Show us your tin tents

Lots easier to setup a caravan than pitch a tent. Much more comfortable, weatherproof and secure when you’re not there.

Campervans are great until you need to go somewhere other than where you’re camping. Having to pack the whole shebang to go to the supermarket or for a day out would be a pain

Swings and roundabouts innit

But the alternative is to have a caravan Perchy. A caravan!

But the alternative is to have a caravan Perchy. A caravan!

I know! Awesome innit!

wwaswas – that is the main problem we have. 6 man tent is wider than our garden so drying it is a nightmare. Last time it ended up out the front of the house on a grass common area and I had to hang around outside until it was dry! Got some very strange looks from passing traffic too.

I’d love a camper, but 5 berth with 5 belts are incredibly expensive. And as mentioned above the freedom to be able to nip to the shop or out on day trips without playing tetris with all the stuff that 3 youngsters can spread everyhwere within 10 minutes of arriving.
So, a caravan would be ideal. But, on my post-97 driving license there’s not many car and caravan combinations that fit within the 3.5t weight limit and can sleep 5 people. So I’d need to do a B+E training and test. Then get a new car because current one isn’t heavy/strong enough to pull much.

It very quickly gets very expensive compared to a £400 tent. So, looks like we’ll be sticking with that for a while. May need to get a towbar and trailer for all the kit before long though!

@martinhutch – campervan/motorhome residual values are excellent if you don’t buy brand new

Classic cognitive dissonance.

Caravans are a better solution than motorhomes in many ways, yet not cool so not aspirational objects in the same way. The opposite in fact, objects of stigma.

That’s lovely Lowey. Bike garage at the back under a fixed double?

We used to have a campervan until our daughter cam along and we moved to a folding camper then caravan. We tried to stay as small and agile as possible and we find we can move around just as easily as we did with the campervan. We usually do a highlands tour for a couple of weeks in the summer and move around, singletrack roads are a no problem with a small van and family car. Also campervans are expensive and it was stressful putting an old van through MOT’s

I used to be pretty anti caravan but do not miss a campervan at all, we can carry bikes, bodyboards, wetsuits etc. far easier with this outfit than the campervan. We can nip out to the supermarket or explore areas a lot easier.

We got a bargain seven years ago and bought a brand new Adria caravan for £9k, we have since had over 400 nights in it, it stays in the garden and is available as fully en suite guest accomodation. I cannot see us getting rid anytime soon.

Molgrips sums it up pretty well, most of the places we camp you cannot find good hotels etc. if you do they cost a fortune. 400 nights even at £80 is £32k. Hotels are just nowhere near as nice a place to be with the family. Tenting is more fun when the weather is spot on though.

Static here 37 x 12.

Martin, Van residuals are really high, but I’ve no intention of getting rid. I’ve always wanted one and I intend to keep this till it falls to bits.

Jules, yeah can get bikes in the garage, but also got a bike rack and awning as part of the deal. Fixed island bed at the rear.

The cost is a lot. I could easily buy a car and caravan for less money, but its the versatility of a Moho that appeals. You cant wild camp in caravan. I can go to Europe and spend months travelling around on Aires, fully self sufficient.

I spent years camping with my daughters. Now they have grown up I wanted something for me.

I was brought up camping in tents and still got a STW issue 5m bell tent. Trying to pitch the bell tent one dark & stormy evening in the lakes a couple of years ago really showed the limitations of the tent though – ended up soaked through and sleeping in the car as tent impossible to get up.

Shortly after this Mrs Scruff & I bought a two seat campervan and it’s ace for weekends away. We have used it for probably 20 odd nights away through the winter – wouldn’t be doing that in a tent with any degree of comfort.

For main holiday summer / longer stays of any duration it’s not the ideal tool for the job though as mentioned above faff of packing & unpacking to nip to shops, Despite having a pair of folding bikes. For trips away in the summer we tend just to use the yacht/floating caravan – far more self contained, better for exploring the Hebrides and far less midges at anchor.

I can see us getting a caravan if we ever have kids though – it’d be far more suitable for a two week camping holiday.

It’s all about having the most suitable tool for the sort of break you want.

I know! Awesome innit!

No. Funkmaster sits down and starts singing about tents.

 I can’t see how they can get £15k’s worth of van chassis and put £20k’s worth of caravan on the back and make it add up to £60k

My father, sadly no longer with us was well ahead of the curve on this.
His plan was to buy a cheap flat bed truck and bolt an old residential caravan to it. Instant motorhome at minimum cost !!!
Thank heavens it wasn’t one of his ideas that came to fruition 😂😂

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Hurray finally managed to post a picture, first time since the forum change 😉

Reference my post above.

You cant wild camp in caravan

Why not?

Fleetwood Heritage 640i fixed island bed jack and jill bathroom full size fridge freezer built in dvd player 2008 but immaculate as b4 we owned it, it was used as a ‘rest space’ for a guy when gliding….so not even slept in!

I was converted to having a caravan after a few years camping.
Camping you can’t dry your gear properly.
Can’t cook a full Christmas dinner (which I do every year).
Can’t get comfortable when you’re ill (I suffered from fatigue syndrome for years, so holidaying in a caravan was like home from home).
Can’t relax properly after a full day out in the hills and fells walking or mtbing.
You get a proper good nights sleep in a caravan.

BWD – I saw a Marauder on the motorway at Easter and shouted to nbt. Yay|
If you buy one you can keep it on our drive in our affluent area. Wink.

anagallis_arvensis

Member
You cant wild camp in caravan

Why not?

cause it’s caravaning, you can’t ever camp in a caravan!

You can wild caravan however! 😆 Although I don’t really see the OP getting that much beyond road sides! Basically, road side caravaning isn’t wild camping!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yqEUJ5DY323bHj3QA

(Still can’t fathom images on this site after all this time)

Caravans don’t depreciate that much. Ours was £16k new in 2013 and was still £11k when we just bought it at 6 years old.

We had a Sterling Europa before hand which was nice but we wanted a fixed bed. We wanted a a fixed bed, bunks and a lounge area which could be towed by a Mondeo. Also wanted non wood construction so this one ticked the boxes. Very lightweight.

Prefer a caravan over a camper for the fact that you don’t have to pack up everytime you forget something From the shop etc

Plus friends and families with campers and tents seem to have a negative view of “old man caravans” but want to use your toilet, microwave, ice cubes, oven etc.
They want to sit in the front of an evening playing Scrabble when it’s raining outside, listening to Spotify, getting boozed up instead of being sat under the event shelter with a blanket and mosquitos.
The kids of said parents want to watch your TV in the warm on your sofa instead of on the floor of the tent.
Think people are just in denial. One couple we know calls caravans “misery boxes” but are happy to use it’s facilities when the tent gets damp.

Towing wise I find I don’t hold up traffic. It’s 2019. The roads are so busy that you can’t go fast anyway.

I love having a base which we can relax in after a day at the beach or walking etc. We tend to stay on farms and small sites. Our favourite on the Welsh coast is £12 a night with electric and stunning views.

Yes we take a Dyson with us from home. Little hand held thingy. Yes we have two TVs in ours. One in the back bedroom and one in the front. When the kids get up at 0600 it’s easy to put Peppa pig on. We have a Dolce gusto machine. Unlimited WiFi mobile internet with fire sticks. So we could stay in a hotel or rent a cottage but it’s more personal imo.

We go away for at least 4 nights every month throughout the year.

We only have one toilet in our old house so next week we are living up Oswestry racecourse in the old man caravan looking over the Shropshire plain with a 40 mile view whilst I rip the bathroom to pieces and fit a new one. Ideal.

Try it. Best thing we did in years.

[strong]taxi25[/strong] wrote:

 I can’t see how they can get £15k’s worth of van chassis and put £20k’s worth of caravan on the back and make it add up to £60k

My father, sadly no longer with us was well ahead of the curve on this.
His plan was to buy a cheap flat bed truck and bolt an old residential caravan to it. Instant motorhome at minimum cost !!!
Thank heavens it wasn’t one of his ideas that came to fruition 😂😂

A bit like this?

https://daysaway.wixsite.com/website/single-post/2019/04/25/CamperTruck-For-Sale

Humble brag? Amateur.

Wait for the ‘show me your second home abroad thread’.

I like caravans having been brought up holidaying in one all the time. We have a sort of campbervan, a California Beach. Mainly as we like to camp a bit and the vans mega useful anyway and it’s my car. We generally only camp for a couple of nights at a time anyway so works OK. Reason we do it and love it is that we have one kid for various reasons and while cottages and hotels are lovely she tends to be on her own. Campsite? Open van door say goodbye as she disappears off and runs wild, it’s good for her. I can totally see the attraction of a nice caravan which means I must be getting old.

For disclosure we do also have a second house abroad !

But, on my post-97 driving license there’s not many car and caravan combinations that fit within the 3.5t weight limit and can sleep 5 people.

Not sure about this. Our car is 1520kg (Passat) and the 5 berth caravan is MTPLM of 1200kg. Newer vans are heavier generally but there are still some lighter ones. But even then, the test isn’t that expensive compared to the cost of a motorhome.

Re wild camping – yes, that’s a clear benefit of a small motorhome, but then you’ve got all the other downsides of a small motor home. You can still do it though. Saw some on Mull when we were there. You can get on board water tanks for caravans, the toilets are the same as motorhome ones, and you have batteries too. So the only issue is getting onto the wild pitch which can be done in many places.

If we had enough money we’d own both a small campervan and a caravan. But not a big motorhome.

WONN UUUNERED!

In the end its what ever floats your boat.
Ours was bought when Abigale decided to compete. 3 1/2 years and 33,000 miles later it still was the right thing to do. On average ours is used twice a month on weekends throughout the year and 5 weeks in Europe biking. Most are at races and parked where ever the events are. When she races in Europe we make the stays last longer and have ridden in some amazing places.

Most of our food is precooked and frozen. The freezer can take 12 precooked meals in bags if needed and has a full size fridge so never felt the urge to shop. I would rather be on the trails.

Most of the time we are off grid. Solar, gas and diesel.

Garage will take four 29ers with wheels on and room to spare.

Apart from bikes, tool kit, food and clean underwear the van is always ready to go.

They arnt as expensive to buy as everone makes out. Ours new was cheaper than the basic T5 would have cost.

It won’t be sold on as the girls will get to use it if we ever get fed up.

We wanted one in the 80s instead of sleeping on the beach when windsurfing but the time was never right.

Glad Abigale is following the dream. They hired this for the EWS in Tasmania

Some of the campervans on here are awesome.

The caravans however are not. Horrible things. The appeal of a camper to me is that you can just jump in it and drive somewhere as easily as you can in a car. And parking anywhere you like. You can’t do that with that huge monstrosity in the OP.

Also, points off for having a white landrover. Looks like something straight out of towie.

I’m sure when I’m a pensioner the idea of a large caravan will appeal however.

Call those tin tents? THIS is a tin tent:

Bloomin great, but doesn’t work anywhere outside the US or Australia

You cant wild camp in caravan

What about loitering with tin tent?

If I had a Land Rover I’d tow somewhere warm and comfy behind it to sit in and wait for the AA 🙂

We used to have a caravan but we swapped to a motorhome last year and love it. With 2 dogs it’s far easier and usually cheaper than cottages, b&b etc…

Small sites are usually pretty cheap and between gas, solar for the batteries and diesel heating we’ve been using it all year.

Our work lives mean it’s far easier for us to take lots of of 2-3 day breaks than long holidays so it works well, just load the bikes on the back, some food and beer inside and head off somewhere where the weather is nice.

They arnt as expensive to buy as everone makes out. Ours new was cheaper than the basic T5 would have cost.

Yes they are. Thirty grand for a tiny thing, sixty for something for four, versus sixteen for a caravan with twice the space.

Of course a little T5 sized thingnhas advantages, but so does a caravan or a tent. But there’s no denying that motor homes are expensive. I’ve got the Caravan and Motorhome club magazine here, in the ten minutes it lasts before being recycled. It’s got their motorhome awards in it, there’s a category for £100,000 and up. That’d buy three of the most expensive caravans you can get.

That’d buy three of the most expensive caravans you can get.

Airstream Colarado – £91,000

https://www.salopleisure.co.uk/airstream-colorado

Ok, the most expensive main-stream offering.

But in any case the most expensive one in the mag is £150k.

Ours sleeps 5 and at 7.5 m long has loads of room. It was nearer to the £30k new than the £60k. As I said Its whatever floats your boat.

whatever floats your boat.

Don’t get them started on the price of boats!

I’ve had mine 9 years, put 65k miles on it and it would cost me £4k more than I paid to replace it with the same model of van.

Also, points off for having a white landrover. Looks like something straight out of towie

Work on motorways. I’d have had a grey one, but would have had to stick yellow stripes down the side

Yes they are. Thirty grand for a tiny thing, sixty for something for four, versus sixteen for a caravan with twice the space.

Erm… up the road at King of Caravans says a 6seater Camper for £40k new..

I looked at them, they’re pretty neat places to sleep and throw the surf boards in.

Erm… up the road at King of Caravans says a 6seater Camper for £40k new..

£40k? And you’re giving this as evidence of how cheap they are?

Ours sleeps 5 and at 7.5 m long has loads of room. It was nearer to the £30k new than the £60k. As I said Its whatever floats your boat.

Must admit I’ve never seen a 7.5m motorhome for £30k.

Quite happy with my static. Just did a lads ‘MTB’ weekend with it, and more planned. All piled down after work on a Friday, far too many beers, MTB Sat, more beers and MTB Sunday. Managed to get all 7 of us showered and ‘presentable’ within an hour to go off for a cracking Thai meal on the Saturday.

Site fees/insurance are like £4k a year though…

Work on motorways. I’d have had a grey one, but would have had to stick yellow stripes down the side

It’s a lovely motor tbf..I’m just not sold on the colour.

What I will say is you do appear to get a lot of caravan for your cash as opposed to a camper. So if thats your bag at least they appear good value.

Also kudos to the op .. he’s posted his pics, a few folks have slated it (me included) and he’s taken it in good spirits without the whole thread descending into a fight. Key thing is he enjoys it..and in fairness it’s alot better than the tent I’ll be staying in the next time I go camping.