Your past...."tugger" or not?!! (1 Viewer)

[gypsyrose]

Curious to know that before you took to the roads as a motorhomer, did you travel the "dromenka" (romany gypsy for roads). in a caravan?? Do you miss your caravan??
To us, the motorhome wins every time....freedom to wild camp is easier and safer, we can take the yorkie kids with us everywhere we go wherever we go, even leave them for short times when we go to the shops (with blinds drawn and fans on in summer!!)

We have had a MH for over 20 years (had a break between the 2 for a little while, but now go away more than ever!). Never actually travelled in a caravan but lived in one every summer as a child...over to you!! Ana x

 

[haganap]

Yep we had a caravan. We tugged all over the uk and a few times to France. However not too far in.
I loved tugging, the days of arriving on site and sending the kids of armed with a rollie bollie to get water whilst Nikki and I had a good fight about how the awning worked.

I can never forget the fun we had making sure all the levels in the van were correct, making sure all the van was balanced was a real treat.
The best part was the money we saved on adventure parks. Nothing more adventures when travelling the motorways in our car at 50 mph when a big arctic lorry came past and made our unit swing from side to side, pure bliss and the white faces in the car were just a picture.

Of course there was always good fun to be had when travelling down some roads and looking in my rear mirror to see I had gained a huge following of up to 30 cars stuck behind me, :Blush: It was OK though because they were so friendly, when they drove past they used to wave there fists or some would even hold there middle finger up to show they were married, how cool is that.

Having said all the above, we loved it, absolutely loved it, I can see exactly why so many do it. As a family we have some cracking memories, we have had some great fun and if I had to I would not hesitate in reccomending it to any one else.
For us though the motorhome wins hands down, except weirdly the kids think the caravan was better.:thumb:

 

[chatter]

Tugger...........i still am a tugger, maybe a different style of unit and hitched differently but a tugger i be


hey paul get a 5thwheel, it wont sway to the wagons and coaches, kids will love it (caravan) and nikki will love the space, plenty of payload and that little doggy you have will be able to stretch out proper lol

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[Rayb182]

We went straight from tenting to m/home,always had the travel bug:thumb:, my grandad was a travelling tinsmith in the Wicklow Mountains, so it runs in the blood

 

[DESCO]

Was a tugger for 12 years prior to MH and I must say we enjoyed it. Travelled only in England with our daughter, and had quite a routine built up as to who did what on arrival on site, we never organised it just evolved.

Still look back at the fun we had, but circumstances change we hired a motorhome to tour Scotland and got hooked and have never looked back.


Dave :thumb::thumb:

 

[tommytli]

we've never camped of any kind before july 07 (apart from the odd night as a kid with my mates in a tent) when we bought our 1st motorhome, we are now on our second motorhome and have never looked back

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[Colin and Jaen Andrews]

Hi
Got to be the gypsy in us and love of the countryside and freedom. Grew up in countryside, tenting and caravan hols - loved it. :thumb:
Got married had daughter and still tented etc.
Moved a lot and then divorced and lived on a narrow boat with 2nd OH - He now gone for various! reasons and now with my soul mate in our American RV. Full timing 2.1/2 years and love the freedom. He is ex military so home is wherever we are. Magic.

Living on a narrow boat is so similar - you make so many friends on the journies. Do miss that life style sat on the canal side day in day out - Amazing wildlife and countryside.

Think its probably 50/50 - partly where and how you grow up and love of the open road and freedom is in the blood.

Cant imagine being in bricks and mortar again - but who know what life throws at you.

Cheers Jaen x

 

[bigmillie]

We started out in the 60's with a VW split windscreen 1959 vintage travelled all over Europe with it sold that to some Kiwi's for about £300 (worth a fortune now).

Then got a VW Type 2 again extensive travels even went on honymoon in it.

In the late 70's with a few kids around obtained a Caravan did a bit of touring but bit of a drag towing with a Triumph Dolomite got rid the caravan after a short while

Next was a Commer Autosleeper fitted with a Perkins 4108 diesel unit used this for holidays and work as at the time I travelled the UK servicing radio equipment for a National Carrier.

We then bourght a Caravan towing with a Volvo 850 diesel took that to Switzerland and Italy
again we had 3/4 kids with us, had to part with that when we moved.

Then followed a few lean years .

In a mad moment got a Tent deciding to tour Belgium put it up in the Sportstadia in Ipers
what a performance ending up staying there for the whole two weeks

Few more lean years :Sad:

Then about 4 years ago we went and got a Autotrail Cherokee 1986 vintage lovely old girl not fast but gets you there spend at least 2 days a week out in her.

So in a nutshell having tried all sorts prefer the Motohome to anything else:thumb:

Cheers Charlie

 

[dazzer]

Never been a tugger, we do a lot of scuba diving around the UK and used to have a boat so it was either tenting or motorhome for us.

We tried a lot (and i do mean a LOT!!) of Euro motorhomes but none of them had the balls to be able to move us, all the diving gear, a portable compressor and the boat around and be able to give us hot showers and good space for living.

Every Eurobox we tried had one or more of these, a wheezing underpowered engine, no storage space, no payload capacity, a crap bathroom or small living space which made it unsuitable for us for one reason or another (but it was mainly the underpowered engines and rubbish carrying capacity)

We were getting to the point of giving up when i happened across a 25 year old Chevvy C class RV, 25 feet long with a 6.5 V8 LPG converted engine. :thumb:

It ticked all the boxes and we had the best 4 years use out of it and it performed perfectly without a single fault in the whole time we had it. We sold it and imported from the USA an all singing, all dancing B+ 3 slide RV which was really nice but as it was almost new we pussyfooted around in it frightened to scratch it or break anything.

We had some good times in the new RV but it was never as much fun as our old Chevvy which just did the job brilliantly and you didnt care if it got a slight knock or ding here and there.

We sold the B+ as I got an offer i couldnt refuse on it and havnt replaced it yet but every time i see an old RV driving down the road I feel sad.:Sad:

We are in the middle of designing & building a demountable for the back of the pick up to use for diving but its hard trying to squeeze everything we had in a RV into a 20 foot long very narrow box!!!! oh:

I want my old Chevvy back!!!!

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[Janine]

I was a tugger for a year or so, but I do like to know where my back end is and have motorhomed for 22 years.

 

[Jane]

When i was married we always had caravans and when i divorced i carried on tugging tho with a smaller one. i toured many places here but have been to germany and switzerland with it. Now i am thinking to change to a camper or motorhome.

 

[Paulh]

We "tugged" for about 5 years and found it the best fun holiday for the two boys. Started with a cheap single axle that I bought from a film co. (not very old but it had been hammered) and did it up, then got a large twin axle Elddis (rear bathroom, ooh what luxury!). Then onto an RV. PaulH.

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[Munchie]

We went straight from tent to motorhome. We had a fortnight in Cornwall near St Austell in our tent and Steph's cousin joined us for a week in his motorhome...never stopped spending since.

 

[MisterED]

Life on the Road

Hi All,

Slept under the stars as a student with a plastic bag for the rain, when we used to (and it was safe to) Hitch!

Tenting as a young couple, then a continental frame tent ..... OOOOOO Posh

Her father had a Portafold but only the women were allowed to sleep in there oh and of course the Dog

Started tugging with a 1962 Land Rover and an old Eldis picked up for a few quid in the early eighties.

Tugged right up to last year sparodically in the latter years as it was too much of a job to hook up and take it away:Blush:

Now after just over a year of Motorhoming I would not go back a all.

Off to France end of July for over a month, a Gypsy at heart:thumb:

The best thing about motorhoming ....

Feeling Clean and tidy in the morning and driving off !

And also all the friends on the road, :thumb:and here in cyberspace:thumb:

Take care out there

Terry and Hilary

 

[gypsyrose]

Really interesting, keep 'em coming.....!! suppose nobody travelled (or your forebearers!!) in wardo and horses?? Romany life fascinates me!!

The Romanies I knew as a child camped in tents and came around every year......

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[MisterED]

Double Decker Bus

Uncle had a double decker bus in the late 50's seats downstairs and beds upstairs, wildcamping in the woods with all the family:Cool:

 

[Ven]

We got our first motorhome in Dec 08 which was a Mondial, loved it and full timed in 'Monty' for 9 months by which time we had decided that we loved the lifestyle and were definitely in no hurry to go back to our previous life of stressful full time jobs. Next step was to find our perfect van which had a bit more storage and a fixed bed so we changed to our current home on wheels a Kontiki.

Previously to that we camped early on in our life together and joined my parents on many a fun filled family holiday first in their caravans and later in their motorhomes, so I guess we can blame them for giving us the roaming bug

 

[Dodgey]

Me and 'er much the same, caravan as kids, tent as a means to an end, ie car shows never thought much about 'camping' beyond that.

Just about 5 years ago an a whim bought a '77 C class RV, and that was that, totally hooked and we've had our gorgeous '95 Winne 1 year 2 months now and want to be away even more than the old Dodge, like permanently:thumb:

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[1_man_and_his_dob(lo)]

Uncle had a double decker bus in the late 50's seats downstairs and beds upstairs, wildcamping in the woods with all the family:Cool:

Makes my worrying about 2m height barriers look a bit pathetic

 

[thehutchies]

Loads of caravanning and tenting as a kid, including being rescued from a blazing frame tent when I was about six. Melted all my bloody soldiers that I'd just set up, too.

In later years, cycle touring, backpacking, VW campers, bivvy bags, even a hotel once (in Vegas).

But, I haven't ever had, or wanted, a caravan for some reason.

 

[pappajohn]

Had two caravans before seeing the (motorhoming) light...

first was a big mistake..... a Hobby 650, fantastic van and usual german build quality but at nearly 8ft wide it was too big and not legal for uk roads so never used.

second was a thoughtless whim...a coachman amara....used once and then sold.....didnt take to towing at all.

certainly wont go back.

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