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Hi There we have had tents for years our last one a royal monpellier 9 lovely tent and have camped for about 15 years mainly in the lake district.When you get good weather nothing is better than sitting  outside your tent beside a lake  with a drink in your hand as the sun goes down .We bought a1997 abi eivissa caravan in june last year  and went away 3 times we loved it and cannot wait to get away this year.WE went away to Grange over Sands last october and yes it rained a couple of days but we still went out and enjoyed ourselves.Tents you rely on weather more.We never take our  laptops away with us because we enjoy  a break from them.YES there are pros and cons  about tenting and caravaning but as i get older i have got to admit i like just been able to hook up the caravan  going to a site  and within a short while have everything set up.So each to what they enjoy most ,the important thing is to getting away and enjoy yourself

Dave

I find the tent is more comfortable in lots of ways, mainly due to having much more space. If we lived in a nicer climate I'd use our tents much more often.

 As we still live in this country with it's rubbish weather though, I'd never give up the van. Though we prefer canvas we'd pick the caravan if forced to choose one over the other..  

 We have always camped but a couple of years ago we went to woodlands in devon and it rained all week, plus brand new outwell tent leaked all week so not the best.Then done shell island with new tent cos the outwell one was returned and it was very windy and broke two poles. We then decided to buy a caravan and we had a really nice 2006 bailey but the boss hated it and we sold it. We have in the end compromised with a little old van for bad weather trips and tents for hopefully warmer weather.This is the plan so lets see how 2011 goes.

I have 6 tents and a caravan and love using them both. I also have an MPV that can be used a campervan when we go away racing.

OK it can be a pain trying to dry a wet tent but no worse than having to dry a wet awning!
My caravan is tiny and very basic(no TV, running water or wet room) and 3 of my tents actually give me more space than the van!!

It doesn't matter what unit I take away with me, the joy for me is getting away from home for a few nights - no routine, no clock watching and coming and going as and when I please.
It doesn't bother me what I'm actually sleeping in as long as I'm in the Great Outdoors!

I’ve got to honest I love the tent camping, but we sold our tent last year because we had a folding camper, now we’ve sold the fc & got a caravan (an old swift 1990) that means we can go away any time of the year, so I don’t think I could go back to a tent, (and the wife wouldn’t let me anyway)

must admit tent is more fun until the wet comes. have got used to the tin tent but do if going away for a weekend break with the children to the beach take the tent. although once in the tin tent frame of mind one finds that far too much is packed and not needed when going under canvas again.

in the end you cant beat getting up having a sit down breakfast and sorting clothes etc before going outside. to face the weather. Ha Ha. also evenings reading with a glass or two whilst the wind and rain falls is great as long as you have a view of campers trying to set up. alas I always weaken and invite them into the dry if very bad weather. then they just wont go away and seem to become your best pals. esp; the kids.

had a chap years ago in sussex setting up a tent late at night, told him the site floods at high tide, as was told not to be stupid. the sea was no where near us, so left him to it. about 2am I could hear the swearing and him chucking everything into the car. gave him a little wave bye bye at 7am as he drove off after sleeping in the car.

site was on reclaimed land and at high tide, small 1 to 2"  pools appeared for an hour or so at various parts of the site. whole site was only just above sea level.  Happy Days!

Quote: Originally posted by FionaW1971 on 05/2/2011

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Ha I hadn't realised it before but we were exactly the same as Woofers in the fact that we created a comfortable space in our tent almost like a caravan and we were always seeking out the latest new fangled gadget to make it that bit comfier!  It was this which first turned the OH off as like Woofers says it took all day to set it up and all day to pack it up not to mention the loading and unloading of the car at home - he was on the caravan trail way before me.  When we got to the first site as a caravanner in Chertsey last year we were like water on, water off like a pair of kids!  Then when we tried our first multi service pitch at the Plassey it was like we had died and gone to heaven - felt like cheating at first though!!!

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