Caravans and caravanning!

[Nebulous]

We've bought a new caravan. We went a bit overboard and bought a Bailey 2010 Pegasus 624. This is a large twin-axle 4 berth van with a fixed bed. We picked it up on Friday and spent one night on a campsite in torrential rain. Very happy so far.

[Oscar's dad]

We've bought a new caravan. We went a bit overboard and bought a Bailey 2010 Pegasus 624. This is a large twin-axle 4 berth van with a fixed bed. We picked it up on Friday and spent one night on a campsite in torrential rain. Very happy so far.

Fantastic!!!  Got any photos?

[Nebulous]

Not really - it was pouring rain, so I didn't do much. I've a slightly out of focus phone photo of the two dogs!


If that works. 

[Oscar's dad]

They look comfy!

[Luke]

I’ve acquired another Eriba!


Eriba puck L. by Luke Hayes, on Flickr

[Oscar's dad]

That looks excellent!  What prompted the change?

[Luke]

That looks excellent!  What prompted the change?

It wasn’t a planned change. We came across the new one at a bargain price and decided to give it a try.

[Russell]

Not sure why I didn't post this before but we went to the Lambourn area BCQ hunting for a couple of days in September and had to do a bit of creative levelling on the site.  We were on the limit of 4 stacking discs and full extention on the front legs.  We needed a ramp on the jockey wheel to get enough lift.  Getting down was a multi stage operation.

Nice campsite though and a wonderful view.

Creative levelling by Russell Wiles, on Flickr

[Oscar's dad]

That looks excellent!  What prompted the change?

It wasn’t a planned change. We came across the new one at a bargain price and decided to give it a try.

That’s caravans for you!  And other things like bikes to be fair. I hope you have lots of fun in it.

[Oscar's dad]

Not sure why I didn't post this before but we went to the Lambourn area BCQ hunting for a couple of days in September and had to do a bit of creative levelling on the site.  We were on the limit of 4 stacking discs and full extention on the front legs

Nicely done!

[Luke]

Only 7 months since buying it, we’ve finally managed to get out in the new Eriba! 

This was a couple of weeks ago at the recently open camping in the forest site at Sherwood pines. 2 nights here by myself before picking up the family and going to Wing hall for 4 nights.


Eriba Puck L. by Luke Hayes, on Flickr

[Ham]

We joined the ranks of caravanners last year, this was my first attempt at parking by reversing, I was soooooo chuffed



Been out a couple of times this year in may, and we're off to Cornwall in a few weeks.

[neilrj]

We joined the ranks of caravanners last year, this was my first attempt at parking by reversing, I was soooooo chuffed



Been out a couple of times this year in may, and we're off to Cornwall in a few weeks.

Nice parking but I'd be playing with the motor mover like playing with a giant R/C car.

[Kim]

Nice parking but I'd be playing with the motor mover like playing with a giant R/C car.

This was exactly my take on the late lamented jogler's radio-controlled caravan.  (I had no idea that caravan movers were a thing until I saw it in action.)

[Pedal Castro]

I'm very tempted to get a motor mover for my micro-caravan, not because it's difficult to manoeuvre at campsites but to make it easier to get it back onto my drive when we get home! 

[neilrj]

Everyone needs a motor mover, indeed you may have to invest in a caravan to try one, but try one! Just being sat inside the towcar (smoky diesel admittedly) but out of easy view and steering a huge tin shed into an implausibly small space to the delight/bewilderment of clueless onlookers is just fun.
That a MM saves the car clutch, or at very least the stench of a burning clutch is probably also another good reason.

[Ham]

I do have motor movers, and I'm not afraid to use them.

As part of my preparations for joining the caravanserai, I had taken a session with a driving instructor specialising in towing instruction. Only a couple of hours, but this (or more importantly, reversing in a straight line) would have been impossible without. This was a very satisfying moment, whatever.

(Car clutch?? what is such a thing ? ?  )

Probably more deserving an entry into the MM thread, was the recent time at a roundabout where two lanes merge into one. I, in the nearside lane, adjusted speed to allow the adjacent car to pull in front as I am coming off. MM coming up behind clearly thought that 7.5m of caravan was going to evaporate, as he kept on coming, attempting an overtake regardless that there was literally nowhere to overtake to. I stopped when I saw that his n/s wing mirror hit the van, and waved him past. Cue much frothing at his mouth on the way past as his wife sat beside him - staring stonily forward in obvious embarrassment. I just laughed.

[Pedal Castro]

Everyone needs a motor mover, indeed you may have to invest in a caravan to try one, but try one! Just being sat inside the towcar (smoky diesel admittedly) but out of easy view and steering a huge tin shed into an implausibly small space to the delight/bewilderment of clueless onlookers is just fun.
That a MM saves the car clutch, or at very least the stench of a burning clutch is probably also another good reason.

You can get radio controlled motor movers?!

[nuttycyclist]

Nice parking but I'd be playing with the motor mover like playing with a giant R/C car.

This was exactly my take on the late lamented jogler's radio-controlled caravan.  (I had no idea that caravan movers were a thing until I saw it in action.)

I saw one in action 2 years ago as the owner of the van opposite drove it out of the pitch to meet the car.  He got it stuck on the incline from pitch to road, and also wiped out half the van side on the hedge beside the pitch.

I would say that campervans are the way to go  , other than the other pitch opposite ours lost all their possessions to the local camp site yoofs when they went out for the day (not a good image for the UK from our European visitors), but strangely everything was returned overnight.  The "**** the're back" was an amazing chant from all over the site.

Luckily we had best of both worlds.   Mrs Nutty took her campervan for us to stay in and pi$$ oil into as many buckets as I could put down, and I drove the car that we took out for sensible days out 

[neilrj]

Everyone needs a motor mover, indeed you may have to invest in a caravan to try one, but try one! Just being sat inside the towcar (smoky diesel admittedly) but out of easy view and steering a huge tin shed into an implausibly small space to the delight/bewilderment of clueless onlookers is just fun.
That a MM saves the car clutch, or at very least the stench of a burning clutch is probably also another good reason.

You can get radio controlled motor movers?!

I think they all are cordless, though mine can have a lead plugged into both the controller and (obv) the caravan should the controller loses the magic cordlessness.

[Joe.B]

We’ve been thinking about getting a caravan again, the previous one was cheap, damp and sold 9 years ago but we did enjoy it.

Mrs B would like something medium sized with 4 berths, a full size cooker and shower, I prefer the idea of a small van such as the Eriba or Basecamp.

One of the barriers to getting the sort of caravan favoured by Mrs B is our current car. Although it’s a large Passat Estate when we purchased it in 2015 we wanted to avoid diesel for environmental reasons so we bought the 1.4 petrol model. 

The manual states that it will tow 1400kg up a 12% gradient and given that the sort of 4 berth we’ve been looking at would probably have a mass of 1500kg (ish) when laden it should in theory just about manage.

However given that the car weighs nearly 1500kg and would likely be carrying 500kg of people fuel and paraphernalia we would have a total mass of 3.5 tonnes. As the car is 120hp that leaves us with a power-to-weight ratio of about 34hp/tonne.

The internet says that when towing you shouldn’t go below 40hp/tonne so I’m inclined to say that our current car doesn’t suit a mid size caravan but would be fine with a small van. I’m I correct with that? Would be good to hear from the experienced caravaners.     

[SteveC]

When we were first thinking of getting a 'van, we went to the local supplier to ask what our car would tow.
The answer was 'not a lot' (Renault Kangoo II, 1.4, 110hp).
They were able to cross-check for just about any car and tell you how much weight it could safely tow.
When we got round to actually buying both the caravan and the new car to tow it, the caravan salesman made me phone to car dealer to make sure the model I was buying was indeed capable of towing the caravan I was about to purchase. Fortunately it was!

[Polar Bear]

When looking for a towbar you don't just need to know just how much power your car has, you need to know the car to van ratio.  If I recall correctly a fully laden van should weigh no more than 85% of car kerbweight (I think) but regardless, lower the ratio the greater for stability. 

I have seen the effects of a trailer wagging the dog and going for a tumble.  One of my nephews has lifelong injuries caused by the family caravan being caught by a passing hgv and going into a waggle.  The end result was the car rolling.

Extreme I know but put the odds in your favour folks. 

Oh, my BiL had been an HGV 1 licence holder for 20 years when this happened and he is also a driver trainer and assessor.  He is probably the person with whom I feel safest with when I am in a car. 

[SteveC]

I can't remember the exact numbers, but PB is correct about there being a ratio. That was the biggest problem with the Kangoo, it's just too light.

[Russell]

The caravan organisations do recommend an 85% ratio (between the car's unladen weight and the 'van's MTPLM*) for safety reasons.  If you are experienced you can tow up to 100% or to whatever the car manufacturer states as a max, in SteveC's case not a lot.  Renaults are famous for low towing figures. It's not the weight of the car it's whatever the manufacturer states as a towing limit.

If you exceed the 3.5 tonnes train weight then you can get into licencing issues if you are of the younger type.  Doesn't affect me!!!

Eribas are lovely things to tow, being light and narrow and with the pop top the frontal area is low, the compromise is interior space.  Our 3 berth Triton isn't really suitable for three. Even with two you cannot really both be standing at the same time!

Bascamp comes as a 4 berth as well, it is longer, wider and much taller than a Triton but its MTPLM* is about the same, just shy of 1200kg.

A shower would be nice but we make do with a night time visit only toilet and a kettle. We think that a cooker is completely unneccessary for camping.  It's supposed to be a holiday for all.



* Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass