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Hi upsydaisy, If you decide to change from your folding camper to folding caravan or conventional caravan and do the winter camp, keep us up to date on how the kids get on good luck whatever you decide.

Thanks bobsbabes.

No Jeff my 8year old Grandaughter showed me.

Hi All, “OR you've just bought someone else's pile of trouble!”

“Cos new vans never have any issues ???? If buying second hand take a damp meter and check it out well lots of old vans are in great condition”

“Friends of mine, bought a brand new van, have had to have it repaired each year at service because of damp, including the full back wall taking off and replaced at the last service, yes its a manufacturing fault and yes they didn't have to pay, but they still had all the inconvenience of getting it there and emptying etc ”.

A thread on here a few month back about new vans and all the problems they had, wheels falling off, cracked panels, door problems, window problems, water ingress, damp and a host of other problems,( I think that is buying the manufactures pile of trouble), and they pass it on to you and charge you £15000 +/- for their shoddy workman ship. Most old vans were built to a high standard though basic, much better than to-days standard in a lot of aspects, though they get damp over time (water ingress through awning rails and window, door seals, and body flexing), awnings tend to pull on rail, which in turn pulls on the rail screws, this can allow water to travel along the screws and into the vans struts causing them to rot,(in new and old vans), replacing these seals say 3 to 5 years would significantly reduce the risk of water ingress, my belief is you buy a new van and pay the price asked, you should have confidence in that it is fit for purpose and not after paying £15000, hope it will be ok, and if it came to the worst with an older van, you would not have lost as much.

If a new van is defective - it's put right under warranty.

Buy secondhand and, if you buy a dud ... you have no comeback unless bought from a Dealer (and even they don't cover water ingress, amazingly!).

As I see it, there are two choices ....

1. Buy NEW, or,

2. Buy old - and I mean OLD ... a van which costs less than £1000 - so the total loss can be taken without feeling it.

The absolute worst option must be to buy something secondhand, private, that is up to 5 years old and pay more than £7500 for it!