Show us your tin tents

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?

DSC_1003 2 by neil.d.cox[/url], on Flickr

DSC_0862 by neil.d.cox[/url], on Flickr

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:

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:

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.