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Topic: 2 berth caravan for Seasonal pitch

Hernando

05/5/2017 at 3:40pm
Location: Bournemouth
Outfit: Granvia

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I wonder if anyone has some thoughts on a suitable caravan. We currently have a small camper van and i think we now need to move to a caravan , but situate it on a seasonal site. I have a site in mind and they do winter storage. It is me , my wife and two working cocker spaniels.
My plan is to try and have it on that site for the next 5 or 6 years. Subject to my wife permission of course!

the site is about 40 minutes drive from my home, so storage isn't too much of an issue.

Not ever having had a caravan my questions are,

1. Is two berth big enough or would you go bigger?
2 The site has no showers so need to have a decent shower and toilet on board
3 How old /new van would you go for, is there big difference between say a 2015 model and a 2010 model.
4. Would you try to buy privately or go through a dealer.
5. I can't quite get my head around good v's less good makes any suggested? I have started trawling Autotrader and some dealer sites , but am not really any the wiser.

Thanks in Advance for any replies

Mick S.

05/5/2017 at 4:16pm
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It depends on how much time you are going to spend in it as to how big it needs to be. Saying that, just about any 2 berth will be bigger than your campervan anyway. But if you are going to spend time within, you cant beat a bit of extra room, so a 4 berth may be the way to go

If 'looks' arent a priority, you could maybe get something nearer to '10 than '15, and save a few quid. I would look at private vans, and tell the seller you want to see the shower running with hot water. To a keen seller, this would be no hardship at all to demonstrate. Anyone coming up with reasons why they cannot, walk on by. The toilet will pose much less of an issue. They either flush or they dont.

Good luck.

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Colin21

05/5/2017 at 6:57pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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Personally, I would go for as big as possible if you are going to put it on a semi-permanent site. You can never have too much room, but you can easily have too little. You are clearly not intending to tow it around the country, so why not?

The big changes in the equipment in caravans came in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the only basic difference between the very latest caravans and my 1988 one is looks. I have looked very hard to find any significant differences, but have only come up with microwaves and air-conditioning so far. Build quality seems to be a matter of luck, as I have heard owners of new caravans having all sorts of problems that I haven't.

Depending on condition of course, with damp being the main issue, I would rather a large older model than a newer smaller model in your circumstances. It would be a different matter entirely if you intended to tour with it.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin

Opensauce

05/5/2017 at 8:36pm
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If the site has no facilities & you are totally reliant on caravan for shower & toilet then you need caravan with large washroom with toilet & separate shower cubicle which takes up full width of back end I would have thought? Best bet is to buy as new as possible then everything is likely to work ok. Water heater & so on.

It depends what you call a 2 berth. A large caravan with fixed bed & front dinette will be called a 4 berth but for a couple you keep dinette as seats as you have fixed bed so you can call it a 2 berth. I'd spoil yourselves if you intend to use caravan a lot & buy biggest & best you can afford.

Post last edited on 05/05/2017 20:44:43

Grampian91

06/5/2017 at 12:55am
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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You think the same as my wife.

A 2 berth = smaller than a 4 berth

and a 15ft caravan is lighter than an 18ft one.

You can get 20ft 2 berths and 10ft 4 berths. The number of berths does not dictate physical size.

Same with a smaller van being lighter. You can have large vans that are lightweight and small vans loaded with heavy extras.

Private or dealer depends on the seller and the caravan and the price.

I know a few people that have they vans pitched close to home and its something that wouldnt work for us. We like to travel around and have the choice to goto the same place if we wish but not stuck there because we paid ££££ season fees.

One pays more per night on top of the season fees than we pay for an all singing and dancing site with a pool and bars etc...

yotanka62

06/5/2017 at 6:53am
Location: Milton Keynes
Outfit: Kia Sorento + Sprite Major 4

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I would definitely go for a fixed bed. We had a 2 berth till last October and making up the beds each night was a pain in the ar*se. We used as 2 singles and where to put the spare cushions was a nightmare. We are also 2 adults and 2 dogs and was a squash with dog bed etc. Now we have a twin dinette Sprite, which has 2 dinettes each end but we keep one made up as a fixed bed but gives us the freedom to have 2 seating areas if we want. Works for us and bliss when it's bed time as we can just climb in. Also extra space A blessing so if you can go for a 4 berth.

nora

06/5/2017 at 7:44am
Location: Whitchurch shrops
Outfit: Swift conqueror 480

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I think this will depend on your own likes and dislikes. And you will also have everyone else's own likes .
With the dogs I would think maybe bigger than a two berth .
As for fixed beds these can mean a smaller living area .
We have had 2 berth then changed to a fixed bed layout and now we have gone back to a 2 berth . I don't regret this at all.
However my favourite layout was one that we had with a side dinette. This was roomy with a large washroom and shower . As for making up beds you can use them as singles and leave them made up by putting throws over them . Not much difference from making a bed .
I did see this layout recently at our local dealer and it was a beautiful van in perfect condition. It was £10,000 and I thought a bargain I can't remember the year .
some private sales will include everything with the vans plus awnings etc .

Hernando

06/5/2017 at 9:07am
Location: Bournemouth
Outfit: Granvia

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Thanks very much for the replies. I think bigger is the way forward. I will start to go and look at some vans to see what they are like in real life.

legenetay

06/5/2017 at 9:42am
Location: Seasonal Pitch
Outfit: Swift Oakmere 2008

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We put our 2 berth Compass 360 on a seasonal pitch for the first time last year. We enjoyed the experience so much that we decided to trade our little 2 berth for a much longer 4 berth with a fixed bed. No more making up the bed each evening was a huge plus together with more storage and more room to move about. Havind dedicated sleeping and sitting areas makes it much more of a holiday home and it also meant that we could go for a bigger awning. The larger caravan is beyond the towing capability of our car so we had it delivered to the site. Lots of companies out there offering towing services and we have no desire to tow any more now that we are enjoying our seasonal pitch so much.

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