Author Topic: Caravans and caravanning!  (Read 32571 times)

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #25 on: 01 November, 2018, 09:56:01 am »
And it ties up with BCQ as well.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #26 on: 01 November, 2018, 10:09:24 am »
And it ties up with BCQ as well.

Excellent.  We shall be taking our bike with us next year once the weather picks up.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #27 on: 10 November, 2018, 12:28:14 pm »
I peruse Ebay many times looking wistfully at motorhomes. But reality does eventually kick in. My wife has no intention of camping, caravanning or motor homing. We had a tourer when the kids were young but that was more about cheap holidays, though we all enjoyed it. I still want to have another go, but don't want to be the strange loner on the camp site.
I've done the maths and financially it doesn't make sense. Taking the cost of extra fuel, campsite fees, storage, gas, electric, maintenance etc. It is much easier and more economical to use B&Bs, Hostels etc for accommodation. So I assume for those that do partake it's not about the money.
Nothing left to prove. http://adenough1.blogspot.co.uk/

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #28 on: 10 November, 2018, 12:56:03 pm »
... So I assume for those that do partake it's not about the money.

For us caravanning isn't about the money!  It's chuffin' expensive although I'm certain its possible to spend less money than we do.  For us its about the freedom and mobile lifestyle, as far as we are concerned living in a caravan is much nicer than living in a house.

Next year we shall be doing some long term travelling in the UK then France, I suppose that's when a caravan does cost in as its clearly a lot less expensive than staying in hotels and the like.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #29 on: 25 March, 2019, 03:47:27 am »
We had our first trip of the year in the caravan this weekend.

It was the boys first ever time out in it. He loved it, so we're already making plans for this year.  :thumbsup:


Eriba familia. by Luke Hayes, on Flickr
Don't ask.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #30 on: 25 March, 2019, 09:10:07 am »
Looks great!  Where did you go?

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #31 on: 25 March, 2019, 09:43:30 am »
Looks lovely!  :D
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #32 on: 25 March, 2019, 12:08:45 pm »
Looks great!  Where did you go?

Wing Hall. Near Oakham.
Don't ask.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #33 on: 25 March, 2019, 12:23:01 pm »
Looks great!  Where did you go?

Wing Hall. Near Oakham.

Ah yes, it’s nice there.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #34 on: 25 March, 2019, 03:21:13 pm »
Oh yes! I like breakfast in the cafe there.
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #35 on: 25 March, 2019, 04:44:29 pm »
Our new van which we picked up in mid-January.  It's a 2019 Swift Corniche 20/4, basically a dealer special (Wandahome South Cave Ltd) based on a Challenger 580.  Tis a lovely piece of kit and we've used it loads already...


Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #36 on: 20 April, 2019, 05:37:47 pm »
Easter shenanigans at a secret location.


Eriba, Easter 2019.
by Luke Hayes, on Flickr
Don't ask.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #37 on: 20 April, 2019, 07:09:21 pm »
Ilam Hall? That van is so neat.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #38 on: 11 May, 2019, 03:32:01 pm »
We have just ordered a GoPod micro caravan. Mrs PC wants all the benefits of camping but doesn’t want to sleep under canvas so this is the solution, tiny caravan with a sizeable awning. Photos will follow once we are up and running.

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #39 on: 13 July, 2019, 03:55:04 pm »
Off we go:


She is small (+cute):


Epernay municipal campsite:


While Mrs PC was chilling at the campsite I was out riding:


Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #40 on: 13 July, 2019, 04:11:44 pm »
Fantastic!!!

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #41 on: 14 July, 2019, 05:17:55 pm »
Love those GoPod things.  Looked inside them at various shows.
Amazing use of space, especially in summer, when you spend all day outside.
Are they practical for off-grid use? Heating? Cooking? ..etc
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #42 on: 14 July, 2019, 08:04:41 pm »
Love those GoPod things.  Looked inside them at various shows.
Amazing use of space, especially in summer, when you spend all day outside.
Are they practical for off-grid use? Heating? Cooking? ..etc

Should be, solar panel keeps leisure battery topped up, gas heating and hob cooking but microwave needs hook up.


Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #43 on: 14 July, 2019, 08:21:55 pm »
Can we have some interior photos please???

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #44 on: 14 July, 2019, 08:54:03 pm »
Can we have some interior photos please???

I’ll need to dig out my fisheye lens for those!  :)

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #45 on: 07 August, 2019, 02:19:48 pm »
I've just been checking the nose weight of our recently purchased caravan

Max for our car is 100Kg

My measurement was 98Kg, using bathroom scales method. However this was done on our drive, which has a very slight slope (the tow hitch being at the lower end) rather than the level ground recommended. I have no idea how much difference this would make & if so whether the resulting reading would be higher or lower than I would get on level ground?

We're having a motor mover fitted tomorrow so I will be able to re-check it then and as it's very close to the maximum I will aim to get the weight a bit lower.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #46 on: 07 August, 2019, 03:53:38 pm »
I've just been checking the nose weight of our recently purchased caravan

Max for our car is 100Kg

My measurement was 98Kg, using bathroom scales method. However this was done on our drive, which has a very slight slope (the tow hitch being at the lower end) rather than the level ground recommended. I have no idea how much difference this would make & if so whether the resulting reading would be higher or lower than I would get on level ground?

We're having a motor mover fitted tomorrow so I will be able to re-check it then and as it's very close to the maximum I will aim to get the weight a bit lower.

So here’s what I know about nose weights...

You want a decent nose weight as weight too far back in the van can make it snake. 100kg is probably the max for your van’s hitch so you don’t want to be over 100kg. As you’ve obviously worked out it’s best to measure nose weight on level ground. Rather than use the bathroom scales and get into trouble when I broke them I bought a Milenco nose weight gauge which are reputed to be very good.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #47 on: 07 August, 2019, 11:52:45 pm »

So here’s what I know about nose weights...

You want a decent nose weight as weight too far back in the van can make it snake. 100kg is probably the max for your van’s hitch so you don’t want to be over 100kg. As you’ve obviously worked out it’s best to measure nose weight on level ground. Rather than use the bathroom scales and get into trouble when I broke them I bought a Milenco nose weight gauge which are reputed to be very good.

Thanks for the info.

Having dug a little deeper, 100Kg is the maximum nose weight for our car, and 80Kg is the ideal to aim for.

I think now that measuring on a slope will give a different (false?) reading if it brings weight that would have been over or to one side of the axle to the other side. So an anvil stored in a top cupboard above the axle would be forward of the axle if the caravan was on a 45 deg sloped drive, giving a higher nose weight than if it was on level ground. If I've got this right, the slight "water run off" slope of our drive probably doesn't make a big difference. I also don't plan on taking our anvil with us on holiday, although of course something like a microwave would produce a similar effect.

I've now had another look at all the odds and ends the previous owner had stowed in the caravans front storage locker & by moving the toilet chemical bottles to the bathoom (midships), then the hook up lead and awning tent pegs to the rear under bed locker I've achieved the 80Kg target I'm looking for. I'll need to recheck after the Motor Movers have been fitted and we've packed for going away but I'm now more confident I can get it in the 80-90Kg range.

It was decided we needed new scales after our bathroom was refitted, so I hung onto the old set which has proved handy. Even so I have just had a look at the Milenco guage, it looks very nice & I'm tempted. There are some budget ones available from other companies but it looks like they have a smaller weight range than the Milenco.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #48 on: 29 September, 2019, 08:13:38 am »
Hello - I've just found my way to yacf through PBP and have decided to hang around.

We have camped and caravanned forever, it's a lifestyle as much as anything else. We have a really old caravan a 1991 swift danette. The chassis is galvanised and is surprisingly fresh and rust-free, but the inside is slowly disintegrating. We've just been to France for 3 weeks and on return decided to give up on it. I also had an issue that the bikes were on the roof of the car, which is okay going to a cycling event, but I didn't like it for 3 weeks.

So we've just sold the car, bought a van, a long wheelbase renault trafic crewcab, with room to keep the bikes in the back. We're getting a towbar fitted on Tuesday and we're currently looking on Ebay and Gumtree for a newer caravan. It's a good time to buy, with more people wanting to get rid of their van before winter.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #49 on: 29 September, 2019, 08:17:18 am »
Welcome!