Help me buy a caravan…

Following this thread, eldest has been asked to start a month early.

Long term accommodation in Aviemore needed

We’ve three weeks to find accommodation.

So he’s off tomorrow to discuss putting a caravan or van outside the staff accommodation. This means lounge, shower and kitchen available. He needs a bed space and storage. He can plug into mains for heat and light.

A caravan is the obvious way to do this. Vans are too expensive for him, and a whole ball game of maintenance and tax.
I know little about Caravans.

Budget £0-4k.
Ideally a separate bed and seating area.
Modest towing weight.
Able to sell or scrap in a year or so…
Must be between central belt of Scotland and Inverness/A9 corridor.

I do believe that some of the continental brands are better built and insulated.

Looking at something like this Adria Altea 462
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/786421990232977/

Send me some good adverts and advice oh caravanists of STW

Periwinkle blue?

What car will you use to put it in position?

Dalkeith, would do the job. Take a damp meter.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/caravan-details/202407181926254

What car will you use to put it in position?

Transporter T5.1 LWB.

If someone’s going to live in it I wouldn’t get a 2 berth van as whilst they are cheaper, it means making the bed each night. There are loads of caravans with a fixed bed and separate seating area, I’d look for one of those.

This one has an end dinette which could permanently be left as a bed, and the upholstery is epic

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276569393577?itmmeta=01J403WDBAF6397MT12J7Y2MB7&hash=item4064d209a9:g:KF8AAOSwYZ9mpODn&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwPe8Lqw64QrXHokhsqzYb6UsSkcEjx5uZPFQ88NpHOMHaLoW%2FgBZNmujzoWuOlLkkzeNz2ZkVXjFs8e67Or61GJq9mIFgKtAejJ79Fwn8EQuyAnXaSYtKi58BlM%2BQE64Fp4TRcyQZ655ZPN5plAf1NsA6jSu%2FK54KcLg%2FHpFYnJBDJhqEQjTQFzhB4pJLtN5pHbf6e4BlEmAd7we1u66stySxJ8XjduwRo83TJaqp7KcQyJ%2Flkfqr%2F5NU6OL6bPOAA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9zV8YOgZA&edge=0

You not going to offer him the Transporter

Watch for damp in the arse end of that, I can’t remember if my dad’s went rotten from some sort of self induced problem (I think a reverse camera may have caused issues) but always worth checking. Repairs are expensive, caravan parts are stupidly priced. In the end the fridge was knackered, the end rotten and probably a few other things I forget.

Shame, it was a bloody good van, that looks a similar age and pretty decent as long as its not damp and nothing needs fixing.

Older caravans can have a problem with insulation. Not sure if osmosis plays a part, but if its compromised it can be freezing inside in the colder months, probably colder inside than out.

The insulation degrades over time. So if you start with polystyrene like most brit caravans of that age by now it’s not got much insulation, of you start with something much better like a Hymers phenolic, by now you’re at UK caravan levels. I use my old hymer in all seasons; it’s bulletproof, comfy and warm. Not the lightest mind.

If buy a hymer (or Eriba).

Noted on insulation.

Am I right in saying Knaus and Hobby are better built wagons as well as Hymer and Eriba?

I’ve no idea what people mean about the insulation degrading. The walls are made of an aluminium/polystyrene/plywood sandwich so if the insulation went anywhere the whole lot would collapse. Polystyrene is not known for degrading that’s part of our problem with it.

We have used traditional UK vans of great vintage in all weathers. Always been warm in winter, not sure why you’d say it was colder nside than out??

moab – you’ve probably already considered this but Glenmore Lodge should be used to people saying “I can start early as you have requested but will need somewhere to stay”… which given they provide accommodation and know all the local accommodation providers doesn’t sound like it would be as hard for them as it is for you?

I can see it being cold if it’s damp but that’s not an insulation issue, that’s a sealing issue. A quick search suggests polystyrene only degrades above 230C or under UV exposure.

Cold and dry is just crap insulation from the off, when you consider the floor is nothing but ply it’s not surprising you would wake up cold in winter. Euro vans will be better insulated to cope with hotter summers so will deal with our milder winters better.

poly

Yes that conversation has been had.
Their staff accommodation is full, and the lowest jobs such as cleaners and kit store gopher does not get offered accommodation.

They have / are putting word out, but Aviemore is just short of any accommodation long term. So much is basically second homes and holiday lets. The few that have rooms and rentals tend to sit on them, as there is no alternative. So short of someone leaving at the end of the season…A conversation is happening today with them, they have had a caravan long term t here before.

The crazy bit is that Macdonald Resorts (his current employer) have a huge staff block which they charge staff for, is about 20% empty, but they won’t consider a winter let. It is also woefully maintained and filthy, despite folk paying £370 a month for a room (and we think there are 100 rooms…). They also have an old hotel building mainly occupied by Ukrainians, most of who work for the hotel, which again is only partly full but again in very poor state, but the hotel will not let to anyone else. So in Aviemore there are at least 10-20 empty rooms, but Macdonald won’t play ball on renting out and actually it is that filthy and poor I don’t think he wants to stay.

If he has access to the lounge/showers etc and is wanting to park it in the grounds I think you are looking at vans that are too big. We have an old  2 berth and have stayed in it well below freezing and been toasty warm, we just leave the bed made up and its queen sized, its a much more comfortable seat than when its in seat/table configuration too. As oldies we have lived in it for a month at a time, a youngster should be grand in one for a season.

Our last caravan was bought from an elderly couple, so a private sale. They had looked after it and there was a good reason for the sale. However I did spot some water under the fridge. This was confirmed with a moisture/damp metre. The couple kindly sorted this and we got a decent caravan. The only downside was their inability to keep it clean (old age). It took a full day of elbow grease to get it back up to my standard of cleanliness :0)

If your son can be bothered with making up a bed every night, then you might get a good smaller sized van with kitchen, shower room and plenty of storage, this will be easier to sell on.

A little outwith your location but not that far from Aviemore really – a fixed twin bed in Brechin? (nothing what so ever to do with me)

https://www.gumtree.com/p/caravans/2005-fleet-fixed-beds-motor-mover/1483791045

when you consider the floor is nothing but ply

It’s a ply/foam sandwich, about 2″ thick on old vans.  Some kind of blue rigid foam, not polystyrene.  As for warmth – you’ll be fine with a heater.  The standard gas heater is 3kW I think which is plenty in a small space.  The electric heater is half that, at least in my van.

Some of the slightly larger 2 berth vans are long enough to sleep on one side of the seating area as a single bed.  I would not want to be making a bed every night if I were living in it.

That is our thought molgrips too – a lounge at one end, fixed bed at the other with a warm duvet on permanently is a Good Thing for long term staying.

If you get the dual layout you might be able to fit a proper domestic mattress in the space which would make a big difference. It doesn’t need to be a fixed bed design

Adria’s after 2010 with newer round shape have really good insulation also damp is pretty much non existent

A bit of knee room on the crapper would be a bonus

Yes that conversation has been had.
Their staff accommodation is full, and the lowest jobs such as cleaners and kit store gopher does not get offered accommodation.

Yeah I get that – I guess its a question of whether he really needs to start that job early and justify jumping through hoops for a minimum wage employer or they really need a gopher!

A friend of mine did the instructor development scheme at the lodge. His lived experience would suggest that any accommodation being used should have room for additional “guests”.

You not going to offer him the Transporter

@Tracey – he said eldest, NOT favourite!!!

If you get the dual layout you might be able to fit a proper domestic mattress in the space

Good point – or at least a thick mattress topper. The cushions that are used for seats often have lips at the edge and they certainly have gaps.  A thick topper would sort that out.  On many vans, including our old one, the cushions are sprung which makes it good as a bed otherwise.

Some of the slightly larger 2 berth vans are long enough to sleep on one side of the seating area as a single bed. I would not want to be making a bed every night if I were living in it.

Anything with a drawer unit like that Bailey should be long enough, I slept on the “couch” a few times.

A friend of mine did the instructor development scheme at the lodge. His lived experience would suggest that any accommodation being used should have room for additional “guests”.

Which a proper van allows for. Well, provided you can coax them in that is…

Your best option would be a 4 berth caravan.

Leave the double bed set up and look to get a mattress to fit the space. This leaves the dinette free for sitting, eating and entertaining.

We have a topper over the cushions in our caravan, it’s not great but it’s better than sleeping on the cushions.

Pity he couldn’t wait until the start of October and you could have bought our 6 berth caravan, which will be at the Glenmore campsite.

Maybe he can bivvy until then…

I’m on the lookout now as well. I bought a load of parts to smarten up our current van, turns out what I thought was old damp that I’d fixed was in fact very much current damp that was much worse than I thought. Then my wife told me she’d felt ill after spending time in it cleaning.  It’s a bit ****ed.

Stealth ad, my dad is coming to terms with the fact that he’ll never use his caravan again so there may be a well-cared for 2 berth for sale soon, with everything you need for off-grid use