I want a Caravan that's not a Caravan!

Quirrel.. that’d get the net curtains twitching 🙂

Winnebago do caravans…

Re. Fuel consumption with a caravan, for the average user (1 or 2 holidays per year in the UK) it doesn’t matter too much does it? Especially seeing as it lives on site during the holiday.

If you are planning on jaunts to the south of France or using it every month then fair enough, but my camper tows a horsebox most weekends and 18-20mpg is pretty normal, I just try to avoid watching the gauge as even at 15 minute intervals you can see it going down! 🙁

Love the look of that Deseo, especially the open plan Transport version. There was a comment earlier about the twin axle being harder to tow, can’t really see that as it will be much more stable as long as your tow ball height is vaguely correct. The hard bit would be maneuvering by hand (our box is 1400kg unladen and it takes three people with a lot of swearing to turn it in a short space) but on a lighter caravan you can just wind the nose up high to get the front axle off the ground to stop it scrubbing.

Fuel consumption with a caravan, for the average user (1 or 2 holidays per year in the UK) it doesn’t matter too much does it?

Is that average?

We certainly are planing to drive a long way on our summer holidays, so yeah fuel economy is something we notice.

can’t really see that as it will be much more stable

I asked about this, thinking that twin axle would be more stable. Consensus is that it isn’t, it’s just harder to manoevre by hand. Twin axle is only used when needed to handle the weight.

I reckon its probably average. Some don’t get used at all some years! Others get stored onsite and tractored on to the pitch. Sometimes just used for one summer holiday per year.

My parents are guilty of all three, my in-laws have only used theirs for the odd couple of holidays and they must have had it three years.
We’ve some friends who used theirs fairly intensively for the first couple of years but less now.

I reckon many vans only do a few hundred miles a year, so for those users, a few mpg’s difference is probably a tank of fuel per year.

You might be on to something with the twin axle thing, at speed when it all gets out of shape, the caravan is drifting side to side rather than pivoting on a single axle so two axles may not make a huge difference.

We drove ours all over France, must’ve done tens of thousands of miles. If we met people on sites, they were generally doing the same thing, so I must have a biased perception 🙂

I think the van does pivot, but not loads (unless you are in serious trouble). The only time I had an issue I’d just collected the van, it was on way too low tyre pressures (I hadn’t chekced) and the toilet at the back was quite full (ergh) and it was sloshing from side to side. The only time I can feel anything now with the new van is when a lorry passes me and their bow wave on the rear of the van sometimes results in a slight tug on the wheel – hardly notice it tbh now.

The OP’s van would suffer from that far less though, due to less leverage at the back. Plus continental vans have much longer A frames and the wheels are further back which makes it way more stable. Might make it tricky getting a bigger continental van it onto some of the CLs we stay at mind.

Wonder if this thread has the same potential as my Sick as dog Bivi thread…… 😆

Anyone else considered going the other end, ie, buy a cheap scabby one, abuse it til it dies? Bangervanomics. I’d love that for race days, quick weekends away etc, if I just had somewhere to park it.

The cost of the good ones and all that comes with that makes it pretty nonsensical unless you’re really into Caravanning, rather than just going places and staying in a caravan- it’s an end in itself I reckon.

Ours cost us £2000, from a local dealer. It came with a three month warranty, which was great as the front end was rotten with damp but was completely replaced. Sadly we didnt spot the damp at the rear until the warranty had run out so we had to pay to get that sorted ourselves.

Clean caravan by Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr

you may consider £2000 to be expensive, I don’t know, but the cheaper vans at the dealers were quite frankly horrible. you can get a better deal buying privately but you do need to consider issues like damp, and also what accessories you will get – we wangled a load of freebies like aquaroll, massive leisure battery and so on

We bought it for a specific trip, we took it round the scottish ski centres for a 2 week trip in March 2011: bit chilly first thing in the morning but the heater soon sorted that. Since then we’ve done a few more one week trips to various places (Wales, Long mynd, Quantocks) and two weeks in Scotland (Oban / Kye of Lochalsh), two christmas weeks in the Lake District, got another week in Wales coming up soon and then another two week trip to Scotland later this year (far north).

Having an awning helps massively if you are taking bikes.

500 quid, cant go wrong.

Bargain for £500 quid. Look tidy. You could use it for a year and sell it for the same I bet.

Looks diddy them inside it’s massive.

that pic is taken from outside, you can see the door frame on the left. But yes, “small” caravans can be surprisingly spacious inside. OUr caravan as above will comfortably seat 6 people, 8 if you’re friendly. When we make up the bed it’s bigger than the kingsize we have at home…

either this

or

We definately went the bangernomics route

We paid 200 quid for this beauty, some water came in the top, but it ran out the bottom again so no problem there. Used it all over the highlands for nearly ten years and loved it.

When it finally deteriorated too far we stuck it on freecycle and had a queue round the metaphorical block.

We replaced it with this

Which cost us a grand and is much posher, fridge, heater, hot water, bog and whatnot. Its much nicer in winter than the other one but its not the same.
We’ve had a bit of damp but we’ve half arsed repaired it and it’ll last years, then we’ll get another.

I’m surprised no one has posted up vw transporter towing a caravan with a wood burner installed.

A friend of mine has just finished building this and moved into it. Its got a woodburner, a shower and a composting toilet.

I absolutely love it.

Good job! I guess it is just parked up somewhere?

How about this combo.

Good job! I guess it is just parked up somewhere?

Its mobile, their intention is to head off abroad in the near future.

Had this bookmarked for a while

Does the Bedford have the machine gun hatch for quick access to the bunk?

Anyone else considered going the other end, ie, buy a cheap scabby one, abuse it til it dies? Bangervanomics. I’d love that for race days, quick weekends away etc, if I just had somewhere to park it.

Yes, very much so. Mine cost £400 and has done a good few races and a couple of long weekends away without missing a beat. It is awesome. I don’t give a crap about muddy bikers and dogs being in it, everything works and it doesn’t leak. I can’t believe I spunked so much money on diy van conversions… Embrace the uncoolness and drive like it’s not there. It goes perfectly with my bangernomics A8.

Does the Bedford have the machine gun hatch for quick access to the bunk?

Spiral staircase. but you have to watch your head on the chandelier.

Anyone else considered going the other end, ie, buy a cheap scabby one,

First van was £1200, second and current was £1500. Had to fix damp myself in both of them, but otherwise everything in the second one is so far great. Hot water, shower, heater, fridge, the works. Needed a bit of casual tlc here and there too. Stuff like tap nozzles cracked, just replaces a couple of cupboards catches for a quid a time.

The original plan with the first van was for racing, after looking enviously into warm convivial caravans at cold wet 24hr races, but now with the kids we are planning on going to Sweden this summer 🙂

Older vans are much lighter than new ones, ours is 18or maybe 19 foot and only weighs 800kg empty, so easy to tow.

Lots of things to look out for in cheap old vans, but that’s another post.

Looks diddy them inside it’s massive.

It is diddy. The door at the side just goes into a walk in cupboard/home for porta bog. Main door is at the back. Has a fridge a hob and a sink plus beds for 3 though.

First caravan outing for us was a sleepless. Came in from a night lap, had a warm shower and slipped into crisp clean sheets for my 2 hours kip, it was magic 🙂

Thinking of getting another van – they are ace!

Got my eye on this one at the moment for under £10k

This company seem to have slightly better interiors than the average caravan.

http://www.pinocaravans.co.uk/portfolio/bee/

That inshot stove would get old VERY fast.

And seriously? Those interiors look pretty dated if I’m honest.

^Awesum for an overland trip to far away. Overkill for a week in Wales.

And seriously? Those interiors look pretty dated if I’m honest.

slightly better

I didn’t say good.

You lot ever seen actual new caravans? They are less twee than they used to be. Although there are some howlers still, some companies seem to find it hard to let go of the florals.

Yes.

Even look at that nice expensive one TheArist…STR posted up. All nice and clean new van, all mod cons I bet but the interior is still not very nice.

Still better than the one you posted if I’m honest.

Although I would say that if you’re using basic foil wrap it shouldn’t be too difficult to get a more modern finish from the factory, Ikea manage quite fine. But then that’s not the age group that buys a van new, that’s what retirement lump sums are for…

That Landy with the poptop is still going to have about as much space in it as my fridge. Probably good for the job it’s for, and probably coveted by lots of people who’ll never do that job.

(also- bets money that all those cool boxes on the roof are empty)

Sean Conway’s Landy is quite good in a simple ‘dirtbag’ way.

All nice and clean new van

That’s not that new. Newer ones are classy.. Although tbh whilst it would look good as a hotel room I might not want it for my caravan. I like the decor of German vans but don’t like their layouts

Went to RV World whilst on easter hols in Florida. Just to have a look around.

Yours for £250k. About 7mpg.

Some lovely Airstreams too (about £40k)

Say what you like about euro van interiors, but the Americans haven’t updated the interior design since the 70’s. Feel like I’d need a proper pen rash to fit in with the look.