Hi everyone, Chris here!
After visiting a Haven site a couple months ago (Reighton Sands - Filey) and viewing all the touring caravans and awesome looking setups, I started the ball rolling and if it would be possible with our 3 young children (5, 3 and 2). I thought if anything it would be a cost saving for us in the long run, given the cost of flights these days! The idea of getting out every few weekends would be an adventure for us all and having the freedom to move around as and when we liked.
I initially looked online at all the different manufactures and various layouts, then decided to head down to our local caravan dealer, Kimberley Caravans. As soon as I got there, I stumbled upon a 2022 Coachman Acadia (Kimberley Edition) 630 Xtra, which had the bunks - instant hit with the kids! To be honest I was blown away with the quality inside and couldn’t believe the space. After a few emails to sales rep, I finally took the plunge and placed a deposit on a 2023 model, with the estimated delivery being around Feb/Mar time!
Options wise, we are considering the E & P levelling system, just to take out the hassle when arriving on site, whale water connection, weight plate upgrade and AL-KO wheel locks. Other options to fit, motor mover (not sure on brands, though have been told powrtouch – evolution are good!), a tracker/alarm system (again need some recommendations on this!) Coachman offer a Phantom 'Sentinel' Pro Active Tracker system as an option… though how does this fair with others on the market? And lastly some sort out Wi-Fi system – possibly Maxview? Again Coachman offer a Motorhome Wi-Fi system that’s 4G, though I guess for future proofing, surely a 5G model is worth looking at? What’s everyone’s thoughts on air-con as an option?
Just out of interest, what kind of items do the dealers throw in when ordering a caravan from new? So far nothing has been mentioned, though I’ve heard of various YouTube reviews of ‘starter packs’ and such. I mean asking for them to throw in an AWD motor mover is probably a cheeky ask, though how far do people use their dealers? haha
Car wise, we will need to replace the Touran, given the weight of the caravan and on our short list, we have the following:
Is there any other decent options out there that we could consider?
With the caravan memberships out there, Caravan and Motorhome Club and Camping and Caravanning club to name a few, which do the majority sign up to, if any?
Towing taster courses – can anyone recommend any in the midlands area?
I’m currently listing all the things I believe I would need to get us going and will edit/add to this post later today, though I’d like to gather other people’s thoughts on other essential items that we may need too. We will be attending the Caravan show at the NEC in October, no kids in tow (excuse the pun!) so hoping to pick up some items!
We will probably start off local, whilst I build up confidence in towing, though our long term goal would be to head into Europe from time to time, though saying that some of the sites down south (Cornwall way) look like fantastic!
To say the least, we are extremely excited for next year and can’t wait to start touring!
Apologises for all the questions!
After visiting a Haven site a couple months ago (Reighton Sands - Filey) and viewing all the touring caravans and awesome looking setups, I started the ball rolling and if it would be possible with our 3 young children (5, 3 and 2). I thought if anything it would be a cost saving for us in the long run, given the cost of flights these days! The idea of getting out every few weekends would be an adventure for us all and having the freedom to move around as and when we liked.
I initially looked online at all the different manufactures and various layouts, then decided to head down to our local caravan dealer, Kimberley Caravans. As soon as I got there, I stumbled upon a 2022 Coachman Acadia (Kimberley Edition) 630 Xtra, which had the bunks - instant hit with the kids! To be honest I was blown away with the quality inside and couldn’t believe the space. After a few emails to sales rep, I finally took the plunge and placed a deposit on a 2023 model, with the estimated delivery being around Feb/Mar time!
Options wise, we are considering the E & P levelling system, just to take out the hassle when arriving on site, whale water connection, weight plate upgrade and AL-KO wheel locks. Other options to fit, motor mover (not sure on brands, though have been told powrtouch – evolution are good!), a tracker/alarm system (again need some recommendations on this!) Coachman offer a Phantom 'Sentinel' Pro Active Tracker system as an option… though how does this fair with others on the market? And lastly some sort out Wi-Fi system – possibly Maxview? Again Coachman offer a Motorhome Wi-Fi system that’s 4G, though I guess for future proofing, surely a 5G model is worth looking at? What’s everyone’s thoughts on air-con as an option?
Just out of interest, what kind of items do the dealers throw in when ordering a caravan from new? So far nothing has been mentioned, though I’ve heard of various YouTube reviews of ‘starter packs’ and such. I mean asking for them to throw in an AWD motor mover is probably a cheeky ask, though how far do people use their dealers? haha
Car wise, we will need to replace the Touran, given the weight of the caravan and on our short list, we have the following:
- Land Rover Discovery or Discovery Sport (Not sure if the latter will suffice)
- Range Rover Sport
- VW Touareg
- Audi Q7
Is there any other decent options out there that we could consider?
With the caravan memberships out there, Caravan and Motorhome Club and Camping and Caravanning club to name a few, which do the majority sign up to, if any?
Towing taster courses – can anyone recommend any in the midlands area?
I’m currently listing all the things I believe I would need to get us going and will edit/add to this post later today, though I’d like to gather other people’s thoughts on other essential items that we may need too. We will be attending the Caravan show at the NEC in October, no kids in tow (excuse the pun!) so hoping to pick up some items!
We will probably start off local, whilst I build up confidence in towing, though our long term goal would be to head into Europe from time to time, though saying that some of the sites down south (Cornwall way) look like fantastic!
To say the least, we are extremely excited for next year and can’t wait to start touring!
Apologises for all the questions!