I think I am going to buy a small motorhome/campervan!!

[Ineedmorepatience]

I have always been a fairly hard core camper, we only bought EHU 2 years ago.

However and I dont know if its just me but the camping season seems to be getting shorter and shorter each year

Dd3 who has Asd has a massive fear of the noise that rain makes on the tent and I know it will be the same in a van but she will be further away from the roof if that makes sense.

We went away with friends over the BH and the nights were so cold but I was worried about letting Dd3 sit in their van in the evenings because then she had to come out and go to bed in a freezing tent!!

We dont have a big budget so it will be an old van but DP is fairly handy with mechanics and I am not afraid of a project.

Dont know why I am telling you this, I just feel a bit of a traitor to the 5 tents in my loft!!

I have 5 tents and for the last two years I also have a 1979 campervan that was once an ambulance. I love camping in the van. No more life on my knees whilst on holiday, but I am over 50 now and can just about afford to run a van and a car.

I dont use the van as much as I thought I would - probably because my dc are grown up and camping is no longer the only affordable holiday. But I do love my van and all its little miniturised accessories. Its great for spinning yarns about famous 70s rock stars that died in it too :)

Your tents will be used once the kids are camping on their own at festivals etc. My oldest tent is 30 years old and still going strong (canvas and orange but still going).

We moved on from tents this year, buying a highroof transit type van for two grand and converting it ourselves. It certainly is a project, it has taken many evenings and weekends. I've learned to make upholstery with an old sewing machine and DH has learned a lot of do it yourself skills.

Now we have a van to our own design that suits us perfectly. It's so cosy that we are planning to spend Christmas night in it. Have a google and see what other self builders have done.

Great idea quenelle I will do that

Thanks both

We've just made the switch from a tent to a t4 vw conversion, we're looking forward to our holiday in it during October half term, it has gas/electric heating plus we figured 4 of us will keep it cosy too.

We made the swap because we weren't getting away enough in our tent. We love it and have spent more than 40 nights away this year. The only negative I have found though is when we sleep in the pop top. It is just as noisy up there as in a tent, very frustrating when on a noisy campsite. If I was to buy again I think I might go for a hi top van.

We have bought a folding camper this year. Cheaper to buy and maintain.

Hmm, it looks as though I am going to have to revise my plans!

I may have to buy a caravan instead. We

Motorhomes are incredibly expensive and a mechanic friend has told us that the fuel consumption is really bad too

We live miles from anywhere nice so high mileage will be inevitable.

Never mind I will keep looking

Depends a lot on the motorhome I think. Our van worked out about 34mpg when we drove to Cornwall and back from north of London, if that's any help.

I made the swap from campervan to caravan because of the costs.

High mpg, another vehicle to service, tax, insure, mot, engine type repairs, bodywork repairs. I couldn't afford to go away in it!

Yes viva that is the list we have too!!

DP is not interested in towing a caravan though so that with be up to me. I guess I will be needing some towing lessons

On the positive side once it is parked up on site that is it until we move on, no struggling to park a camper/motorhome at the supermarket!

I do all the towing. Find it easy. I did a one day course and can reverse it onto a space no probs.

Yay, thanks for that viva , one of my close friends tows their family caravan too. She used to lack confidence but learning to tow has really empowered her