Erstwhile tenters: or not?
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Really it's more an age and comfort thing for us. Plus the fact we can now afford it. We tented for over 30 years, often on very basic sites and really enjoyed it. In my early 50's, I woke up one cold autumn morning and in getting up from the lilo put my back out. We decided that we still wanted to holiday in a similar manner, just in a bit more luxury, so bought our first van. Now for us it's a service pitch if possible and most certainly EHU. Given the choice it would be hardstanding every time. Our weather is just so unpredictable.
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I've been a tenter. I've been a caravanner from the days of the most basic, primitive units with no mod cons.
It's because of that, that I now choose to van in comfort, making life easy for myself and revelling in the little luxuries that EHU brings. However, if I was trying to replicate the at home experience, I wouldn't be holidaying in a 6m delivery van but in something far larger.
We each do things are own way and should be able to do what suits us without others criticising or questioning as some do. It matters not that we do things in different ways, only that we have the freedom to choose.
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Even today I would relish the opportunity to return to those Vango Force 10 days where legs were my mode of transport and as such determined what I carried. What places I visited, what folk I met, what experiences I had. If I was young, fit and willing I'd be there again. Today however, I realise my limitations, money is not the issue it was and I enjoy things differently. Both comfort and ease are much more desireable and attainable attributes these days but l would not say my pastime is any more or less enjoyable mind.
We can manage without HS and EHU and life in the van without these is no different to having them with the equipment we have on board. It only broadens our horizons.
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Yes did a lot of tenting before we had kids then tried camping with the family. It's what turned us into caravaning - we were at the Quiet site in the middle of a wet cold and slightly muddy field a good few minutes walk (in said conditions) to the toilet block. Sitting on the floor in the tent trying to keep warm and this was August by the way. Around us were these caravans and motor homes with a lovely warm glow from their windows and people sitting in comfort in shirtsleeves making cups of tea! Two weeks later we bought our first caravan.
So to answer your question, yes I want HS and EHU and yes I have been camping. It is not to replicate home at all, no more than staying in a hotel or cottage is. It's about being able to travel and have holidays.
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I started with a basic camper and tent kitchen 37 years ago. When my late wife was expecting our second child I bought a five birth caravan.
For the first 15 years no EHU or battery, hot water via kettle, often a strip wash as no shower. Powered lights by plugging into car towing electrics. Only carried a battery if on a holiday where I might leave family in caravan for some reason.
After 15 years I fitted mains electric to run fridge, power a fan heater and some of the lights, electric kettle etc. Main lights still via car battery and still happy to be off grid in main season - EHU definitely in Winter.
After the first 23 years at age 52 my OH and I bought a new can with electrics, blown heating, shower wetroom etc. At 59 went to a caravan with Alde heating and full washroom.
At 65 with an arthritic spine I relish the warmth and comfort of the Alde when I have been out in the cold during the day and am not set up with solar or refillable gas and so no desire to be off EHU for more than the occasional power cut.
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My wife's parents had a shop selling camping equipment in the 50s/60s/70s, so we used a tent in the 60s.
Then her parents got a caravan in the late 60s, which we were able to borrow, so we decided to get our own in the early 70s as it was more comfortable than a tent, especially as OH did not enjoy very good health.
Our first van had a porta-potti, 3 way fridge,oven and grill, plus 12v lights as well as gas ones, so was quite advanced it seems. In about 1976 I fitted it with EHU, then we could use a small fan heater to keep us warm, and an electric kettle when required. We had that van till 1983.
When we returned to caravanning in 1998, things were very different,our next van had a lovely shower room and all mod cons, which was very good for OH, indeed had the mod cons not been available we would not have bought a caravan again.
Now, 20 years on, we are just on our second van since then, but with an even better shower and Alde heating. Being in our 70s, our days of roughing it are long gone. No way would we consider, or be able, to go back to a tent.
We do not have a solar panel, so we need EHU to keep our battery topped up for the water and heating pumps.
We really prefer HS as our twin axle can make a real mess of wet grass when turning.
But we do not need a serviced pitch.....certainly not at the premium the Club charges!
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Never been a tenter and personally had no wish to be one!!! Before we had children we had a small cruiser which we used on the Thames and Canals. It was pretty basic but it had a toilet and cooking facilities. Our first caravan was even more basic as it didn't have a toilet and we had two small boys in tow. It only had gas lighting which scared the living daylights out of me! Life and caravans have evolved since we started in that what is provided in a modern leisure vehicle is similar to what people have at home and I see no reason for that not being the case.
I have seen no advantage in being without electricity as I would prefer to be as comfortable as I can be. To some extent a caravan/motorhome is a means to an end rather than being an end in its own right. It has given us the opportunity to see places, particularly abroad, that we wouldn't have seen had we not had our means of travel. Whilst I have always preferred hardstandings it was not such an issue with a caravan but having changed to a motorhome in all but the summer months I feel it is an essential requirement. I am no back woodsman and don't indulge in "back to nature" as part of my enjoyment of our hobby!
David
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I started off with a ridge tent, progressed through a frame tent( ooh, luxury) to a basic caravan( no mains, foot pump water, convector gas fire, porta potti) then on to a more modern van (2007 blown air, microwave, double glazing, shower compartment) to today's MH, which has added solar and refillable gas to the mix.
My boating followed a similar path, progressing from a basic plywood yacht with bucketNchuckit, outboard motor, and no instruments to my final boat which had marine loo, pressured water system, blown air heating, in-board diesel and enough dials, comms and navigation aids to replicate Concorde's cockpit.
It's called progress. Has the "fun" factor changed? Not much.
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I started in scouts, ridge tents, wood fires, toilet tent. With a family, first frame tents and gas. Then a caravan, but no mains just 12 volt lights, then a caravan with mains, portable toilet but no hot water or shower, then a caravan with mains hot water and a shower and a cassette toilet... Strangely we then went back to a big dome tent as work prevented many trips. Then a caravan with a rear bathroom for five years, now an Auto-sleeper Motor-home.
Enjoyed them all, we bought the best we could afford at the time, and the style of camping which suited us best at the time. Years ago NOBODY had mains, hot water or heating. Would I tent camp again, yes if the weather was nice.
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Stated with a ridge tent, frame tent, trailer tent, now caravan all year round, we use sites with EHU and facilities at times but mostly we like basic CL/Cs's and the other clubs THS's and rallies.
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I agree with WTG, in that there seems to be a more 'spur of the moment' approach to the different type of touring locations used MHers, quite possibly due, in the main, to two 'infrastructure' things..
firstly, there are many, many more opportunities to 'locate' a MH, safely/legally (especially in Europe) over a caravan.....Aires etc..
secondly, MH are far more suited to taking advantage of those opportunities with their 'handbrake on, engine off' set up simplicity.
For those who 'couldn't possibly manage' without EHU (at around a fiver a night built into site fees) why not try a cup of tea with water boiled on a gas hob.....ill defy anyone to tell the difference....
similarly, the gas heated hot water that comes from the taps seems to give exactly the same shower/washing up experience as when it's heated with electric.
the heating system also provides the same (nay, better) warmth on gas as when on ehu...
similarly, the fridge/freezer is as efficient (nay, more efficient) on gas as it is on 230v...
our bikes go just as far with batteries charged from the inverter as with mains (the sockets look just the same and are next to each other in the garage).
the TV programs are just as good/bad as the satellite system runs from the same 12v supply irrespective of an orange umbilical...
the 12v lights are also equally bright, whether plugged in or not...
the gas hob and cooker keep us in hot meals whether on ehu or not.
so, none of the above can possibly be a specific reason for not using an ehu site, so that leads me to think that it may be the to do with the 'site' itself, and the fact that caravanners 'feel' they must go to a camp site (as mentioned above there are less opportunities to just 'pull over') with either Club sites usually the default).
....and having chosen this path, will 'plug in' as they've paid for it....despite the fact that it actually costs far less to heat/cook/shower with (refillable) gas than it does with the 'built in fiver' per night on a club site...
...this difference is partly reflected in the wonderful C&CC THS site program, where many caravanners enjoy stays without an ehu.
so, caravanners off gridding is still popular, I see many on the THS sites we stay on, but apart from these, some CLs and a tiny number of non-ehu club sites, options here are a bit more limited...
the CCC does allow for a non-ehu option as part of their more flexible 'menu driven' pricing.
....not plugging into an ehu in a modern well insulated van with all facilities on board is t much like being in a tent without ehu, in fact it's rather like being in a modern well insulated van with all facilities on board....
as David says, it's pretty much just the same......(we certainly aren't Bear Grylls types) ......
but without being tied to a cable or to those locations that have them....
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Surely it is about making "camping" as easy as possible in keeping with your own abilities. I don't hold with the belief that you can't have luxury without EHU and I am pretty sure those of us equipped to go without will agree.
For me it's about having the flexibility to easily go places that I/We would not have otherwise been able to. Yes it is nice to have hard standings, EHU and all home comforts but they are not essential to our enjoyment of touring.
peedee
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It's an age related attitude. As people grow into old age, they can't be bothered with any slight discomfort and therefore turn their back on the self sufficiency and excitement they used to enjoy while camping in their youth. Aged people seem to prefer having it all done for them by carrying all their mod cons and bling in their vans to turn the van into a small version of their house and forgetting completely about the great outdoors
By the way, I've been retired for a number of years so I also come into the aged category. Just accept that there are a huge number of aged vanners and the majority of them can be found on CMC sites. On the other hand, the "Friendly club" has a very agreeable mix of campers of all ages.
It's good to have those two differering Leisure companies. It gives the customers an excellent choice of holiday styles.
K
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David, I agree with you on the Aires thing...but there are very many caravanners who use THS sites sans-ehu in this country and adore the difference....yet, they are kitted up a bit differently, with an SP a must as the stay extends beyond a few days....
similarly, the emphasis towads gas changes and your 907 would be much good on a series of THS sites.....and many do move from one to another enjoying incredibly inexpensive uk touring with locations often right in close to town amenities....far better sited that full sites that need planning permission....
in fact, to take your point about Aires, this may be the nearest the uk has to that system.....located close to towns, come and go as you please, cheap as chips, no booking, but fewer services....oh and need to be in the CCC....
Because our 'journey' is also part of the 'holiday' we are able to dive in and visit many places on route, sometimes moving only a few miles to the next bay/beach....if the only stopping places are those without ehu, I wouldn't want that to be the driver that puts us off being there for as long as we wanted....
but as you say, we aren't hairshirters....lol
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I think many of you are missing the point. It’s not about perceived advantages of EHU or alleged freedom of non-EHU in general but is about individual preference. One man’s meat etc.
I’ve found a niche that suits me while others do it differently. That’s great, there’s room for all but, please, nobody should make assumptions about why MH-ers do one thing and caravanners another. We can all state our reasons but don’t assume anything is an across the board generalisation.
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We have been touring in many forms, camper, tent, caravan, MH for decades, including some very basic outfits, often for weeks on end. Like others, when EHU became available, we bought a van that used it. Unlike many though, we still have that van! It has all we need, beds, shower, heating, lighting, cooking, and it's comfy. We have bought a MH, but not a big super modern one. Again it is comfy, has all the above, plus an oven, and it does all we need. We still tend to think of ourselves as posh campers. There would be no panic or disappointment if the electrics on a site went down, and we still tour off grid in Summer. We last camped in a tent three years ago, but my creaking joints suffer on an air bed nowadays beyond a couple of nights.
Folks tour as they prefer, no right or wrong, no way better or not. We have come across some quite elderly couples (talking 80 plus here!) still enjoying and using some very old classic vans. They have never known anything else, but have modified their pride and joy to take electrics, fitted a water pump, and consider that and the ease and comfort of a small, well made van all they require.
If you haven't come from this background, then it may appear quaint and hard work, and indeed, why do it? So enjoy something more up to date, full of technology (albeit occasionally damp!) and tour easily and without much difference from having similar things at home. All ways are right, it's the enjoyment that counts. When it becomes hard work, time to change.
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+1
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My own niche is a campsite overlooking the foothills of the Alps....blue skies and Philadelphus bushes in full bloom, space for oldies to sit in the sun but room for children to play, a swimming pool , drinks on the terrace beside it, Madame with a menu asking whether we would like her to cook a meal for us, a better shower room than we have at home, a conversation with some boys from South America who are cycling from Spain to Istanbul, another cold beer. Of course there is an electric hook up and of course we use it - but I too am happy for other people to live their lives differently.
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add another +1 TW
Also there appears to be, in two separate threads, some very 'preaching' posts, almost evangelical in nature as in to advocate a cause with the object of making converts. As if those of us who choose EHU are either slightly mad or mis-informed and are in need of help?
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That’s not mad, Husky, we do exactly the same.
See, there are no hard and fast practices. We each do our own thing as suits at the time and that’s why sweeping generalisations are way off the mark.
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we do the same but use other people's
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Interesting interpretation Corners, I thought exactly the same of your (and) Easy's comments....
didnt you post "personally I really really can't (see) the point, or indeed any advantage, in going non EHU. Wouldn't live like that at home so why on holiday?But each to their own."
i wouldn't live 'like that'.....rather condecending don't you think....
i explained the 'point' but no doubt you missed/ignored it, I also posted the 'advantages' to help answer your question....which was no doubt rhetorical
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