To impulse buy a caravan?

[Nopeepeehere]

It was always my dream to buy a little flat near the sea and one in the Borders. Of course this won't happen as it's a) too expensive and b) very selfish to buy up more property than I need.

A friend suggested I look at caravans instead, and i must admit it does look marvelous. A long-term pitch by a wild part of the sea for weekends and school hols, and then a month in the Borders in the summer.

But I know nothing about caravanning so I'm looking for realistic opinions. Does this seem like a good plan? What are the potential pitfalls? Should I give up the idea completely and instead spend the odd week in a wildly expensive airbnb like I do currently? Thanks

Some lovely stories here - makes me so excited about maybe getting a caravan!

My licence is post 1997 so I can tow 3500, which seems to be about the limit for a Freelander plus caravan in any case.

Thanks for other tips about awnings and club memberships etc. There is so much I don't know!

Yes, I decided to buy a touring caravan quickly more than ten years ago, having no idea really what I was getting into, and having no experience at all. It’s been a complete dream and I’d recommend it to anyone.

I cannot identify with the PPs saying they’re a money pit, after the initial outlay you’re all set and my experience has been our family of four can enjoy weekends away for £25-30 per night.

I now have a seasonal pitch where the caravan stays from March-October, and we store at home for the other months. We love it and have made great friends with other families at our seasonal pitch.

I’ve include our costs below, in case this is helpful OP.

• Caravan 1 £10k; upgraded Caravan 2 bought 2025 for £18k

• Seasonal pitch £2.5k per year, electricity extra but that normally is approximately £200 per year.

• Insurance £150 p/a

• tow bar and fitting £500

This. I would advise against it - from experience!

But if you’re going to do it - definitely buy a tourer then you can move it whenever you want to.

Air awnings are heavy and can last a long time. Personally I would start with a very small simple porch awning (we had one we called a bug) that has bendy poles and will only accommodate at best a small table and 2 chairs. Ideal for wet outdoor clothing and footwear. They are normally under £200 and only take 10/15 minutes to put up.

Are you talking about a tourer or a static caravan.

Personally I wouldn’t do either. My friend has a static caravan and the annual fees can be extortionate, as much as going away a few times. They also de value very quickly and she’s got very bored of going to the same place.

We had a tourer and it can be a lot of fun but again, very expensive. There’s insurance, storage fees (unless you can keep it on the drive), they can be money pits with repairs, and nice sites can be quite expensive.

Could you tow it? That would be the main issue for me, zero spacial awareness, although I'd love to have one. I think I'll probably go for a camper van in a couple of years.

I bought a 2nd hand caravan earlier this year. Ive never towed so I sited it on a seasonal pitch within an hour from home. I also winter storage it there for £200 . Seasonal pitch is £3200. It is quite costly but I tend use it most weekends and school holidays. I did used to have a motorhome which I miss, but its good having a base too.

We have an air sun awning, it packs up fairly small and is quite light, goes up in seconds and was only £250. It’s also quite roomy, we only got it this season and have been very impressed with it so far. Air awnings are definitely getting better, the very first one we had weighed a tonne.

@Nopeepeehere here's a tip re reversing with a trailer. I used to drive a Bedford van with a massive trailer behind it, and was taught this by a girl who had horse boxes.
When reversing, if you can see the trailer in your wing mirror, turn the wheel towards it. I spent ages trying to work out reversing with mirrors and trailers, she told me that and I got it straight away.

There might be a covenant on your home: No Hut on Wheels, or No Caravans to be stored. Even if you are renting you might not be able to even take your 'van back to your home to pack it up! You need to check your Deeds if you own, or your rental agreement.

We have a touring caravan, it's about 10 years old now, towing isn't for everyone, there is no way I could tow ours, I have difficulty parking my small car. DH finds it quite easy though but he has very good spatial awareness and just seemed to know which way to turn the wheel They seem very big on the back of the car and you have to be careful not to take wrong turnings as you can't just turn round. You are restricted to 50 on single national speed limit roads and 60 on dual carriageways.

I would get a mover fitted as it does make it a lot easier for tight spaces especially if you live on a road with a lot of parked cars for getting it on the drive

i see you have a towbar, DH bought a new to him car and it cost £900 for one which was a bit of a shock

If there are just two of you I would get one with a fixed bed, there is usually a large storage area underneath it and the bed lifts up. We just have a small porch awning and use the shower to store our coats and shoes as we always use site facilities. In the summer we just use a canopy thing rather than awning.

You need to be aware of loading your 'van. 85% is the maximum percentage range for car weight/caravan. The larger the 'van the more you take! Put what you would take in the 'van and go to a public weighbridge and get all the measurements: car, loaded van (including motor mover and spare wheel). If you overload the 'van your insurance will be invalidated, you will damage the 'van and more importantly it will be very dangerous to tow.

You also need to know how to load the 'van and how much weight must be on the tow hitch.