Full Time Caravan Living
Comments
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basilthedog, we have a 2011 Bailey Madrid Unicorn. It does not have a permanent double bed but we like it as it has 2 seperate wardrobes, so we have one each, and a large rear toilet section. The one thing we miss with it is it doesn't have an electric plate,
only 4 gas rings, but we purchased a seperate double electric hotplate unit which we use most of the time, inconjunction with our built-in mircowave. Saves on the gas that way, as we always use sites, mainly CL's, with EHU.0 -
hiring for a few days, and full time living are no comparison, you really need to gain a bit of experience before comiting to full time. How about joining your local cc centre, and going along to some rallys, even without a van the members would be quite
helpfull in showing you the ropes, and their caravans, or at least our centre would, and sure the others would be just as welcoming!some dealers may even let you stay in one of their s/h vans for a few days to get the feel of it before buying, so worth asking
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Thanks for your advice everyone. I had got the idea for a wind turbine from yachts but I agree that they aren't ideal for a caravan. I agree with EasyT and was thinking it would make most sense to pay the extra for a pitch with electricty during the winter
and then save the money during summer when I need less electricty. I could combine that with Pippah45's suggestions.I realise this might be opening a can of worms but what manufactuers do people think build the most durable caravan? At the moment from what I have read, and bearing in mind avaliability second hand, I am leaning towards either a Lunar Detla or Swift Conqueror.
I do like some of the European caravans as well but there seems to be less avaliability second hand.Write your comments here...Not sure if you can get sued for posts on this site but Lunar lightweight is marketing speak for flimsy
Not sure that I necessarily agree with your comments about Lunar. That was one of my thoughts when looking at vans early 2012. However we bought a Lunar Clubman ES as previously we had a swift Charisma and often left the rear bed made up.in that dining area
during all but the coldest times of the year and used an awning to dine in. As I have arthritis in my spine I found erecting an awning more difficult and we generally move every 5 days. When my daughter joined us on a couple of occasions the front benches
were long enough for her to sleep on. Also as I do all the cooking I decided that having a side diner would make it easier to prepare food with the lower work height and with deeper seating and 6' 2'' front bunks they suit us as two singles taking a few minutes
to remove back cushions to shower room although can be made up as a double. I actually leave my own back cushionson as I still have ample space. What swung it for us was the fact that the seating was more comfortable than other vans we tried and especially
in the dining area. The seating in our previous swift Charisma was showing its age before the end of 5 years and after we had used it for around 320 nights. In fact probably sooner. Our current van has been used for 3 seasons and a total of 360 nights and
the seating looks and feels as good as ever.Having tried blown air and wet heating (we have the Alde heating) I would definitely want a similar form of heating if full timing and decent well sprung seats. Also some 'vans are capable of having an MPTLM upgrade. Well worth checking out to ensure a good
payload for full time usage. Some cannot be upgraded and some have substantial upgrades available. We were able to upgrade ours by 50kg. Is the limit of 3500kg based on the MPTLM of the van plus the maximum laden weight of the tow vehicle? If so I would definitely
look at taken the second part of the driving test.0 -
"I realise this might be opening a can of worms but what manufactuers do people think build the most robust?"
A quick glance at the Travelling communities will reveal mostly European vans Hobby seem particularly popular. Although I noticed a Bailey and Clubman in the last convoy I saw.
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I think that caravans are very much manufactured under a strategy of 'horses for courses' The majority of CC members will be part time tourers, with a much smaller minority being of a disposition to live for extended periods in their leisure vehicles. Hence
they will tend towards lightweight vans with good facilities for the price/ weight. Travelers, who live in their vans full time, as you propose to, have a different agenda. They want spacious and robust accommodation regardless of any weight/ cost penalty.
They will tend to stay in places for longer periods, reducing overall towing fuel costs. It is no surprise that they favour twin axle vans of a high weight/ robustness. Reconcile yourself to undertaking the higher weight driving test. A panel van allows the
storage and transport of a decent payload of domestic ancillaries such as bicycles and spin dryers. A preferred combination might be a panel van and a Hobby caravan. Wash clothes by hand, put up with unpopularity by recharging your battery with a generator,
you.ll need 240v on occasions, use refillable gas bottles which can be refilled without moving the van (a tricky one this). And don't expect on board water tanks in lighter vans. The ultimate of course is an American style RV, but it's a long way out of your
price range. Oh, to manage costs down, ensure that your kitchen is well equipped too.0 -
Hi , not sure if my comments have been mentioned , where I live I know of a few CL'S where folk pitch there vans for months sometimes years , some sites are not happy to have campers going off to work on a regular basis , they also may charge you for an
extra car too .depending where your going to work you maybe better booking a seasonal pitch on a commercial site , you then will have , maybe a pool , and entertainment on offer , some sites do part seasonal ..0 -
I defintiely agree that I will need to do the B+E test it is just a compromise between weight and robustness as I would want the tow car to be usable as a daily driver. I just need to decide on the best balance. It is a difficult decision to make as there
are so many pros and cons to both sides.I think ultimately I will go a lightish large van that is durable enough to last, even if it could be better built. That means that I can then get a car/4x4 that does not cost a fortune to run and means that we can be relatively mobile as we would also like
to use the van to travel the UK and maybe parts of Europe during holidays.Do people think that sounds like a sensible compromise? I am defintiely been drawn towards Swift/Bailey/Lunar as the choice of manufactuer - mostly due to the fact that there is much more choice on the second hand market than for the European vans.
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If you plan on living in your van full-time, the first consideration must be the level of insulation. If I were you I would make sure that any van had Grade 3 level insulation so that you keep warm in the coldest weather. Modern UK caravans
mostly meet this criteria but older ones don't. Personally, I would go for a German made van as they are usually equipped to cope with European winter temperatures which can go well below zero. Hymer have excellent insulation which they
claim is equivalent to a normal cavity wall in a house. Also, Hobby and Fendt caravans. The only problem you may find with a continentl style caravan is that they tend to have very small bathrooms where the shower is extremely small and is basically the
footwell in the bathroom.0 -
If you plan on living in your van full-time, the first consideration must be the level of insulation. If I were you I would make sure that any van had Grade 3 level insulation so that you keep warm in the coldest weather. Modern UK caravans mostly meet this criteria but older ones don't. Personally, I would go for a German made van as they are usually equipped to cope with European winter temperatures which can go well below zero. Hymer have excellent insulation which they claim is equivalent to a normal cavity wall in a house. Also, Hobby and Fendt caravans. The only problem you may find with a continentl style caravan is that they tend to have very small bathrooms where the shower is extremely small and is basically the footwell in the bathroom.
...And normally are not as well equipped as we expect in the uk
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I defintiely agree about the insulation point and that was one of the main reasons I really like Hymer. However it is very important for us to have a seperate shower, which rules most of their vans out. I should be able to get a reasonably new British van
within my budget that has good insulation, whereas if I was to get a hymer I would have reduced options and maybe not be able to get the layout that I like.Depreciation is an important point for me as well. I assume that caravans are like cars in that they loose a large amount of money as soon as you drive it out of the showroom and then the rate of depreciation slows down? That is why I thought a 2-3 year
old caravan would be best.Relatedly do you think that after 2 years of full time living, even with careful treatment, that a British caravan would be hard to resell because it would appear so worn out?
Thanks again for your help everyone it is really helping answer some doubts in my mind! I really want this to work as I think it would be a great experience and hopefully save some money!
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You have it about correct with depreciation. After 2 years permanent living, the resale value is reflected in the condition, so its not quite like a high mileage car, but more about what works, what doesnt, are the furnishing in good condition etc. Thats
why I say keep on top of the maintenance. Ultimatley, I think it would be difficlt not to take some form of a hit on the second hand value.0 -
Thanks John it is good to know that my assumptions where correct. I have created a spredsheet with anticipated costs and including £4000 depreciation on a £15000 van over a two year period.
Do you think if I was to go with a Lunar/Bailey/Swift that my suggested rate of depretation is reasonable? Assuming that we take good care of the van.
Also do people think that a British van will wear so badly that after two years full time living that it will be difficult to keep it in good condition? If so I may have to go with a European brand.
Thanks
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One thing that might give you some piece of mind is that there is a lot of talk on here about "damp" issues,Bailey of about 4yrs ago gave 10yr warranty against water ingress, they are now six years with an "option" to extend to 10yrs,and the warrantys are transferable,the majority of vans on the market all have the same make internal fitments so one is no better than any other for reliability,good luck with your search
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You will have to have the facility to empty the van when it is to have its annual service to maintain the warrenty.
We remove everything when we take ours for service and that would probably be problematic with your van as your 'home'.
Not insurrmountable but a consideration
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To test what is reasonable, you need to check whats on the market, in a similar condition and age as to what your own caravan might be in. I would expect a Brit van to wear quite well. I'm happy with my current van, and it gets about 4 months use per year and still looks pretty good for a 6 year old. You're budegeting for a modern caravan, so if it were me, I would buy on what layout and living space suited me best. Dont get analysis paralysis. Everything costs something.
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Does 2 years of full time living wear out a van, in appearance, more than 2 years spread over a longer period?
We have a Swift, coming up on 8 years old, which, when totted up, we have used for a total of just over 2 years.
And we have towed it over 30000 miles.
I think it still looks good. We are careful and treat it nicely, regular cleaning etc. The carpets are a little flattened, but there is no wear to the upholstery. We have loose covers for the seat cushions that can be washed easily.
Everything still works, the cooker only shows a few tiny scratches, the sink looks good, as does the fridge, shower basin etc.
There are a few on here that spend a lot of the year touring, how are their vans standing up to it?
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I would prefer a slightly older Hymer to a more recent UK van if you are planning on full timing. For example, have a look at
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When you consider the use wardens vans get ,i would think any modern van is capable of what you req,our friends never "lost" any more than anyone else would on a van ,their last was a Swift Conquerer TA and they still got £7000 for it after 9yrs use
Ps they paid £12500 "new" as previose years model
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My Abbey (now Swift) has had some pretty hard use over the few years I have had it - and a lot of it is still looking very good. To avoid depreciation I would definitely go for storing the carpets and using runners - and for washable covers for the upholstery.
Good point about the Wardens and their vans - although I am not sure how many hours a day they get to use their vans!0 -
Thanks for the input everyone. It has given me a lot to think about! Essentially it seems that the vast majority of manufacturers vans will suit my needs it is just a matter of weighing up the pros and cons with each.
I think I am all out of questions for the moment! You have all be so helpful. If anyone else has any useful information to add please do so as it all helps a lot!
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I defintiely agree about the insulation point and that was one of the main reasons I really like Hymer. However it is very important for us to have a seperate shower, which rules most of their vans out. I should be able to get a reasonably new British van within my budget that has good insulation, whereas if I was to get a hymer I would have reduced options and maybe not be able to get the layout that I like.
Depreciation is an important point for me as well. I assume that caravans are like cars in that they loose a large amount of money as soon as you drive it out of the showroom and then the rate of depreciation slows down? That is why I thought a 2-3 year old caravan would be best.
Relatedly do you think that after 2 years of full time living, even with careful treatment, that a British caravan would be hard to resell because it would appear so worn out?
Thanks again for your help everyone it is really helping answer some doubts in my mind! I really want this to work as I think it would be a great experience and hopefully save some money!
We've not had any problem with exchanging our van, all be it for a new one, after 4 or 5 yrs having used it for over 250 nights each year. It all depends on how well you look after it and how careful or clumsy you are. And we've always had a British built van and wintered in it every year.
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Nobody has mentioned Coachman caravans. When we were between houses we spent 2 years in our Coachman, towed with a Mercedes Vito van (with a rail in for bulky clothes and boxes from Ikea with openable fronts). The Coachman stood up very well with carpets
stored and all seats well covered. We used a CL local to our house site as our base, but travelled around as well. Solar power in summer and hookup in winter. Laundrettes were expensive, but handwashing and a rotary drier were ok for all but bigger items.0 -
We have a Hymer 570 from 2007 and it was made for the UK market so the door is on the correct side, it has a great shower cubicle, fully lined. A real good sized bathroom, a proper oven and 4 burner hob and grill, Thetford Fridge and all you would expect
in a UK van, the only thing missing is a microwave, something we are not too bothered about. They were imported by Lowdhams and you can often see them on the CC classifieds at a reasonable price, I've seen this model for sale on EBay too, we have
had ours just over a year and like it very much, we are away in it for the new year, no matter how cold it gets.0
