Author Topic: Caravans and caravanning!  (Read 32573 times)

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Caravans and caravanning!
« on: 17 August, 2018, 04:16:48 pm »
That nice chap LEE has just started a thread about motorhomes and campervans but we have a caravan and us yacf caravanners wouldn't want to be left out would we?

Last November we bought a 2014 Lunar Quasar 524 and absolutely love it!  We use a SsangYong Korando 2.2l diesel AWD as a tow car:



So, let's chat!  What have you got, where have you been, likes, dislikes?  Etc, etc, etc...

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #1 on: 17 August, 2018, 04:31:54 pm »
Seems to be missing a pub sign and some nice wood cladding....  :facepalm:
Regards,

Joergen

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #2 on: 17 August, 2018, 04:33:26 pm »
Seems to be missing a pub sign and some nice wood cladding....  :facepalm:

Eff off  >:(  We don't want your sort on this thread  ;D :-*

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #3 on: 17 August, 2018, 05:15:53 pm »
I would really like an Eriba but cannot drum up much enthusiasm from t'other half.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #4 on: 17 August, 2018, 05:34:50 pm »
I would really like an Eriba but cannot drum up much enthusiasm from t'other half.

We were next to a tiny Eriba this time last week.  Proper cute.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #5 on: 17 August, 2018, 05:55:26 pm »
We have a Lunar Clubman, 2012, with a Škoda Yeti for towing. We're coming to the end of our second season with it.
The Clubman has an island bed so I don't have to climb over MrsC to get to the loo during the night.
For a first caravan it'r probably a bit long, but I am getting better at towing it, although we have had some embarrassing moments.
We bought it primarily for weekends away with our re-enacment group. The hassle of using a tent when on a very primitive campsite became boring quite quickly (although we are using the tent next weekend--getting from Somerset to Sunderland on a bank holiday Saturday with a caravan in tow would just take far too long). We tried a trailer tent but that took ages to put up and down and was hard work. We should have gone for the 'van first off but it meant getting a new car as well.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

LEE

  • "Shut Up Jens" - Legs.
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #6 on: 17 August, 2018, 06:08:05 pm »
I would really like an Eriba but cannot drum up much enthusiasm from t'other half.

An Eriba is a caravan that appeals to me actually.  They really suit the Sunny European lifestyle, where you spend most of the day outside and just need a bed and a BBQ.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #7 on: 18 August, 2018, 12:59:32 pm »

We have an Eriba with Dacia duster.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #8 on: 22 August, 2018, 11:36:19 pm »
What's a good towing car? Budget anything from £4k to £9k if it's right. Our seat Altea xl has a good engine but towing weight seems to limit the 4 berth caravans we can tow. I'm guessing a mondeo estate with a 2 litre diesel should be better.

Any advice?

Also what is a good secondhand caravan?

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #9 on: 23 August, 2018, 04:01:22 am »
My Eriba familia  :thumbsup:


Eriba.
by Luke Hayes, on Flickr


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

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #10 on: 23 August, 2018, 10:04:44 am »
What's a good towing car? Budget anything from £4k to £9k if it's right. Our seat Altea xl has a good engine but towing weight seems to limit the 4 berth caravans we can tow. I'm guessing a mondeo estate with a 2 litre diesel should be better.

Any advice?

Also what is a good secondhand caravan?

What makes a good tow car is largely down to it's kerbside weight, the heavier the better.   The car also needs a sufficiently powerful engine but heavy cars normally have bigger engines.  I have used an on-line service (not free but not expensive) call Towsafe.  You input the car reg number and caravan details and it tells you whether the car and caravan are a good match.  The Caravan and Motorhome Club recommend that the Maximum Technically Permissable Laden Mass (MTPLM) of the caravan is about 85% of your car's kerbside weight.  It certainly should be more than the car's kerbside weight.  Also look for a car with a decent nose weight limit which is the maximum weight which can be exerted on the car's tow hitch.

We tow with a SsangYong Korando which has a kerbside weight of 1797kg and a nose weight limit of 80kg.  Our van's MTPLM is 1380kg so we are a good match (77%).  The Korando was cheap to buy (c£22.5k new) is is a great tow car as its auto and AWD.  But its unsophisticated and not the best driving experience when not towing.  Nor it is particularly economical to run.  But a more sophisticated car with the same towing capabilities would be at least £10k more to buy.  I'm happy with the Korando as it was bought principally as a tow car.

Regarding what's a good caravan.  A good van for you is one you can afford to buy, that you can tow safely with whichever car you have and has the right layout.  The main layout choice is do you want a fixed double bed (there are at least 3 fixed double bed configurations), fixed single beds or a double bed you make up each night?  We went for the latter option as it gives more living space during the day, handy if you use the van during the winter as we do and the weather is foul.  That said we are now looking at fixed bed vans so might change the van before we go on an extended tour next year.

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #11 on: 23 August, 2018, 10:21:17 am »
We are new to caravanning this being the end of our second season.
My advice about choosing a ‘van would be to go to the biggest dealer you can find and have a look. There are loads of different configurations and it’s very personal as to which suits you.
Unlike Oscar’s Dad we definitely wanted a permanent double bed for instance.

As for the towing vehicle. MrsC did some online research, probably through the Camping and Caravanning club website, and the new cars which came out on top were the Octavia and the Qashqai 
We ended up with the Yeti because we preferred the height and layout.
But they are all just heavy diesels.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #12 on: 23 August, 2018, 10:38:40 am »
We went down the fixed twin beds route in our Adria Adora Seine.  We started with a 2006 two berth to see if we liked it - our conclusion was that we enjoyed the weekends away but wanted proper beds.
The beds take up a bit of the length of the caravan but compared to the two berth, the luxury of not having to make up the bed at the front is worth towing something a bit longer.  Like OD, we cheat with a motor mover these days.  I am confident reversing trailers but longer vans are a lot of effort in the tight spaces you get at some sites and after a long journey towing, I just want to get pitched and open a cold one. 

We bought a second hand VW Touareg for not a lot.  Like all cars of that size, it is not an economical option (the VED is nearly £50 a month) but it tows the caravan and horsebox like a dream and we have no issues with kerbweight. The Caravan and Motorhome Club also has a vehicle matching service which seems quite nifty but it is surprising how big a car you need even if you creep up from 85% towards 100%.  Basically, you are in Touareg, Discovery, Range Rover, Q7, Mercedes M Class etc range if you want to tow the bigger modern vans.
The pleasure of pain endured
To purify our misfit ways

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #13 on: 23 August, 2018, 10:55:28 am »
...The Caravan and Motorhome Club also has a vehicle matching service which seems quite nifty but it is surprising how big a car you need even if you creep up from 85% towards 100%.  Basically, you are in Touareg, Discovery, Range Rover, Q7, Mercedes M Class etc range if you want to tow the bigger modern vans.

Very true.  The problem is that cars are getting lighter to make them more economical and caravans are getting heavier as we want all our home comforts like wet central heating, big fridges and microwaves etc.  Therefore more people are having to tow with SUV / 4x4 type vehicles.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #14 on: 23 August, 2018, 11:16:39 am »
I grew up with Summer holidays in a static caravan which my parents had until Dad passed away in 2011. Were it not for the site fees we would probably still have it.

Just occasionally I find myself looking wistfully at a 4 berth tourer before Mrs Torslanda - of the horned helmet and heavy metal breastplate - gives me a slap upside the head.

Trailer trash, the lot of yers . . .
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #15 on: 23 August, 2018, 11:21:28 am »
Trailer trash, the lot of yers . . .

Yep, guilty as charged  :thumbsup:

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #16 on: 23 August, 2018, 12:51:06 pm »

Both the C&CC and C&MC do caravan maneuvering courses. These are very much worth it.

The 85 % rule is a guideline, which is worth sticking to until you have built up experience.

We now are around 90% of kerb weight

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #17 on: 23 October, 2018, 04:38:43 pm »
Regarding what's a good caravan.  A good van for you is one you can afford to buy, that you can tow safely with whichever car you have and has the right layout.  The main layout choice is do you want a fixed double bed (there are at least 3 fixed double bed configurations), fixed single beds or a double bed you make up each night?  We went for the latter option as it gives more living space during the day, handy if you use the van during the winter as we do and the weather is foul.  That said we are now looking at fixed bed vans so might change the van before we go on an extended tour next year.

Went to the NEC, fell in love, money changed hands...


Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #18 on: 23 October, 2018, 05:51:23 pm »
How long did it take the fire brigade to get you unstuck?

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #19 on: 23 October, 2018, 06:17:05 pm »
How long did it take the fire brigade to get you unstuck?

I’m still there. I can’t tear myself away!

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #20 on: 27 October, 2018, 09:19:36 pm »
/Father Dougal

You lot are worse than Hitler or one of those mad fellas
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #21 on: 28 October, 2018, 08:11:47 am »
Am I the only one thinking that OD's new caravan is actually blushing...?
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #22 on: 28 October, 2018, 08:47:30 am »
Am I the only one thinking that OD's new caravan is actually blushing...?

Ha, hadn’t spotted that!  It isn’t actually our new caravan, it’s just the show model but the next best thing. Hopefully our van won’t be quite so bashful when we get it in January (hopefully, fingers crossed).

Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #23 on: 31 October, 2018, 11:23:32 am »
We've had an Eriba Triton 430 for a good few years now.  We love being able to go to small Certificated sites in areas we don't know and exploring by tandem.

We're lucky in that our choice of car 15 years ago is ideally suitable for towing and transporting the tandem inside.

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Caravans and caravanning!
« Reply #24 on: 31 October, 2018, 04:17:36 pm »
We've had an Eriba Triton 430 for a good few years now.  We love being able to go to small Certificated sites in areas we don't know and exploring by tandem.

We're lucky in that our choice of car 15 years ago is ideally suitable for towing and transporting the tandem inside.

Yes we're getting into CLs and the like.