Making the move from Caravan to Motorhome

Kj, I think you are right to be unsure about changing to a M/H. There is no doubt that you will miss the room/space that your T/A gives you, you will also miss having a car to sightsee in, go to the shops in. I think I'm right in that neither of you ride bikes so everything will have to be done on foot. Thinking about this years holiday where you had a fair bit of rain, you just took the car out for the day, think about what you would do if it had been a M/H. Yes there are some that say just take the M/H out, it can be done but its an awful palarver putting everything away. As you often use the facilities in the van for showering it will mean that you have to either carry a wastemaster type container or move the van every 3/4 days to empty the waste water and fill up with fresh. If you are not going to stay on site anymore than 3/4 days this isn't a problem, likewise shopping, just do it as you move between sites. Sightseeing can be done between moves aswell but it does mean that your stays on sights are not long stays, this can be tiring if you are spending a lot of time driving each day (and we are younger) We have had the M/H for 4 years now and I don't miss having to do the water barrels etc. but on a 3 month holiday there are times that you want to stay put for awhile and the M/H brings its own problems, they are meant for short stays. I also think its a misconception that moving to M/H when you are getting older is the right thing to do, if you are not physically fit then it will affect how you sightsee.

This is not trying to put you off but I think it is a very big decision to make and probably you should try a M/H for a short break away to give you the feel of how things are done differantly.  The other way is to go over your last holiday and imagine it from a M/H point of view.

All points raised will help Kj make an informed decision. My post was coming from our own experiance as former tuggers for 33 years. Kj has spoken of a desire to retain a full end bathroom as they use theirs all the time, this is where having waste water
and fresh water containers to top up come in handy. We have 2 long hoses that we can fasten together so usually top up the fresh tank that way if we are going to be in one place for a long time. The waste is a 20l flat black container, OH empties it regularly,
but we rarely shower/wash dishes in the van when abroad, unlike Kj. What I was keen to point out is that as you get older, some folk think that moving to a M/H will solve all the problems that they wish to get away from, like filling and emptying water containers,
however as pointed out that is not always the case. I will say that stopping en route for a break is much easier with a M/H especially if it is raining there
is no getting out of the car and into the caravan in the wet. Likewise if you arrive on site and its raining just find a pitch and park up, as Hitch says plug in the electrics later, no having to get out and park the caravan in the rain, wind down the legs
etc.  Some things are much easier with a M/H, but lets not always look through rose tinted glasses. For those that have caravaned for years going to a M/H  is a learning curve, some adapt to it (Hitch & Husky seem to have) others don't adapt and find themselves
moving back to a caravan. If you move back having got rid of the big tow car it can be an expensive mistake.

We met a couple while away this year who had gone from caravan to M/H, it isn't working out for them as his wife is in the early stages of dementia. They have a little dog with them aswell, it was very hard work for the man as he had to do all the driving,
cooking, water carrying (wife showered in van) it was awkward for them to go out sightseeing, shopping if it  wasn't close was difficult as he couldn't leave her in the van, awkwarkd to take dog. They are on the verge of giving up all together, but I think
they might go back to a caravan as we pointed out you will have a car to get around in, that should make things easier. 

Having met Kj and his OH I know they will take their time weigh up all that has been posted and make an informed choice.

I am interested to know why Kjell, or at least his wife, is considering a motorhome? We never owned a twin axle caravan but our last caravan was as long as you could get without being a twin axle. It had a fixed bed and rear washroom which was very nice. We now have a Bailey 740 which has a fixed bed but a side washroom which is not much smaller than the one we had in the caravan. We have a large lounge area made larger because we can also employ the cab seats. The kitchen is a decent size and we have a massive fridge/freezer. so overall we are not disadvantaged compare to our previous caravan. OK we don't have automatic transmission which would be nice but I seem to have driven 15000 miles perfectly OK without it. For anyone thinking of changing it can't be done on a whim there has to be concrete reasons for doing so. If transport whilst on site is likely to be a difficulty perhaps a car and caravan is still the best option?

David

I wrote a long reply, and then lost it, so will have to start again, bear with me!

So......requirements.......details.....

OH has a (invisible)medical disability, and now she has had to have a half shoulder replacement, due to a fall, she needs me to help her with showereing.  This is a serious set-back for her, and has definately knocked her confidence.  She hates fuss, but
she needs certain facilities.

So we need a good shower cubicle, a wet room is NOT an option.

We need good space in the van/MH as we do long trips and have a reasonable amount of stuff with us. Good storage for some  outside stuff  is also essential.

We want a fixed bed.  A bed that does not need a ladder to get into as joints are a bit creaky.

Otherwise we like a BIG fridge, some decent kitchen space as we rarely eat out, and the ability to fit air con is essential, as is a wind out fixed awning.

Plus we would like to be able to take the grandchildren (2) along occasionally.

Alde heating would be preferable as we really like it.

Oh!  .......

And we already have a tiny Smart car, so would get a trailer so we can tow it  behind a MH.

And automatic transmission is essential, we have driven nothing else since 1972, though we both have full manual licences.

We would only buy new, we have not had good experiences with second hand purchases.

Price....hmmmmm...yes it is not going to be cheap!  Up to £80k is do-able as we would sell the caravan, which would raise maybe £10k

We might as well spend it now as it go to pay for our "care" in 10 years time!!

With no trade in we would hope to get a better deal?

Air con and gaslow systen we would swap from caravan.

The main problem with the conti vans is they do not seem to use the Alde heating?

Price....hmmmmm...yes it is not going to be cheap!  Up to £80k is do-able as we would sell the caravan, which would raise maybe £10k

We might as well spend it now as it go to pay for our "care" in 10 years time!!

With no trade in we would hope to get a better deal?

Air con and gaslow systen we would swap from caravan.

The main problem with the conti vans is they do not seem to use the Alde heating?

We had the Alde system on our caravan and were apprehensive about switching to blown air but have found that the Auto-Sleepers is better insulated and more compact so the Alde is really not necessary.