Caravan - yes/no?

[Dave7]

Happy with static caravan holidays but no way am I towing a caravan

We ought one some years ago as some friends had one and raved about it.
I did not enjoy the whole towing and reversing experience.
After 6 months we sold it and bought a static.

 

[biggs682]

We ought one some years ago as some friends had one and raved about it.
I did not enjoy the whole towing and reversing experience.
After 6 months we sold it and bought a static.

I can well understand that

 

[Brads]

Towing a van is a piece of piss. No hassle at all.

To anyone thinking about a static, be prepared to have your wallet well and truly rogered.

They have you over a barrel and just wait till you say you want rid of it, you basically are forced to hand it over for pennies.

Would never consider one. No way.

 

[Dave7]

Towing a van is a piece of piss. No hassle at all.

To anyone thinking about a static, be prepared to have your wallet well and truly rogered.

They have you over a barrel and just wait till you say you want rid of it, you basically are forced to hand it over for pennies.

Would never consider one. No way.

Agree with you on many points.
Do not buy a static unless
A) you know you will keep it x years or
B) you accept you will take a BIG hit.
We were fortunate for several reasons.
I started my own company, had an amazing 1st year so could afford the £54K cash.
When we wanted to sell , the site owner wanted our spot so we negotiated a decent price.
The owner had a policy.
If you bought a new van you got 15 years.
If 2nd hand you got 10 years.
A couple we knew, in their 70s, had a lovely, pristine, van. At 14 years they got the owners permission to PAY HIM to put decking down.
Next year (15 years).......knock on the door ........buy a new van or leave the site.
They left.

 

[Brads]

Yup

People I know are being kicked off a site in Peebles. They are being charged £500 for them to drag their old vans to the gate to be uplifted as hauliers aren't allowed to collect from site.
They want the pitches for new chalets etc so are hoofing them off.

 

[Pale Rider]

Yup

People I know are being kicked off a site in Peebles. They are being charged £500 for them to drag their old vans to the gate to be uplifted as hauliers aren't allowed to collect from site.
They want the pitches for new chalets etc so are hoofing them off.

Same thing happened on a site near me in North Yorkshire.

Much depends on the site owner.

Not all are total knackers.

I could tell you lots of moaney stories about the owner of my site, but I've found him not too bad on the important stuff.

There's no published age limit on vans, so provided you keep it clean and tidy you are largely left alone to get on with it.

The other thing that must be understood is statics depreciate like a car.

Too many owners think they should hold their value like a house.

A 15 year old hatchback is in banger territory and worth buttons.

Same applies in a slightly more limited extent to a static.

Buying one new as I did is money spent, not money invested.

Mine is now 12 years old, and I've no immediate plans to sell it.

If I do so in a few years I will regard anything I get back for it as a bonus.

 

[Blue Hills]

Aren’t caravans precisely the reason why God invented 4-5* hotels?

And bikes the reason god invented cars?

 

[Nebulous]

I'm coming to this very late, but we have a lifetimes experience of camping and caravanning. I have a theory that you need to be brought up with it to enjoy it. We've tried most things camping-wise.

Making use of the caravan is important. We often used my parent's caravan, but when we first bought our own one we were away over 60 nights in the first year.

I don't think I'd pay over £50 for a site, but then we don't want all the amenities and onsite entertainment. As club members £22-25 is about usual. This year the caravan club were selling vouchers at £100 for £120 worth. We bought £720 worth for £600. Abroad can be surprisingly cheap out of season. With an ACSI card you can get a site with hook up for around 15 euros.

Layout and knowing what suits you, where you are willing to compromise is fundamental. With teenagers we had a twin-dinette option. They could have a table at the back to play games, while we could read books at the front.

Now there are just two of us and two dogs we put a lot of thought into what we needed. My wife wanted a fixed bed and I wanted my bikes inside instead of on the roof of the car. We considered a motor home with a fixed bed and large garage, but choked on the price and the need for another vehicle.

We had a car with a very limited towing limit and a small 1991 caravan weighing around 1000 kilos gross. We bought a twin-cab van which tows 2 tonnes and a large twin-axle, 9 years old caravan with fixed bed at 1640 kilos gross.

So far that has been great. There are seasonal variations in pricing, a drop in autumn and rise in spring. We bought in October last year at a great price and due to the staycation boom our caravan is worth about £3k more than we paid for it.

The van is now kitted out with racks for two bikes in the back and at a push if I was away cycling on my own I could sleep on a roll mat on the floor. Unfortunately most events have been off this year. Generally for an audax we would go away for the weekend to a campsite near the start. I'd do the ride and then we'd have a few days in the caravan.

The combination suits us very well so far. Heading to retirement the plan would be to tour for extended periods with the bikes, ideally France / Spain for most of the winter, then summers at home. I'm not looking forward to paying my first ferry now we have such a big unit however.

 

[oldfatfool]

We had one, put it on a seasonal pitch so avoided storage and towing/ packing hassles but it really was too pokey even with the awning. Sink, shower, cooker etc all look nice until you come to use them and realise your plates won't fit in sink to wash up, a single frying pan takes all 3/4 gas rings, shower is too small to bend down in and fridge won't fit a 4 pinter of milk. 2kids 2 adults if it rains forget it. We have a static now and whilst we are in one position all the time it is. A lovely break and have all home comforts and don't have to live in each others pockets.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm coming to this very late, but we have a lifetimes experience of camping and caravanning. I have a theory that you need to be brought up with it to enjoy it. We've tried most things camping-wise.

Making use of the caravan is important. We often used my parent's caravan, but when we first bought our own one we were away over 60 nights in the first year.

I don't think I'd pay over £50 for a site, but then we don't want all the amenities and onsite entertainment. As club members £22-25 is about usual. This year the caravan club were selling vouchers at £100 for £120 worth. We bought £720 worth for £600. Abroad can be surprisingly cheap out of season. With an ACSI card you can get a site with hook up for around 15 euros.

Layout and knowing what suits you, where you are willing to compromise is fundamental. With teenagers we had a twin-dinette option. They could have a table at the back to play games, while we could read books at the front.

Now there are just two of us and two dogs we put a lot of thought into what we needed. My wife wanted a fixed bed and I wanted my bikes inside instead of on the roof of the car. We considered a motor home with a fixed bed and large garage, but choked on the price and the need for another vehicle.

We had a car with a very limited towing limit and a small 1991 caravan weighing around 1000 kilos gross. We bought a twin-cab van which tows 2 tonnes and a large twin-axle, 9 years old caravan with fixed bed at 1640 kilos gross.

So far that has been great. There are seasonal variations in pricing, a drop in autumn and rise in spring. We bought in October last year at a great price and due to the staycation boom our caravan is worth about £3k more than we paid for it.

The van is now kitted out with racks for two bikes in the back and at a push if I was away cycling on my own I could sleep on a roll mat on the floor. Unfortunately most events have been off this year. Generally for an audax we would go away for the weekend to a campsite near the start. I'd do the ride and then we'd have a few days in the caravan.

The combination suits us very well so far. Heading to retirement the plan would be to tour for extended periods with the bikes, ideally France / Spain for most of the winter, then summers at home. I'm not looking forward to paying my first ferry now we have such a big unit however.

That's a good combo! We often wonder why we didn't go that route....but the new campervan looks like it's really going to work well for our long-term needs.
I agree, you either have camping in your blood or you don't....

 

[oldwheels]

We had one, put it on a seasonal pitch so avoided storage and towing/ packing hassles but it really was too pokey even with the awning. Sink, shower, cooker etc all look nice until you come to use them and realise your plates won't fit in sink to wash up, a single frying pan takes all 3/4 gas rings, shower is too small to bend down in and fridge won't fit a 4 pinter of milk. 2kids 2 adults if it rains forget it. We have a static now and whilst we are in one position all the time it is. A lovely break and have all home comforts and don't have to live in each others pockets.

I have had a variety of caravans and motorhomes over many years and never really found any problems. Get pans to fit the cooker and any fridges we have had have been big enough. So far as dishwashing is concerned we use site facilities which are often good social gatherings. For showers again we use site facilities and the club sites are always immaculate and many of the private sites are also good. We started with small caravans and then a Commer pop top and progressed up in size and then when the kids did not come anymore started to downsize. Now contemplating a micro caravan of some kind as now on my own.

 

[oldfatfool]

I have had a variety of caravans and motorhomes over many years and never really found any problems. Get pans to fit the cooker and any fridges we have had have been big enough. So far as dishwashing is concerned we use site facilities which are often good social gatherings. For showers again we use site facilities and the club sites are always immaculate and many of the private sites are also good. We started with small caravans and then a Commer pop top and progressed up in size and then when the kids did not come anymore started to downsize. Now contemplating a micro caravan of some kind as now on my own.

Don't get me wrong I still camp with the bike quite a bit and wouldn't be averse to a micro van or motor home for touring with the bike, but for family holidays I think a new starter needs to go with their eyes open, take the family to look at what they are thinking of buying, and sit in it and ask if they will be happy in that space for xx hours at a time in poor weather. To some part of the fun is cooking in a 8" pan on a tangier to others with a family they might want to make a roast dinner or even pizzas will be Difficult for four in a touring van.

 

[Nebulous]

Layout and making sure it fits your needs is all important. We’ve had small tents, big tents, folding camper, a self-build camper van and four different caravans. I can’t say anything I’ve done felt like your experience. We’ve enjoyed them all. Having the kit, pans, folding basins, etc makes a difference, as does being willing to use the shared facilities, including the dish-washing area. We did a lot of cooking in our last van in an electric frying pan, which we also use at home.

Getting older and looking for a bit more comfort we luckily bought a new(er) caravan in October last year. It has everything we want, plenty room for two of us and two dogs and a bigger shower cubicle than our en-suite at home. As we were reluctant to use shared facilities this year, we remained fully self-contained on site only using the fresh water and waste from the site.

This is the same model as our one.

https://www.pirancaravansales.co.uk/239-bailey-pegasus-624

 

[RichardB]

We bought one 18 years ago and still have it. I've got very mixed feelings about it. I love camping, and at our age it's a comfy way of sleeping in a field. Most caravanners are nice people, and we've had some super holidays, mainly in France where we take the bikes in the back and use them almost exclusively to travel around. Municipale sites are usually small, clean and well-run, and a lot of French people use them, so we usually use these and get away from the Brits. I get a brilliant night's sleep in ours, comfier than our bed at home. It's a mid-range 2-berth Swift Challenger.

But ...

I hate it as an object. It's ridiculously flimsy and everything in it seems made for the convenience of cheap manufacture and not for long-term ownership (German vans are not like this, I am told). Carpet stapled down under the units. Water pipes and cables routed where you need to take half the van out to repair a small leak (that was this summer's fun and games.) Towel rail held on by two small self-tappers into 1/8" ply. Impossible to refix when it falls off, as it will. It's the exact opposite of everything I value in a vehicle, durability and good design.

I don't like the way it takes up useful space on the driveway.
I don't like towing it. It's not that I don't like towing, but it is so flimsy (again) that I am constantly in fear of things getting scraped off or falling off across 3 lanes of the M5.
Stupid, I know, but I don't like being that guy towing that caravan. As a driver, I just wish them all off the roads.
It costs more to service than my car.

We've had some good times in it, and my wife loves it, so it's not going anywhere. But if I were on my own, I would sell it tomorrow.

 

[oldwheels]

This year we’ve found club sites difficult to book a full week or more at. It seems the weekends are full especially Saturday nights. Arriving Sunday and leaving Saturday has had to be our pattern this year.

Melrose I remember you could only get in Monday till Thursday as every weekend was booked for the whole summer by weekenders.