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I don't know if I'll get told off for posting this here, if it's wrong then I'm sorry but...

Have you thought about a folding camper?

They look like the bottem half of a caravan, and then the canvas tent top folds out from the top. They are much easier to tow than a caravan, and most can be stored in a normal garage, so cheaper than paying for caravan storage.

They take more time to set up than a caravan but you then have 2 fixed double beds AND a seating area that can be made into a third double bed.

My parents used to have a Conway Cruiser, and we rarely put up the awning, but if we did then at night friends used a single skin pop up tent as a bedroom, and because it was in the awning it was like a little bedroom pod of it's own.

Folding campers have fridges, sinks, cookers with a grill, (newer ones have ovens too) and larger models have a toilet and washroom. Some come with built in heaters.

Yes they do take a bit more set up time than a caravan, Mums Cruiser took about 10-15 minutes from arrive to kettle on. The awning if you decide you need it takes no longer than a caravan awning.

If, like us, you prefer camping then a folding camper can offer the best of both worlds.

Becky

Lots of information here and will answer most of your questions;

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/gettingstarted/newtocaravans/

Also a lot a data sheets you can dowload for free:

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/technicalhelp/datasheets/

We started with a tent, then trailer tent, on to a caravan. If you can, fixed bunks are better for the children, the rest in down to choice. When our children got older, they then had their own pup tents and camped outside. You can get inner tents for awnings for sleeping in.

Good luck, feel free to have a look on my link below.

http://chriscaravanadventures.wordpress.com/about/

We swapped from a tent to a van this year because we wanted to get away more often, so the van had to suit our needs without the requirement of an awning. We didn't want the hassle of putting one up or having to worry about the weather taking it down.

For this purpose I would suggest you get a van that suits your needs without an awning for short breaks but can adapt to longer breaks with more room if you add an awning.

So a van with two separate dining areas and a central kitchen and toilet. This way you can close off the children at night and still use the rest of the van. On longer stays you could put the childrens bunks up and leave them up and use the awning for daytime space.

I wouldn't be too concerned with a full shower cubicle but maybe a combined toilet shower so that you can just do a quick hose down if needed and use the site ablutions for proper washing.

My children loved the experience and felt like "proper" campers going over to the ablutions on their own.

From tiny tent to tiny caravan to BIG tent to HUMUNGUS caravan!!!!!

Consider your priorities, if it is to get away more often you want to consider do you want to put up the awning if it's pouring with rain or blowing a gale. Also the awning travels in the van so if you get to site and it's chucking it down you have to pull everything out of the van before you can get in.

Our tiny van was 12' and a four berth. It had a front dinette that made inot a small double then down the offside it had a small wardrobe and a long seat, the back of which lifted up to make a bunk. On the near side was the kitchen, fridge and small toilet washroom. We survived in this until the kids reached their teens then they got chucked out into bedrooms in the awning. We took the van away to week-end swimming galas without the awning and still managed 2 nights with them in the bunks.

Unfortunately it is now obsolete, it was a Thompson T-Line but if you go to

http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan_layouts.html

you can look at what is available.

I've had a quick look and this

http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan/Trade/76943F6DA5A97F6A80257B7B0040B56F/

is similar except we didn't have the fixed bunk which ave us better use if we weren't using the awning

Quote: Originally posted by Daisy_bell on 30/6/2013

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Laneymac,

I'm in a similar place to you. I've camped (but pre-OH and toddler) but I'm now thinking of a van. I can't offer any advice but more solidarity!

Lunar - where are you based? Your setup with the 2 berth sound great (I've never towed so looking for something tiny!)

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http://www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan/Trade/F1D03F3480F2C5DE80257B050042BB3E/#

This one is about the size. Back in the day the front was straight down and the gas bottles sat on the A frame so that is probably why we had this space but a shorter van.

Sometimes we'd leave the front double made up, especially if we were going out for the day, and still had space to make a snack.