Help - First Caravan

[TheCrosbies]

Can anyone help? We are a family of 4 (2 x adults 1 x child 9years & 1 x child 3 year old) we are looking to buy our first caravan but are unsure where to start..... We have a good idea what we are looking for in a caravan eg. 4-6 berth with fixed bunk beds and extra dining area ideally to the back!!! Should we opt for a actual shower or a shower/wash room since we have the wee ones? We know that most of site have quite good shower blocks. We would like someting that at nght time you can close over for a little privacy. Quite like the baileys as well our car can pull up to 2tonne ideally looking for one as new or a few years old.... All advice is greatly -appreciated!!!!!

 

[Chaps]

The best advice we can offer is to go and see as many caravans as possible 'in the flesh' so to speak. Take your kids with you as little as possible (they get bored after the novelty wears off) but it is important to get their views too. Look ahead where your kids are concerned eg will the beds be big enough in a couple of year's time. We've got 3 kids and have a Geist AK495 which is the sort of layout you mention with fixed bunks, 2 dining areas and a wetroom (a combined shower/toilet rather than a separate shower cubicle). We love this layout as we can leave the front bed made up during summer trips when we eat outside so it cuts down on bed-making but we have the option of a lounge during the day if we want one. Ours has wider bunks than UK equivalents which was important for us as our twins are nearly teenagers. We needed to keep the weight down so our car could tow ok so had to go for a single axle but, as you have a powerful car, you could go for a similar layout on a twin axle which would give you a separate shower cubicle. We weren't bothered about this but now ours friends have one, we can see the appeal, especially when your kids are young. We more or less stick to Club sites where the shower facilities are usually good so we get around this ok.

This site is very informative:-

http://www.caravan.homedns.org/index.php
Hope this helps and happy hunting!

Claire & Rob

 

[TheCrosbies]

Thanks for your help!

Shelly

 

[cara89]

I agree that the above layout,from Claire and Rob, is pretty close to perfect for a family.We are excitedly awaiting our new van. We dont have the separate shower cubicle but a very good bathroom considering we didnt prioritise this as we also go to sites where there are nice shower blocks.When we were having fun looking round caravans and motorhomes that we would have to win the lottery for-our kids gave their opinion -then got bored( also like what Claire and Rob said). They were right though and they are only 6 and 3 ! Fixed bunks will make a huge difference for us.

 

[cara89]

Our new caravan will be an Adria Altea 6 Berth. The DK model would impress you with the back lounge and fixed bunks that you can close off. However, some people say that the finishings are more basicin the Adria and with your towcar you can go for `more`. We had to keep an eye on our weight. I do feel it is a very light(as in windows this time I mean!) and airy and perfect for us at this stage in our lives.

Hope my posting is making sense!

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

hiya, our first van was an avondale dart 556/6 fixed end bunk i wouldnt have that model again. the kids ended up hating the beds. we now have a bailey wyoming fixed side bed, end washroom with separate show, twin axel. our little one sleeps on the front seats so does our eldest if its cold but in the warmer months our eldest sleeps in the awning with the dog. if the models with the side bunks and side eating area had been around when we had our first van we proberbly would have had one of those. this time we bought the van for our needs not the kids needs that way we wont be changing it again.

jo

 

[Tom3]

Best thing to do is to look around as many as possible. Why not go to the caravan show next week at the NEC, most caravan manufacturers are there

 

[Sam_374394490]

Hi

We were in the same predicament as you, and after shopping around we decided on the new Bailey GT60 550/6.

We were absolutely adamant that was the model we wanted.

So, in October off we trekked to the NEC Caravan Show to see what deal we could get, and ended up buying something completely different.

I agree with everyone's comments on here that you really need to shop around and see as many caravans as you can.

We ended up buying a 2009 Sprite Major 6.

It has fixed end bunk beds with a dining area which converts to another set of bunks. What we liked about this Caravan was that the front lounge area once converted into a double bed gave us a very large sleeping area (6'10 x 5'11). We also felt that it was very spacious and airy compared to alot of the family 6 berth caravans. Obviously you will have your own individual requirements, but the Major 6 fulfilled all of ours. It is also at the cheaper end of the market, which is an added bonus!!!!

We got a really good deal at the show, and we walked away feeling very happy with what we had chosen. We are having it delivered at the end of March and are counting the days down.

If you can get to the Caravan Show then I would strongly recommend that you go, because not only will you get to look at most of the models on the market, you will also get to see the new releases for this year. You could also end up with a fantastic deal like we did.

Good luck with the search, it is a very exciting time. We are off to the show again next week in search of our awning and all our bits and bobs to get us started.

"Happy Caravanning"

Sam

 

[Toro]

First of all ignore that bit about the towcar being able to pull 2 tonne. It is a technical thing. From the vehicle handbook you should be able to get the vehicles kerb weight. Under no circumstances should your new caravan exceed that, otherwise "the tail will be heavier than the dog" and that spells serious trouble. That weight will not be anywhere near 2 tonne. It is recommended that new caravanners should not exceed 85% of the towcar's Kerb weight. When you have worked that out, you can look at caravans that do not exceed that, and remember that is the maximum total laden weight you can tow (MPTLM)