Caravanner, thinking of trying a motorhome (1 Viewer)

[Cliffp]

I have been a caravanner since 2001. I started with a 2 berth 470 length rear washroom type, then upgraded to a longer fixed dinette model (Bailey Pegasus Milan). I am getting a bit bored with the chore of storing it a few miles away, hitching it, and the constraints of towing it. Caravanning has been a great experience and if I don't find a suitable motorhome to replace it (separate thread to follow), will happily continue caravanning.

My first experience of a motorhome of sorts was in 1976 when my father bought a battered old Transit minibus and carried out a very crude conversion. He built seating around the outside of the back of the van with storage under the seat tops. The space in the middle was for a fixed table. The seats could be used as single beds. The seating cushion at the back by the rear doors could be lifted up to reveal a gas cooker (can't remember how many rings). There wasn't any running water or toilet. He also put up some crude curtains. Even though it was very basic and cheap, it was still great fun.

I bought a motorhome myself back in 1995 - unfortunately this was a very bad experience! It was a Y reg vehicle (1983?) - I think it was based on a Vauxhall van. It had a fibreglass hightop, beds converted from forward facing rear seats (very crude). A basic cooker, fridge and shower room. I don't remember what the toilet was like but it was very basic. I think I paid £3500 for it. The trouble was, before I had used it I discovered that it was absolutely full of rust. It was everywhere - around all of the windows, in all of the sills, just about everywhere except the centre of big panels. I ended up stripping the vehicle, de-rusting it, welding it, painting it etc etc. It probably took me a year and a half of hard work (I didn't do a very neat job so it looked a mess!) to sort the bodywork out. I then needed to address various issues with the mechanics of the vehicle. Also, the motorhome fittings were not really that good so I wanted to replace much of this as well. I suddenly became very depressed with the whole thing, with the work causing me to neglect my marriage (common law only at this point) and the strain took its toll on her as well (she was having to do all of the chores and subsidise me as I was spending all of my money on tools and the van). I ended up selling it at a big loss as a work in progress.

Now I have the money to buy a decent motorhome if I can address all of the issues that make me unsure whether I would enjoy it as much as a caravan. My concerns relate to the practicality of a motorhome as suitable for hill/mountain walking holidays. I will post a thread asking for advice elsewhere on this forum.

 

[Cavs]

Welcome. You've come to the right place to learn about it.

Your choice about caravan v motorhome will largely depend on how you envisage using it, IMHO.

 

[Jim]

Cliff, welcome to the fun Motorhomes and Caravans are very similar in many ways and yet so very different. You'll discover the spontaneity that you enjoy as a motorhome owner in that it's always ready to go, really is a bonus for activity holidays. Meanwhile, if you're not sure about any aspect of the forums, check out the Broken Link Removed.

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[TheBig1]

modern motorhomes are a long way removed from their predecessors and have all the ammenities of modern caravans in a very mobile package. different types and layouts to suit pretty much anyone

 

[MC 55 FUN]

& from ex East Wittering & Bracklesham Bay dwellers

 

[Pia]

we've just changed from caravan to Motorhome and so far (we've had it 5 weeks) we love it. We've been out every weekend since we bought it and find it sooooo much easier than the caravan. Though we both had some reservations about driving a large vehicle we both now enjoy it all the more followin the CC MH maneuvoring course we completed last Sunday...it was really excellent at familiarising with maneuvoring and reversing..an opportunity to really get the feel for the vehicle....there will now be competition for driving. We've not driven up mountains yet but did go off to Tauton the other weekend and did some steep hills without any issues....we are off to Spain a week on Saturday and during our trip expect to cross the High Pyrenees. We shall miss having a car at our disposal as when caravanning but the joy of the MH will more than compensate....furthermore we love walking. Next trip we'll take bikes. If you do decide a MH is for you make sure you know what layout you want...it took us about 3 years to finally change from caravan to MH during which time we had been in and tried most models before we found and fell totally in love with the one we finally bought....so enjoy the whole business of trying, deciding and buying and then the travelling

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[The Dudess]

Hire a motorhome for a week - expensive but it will be money well spent.
And

 

[Madeinengland]

Hello

 

[Kingham]

@Cliffp A warm welcome from a former caravanner from the NE

I much prefer motorhoming to caravanning, but it doesn't tick every box for me, especially around some aspects of security out in the wilds.

I spend a lot of time in the mountains and hoping to be there a lot more in future.
In the past, I've always had the family along with me and usually based my access in to the wilds around caravan sites, which when you have access to your tow car, isn't a problem as you can always drive in to the more remote mountain spots and park up at the roadside for the day.

I never left any valuables in the car, but car security was always in the back of my mind.
Now that I'm going to be travelling solo, I don't know how comfortable I will be leaving my new PVC unattended in a remote spot, with all of my valuables and equipment on board, while I'm off on an 8 - 10 hour trek.

With this in mind, I'm already booked in at Vanbitz for a good alarm and non start system, but I'll probably still base such treks around caravan sites again and look at public transport links.

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[EX51SSS]

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome.....

 

[scotzsue]

Never owned a caravan, so can't comment on that aspect.
However,
We love our motorhome, waxed lyrically to a couple of caravan owners at storage, all about aires , France Passion, and finding somewhere yo liked when out and about and not having to go back to pick up a caravan. They changed later to a motorhome, 6 months later saw them again, parking up their caravan, the motorhoming life just was not for them.
Would also advise hiring for a week preferably the same layout as you think would suit and go off to somewhere remote, see if it works for you, not cheap I know, but better to spend on that than loose a few grand on something that doesn't suit.

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[Mickey1]

Mickey.

 

[suavecarve]

Hi and welcome from just up the A 3 at the teletubbies tunnel !

This is where you ll find the differing opinions and you take what opinion fits yourself just like the person mentioned previously who couldnt get on with a motorhome

I wouldnt hire a van for a week. This would be based upon your experience of an interior lay out in the first instance. Youre probably going to be more right than more wrong at aiming for what youre after, but one thing is for certain, you aint going to get the perfect choice. Other considerations to factor in (IMHO) are how much you are going to pay. If you are in the market for a £50k motor, i may well change my mind and spend a grand on a week's hire, but if youre in the £20k bracket then buy it, try it if you no likey sell it and you could even turn a profit and ge a years usage out of it. I would suggest another thread closer to the time gathering opinions closer to the time

Good luck

 

[peterc10]

The main difference between a motorhome and a caravan is the speed with which you can get the kettle on or the wine opened (or both) when you first arrive on site. Then you can sit back and watch the caravanners carrying out all their chores and having their reversing and awning arguments.

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[Lenny HB]

We used to be tuggers, before changing we hired Motorhomes twice, found out what layouts we could live with and if we liked the change in lifestyle. Having had Motormes for nearly 9 years we could never face going back to a caravan. The only difference it has made to us is we really bother with the UK now as it's to Motorhome unfriendly especially as we don't like using sites.
We hired in Germany as it was half the price of the UK and a much better place to experience the Motorhome lifestyle.

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[ambulancekidd]

I began life with our family motorhome, then slipped into the caravan way of life when I got married. The caravan suited me at the time, but I bought a wee Mazda Bongo on a spur of the moment whim & loved the freedom that it gave. So now we're enjoying our small Autosleeper Motorhome & I have no desire to go back to caravans.

This is a wonderful forum & you'll get as much help as you could possible need. So all that remains is for me to say

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[Cliffp]

Many thanks for all of the replies. I feel as though I have learnt a lot already. Some excellent suggestions here such as checking out the FAQs (sounds obvious but I hadn't thought of it!) and hiring before buying (possibly abroad to save money).

@Kingham, your mention of security is really useful to think about. I hadn't particularly thought about the fact that motorhomes could be vulnerable in remote places. I was robbed while staying overnight at an aire in France (near Lyon) last July. I lost £9000 of camera and computing equipment.

@suavecarve, if the teletubbies tunnel is at Hindhead I went for a muddy walk there while the tunnel was being built so know it! I am looking to spend £50k or so may well hire first. I am pretty sure I can decide what sort of layout would suit as I have had the experience of two different caravan layouts and managed to choose successfully on those occasions - my uncertainties are about the difficultly of parking the different sizes of vehicle in the sort of places I would need to park in order to go for mountain walks (in the UK mostly but also in Europe).

I really appreciate all the help! Thanks

 

[Lenny HB]

@Kingham, your mention of security is really useful to think about. I hadn't particularly thought about the fact that motorhomes could be vulnerable in remote places. I was robbed while staying overnight at an aire in France (near Lyon) last July. I lost £9000 of camera and computing equipment.

Was that on a proper Aire or an Autoroute Aire?

 

[suavecarve]

Hindhead tunnel is right !
Uk you will know the issues about parking and height restrictions etc.
Europe - Nobody really cares, particularly France. They really do not give a monkeys.
There is a parallel thread somewhere about ACSI sites and within that thread there is some stuff on France Passion. Some of the France Passion sites we have stayed you are locked in peoples HUGE back gardens, which should negate some of your concerns. And presuming it was not a motorway aire they got your stuff from, reports of thefts from aires are very rare (or i havent heard of many if any)
Lyon last July and August - we stayed at Bayan but during the day we went to that huge lake to the northwest of Lyon. There were at least 1,000 caravans there. Most of them were pulled by white transits. I am guessing that there was a bare knuckle fight organised !

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[Cliffp]

It was an aire on the autoroute between Clermont Ferrand and Lyon.

 

[two]

You say that you like walking. Consider how you intend to get to the start of your walks. Parking a motorhome of any size in remote places can add to the excitement, as can turning it around in a tight country lane. If your camping style is to operate from a (UK) base, I’d still consider a caravan but, if you want to explore Europe, then carry on with the motorhome idea.