Do you have a camper van? Would you recommend it?

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Interested in pros and cons, though I could only afford a 2nd hand one.

We have a VW T4 it looks a bit like a normal longish van and can be used on a daily basis. So it's not just "sitting on the drive" as some posters have suggested. It has 2 seats in the front and 2 in the back.
The back seat pulls out into a bed called a rock and roll bed. It has a kitchen with fridge, cooker and sink. So we cook inside and eat outside.
It's a lot of fun and the DC love it.

My friends had their caravan stolen - off their drive. They were setting off the next day so it was all ready to go. They woke up in the morning and it was gone. Not sure how you thief proof a caravan but stolen caravans are not unusual apparently.

a caravan (though less cool) is more practical as you can detach from the car and it means you're not running two vehicles rather than one. have a camper van

Long time camper van owner here but that's a very valid statement.

I think what works best depends on what sort of holiday is being planned.

If the idea is to up sticks every day, move on, and also especially go somewhere a bit challenging, e.g. into the mountains - then a camper is great ( for example we've used ours for short ski holidays).

If OTOH you intend to go away to a camp site and simply park up for two weeks there's a lot to be said to be able to leave the bedroom and kitchen on site and having a car for the sightseeing, shopping, etc.

I wouldn’t want to drive one every day though. Mpg is crap and I prefer something smaller, and now, electric.

Caravanned since the 70s and having a camper is so liberating! Ok, it's only the two of us now but it's so quick to set up. We stay on sites within walking distance of everything we need but go out occasionally. Also have bikes. The only thing we ever hook up is the electric so takes seconds to unhook and get on the road. Just make sure the TV is stowed haha many times that has crashed to the floor by forgetting😱Only use an awning if staying for more than a weekend. Usually use facilities on site so our toilet compartment is used to stow chairs, table bbq etc. We travel very light, you realise you don't need a lot. Happy campervanning!

I have a T25

Pro:
*can go away easily at the drop of a hat. Can keep spare soap stuff, packages food etc in the can so can be ready to leave fast.

• useful spare sleep space for when people stay over *nice to drive to the beach and woods for walks as you can have a cuppa in there after. *have been able to holiday in the garden during loxkdown.

Cons:
*our old one requires constant work
*we use it much less with small kids than we did before

• fuel on long journeys is expensive *because ours is old it’s not able to be a car I use for commuting to and and from work

Over all we love it. We have named her and kids love her too!

We had a VW T25 for years. Great for us as a couple for touring. You just drive onto your pitch and can be sat down with a cup of tea in a few minutes. The only hassle was having to pack the bed away every morning and as PP said it is your only vehicle on the trip so you have to use it for everything (although you can take bikes for local journeys). Very fuel heavy too and ideally you have them serviced etc by a specialist garage.

It was still workable once DC1 came along but we sold it after DC2 because we found the space too confining with 4 of us. Plan to get another when they've left home, but one with a built-in loo next time.

Great fun. But you might as well dig a hole on the ground and pour your money down it. In other words only do it if you have some disposable income.

I should add, we've got a small caravan now and it is more suited for holidays where you stay in the same place for a week or more.

destroyed that made me laugh. Our first two vans (pre kids) were money pits and we spent all of our disposable income on keeping them going. One was a 70s bay and one was an early 80s T25. When we had kids we upgraded to a vw T5 and that has been amazing. It was such a relief to not set out on every journey wondering if we’d be coming back courtesy of AA relay. However it was an adventure and I don’t regret all the fraught journeys.

@DippyAvocado
We’re having this discussion now about if we keep the T25 or sell for a caravan. My husband wants to keep the T25 but our kids are now 3 and 6 so it’s getting harder to fit us all in, though we have a high top so extra space than one without a bed up there.

I think the T25 thing is a live vs practicality thing for us. We had great times in her before the kids and some lovely time with the kids. A caravan would be more easy and practical though. However I think my husband and I would need to get a towing license (even though he has driven massive buses).

We are on our fourth. We’ve had various configurations over time!
We run them as our main car and have changed with different needs and number of children!!!. Our current one is a 7 seater 4 birth.the main bed is king size with a pop top. But we have a removable cooking pod that slots in and out.
We quickly found we didn’t cook in one unless it was raining. So the removable pod works well.
Hiring one is a good idea, it gives you an idea of how you would use it and when.
So long distance weeks at a time or short day / overnight ones.
You can do all sorts with them, I’ve seen some with showers at the back for rinsing off after the beach.

I have seen a lot of smaller vans be converted with pop tops now, so the vw caddys, but even the transporters aren’t that big comparable to other family cars.

Two important things, crashed tested seats (you can get isofix as well) if your transporting people in them and roof solar panels - makes a huge difference.

Meant Love vs practicality

I get the space thing but Keep the t25. The values are creeping up and they are just on the cusp of hitting big money.

I’m not sure how the balances out against how much maintenance they need. Think we need to do something to stop our body work from needing constant work. Though my uncle who has had a lot of VW said that it’s just part of owning the old campers - always something needs doing. We do love her though!

@Funf may I ask how old your motorhome is to get £200 insurance? (Which year reg?)
Thanks

@7ofnine
The Bongo was N Reg(95) Bedford was 1973, Fiat Ducato was (86) Current one is k reg 1992 Talbot coach built motor home. They have all been on classic motor home / camper van policies as a second vehicle doing limited mileage, present one is the most expensive at £200 with Stavely Head parked on a private drive including all the extras, solar panels, tow bar, Diesel powered central heating. Check your AA cover covers your camper / motor home as it can usually be added to the policy for not much more. Adrian Flux and many others do this sort of policy. Have a look at the owners forums they are usually a bit easier to use and look through than facebook groups.

@DippyAvocado
Why not two a small caravan and see how you get on? We started out with a £100 caravan and progressed from there. We bought an accident damaged two berth and towed it with a Bongo as we couldn't all fit in one but usually just squashed in the caravan.

@7ofnine
If we had kept the Bedford it would be Tax and MOT exempt now as it would be over 40 years old
www.gov.uk/historic-vehicles
We have a 1964 and rover MOT not required, Road tax is required but free, Insurance is £114 a year fully comp

That's really helpful, thank you
My car insurance is already with AA, and breakdown, so likely to keep the same.

We actually have a folding caravan! They're a bit like a trailer tent but unfold into an actual caravan. It's a bit of a PITA because you have to put it up when you get there and ours is old and very "retro" but it is much easier to tow than a normal caravan and we can store it on our drive.

@AIMD
Its a different sort of holiday experience so hard to put a value on, I do agree on maintenance as more is required but much of the older stuff is easier to do your self. We couldn't afford ours if we didn't do 90% of the work ourselves

We bought a campervan weekend before lockdown. It's a VW 2018 conversion. We love it but obviously aside from sleeping on the drive in it but tested yet. We ummed and ahhd for years, then decided on a new tent instead. However, OH got a new job which is over an hour commute each way so we figured if we got a camper he could stay over near work one night a week over the warmer months to cut down his travel time. Plus, our main holiday is usually in Europe preferably in the mountains and we love the idea of pitching up in remote spots. We also tend to move around every 3-4 days on longer holidays and taking down and packing up a tent and paraphernalia takes so long. We have two DC, 11 and 12 so will probably get a drive away awning with sleep compartment at some point but want to use it a bit before we buy more stuff for the van. We will still tent camp sometimes though for weekends.

Mondeo, I drive mine to work every day.

It depends on what you intend to do, as said upthread. I had a VW camper as a child, and holidays were always annoying as we had to tidy the van before going out for the day, make sure all toys were away and safe to drive etc. We have a caravan now, and we can leave it how it is, go out for the day and come back and tidy later