Caravan or Campervan

[Chukas]

Just wondering people’s thoughts on either getting a Caravan or Campervan…
Like an idiot, about 3 months ago I sold my Land Rover Discovery 🙈
Id need to get a bigger car again to tow a caravan though.
The Campervan would either be a California or Marco Polo.
Caravan would have bunk beds for my 12 and 4 year old.

Wish I could make a decision 😂😂

[g40steve]

Just wondering people’s thoughts on either getting a Caravan or Campervan…
Like an idiot, about 3 months ago I sold my Land Rover Discovery 
Id need to get a bigger car again to tow a caravan though.
The Campervan would either be a California or Marco Polo.
Caravan would have bunk beds for my 12 and 4 year old.

Wish I could make a decision 

Caravan once at site park up becomes base, you can then use the car separately. More room if weather is rough, for cooking & relaxing. Toilets/shower another world compared to VW van.

Camper van at the level you mention trendy, what you doing with site if you need to go somewhere? What you doing with it 10 months of the year when not in use?
They sell the idea of living, cooking, sleeping but nowhere near as good as caravan.
Neighbour has a £55k VW camper van, he showed me the shower attachment / curtain on the back doors & I nearly fell over laughing.

Another friend has a Neismann Bishcoff, now you are talking proper campervan but at a price where you can buy a holiday home abroad.

[Montello]

I have a VW camper; it's great but not with two kids ... it would be too cramped ...

[Ruggertech]

I've recently bought my third campervan (first was a 1974 vw about 22 years ago, then a vw t6 about 3 years ago, and now a Transit).
Advantages of a caravan are room inside, and the tow car is a vehicle to drive around the locality if staying a while at a campsite.
Advantages of a campervan are less driveway room taken up if it replaces a car (as mine has), one lot of insurance, cool factor etc. But the main advantage for me of a campervan is being able to pop to the coast or any other beauty spot and park up just for the day.

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Had a VW camper (T5.1) looks cool, drives great - pretty cramped inside for 2 adults, never mind with 2 kids on board.

[bigbaddes]

as a former child of a camper van family can say that i will never step inside one of the bloody things again.
so many bloody awful weekends away with folks and older brother.
thankfully we were never stupid enough to use it for an entire holiday.

if you must buy a caravan at least get a separate tent for any children you wish remain on speaking terms with.
god invented gites in france for a reason!

[cessna152]

I’ve owned both a VW California and now I have a caravan. I liked the California just fine and it definitely had the cool factor. I now have a Freedom Jetstream Twinsport. Towing a caravan at 60 feels like it takes an age to get anywhere and the fuel costs a lot more with the extra weight (plus the cost of having a tow bar fitted.) I disliked the fact that I had to put everything away if I wanted to go out for the day from the campsite in the California (a drive away awning may have solved this.) Toilet in the caravan and a shower are a bonus and the bed is far bigger and comfier. From a budget perspective you’re always going to get more for your money with a caravan as it has no engine in it 😅.

[andyb28]

As I have had both, I feel qualified to reply.

We started out with a VW T2.5 high top. Our kids were small at the time, so were able to fit 'upstairs'. To make it work, you really need a drive away awning.
Very soon, we realised the VW's are cool, but useless and upgraded to a proper motorhome, with shower / toilet etc. We went on to have a few more, the last one was a Bailey approach, which had some really awesome features. The best bit for us was that when travelling, the kids could sit at the table and keep themselves amused. This worked very well for us.

As also mentioned above, the downside is you dont have a car. This didn't bother us as we were happy cycling everywhere.

I sold the Bailey Approach in the pandemic for the same price I paid for it, 7 years previous! People seemed to go mad.

After a year or two out, we got a Caravan.
Also great, although towing it is a pita compared to driving a motorhome. However having the car on site is a big bonus in some places.

[manganr]

I'd definitely go Van if you're planning on touring and not restricting yourself to campsites. In a van, especially in Europe, you can pull over and park up quite easily in a street and just jump in the back for the night. Not so easy in a caravan. Also far more versatile if you're a spontaneous traveller. A T5 is probably great for solo or very cosy travelling but id Choose something bigger for proper touring.

[sprite1275]

We have a VWT4. Used it for years but they are small for long holidays. They are very cool though and all other T4 owners wave at you while driving. They are absolute tanks also with the 5 cylinder 2.5TDI engine.
We now have a high top vauxhall movano. It's the medium wheel base but it feels so much bigger than the T4 and being able to stand up all the time in the back is awesome.

Regards caravan it is good to be able to have a vehicle when you pitch up to drive around easy but there are so many times when driving around in our movano or T4 when I thank God I'm not pulling a caravan.

T4 is great for weekends. Movano for longer stays. Been up Llangollen for a few days this week. Beautiful.

Personally I'd go for a Peugeot boxer size camper that can be used as a normal vehicle and park in spaces. Chuck an awning in for extra space for longer holidays.

[ralphy]

Caravan v. campervan is a topical subject at ralphy mansions and we're wavering!

Campervan: we hired a VW campervan for a few days and didn't get on with it at all: too cramped and the rock & roll bed was a PITA.
If we go down the campervan route I'm favouring doing a van conversion, my brother has converted a Transit mini-bus and it's far more 'liveable' in. But the big issue for us is trying to get the balance between size and comfort, as well as the cost of running yet another vehicle...

Caravan: we've had three in the past albeit quite a few years ago, but their use was more to go to somewhere and leave it there as a base rather than hauling it around in touring mode.
Current line of thought is to get a 'pop-up' caravan like the Gober Carousel, big enough on the liveable aspect but with the advantage of easier to tow and park.

Decisions, decisions...

R

[Montello]

We run our t5 as a second car as we work from home; it drives easily and is small enough to be easy on country roads; a big caravan is a right pain on small roads plus you have to store it somewhere.

But I wouldn't have a T5 sized camper for a family of 4 ... way too small.

[Chukas]

Reading this, I’m still none the wiser 😂😂
The Campervan would be our second car if we got one.
The awning would be a must as well.

[Dave+63]

I’ve always felt that a camper van is more useful for travelling, whilst a caravan is more suited as a base for staying in one or two places.

The most suitable option really depends on your preferences re holidaying.

If you want to go somewhere and stay for a few days, the caravan is more suitable, but if you want to be on the move, staying in one place for a day or two, the camper van is the better choice.

[unclealec]

^^^Dave sums it up perfectly.