No more tents for us...stepping up to campervan, caravan or motorhome?

[Sunflowermoonbeam]

So my husband and I have camped for years, absolutely loved it and found it easy. Had a few years off after our first and only child and jumped back in this weekend with our 4 year old. To sum it up it was a DISASTER!

Pouring rain putting up the tent, pouring rain putting down the tent, dreadful snorer in next tent kept me awake all night and poorly child who then got stung by wasps! Obvs the last two are unrelated to camping but everything feels harder in a tent, in the rain!

So we've driven home agreeing tents are just not for us anymore and that it is time to step up to some other version of camping but we are not sure what to choose. Has anyone done this and what did you go for?

There are obviously loads of options and we have a medium budget.

A newish VW Campervan feels fun and can be used for day trips plus awe could use it as a main vehicle but again space is limited.

Caravans/motorhomes mean we would have to find storage but the space and ease inside would be a luxury! We rented a motorhome once to go to France and it was incredible.

Anyone made the leap? What did you choose and was it the right decision?

I don't think it's a crazy idea at all to do a hire for a chunk of time. It won't exactly be a trial run as you'll know you've paid X amount and that the clock is ticking so you'll put real effort into using it. But it's as close as you'll get before you take the plunge!

If you have an electric car, you can plug your caravan into the car if you are on a site with no electric hook up. Watch Andrew Ditton on YouTube.

We hired one last week as a test run. It was useful as it allowed us to rule out some options and upgrade some features to the essentials list. We're hoping to have another week away in a slightly larger model and then come to a decision about what vehicle we want a campervan built round.

What things did you decide you liked and will incorporate in your new van?
Following that question, what did you find did not work?

For us it was having a fixed bed.
After decades and multiple MH ownership we thought it would be great to have a fixed bed rather than making them up, how wrong were we!
The fixed bed was a disaster as it just tended to be used as a dumping ground during the day and saved us just a few minutes morning & evening while loosing us significant living space.
The only fixed bed we are having now is the overcab bed. Doesn't take away any living space and can be used to store bulky (but lightweight) items such as duvet, pillows etc during the daytime.

So we definitely want both driver and passenger swivel seats and a roof top bed.

I thought we wanted a RIB bed rather than a rock and roll but now prefer a rock and roll as would give more storage in the back. Other things were just about location of cabinets and what is accessible when the bed is out etc. how things opened etc.

There was a very nice Hymer at the show with a little staircase up to the rooftop bed.

https://vanlifematters.co.uk/new-hymer-venture-s-off-roader-unveiled

We looked at this one last year at the dealership near the NEC. Amazing and gorgeous, I loved it however a few downsides.

Storage is an issue - doesn't seem to have as much storage as our GCS. We take bikes on a bike rack. We like to "stealth" camp. Can't really do that as it's obvious you are sleeping upstairs. Although the salesman said you could sleep downstairs I couldn't see how that was possible. (The upstairs is absolutely gorgeous).

Price - it is expensive !

It did feel like a space I could live in if I was a single woman as a full time home. Felt like one of those "small homes" despite me saying there wasn't much storage space.

Very roomy inside the expandable shower and toilet space which was really nice too.

VW-type canpervans are very popular with my friends with small children - they really come into their own on day trips when you always have a toilet, fridge and somewhere to nap on hand.

So for anyone who commented thank you so so much. All the information and opinions was super insightful.

For anyone interested, we were set on a campervan and had decided to invest in a new converted one, as our main vehicle but were going to wait until the new year.

As time went on we realised a caravan might actually be better and that a campervan might be too cramped for us so we went to look and reserved one the same day after looking around about 50 caravans!

We are super excited and have decided to put it on a nice seasonal pitch for a few summers (they will store it in winter) and then get a bigger car in a few years and tour in the summer months!

We can't use it until March, so lots of time to get excited! No more putting down sodden tents in the rain for me!!

@Sunflowermoonbeam enjoy!

Well done on making a decision, hope it works for you. 👍

On another note, I am amazed at the number of people on MoHo FB groups who have been tucking their MoHo's away for autumn/winter (often from the end of Oct to the beginning of April) and are asking advice about keeping damp at bay, batteries charged etc.
We are very much of the "use it all year" mentality and like nothing more than a couple of nights away whenever the fancy takes us.
Most of these vehicle are designed to be used all year and after a walk around a Christmas market or walking the dogs through a frosty autumnal wood or across a snowy hillside, there is nothing better than settling down nice and cosy in your home away from home.
Seems odd to spend a significant chunk of money on a vehicle (typically £50k-£150k) and then only use it 7-months a year. 🤔
On the other hand, there are those that chase the warmth and migrate south (Spain, South of France etc) for the winter! Not our cup of tea but plenty do. 😆

Congratulations on your new purchase @Sunflowermoonbeam. We did the same thing about 15 years ago when we realised that a campervan wouldn’t work for us. No regrets here as we use our caravan a lot although we tour with ours and have done from the start.

I hope you enjoy your new home from home in March