I'm currently buying all the kit to take camping and can't believe how much stuff I need. My tent is a Vango Maritsa 500 and there's me, my wife and two 15yr olds plus everything else to get into my VW Passat. It ain't gunner fit.
I need to make the choice between having roof bars fitted to accommodate a roof box or having a tow bar fitted to accommodate a trailer.
Can anyone offer any words of wisdom please.
Thanks
Phil
I see this is your first post so welcome to the forum.
There are so many things to take into consideration. One is such as travelling on a ferry as a trailer will cost more so a roof box is the better option, also with a trailer you are restricted to 50mph. on normal roads and 60mph. and can have difficulty reversing if you make a wrong turn. A roof box has a height restriction so you may be unable to enter some car parks depending on how high the roof box is plus you could get less mpg. due to head winds. So the choice is down to yourself really as to how much stuff you intend to take with you. I have a long low roof box as this enables me to leave it on and still get it into the garage with about half inch gap to spare which suits me perfectly. I also have a big trailer.......it's called a caravan, Lol.
Dont worry about what you get fitted, you will soon get more than enough equipment to fill it and will end up with both roofbox and trailer, but dont fall prey to the evil that is called Caravan LOL
First you buy the roofbox (the biggest one possible) then a bigger car, then a trailer
------------- Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Everything has been said before, but since nobody ever listens we have to keep going back and saying it all over again and again and again
yep i agree with the posts on here, i bought all my gear ,no chance of fitting, so i bought a 4.5x3 trailer, then extended the height by a foot,and then fitted a roof box on that to get my gear in!! when a full family is going its suprising how much kit you accumulate
There are advantages to the traler - tips runs is one that immediately springs to mind - or should I say taking stuff that you no longer require to the local recycling centre.
Price wise it probably works out about the same - having just priced up bars for my Micra - I have about 5 sets of bars, but sods law none of the fixing kits fit - and for love nor money I can not find which one I need for bars that I have.
We have a trailer, and I have towed on many occasion so will go down this route.
Also weight wise you can fit far more in a trailer than you can put on the roof.
Theres ristrictions with both roof box and or trailer . The roof box your hight restricted ie those lovely carparks you have no problem getting in you may struggle . A trailer can be a real pain on narrow lanes etc the advatage of a trailer is when you get where your going you can leave it on site and use it to store gear .
I got a roof box. Then a trailer. Then an extension for the trailer. And if funds would allow I'd be buying a bigger car too!
I had to get a removable tow bar for my car, due to it's low number plate, so had to fork out around £300. But if you just want a straight forward standard fitting then I'd say go for the trailer. As said above, it's great for storing things in at home, and when you set up camp you can throw all your boxes, bags etc in it and leave it.
I agree with everything already said too. I drive an Octavia (same dimensions as your car), which I chose because of the big boot - thought it would be big enough for camping, and for the first trip it was. I now fill the boot, the spare seat in the car and a 410 litre roofbox though so I'm about to get a towbar fitted so I can go trailer shopping. I'm thinking ahead though and will be getting a trailer with a hard top so I can fit the roofbox to it when the trailer becomes too small!
I have started to think more carefully about what I take though and don't automatically take everything for every trip. I've also started vacuum packing bedding as it's amazing how much space that saves.
------------- Mar - Milarrochy Bay - 9 days
Apr - Drayton Manor - 1 day
May - Saxdale - 4 days
May - Nantcol - 9 days
July - Weymouth - 1 day
July - Rozel Bay - 14 days
Aug - Corfe Castle - 2 days
Aug - Saxdale - 4 days
Sep - Stratford - 2 days
Oct - Stainforth - 2 days
Dec - Saxdale - 5 days
To be continued.....