OT: Caravans

[Biggles]

We bought a new Coachman 460/2 last year, for the two of us. We considered a bigger van with fixed bed, but the lounge area of the 2 berth converts into a super king sized bed, whereas in 4 berth vans with fixed beds the lounge area is usually smaller and at 6'4" tall I found the fixed bed in a friend's 4 berth ocaravan that we borrowed was too small. It only takes about 5 mins to convert the lounge to a bed and vice-versa. Shower room in the Coachman is very big, the shower in particular is a nice size. You will need a tow car which is up to the job of towing the size of van you choose, and if you use grass pitches 4 wheel drive can come in handy.

[R D S]

We've been mulling a motorhome (converted van type) over but the prices being what they are (because so did everyone else) we have decided to put it off until the fad is over.

And something made me look at caravans, i've never had the slightest interest before but looking at how much more you can get for your money vs a van, if you were planning to use sites anyway rather than go off grid it seems to be a no brainer.

Anyone got a caravan? Input appreciated.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

get a static one...mine has a bath....

[Brian]

If you have the space, a coach built motorhome offers better value than the van type. Plus you tend to have more space / facilities.

We have a A class, one that looks like a box, fixed bed, plus a second bed if needed ( we’ve never used it), shower, toilet etc, cooking area with oven, full sized fridge/freezer, ….. ‘garage’. We tow a car on a trailer.

We nearly always use sites. We’ve only not done so for particular reasons, not really holidays.

[Another Dave]

I've done both. I hired a Winnebago in California and it was a millstone round my neck (ever tried driving or, worse, parking in San Francisco). Enough bragging.

With a caravan you go to the camp site, ditch the caravan and despise the motorhome cyclists or worse still the ludicrous sight of a gigantic motorhome towing a car!

The adverts show people parking their motorhome in places where it's almost certain they aren't allowed to and nowhere do they show you having to take the entire 'home to find a tap to fill the water tank. You see them draining their waste water as they drive along (definitely illegal and the police in France carry guns and are not of a charitable disposition). Parking away from a proper site also leaves you at great risk of attack/robbery.

Buy the smallest caravan you can get away with.

Another Dave

[Brian]

France is very well supplied with, usually, free places to empty your grey tanks/ toilet cassette and fill up with water. Most small towns have free or cheap Aires ( not to be confused with motorway Aires) where you can stay.

We use sites- we tend to like serviced pitches - but I know someone who makes good use of Aires.

France, in fact Europe, is very motorhome friendly. We’ve been going there since 2011 or so.

The stories of people being robbed etc, especially with ‘gas’, have been debunked. Of course there is crime, as there is anywhere, but there isn’t a verified case of knock out gas etc being used .

[Brian Gaff]

Are you not then a bit stuck on where you can go, grin.

I remember we had great fun in our old Commer motorhome back in the late 60s and early 70s. Of course I was not the driver. My late father was and fuel was not that bad if he drove sensibly. Also you could work on the top of the engine from inside the van. Brian

[GB]

What do you recommend for two people who want a 5 foot bed, and a proper shower and toilet?

[Jim Stewart ...]

dormobile life

[Jim Stewart ...]

like brian reaay...tee hee

[Rod Speed]

GB [e-mail] wrote

Surgery to get rid of the extra foot.

[Colin Bignell]

An hotel.

[Tim Streater]

A good hotel.

[Jim Stewart ...]

a hotel

[Jim Stewart ...]

I had a van like which ran on when you switched it off you had to bring up the clutch in first gear to stop it....

[Colin Bignell]

That would have earned you a hundred lines from my old English teacher.

[jon]

I thought only the french couldn't pronounce Aich.

[Harry Bloomfield Esq]

Get a tourer, mine has a brilliant shower....

[Harry Bloomfield Esq]

Caravans are likewise very expensive at the moment, but...

Motorhomes are great for continuous touring, a different site every night. For a longer stay they can be a pain, you have to pack up every time you want to nip to the shops etc., which explains why some tow a small car behind them. Caravans you can set up and drive where ever you want, without having to pack up.

[R D S]

:)

Herein lies the problem. The campervans I *want* are around 40k. They chew through fuel, there are fees wherever you want to park them if you want facilities and other associated costs.

You can go on a lot of self catering/hotel trips over a number of years for the same outlay, especially bearing in mind they don't last forever and will want replacing in x years.

I think the biggest draw is/was location and view but it appears to be becoming increasingly difficult to just rock up somewhere picturesque in the UK and put the handbrake on due to the increasing number of vans and Britain's unwillingness to invest in recreation, rather stick up prohibitive signs and barriers.

If you've the time to go on long trips perhaps, especially overseas, but for weekenders like us I don't think they make a lot of sense. Maybe I should buy a cheap and nasty chuck-away one and see how we get on?