After my tent almost blew away and seeing my family cowering in terror during the hurricane at CLIC last weekend I think it's time to look at something more substantial for little holidays and 24 hour races n ting.
I'm not going to spend more than 2 or 3 grand so I'll be looking at the 2nd hand market.
What should I look out for/avoid?
Any particularly good makes or features I should look for?
Me and the wife, 2 kids under 4 and one lanky teenager. And a load of bikes probably makes an awning necessary?
I don't drive a Humvee so I'm not after anything massive.
Cheers.
I dont own one but looked into it last year.
This site estimates the weight you can tow with the car you have which may dictate what van you can buy.
[url= http://www.whattowcar.com/ ]What Tow Car[/url]
Also think about storage, unless you have plenty of space this can cost.
Oh and our neighbours have a lanky teenager so good luck with that!
just the adults and the bikes and other gear without hooking up the van is going to be a weight issue.
Woot, my Multipla can pull the van we are thinking about buying next year 🙂 thanks for that.
Get one you and your family will love it.
We got one a couple of years ago 4k 9 yr old from Autotrader. All the s/h caravans in caravan dealers were minging and you won't get much for 3k from places like that.
We saw 2 or 3 from Autotrader, they were all very good. basically people leaving the touring caravan game due to age (motorhome purchase) family too old to bother (teenagers) etc.
Also, if you buy from a private seller, chances are you'll get a pile of other stuff thrown in too.
We got everything with ours, even towing mirrors, water butts, a full size Isabella awning, groundsheet, water pump, gas bottle,
We pay 300 a year for storage and it is secure.
We even dragged it to France last year for our 2 week holiday. It saved us stacks of money that way too.
Get one and enjoy it. Sod what non caravan motorists think.
Dont get one too big 😉
Or dont even bother with a car
As Will stated in The Inbetweeners:
"If my Mum told me we were going on holiday in a caravan I'd call Childline" 😉
Sorry, not got any other useful information on caravans but after the last few camping trips I've been on being a total washout I can see the benefits. I suppose it's like camping, getting one big enough to be comfortable but not so large it's cumbersome. As long as you can find somewhere to store it that dosn't leave your front room in a state of perpetual darkness!
Oh, and put out a warning on STW if your travelling on an A Road on a bank holiday in daylight hours!
Dont get one too bigHaha "he's burning a bit rich"
We too have considered it, after camping in Llanrwst last weekend for 2 nights.
The wind and battering rain, noisy farm animals ( cockerals) and the midnight trips to a loo half a mile away all add up to thinking we'd like abit more luxury.
Would be nice to be a bit warmer too and have facilities for a hot drink or snack quickly.
Go for it. You can always stick lanky teenager in the awning.
i got one i love it been to wales / afan in it , get this months caravan mag , if you look at any , smell is every thing , if its got loads of air freshners in it , ask your self why , it could mean its got damp in it and they are trying to disguise the fact.good luck mate . and enjoy . oh worce time of the year to buy , due to summer season just starting , hi prices and more and more people staying in the u.k.
the uk is a wonderful place to go touring btw.
Hmm one of those £1,000,000 mobile homes that F1 racers have-satelite tv, mahogany wood, en suite and put some homes to shame...
One lucky dip for the lottery please... 😆
I have been caravanning for near on 20 years now & It's a great way to see the U.K. and the Continent. Be prepared for a lot of mickey taking from friends & colleagues though!. Site prices are going up steadily so have a look at the Caravan Club site for info. CL's (small sites with a max. of 5 vans)are good value at around a tenner a night but vary in terms of facilities and are often in really good positions. Try not to go over 85% of the kerbweight of your car with a fully laden van as a beginner and DEFINITELY not over 100% as it's illegal. Lots of good older vans around but prices are higher than usual as a lot of peeps are staying home this year. Check at the corners and around windows for signs of damp-the main killer of Caravans.By the way-most traffic holdups are not solely due to Caravans-It's nearly always old duffers doing 40 on major routes or farm vehicles in my experience.
Usually went camping 4 or 5 times a year to Nant Yr Arian.
If the weather is good, then it's great under canvas.
Once you are damp in a tent, everything stays damp.
Got a 2 berth caravan 2 years ago, with an awning.
Plenty of room for all the kit, and nice and warm with less noise problems.
The big plus is, always a cool beer in the fridge.
Face it, if you go anywhere over a weekend, you're going to be stuck in a queue of traffic. might as well be towing a caravan as sitting behind one.
In the same vein as my shed link yesterday: http://gizmodo.com/5267992/surely-mehrzelles-inhalt-multicellular-caravan-is-a-mistake