Thread: Buying a caravan Tips

we just bought this Easter this year

i did have a older model campervan for a couple of years just to get the wife into camping
she has never liked camping her whole life

so after her coming with us a few times she now loves it and i love having her there with us

after a few long talks and discusion we thought why not buy a new van while the kids are still young

mate we love it and so do the kids its bloody heavy though

Some thoughts:

If I was buying a van, I'd want an island bed. The usual type of bed in a van is too hard to make. I also like the ability to easily stand and not having to crawl one's partner when getting out of bed.

I'd want an in-built toilet and shower.

I'm not convinced that camping is a holiday for the wife. She has the same things to do as at home but in a makeshift environment.

Watching the hassle some people have with their pop-top campers is enough to turn me off ever wanting one - cranking them up, fitting doors, etc.

Where does one store the flaming thing when one gets home?

The insurance and registration costs (particularly in NSW) each year would fund a week away in a hotel!

Powered sites at some camp grounds can be expensive. The dearest we saw when we were in the NT earlier this month was $35/night. We didn't stop there, we bush camped near a lagoon - a bad move. It was the hottest night of the trip and we had no power to run the air con in the camper. We couldn't open the windows because of the mossies (only one window on the camper was screened so there was no flow of air) and the van didn't even have a small 12 volt fan to get some air movement inside.

No, I don't think we'll ever be a camping family.

Ron

[I'm not convinced that camping is a holiday for the wife. She has the same things to do as at home but in a makeshift environment.

in my wifes case,thats not much

the only thing she does when out camping is wash the dishes
i dont like soapy hands

Watching the hassle some people have with their pop-top campers is enough to turn me off ever wanting one - cranking them up, fitting doors, etc.

my one has a electric winch just push the up button

and the door just slides down from the roof one peice door

Maybe when Paris takes over the company we can con her into a "Mobile Hilton " for Ron

Originally Posted by DirtyDawg

Maybe when Paris takes over the company we can con her into a "Mobile Hilton " for Ron

Why do they only make the interiors in that awful woodgrain?

Ron

i have a pop top '82 millard', although i'm pretty quick in putting it up i only take it away for min two nights stays, have you consider a hardfloor camper with kitchen and stove inside

hopefully my dad will hand down his in a couple of years

i'm taking one of these to vic/tassie touring for a month dec/jan this year, it the two single beds with kitchen inside layout

http://www.cubcampers.com.au/

We tented for a number of years and eventually made the move to a caravan.

The one thing we wanted to get away from was flappy canvas after much looking we went to an Avan, low towing height, quick erections etc.

They are small but they have a variety of floor layouts with both single, double and bunk beds.

We have had 2 the first one was with kids and the current one is just for us and a small dome tent supplements the accomodation for the kids/grand kids.

There is a club that operates across Australia and last weekend the WA group went to Merriden with a total of 18 vans.

Whatever you choose you will enjoy it and half the fun is the planning and checking out the options before you buy.