Motorhome or campervan for our adventure?

[MW]

Hi all,
I hope everyone is doing well
So after our warm welcome and some first few tips in our introduction, we are hoping people might like to share some tips and thoughts on what sort of camper or motorhome we should be looking for for a 4 month trip around Europe. We have debated about buying or renting, but we thought buying was the better option as even if we decided to sell after we returned it would be cheaper and give us more flexibility (but of course happy to hear thoughts on this).
To help with setting the scene;
our plan would be to travel in countries including France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia.
there would just be 2 of us,
we would take 2 bikes,
we would look to use campsites and wild camp
we would maybe leave the home somewhere while we travel to islands or places we can't go with it.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and thank you!

 

[Brains]

I'd strongly suggest you hire (at least two) before you buy.

A wet weekend in a campervan may put you off campervans for life!
A drive through Cornish lanes in a 30' American RV may dissuade you from getting something that size.

We rented 4 motorhomes before we bought our current one
(We owned Campervans for most of the 80's and 90's and have no intention buying another!)

 

[Ivory55]

A 4 month trip, I thought it was a 90 day limit ?

 

[Jon B]

Hi & Welcome

What's your budget?
Are you limited in size for the vehicle when back at home if you decide to keep it? - IE: Driveway etc

In reality, only you will know what your base requirements will be space/living wise......

1) a campervan (IE VW T4 / 5 / 6) would suffice - they do hold value well - but I having owned one, 4 months away in it would be too much for me - others of course do this quite happily
2) a PVC might be a better option - usually have a shower and Toilet
3) a larger motorhome

Go and visit as many dealers as you can and take a long time looking round before you make any final decision - Have fun and enjoy the trip when you go

 

[Jon B]

A 4 month trip, I thought it was a 90 day limit ?

Including Croatia gets you round that

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[Richard n Ann]

We didn't hire one, we knew the layout we wanted before we bought it. Had it 7½ years from new and still love it

Everyone is different of course but I'd much sooner put the potential hire cost towards my own van.

Look into payload, very important as some vans hardly have any at all, also if you're wanting to carry bikes/scooter on the back look at vans with a shorter overhang. Check if the van has a gas oven if you want one, some don't. Good luck

 

[Mikey RV]

How long is a piece of string. Really only you can decide what you want for your trip. Buying one and then selling if you don’t like it could cost you a lot of money. look at as many as you can and imagine yourself in it for four months, seating, using the loo, cooking, showering etc. How much space to you need for storage. Hire one that fits all your choices for a week and then think could you do four months in it. Good luck with whatever you do and keep us posted.

 

[chrisandbev]

we would never hire one, my wife always wants a island bed, i always want a large fridge, separate toilet and shower and a large garage big enough to store our bikes, as we have had two lots of bikes stolen.
prices of vans are not falling to much at the moment so if you want to sell when you get home you should not loose to much.
check the size gas bottles if you are going to wild camp a lot

 

[dazandandrea]

Decide what you need.
Toilet, shower,fridge,hob,oven, size of bed, storage that will dictate the size of vehicle.
How much do you have to blow on a van?
That will dictate age, size and manufacturer.
Would you prefer Diesel or petrol ( possibly lpg/petrol combo)

 

[Ivory55]

Including Croatia gets you round that

Is there anything to do for a month in Croatia

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[Guigsy]

We did 6 months around Europe in 2019 in a 5.4m Ducato. Onboard toilet and shower meant we could wild camp, which we did most of the time. The size was great because we'd park in or near city centres, often in supermarket carparks. We'd often cycle in using our Bromptons which we kept inside the van.

 

[Jon B]

Is there anything to do for a month in Croatia

Place is beautiful...... loads to do

 

[MW]

This is all really great advice, thank you all! We have started going to dealers to get an idea of space but I think your comments about hiring are a good shout, we'll definitely look at doing that. I think we are feeling a motorhome would work better in terms of space inside and that we could get one with a garage so we could store the bikes there rather than having to take them off the rack and store them inside if we park up and walk anywhere.
Our budget would be somewhere around 40-50k.
I guess one thing I've seen is about the things we should look out for for wild camping such as size of leisure battery, solar panels, gas etc. What are people's experiences here?

 

[kevenh]

comments about hiring are a good shout,

Yes it is
I don’t know what the rental prices are nowadays but the first two motorhomes the kevenhs had for tours were rentals.
The 1st was a campervan that was easy to take everywhere a car could go - esp. height restrictions.
But I couldn’t stand upright, the shower was a sit down job.

Next trip was in a larger motorhome. Not so large that we lost access to many car areas - cept for the height
And now we can walk around inside and the shower is taller too

That’s a brief summary of our two rental trips.
We bought a motorhome but your needs will be different.

Edit: for all trips wemre a couple. Recent trips we add two cats

 

[suavecarve]

This is all really great advice, thank you all! We have started going to dealers to get an idea of space but I think your comments about hiring are a good shout, we'll definitely look at doing that. I think we are feeling a motorhome would work better in terms of space inside and that we could get one with a garage so we could store the bikes there rather than having to take them off the rack and store them inside if we park up and walk anywhere.
Our budget would be somewhere around 40-50k.
I guess one thing I've seen is about the things we should look out for for wild camping such as size of leisure battery, solar panels, gas etc. What are people's experiences here?

Gas, you dont really have too many options, but LPG is likely to be a necessity but what style. gasit or gaslow are similar but gasit is cheaper. Underslung tank (if possible) creates an extra external locker.
Solar, may depend upon when you are going away eg Summer will need less solar capacity, 300 watts is reasonable amount.
Batteries, lithium are better and a lot more expensive and lighter on your payload (which is mega important) and depends upon whether you are charging your ebikes or not from the van. If you are and you use gels then 300 amps worth is minimal or good battery charging management will be required (for bikes and leisure batteries)
If you are having an alarm fitted, then consider bike alarm for the bikes being outside and locking them with D locks and cover them but a lot of this will depend upon your definition of wild camping which may include aires and generally you will be parked with numerous other motorhomes, this will free up your garage. Always remove battery if putting bikes on the back)

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[MitchandJenny]

We are a “joined at the hip” close couple, but I cannot envisage us moving something to get to something else for any length of time and although we are shorties and small, room to stretch out and relax is vital to us. Our EKS Tracker is 6.4 mtr long
and we have 3 months at a time away at a time. We mostly wild camp and I fitted a
2 x11kg refillable gas system.
Have 2 x 100AH leasure batteries and
1 roof solar (100AH) and one suitcase type solar (100AH) which we keep moving around the van to get max power in low sun.
We make our (central) bed 5ft 6” X 6ft 3”
every night ( 5 mins ). But if I had to change anything, I would get a drop-down bed over the cab.
We carry 2 old bikes on a back rack with many locks visible and a large dog chain lead hanging from the rack .
I would say stay below 3.5 tonnes as you can go anywhere ( lots of 3.5 t limits abroad).
I wouldn’t waste money hiring.
The layout is THE most critical factor to keep in mind. Look at loads of vans and choose a good dealer. Also important.
Sorry for the ramble, but hope it helps.
Opinions are like arseholes…. Everybody
has one.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Mitch