Dusseldorf Caravan Salon 2013 (1 Viewer)

Melchior

Free Member
Jun 26, 2013
129
82
Amstelveen, Netherlands
Funster No
26,679
MH
Alcove
Exp
Since August 2012
Hello chaps and chapesses :)

Last year we went to the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon for the first time and really loved it. There was no question about going back again this year so off we went. As we live in the Amsterdam area, it isn't that far for us. Unfortunately we had to go by car (what?!) as our Ducato based Knaus is devoid of a 5th gear and I'm half way through fixing it.

If you do go by motorhome, you have the pleasure of staying in a huge, nay *HUGE* stellplatz which is part of the exhibition centre. If my memory serves me correctly (hah!) there is space enough for 2000 motorhomes. Last year we stayed in there and I can well believe it. It was full of all sorts - a great pleasure to amble around in the evening and gawp, ogle, "wow" and "corr!".

Alas we were confined to our little €500 VW Golf. Car parking is €8 for the day, I believe around the same for the stellplatz per night; this includes a short bus shuttle to and from the exhibition centre. Entry is €13/day but you can sign up for a membership card, this gives you trade price for the year after so thanks to Miss M's forsight in 2012, we paid €9 for the day.

Most if not all big brands are there. Everything from the million-euro rock star penthouse suite on wheels with Porsche / Ferrari / Gullwing 300SL (really!) garage, to the few thousand euro micro-caravan and everything in between. A totally fascinating place for any motorhomer.

During the last couple of weeks I had questioned Miss M as to what could possibly have changed in a single year? Surely most things would be the same? We were both surprised at how wrong I was (no. She was not surprised at my being wrong). There were many many more small motorhomes around the 6 metre mark - last year we remarked at the lack of this size and how we found it odd. The fashion of the 'garage' had meant lengths going to at least 6m, this year there was more choice for those wanting smaller wagons.

Modern MH's lean towards a seating arrangement which did seem a little wasteful of space. This year we noticed almost every manufacturer had added a seat on the wall edge of the dining area - this small change brings a huge increase in practicality and space efficiency.

Kitchen workspace is still a problem. I think we are very spoilt with this as our now 14 year old Knaus Traveller has a frankly ridiculous amount of worktop. We didn't see a single motorhome with anything like the amount of space we have in ours. Maybe people just aren't preparing and cooking like they used to, I don't know. If we were looking to buy new, that would be a huge consideration for Miss M as she loves to cook. In most we saw today, it wouldn't be easy at all.

Often one comes away from such shows with a desire to call a showroom first thing on Monday and start talking to a salesman. We aren't in a position to do that anyway (far from it!) but even if we were, what we saw today make us realise how much we love our MH and that there is little within reasonable budget for which we would exchange it. We have, however, been inspired a little. A list now exists of things to change and improve to bring a more modern feel and comfortable experience. Perhaps a thread or two will follow off the back of these plans.

If you have never been and are able to, as you can tell I highly recommend going to this show. You can easily spend a day there and the stellplatz is just fantastic. It's not expensive and has the added bonus of being able to pop to a nearby Getränkemarkt and pick up some proper decent beer :thumb:

For those of you that did, thanks for reading this far.

Cheers,
M

MHandGullwing_zps18f06c7a.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Feb 18, 2009
573
247
Guisborough North Yorkshi
Funster No
5,677
MH
Malibu T410
Exp
Since August 2008
Good photo -we tried with our phone but didn't turn out very good. This one was a little bit out of our price bracket at over 900,000 euros for the basic vehicle presented - and wethink it was the most expenive van there
Agree with all your comments and think that the show at the NEC and so called Caravan Club offers to stay - could learn something if they attended Dusseldorf show?
 
Nov 28, 2010
157
124
Torrevieja, Spain
Funster No
14,564
MH
Laika Ecovip H720
Exp
December 2011
Hi, pleased to hear you enjoyed the exhibition, we went on Monday and were sent around 6 times and after 2 hours were found a parking space.[15euros a day with no electric] and no water points
The most organised part was the shuttle buses to the centre
We enjoyed the exhibition but when we left huge queues at the service points [ only 3 service points ]
Please we went as we brought a Alugas refillable gas bottle and they arranged to have it installed nearby.
Last day of the show today.
Mick

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Dec 2, 2010
1,059
2,318
Hollywood, Birmingham.
Funster No
14,595
MH
A Class Laika
Exp
Since 2011
Sitting in Calais now reading your post, couldn't agree more. The vans were all essentially the same fixed bed, small kitchen and lounges with drop down beds that needed the bedding removed to return the bed to the roof. Loved the show and Dusseldorf Altstadt but not the flight path from the airport!! Entertainment ok, Bratwurst good.
 

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