in when it’s nice out – see above comments about being nearer nature.
2) A traditional awning is pretty big so the kids can actually play in it if it’s pouring all day.
3) If you’re somewhere hot it’s cooler.
4) It’s somewhere handy to take your wet shoes and/or coats off and leave them. Compact ones are good for this.
We only put one up if we’re staying more than a few days. The handy thing about them is that they are optional, unlike the tent when tent camping.
Thanks. You saved me from typing all of that.
With the campervan there is also the advantage of being able to leave lots of stuff at a site when you are out for the day - and showing that your pitch is taken. As you say, we don't bother for a night or two, more for extended stays.