Tourer newbies, advice welcome

[champagneplanet]

We are keen on the idea of buying a tourer for our family - DH and I and our 2 DCs.

We go on several static holidays per year, we have many times looked into buying one but we just don't want the site fees and additional expense and also haven't found anywhere we love enough to visit regularly.

We've started looking at tourers, DH is an experienced camper due to his hobby, but i'm looking for any advice that you could give to tourer novices please. If you were starting out again what would you buy? What would you avoid? What is absolutely essential and where can I watch/read up?

We have about £6k to spend to start us off, could spare more but i'd like to start small. Am I being wildly optimistic?

TIA

Consider if you plan to cook in the caravan, or eat out most evenings. If you plan to eat out most nights, a spacious kitchen might not be a priority. Also, If you are primarily planning to stay on well-equipped sites with good facilities, you might not see a large shower room as especially important.
And do you mind making up a bed before turning in for the night, or do you just want to collapse into a comfy, ready-made bed at the end of the day?
I recommend opting for fixed bunk beds rather than a fixed double bed as they are space saving and give your kids their own space. It will also allow for a larger dining table and seating area, which is useful.
If you opt for a fixed double bed with a bathroom at the back then the kids will need to go past your bed if they need the bathroom in the night, and so a bathroom in the centre of the caravan could be a better option. However, this can negatively impact the size of the bathroom. If you choose fixed bunk beds, the bathroom placement is not such an issue as access will be more straightforward.
Caravans with bunk beds separated from the main living space, like in the Bailey Phoenix 650, are our absolute ideal. This allows you to put kids to bed and still have some adult space without sitting outdoors in cooler weather.
Awnings are ideal for that extra space for activities, family meals or just relaxing when at a site.
To be honest, I think your budget it optimistic. I think it will get very little – only the most basic caravans from European manufacturers and maybe a one-off special offer.

Have a look on the caravan club site discussions. I dint think you have to be a member but there are discussions for people in your position. Frankly yes there are loads of tips but I also agree your budget will get you a basic outfit.

Look for people giving up caravanning and selling as a package. A lot do and can be good deals

Well we just bought a 6 berth adria for 7k so I would be surprised if you cant find something in your budget.

It is a significant upgrade for us and brings us into modern caravanning but it has everything we need.

Have a look on autotrader or caravan finder op. The latter is good for layouts.

For that budget you’ll be looking at an older model, you can still have great holidays in them.

I’d buy a damp meter before you go to look at caravans. Older vans can be really damp and it isn’t always obvious. However, if the van smells damp or strongly of air freshener you may not even need to bother checking the damp meter.

What are you towing with? This will have an impact on the van you can buy. You need to know how heavy your car is and you should only tow 85% of that weight (I don’t really understand that bit, a dealer would be able to tell you what you can tow). Also how powerful is your car? And do you have the right licence to tow- relevant if you passed your test after 1997.

Budget for storage if you need it, insurance and any other security devices ( hitch lock, wheel locks etc may cost a couple of hundred). If you can get a bundle with waste and water containers, awning etc it could be a great deal.

Thank you all, we don't mind something a little older to start off with, if we love it we will upgrade.

I think the cars should be fine, we'll either be using an A5 or Tiguan, both have 2L diesel engines. I'll get DH to check which is better.

DH has checked his licence and he's fine to tow, he actually passed in 1997 but he drives all sorts for work purposes.

In terms of equipment/extras what would you recommend as an necessity?

We've had our 6 berth tourer for 2 years now and use it a lot (pre lock down obs).

I became slightly obsessed with this website www.caravanfinder.co.uk/caravan_layouts.html?berth=6

You can look at all different layouts and really get an understanding what will work for you.

We went fixed fixed bunk beds at the rear as it gave us more living space, a wet room style bathroom as we knew we wouldn't use the shower and didn't want a large bathroom.

We got ours from a dealer for £5250 with a service, damp test and awning so I think your price is realistic although we bought in November.

Go to some showroom and sit in a few and see what works.

I think your budget is fine OP. We bought a 5 berth starter caravan for £3500, it came with an awning and starter pack so had everything we needed to get going. We started small in case we hated it but will definitely upgrade next year.

We have 2 DC and the layout suits us. It has a seating area at the back which turns into a double bed and has a pull down bunk above it. The seating at the front converts to a king size bed. Ideally I'd like fixed bunks so those are on the list for the next one.

Our awning is full size and really needed for the extra space. PITA to put it up but worth it when its done. I'd recommend really comfortable camping chairs for the evenings 😊