Caravan Essentials

Katniss

Katniss

Well-Known Forumite
Bob said:
We've got it for the kids, eldest is 7 so I figure we've only got 5 years a best where she'll be excited about going camping! I used to love it as a kid but went camping with friends last year, which was good fun but I don't like sharing toilets and showers, figured a caravan was just a step up in the luxury stakes!
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We had to stop because my daughter found the beds too uncomfortable as she was about 14 and too big for them.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
hop said:
I do not have a caravan, but will just add a few extra points to what @Rikki said about electric.

If you burn gas the by products are carbon dioxide and water.
For butane this is normally 8 parts carbon dioxide and 10 parts water (I don't know how to do sub script so won't bother with the chemical formula)
Therefore I would use electric as much as possible to avoid any issues you might get from large parts of water vapour in the air (mold, mildew, condensation etc...)
If you use a bottled gas ensure you have decent ventilation and airate the space to let the moisture out.
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Also, CO monitors aren't too expensive these days - well worth it in a confined space - easy to nod off with the gas on......
 
Katniss

Katniss

Well-Known Forumite
I have thought about giving glamping a go.

glamping-tent-adria-1.jpg
 
hop

hop

Well-Known Forumite
proactive said:
Maybe your caravan was on the small side?
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I don't have one. I'm just aware of the potential issues of portable gas heaters on health.
The little old lady who suffers from fuel poverty and so decides to heat a single room in her home with a portable gas fire. Notice all the moisture on the windows and condensation and mould / mildew she will have. For each kilogram of gas you burn you end up with more than a litre of water as a byproduct (note I'm referring to an unvented product like a portable fire / hob).
Before long that old lady is going to become ill and suffer from the mould spores, maybe get pneumonia and pass away.
Sadly in this day and age this is a more frequent issue than many people would like to acknowledge.
 
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proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
hop said:
I don't have one. I'm just aware of the potential issues of potable gas heaters on health.
The little old lady who suffers from fuel poverty and so decides to heat a single room in her home with a portable gas fire. Notice all the moisture on the windows and condensation and mould / mildew she will have. For each kilogram of gas you burn you end up with more than a litre of water as a byproduct (note I'm referring to an unvented product like a portable fire / hob).
Before long that old lady is going to become ill and suffer from the mould spores, maybe get pneumonia and pass away.
Sadly in this day and age this is a more frequent issue than many people would like to acknowledge.
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I was replying to someone else. I totally agree with your comments on this.
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Rikki said:
A decent gas bbq would go cadac myself.

A electric hob for the awning, remember you only pay for electric not how much you use. Save your gas.

A plug in electric heater if your van doesn't have electric heating, same reason as above.

Just remember with electric your limited to how much you can have on at once.

Storage units for the awning and something to do food preparation on. Worktop space in caravans is limited, especially if cooking for a family.

A good set of chairs and table for eating outside when nice.

Satellite tv kit for evening and bad weather
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It's got free sat already, and the kids have their tablets for emergencies.
Caravan has some kind of mini central heating system but hubby doesn't trust the gas being in at night so we've got a plug in radiator as well.

I've been looking at table and chair sets all day, still haven't picked one though :s

Thanks for the tip on food prep space, hadn't considered that.
 
wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
I'm seriously considering saving to buy one next year, as we're now getting to a point where the older kids aren't bothered as much about coming away with us. It's definitely do-able although I'd have some major work to do so that we could get it in to our back garden (no driveway available).

I'd consider hiring one, but the prices places charge are ridiculous and it would make the holiday more expensive than just hiring a static from Haven themselves.
 
Rikki

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
We store ours at Pye Green caravan storage. Its not cheap about £450 a year I think, but we don't have anywhere to store it at home. To be honest we probably don't use it as much a we could or should.

Personally I think the best thing about touring caravans is having one allows you to visit places you wouldn't usually consider. After the initial outlay weekends away don't have to cost that much, so as long as you have the time its possible to go away much more often for the same price as traditional holiday accommodation costs.
 
Katniss

Katniss

Well-Known Forumite
Caravans are not for everyone, a friend of mine decided to get one and even took a special driving test showing her how to park up etc. After a couple of years she sold it and the reason she gave was that it didn't feel like a proper holiday. She said it was like hitching your house to a car and driving down to the seaside or out into the countryside. Once at her destination she still had to cook meals, wash up and make beds. I can sort of see her point of view because it was like that for me when we stopped in a caravan, that is why I like to be waited on in a hotel these days.
 
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wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
You can take a caravaning holiday and still eat out all week long though. There's no rule that you must cook in the caravan.
We go to Mablethorpe with every intention of cooking, but over the years there we've found the best tasting chippy, a carvery pub, fab chinese etc etc. Fair enough it does mean that we spend 50% of the week eating unhealthy-ish food, but isn't that what a holiday is all about? Of course it all depends on what types of food you like to eat and what's available where your going.

My wife is a clean freak and starts cleaning the caravan as soon as we arrive. By the end of the week it's usually cleaner than when we arrived. It's not the cooking that's a problem. It drives me absolutely insane. :)
 
Katniss

Katniss

Well-Known Forumite
wmrcomputers said:
You can take a caravaning holiday and still eat out all week long though. There's no rule that you must cook in the caravan.
We go to Mablethorpe with every intention of cooking, but over the years there we've found the best tasting chippy, a carvery pub, fab chinese etc etc. Fair enough it does mean that we spend 50% of the week eating unhealthy-ish food, but isn't that what a holiday is all about? Of course it all depends on what types of food you like to eat and what's available where your going.

My wife is a clean freak and starts cleaning the caravan as soon as we arrive. By the end of the week it's usually cleaner than when we arrived. It's not the cooking that's a problem. It drives me absolutely insane. :)
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We have stopped a villa in the past and just eaten breakfast there and then hired a car and travelled around to a different place everyday to try out different restaurants.
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Katniss said:
Caravans are not for everyone, a friend of mine decided to get one and even took a special driving test showing her how to park up etc. After a couple of years she sold it and the reason she gave was that it didn't feel like a proper holiday. She said it was like hitching your house to a car and driving down to the seaside or out into the countryside. Once at her destination she still had to cook meals, wash up and make beds. I can sort of see her point of view because it was like that for me when we stopped in a caravan, that is why I like to be waited on in a hotel these days.
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I think a holiday is as much about a change of scenery and quality time as it is about relaxing. With two young children I get very little down time whatever we are doing and where ever we are. The caravan for us is about being able to explore our wonderful country and also with hubby's work commitments, to be able to decide on the day that we're off.

We may decide we hate it but to be honest I can't see it happening.

For me it's all about the preparation, I want to know we have everything we need so when we arrive we can do an hour or so of faffing then just get on and enjoy a break. My list has considerably shrunk after a busy shopping day yesterday and everything I need now I can get from the supermarket and Halfords.
 
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