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Topic: Newbies compact, ightweight advice please

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issym

12/6/2018 at 8:06pm
Location: Cambridgeshire
Outfit: Outfitless!!!Vauxhal

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The Lunar 2 berth Ariva, https://www.lunarcaravans.com/brands/lunar/ariva-quasar is small, lightweight and brand new at just over £16000. It does look like a caravan though but would be a good place to start the towing experience.

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Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.

silvertopsandra

12/6/2018 at 8:32pm
Location: North Devon
Outfit: Compass Omega 432

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Have a look at Facebook page 'folding campers 4 sale' plenty of ideas there and at wide price range.

Also 'trailer tents for sale' again Facebook page.

The pennine pathfinder is easy to tow, easy to erect as it has gas struts, large awning, in fact all the benefits of a caravan, but is half canvas to give that 'camping feeling'. We love ours so much that we have kept it, although returned to a small 2 berth touring caravan for the foreseeable future as it's easier for my husband (85) to cope with. My choice would always be the pathfinder.
I do all the towing. Both outfits are really easy.
Good luck with your search.

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Grampian91

13/6/2018 at 12:14am
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 10/6/2018

Quote: Originally posted by seanfdh on 10/6/2018
How would they know if you were sleeping in the awning? Nobody's ever inspected the inside of my tent and I wouldn't have expected them to do so to a van and awning combo.

I suppose they might hear the snoring! I've slept in my awning several times.

That tickled me. Someone in a tent moaning at my sister she was making too much noise packing away. Sister saying if he had more than 20 minutes sleep due to the very load snoring from the tent she may not be so grumpy.
:)

I was laughing my head off, they were back to back on the pitches and we were 4 pitches down. I had to open the window to find where the noise was coming from, the snoring was that loud i could hear it in my van.

But allowing tents and not allowing sleeping in awnings is an odd one. If they didnt allow tents then it would make sense.

SamandRose

14/6/2018 at 6:52pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: 2019 VW Arteon + 2002 Avondale Dart

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Hi Katieep

It sounds like you're in a similar position to the one we were in just over 3 years ago. I was concerned about ease of towing and was looking more at folding campers or folding caravans, and if it did have to be a full-height caravan it needed to be a very small and light one. However, because Rose was involved that isn't what we got. We have a 4-berth caravan with a side dining area and end washroom that's about 6.5 metres long - not huge by caravan standards but I parked it, whilst attached to our car next to an articulated lorry once and they were as near as damn it the same length.

It won't fit outside our house either, but secure storage to which we have 24-hour access costs us £350/year and also means that our insurance cost is lower.

However, towing a large caravan isn't any harder than towing a smaller one. It really isn't. You notice the width more than the length and that's about the same regardless. Reversing is actually easier if the caravan (or trailer) is longer. With a 2-litre diesel S-max and a pre-1997 driving licence, you can look at maximum weight capacities of up to about 1500kg which gives you a huge choice.

The other point to make is that you don't need to spend anything like £12-£16k to get something serviceable that you can use for a couple of years to see if it really suits you (though of course you can)! We're into our third season of touring with our 2002 caravan that I bought for £3k on ebay after drinking a bottle of red wine one Friday night when Rose wasn't around. We've used it in the winter (including over the New Year in Edinburgh) and it has everything we need. I know that some other people on this forum have caravans that cost them £500.

The best I can suggest is that you and your OH go to as many shows and dealers as you reasonably can and look inside as many caravans (and folding campers if that's still an option) as possible until you find something that you feel comfortable inside, and can imagine yourself sleeping and spending time in. Once you have found a few models that you like you can search online for dealer and private sales.

Have fun

PS I wonder if I'm the only person in the UK who doesn't like the Swift Basecamp?!

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"Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."

Colin21

14/6/2018 at 7:47pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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I have to agree with SamandRose on several counts. Firstly, I have done a lot of towing over many years, sometimes professionally, and I can categorically state that longer trailers are easier to tow than short ones, particularly when reversing. I won't even attempt to reverse my little box trailer, it's ridiculously difficult. One slight twitch of the steering and it jackknifes! Reversing one 3 times its length is a doddle by comparison. It's the width you will notice.

Secondly, My current caravan cost me £1,100 and it's great! It has everything I could possibly need. The previous one, which I bought for £500, I sold for £550 after 4 years use. The newer the caravan you buy, the more you will lose in depreciation.

Finally, If you do want new, go to the shows and find what suits you. Other peoples' opinions don't really count, as what suits one won't suit another.

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Best Regards,
Colin

Katieep

14/6/2018 at 8:37pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Xplore 422

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Lots of food for thought - especially about buying second hand. Will have lots of fun dragging OH around caravan dealerships and shows.

Colin21

14/6/2018 at 11:12pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail

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When we bought our latest caravan we went to a dealer locally and asked if they had any "trade sales". These are usually older models that have been traded in when someone has bought a new(er) one. They are rarely on the forecourt if they are more than a certain age. Our caravan, although old, looks like it has been lovingly looked after but very rarely used. Most of the appliances look new, and there is little or no sign of wear on any of the soft furnishings. If it wasn't for the styling, which doesn't bother us in the slightest, You would think the caravan was no more than 3 years old. Certainly not the 26 years old that it really is.

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Best Regards,
Colin

jacfrosty

16/6/2018 at 3:29am
Location: Sussex
Outfit: Vango Solace 400 Airbeam

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we just bought our first caravan (yikes|) after years of tenting. It is a 2004 model, totally spic and span. the oven has obviously never been used as the roasting tins inside are still wrapped in their original wrapping. Looking forward to never having to pack a tent in the rain again.... we had a longgggg damp drive back from the South of France on Monday.

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