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New to caravan/camping lifestyle - bought a Rapido folding caravan fairly recently :)  My daughter is not convinced and has decided we should have bought an old caravan - so to compare the internal size we went to see one that was listed on ebay.

Was a bit puzzled - under the Rapido it's rock solid steel (?) right across between the 'joists', the caravan we looked at seemed to have an underneath between the 'joists' of the type of stuff used on the backs of flatpack wardrobes. So

A - is that normal? I'm guessing not ? and

B - if next year we were to decide to change the Rapido for an old caravan what would we need to look for? I was a bit hesitant that the caravan we looked at was also freshly painted internally and the front of the caravan was flexible when you touched it - one to stay well clear of (we did btw) ? 

Any advice anyone?

hi see#

Buying Secondhand

Thank you, I've read some bits about delaminated floors now

So the plywood underneath, exposed to splashback off wet roads etc, is normal then?  Won't that go soft and rot in a nano-second? I always assumed a caravan would be as solid underneath as it was on the outer shell.

I learn something new every day :)

Hi wiffwaff,  I had an Esterel folding caravan for some time, the folding caravans tends not to get damp problems to the same degree as normal caravans (unless they have been very badly looked after),in conventional caravans the awning rails, window rails, and door seals over time can let water into caravan seams, you do not have that problem to the same extent with a folding caravan, as the sides are folded down and under cover of the roof, and as long as sky roof light seals are ok, and roof skin ok, there should be no problems with water ingress from the roof. I have lost count of the number of folding caravans I have looked at, and only a handful have been damp and they had some form of damage to the outer skin. Two main advantages of folding caravans, 1. you use less fuel when towing(dose not have the same wind resistance as caravans, 2 it can be stored in garage and can be stored on most driveways in areas where caravans are not allowed, as they are classed as trailers, enjoy your van, try caravanning for a while to see if it for you before you invest in a more expensive van. Remember to look in the Features/Tips at top of this site it will give you information regarding speeds/towing/set up and a host of other information. Hope that has been of help