Hi-newbie needing caravan choice help

[jhe]

thanks for allowing me to join forum
hoping for some advice on caravan choice please
New to mobile caravanning but have been having a look around at various caravans for a good while now
decided on 6 berth maybe with bunks
comparing used prices to new, the Sprite Freedom 6 or 6TD seem reasonable prices for a new van
I understand it is a basic caravan but can anyone with knowledge advise please on what is not included that is a necessity .(Ariel I have been quoted between £299-£499 with fitted ariel socket and security alarm around £350 with various dealers) no oven fit which I guess I would miss
We can tow up to 1400kg so this caravan fits with that
Thanks

 

[saint-spoon]

Welcome to the forum.
Iif you are looking at bunks can we assume that you are a family with children?

Is the towing limit of 1400kg the max towing capacity of your car or the kerb weight? There is a difference between what you can tow legally and what is advised as being safe. It would be handy to know what car you have so that the boffins on here can look up the details and advise you properly. Lots of threads on the subject in the tow car section.
Then you need to decide what you want from a caravan. I have an Adria Tamar 552 which has three fixed bunks, but it will be right on the limit of what you say that you can tow. You have to remember that you will need all sorts of extras such as battery, water container, waste water container and so on that all add weight. We like the fixed bunks arrangement because our two children sleep on the bunks, the spare one gets used for storing clothes when we are away.
Anyway the fixed bunk beds caravan models in my opinion tend to be more basic than the ones with a fixed double bed because they are for families rather than couples and the bunks take up space. This is not a absolute rule by the way, just a general observation from last year when we were looking to buy our first van. There are some clonking 5 berth caravans with a double bed front and rear and an extra bunk bed that goes over the rear caravan, it is quite popular and lots of manufacturers have their own take on the format.

 

[jhe]

thanks saint-spoon
family with grandchildren lol,
doesnt have to be bunks but dining area and living area rather than a fixed bed look more useful
the 1400kg is MTPLM (Skoda Octavia VRS)
I am wondering wether to look at mid range caravans or settle with a basic. I am sure there will be things we need to buy with a basic that might be included with a mid range - ariel. oven etc not sure what else to look out for

 

[ProfJohnL]

thanks saint-spoon
family with grandchildren lol,
doesnt have to be bunks but dining area and living area rather than a fixed bed look more useful
the 1400kg is MTPLM (Skoda Octavia VRS)
I am wondering wether to look at mid range caravans or settle with a basic. I am sure there will be things we need to buy with a basic that might be included with a mid range - ariel. oven etc not sure what else to look out for

I'm sorry but your posting does not really tell us what you are looking for. From a quick look in the data bases, most Octavia's have an unladen weight of under 1400kg, and the maximum permitted towed weight limits all exceed the cars unladen weight. Whilst this is perfectly legal, it does not mean its sensible to use a caravan of that weight.

You need to understand that whilst a car may have a quoted maximum braked tow weight those are for ideal trailers, and sadly caravans aren't ideal. They are about as frar from ideal as you can get, so you need to choose them very carefully.

The industry recommends that novice caravanners only use caravans with an MTPLM that does not exceed 85% of the tow cars unladen weight. This is just guidance but it does make a lot of sense.

You don't give us enough information about the exact car you have, Even trim levels can change the unladen weights, and the engine and transmission can affect the maximum towed weights. SO we really need more information about the car and the caravan before we offer any real advice about the suitability of the towing match.

MAKE, MODEL,YEAR, TRIM, Engine size, fuel and BHP,

 

[jhe]

thanks saint-spoon
family with grandchildren lol,
doesnt have to be bunks but dining area and living area rather than a fixed bed look more useful
the 1400kg is MTPLM (Skoda Octavia VRS)
I am wondering wether to look at mid range caravans or settle with a basic. I am sure there will be things we need to buy with a basic that might be included with a mid range - ariel. oven etc not sure what else to look out for

I'm sorry but your posting does not really tell us what you are looking for. From a quick look in the data bases, most Octavia's have an unladen weight of under 1400kg, and the maximum permitted towed weight limits all exceed the cars unladen weight. Whilst this is perfectly legal, it does not mean its sensible to use a caravan of that weight.

You need to understand that whilst a car may have a quoted maximum braked tow weight those are for ideal trailers, and sadly caravans aren't ideal. They are about as frar from ideal as you can get, so you need to choose them very carefully.

The industry recommends that novice caravanners only use caravans with an MTPLM that does not exceed 85% of the tow cars unladen weight. This is just guidance but it does make a lot of sense.

You don't give us enough information about the exact car you have, Even trim levels can change the unladen weights, and the engine and transmission can affect the maximum towed weights. SO we really need more information about the car and the caravan before we offer any real advice about the suitability of the towing match.

MAKE, MODEL,YEAR, TRIM, Engine size, fuel and BHP,

ProfJohnL thanks very much for your advice, much appreciated
My original question was just about if the Sprite Freedon 6TD was a good buy or if I would have to pay for lots of essential extras on top of the base price that might already be included in slightly more expensive caravan.
your advice you have given opens up other questions
several caravan salerooms including NCC members have quoted us the 1400 kg MTLPM and said they would not be prepared to sell a caravan over this spec,but I read what you are saying about the 85%
although not a total novice towing a caravan equally not done on a regular basis.
the car is Skoda Octavia VRS, 2011, 2.0 TDI CR,170 BHP Hatchback, bought the car new so nothing added from factory fit, alloys etc supplied with it
will need to add a tow bar though
thanks again

 

[saint-spoon]

If you have a look here the link will direct you to a table of Octavia cars. it doesn't go as far as the 2011 ranges but you should be able to roughly match up to something and the button on the right will let you know what caravans match up with your car at 80%. As for Ovens, I think that most caravans come with them, areals are often an added extra and go up in price dependant on how good they are; although you can, like we us, get an external stand alone areal for you telly (we don’t bother with a telly). Many campsites with electric hook up also have a coaxial plug to stream a TV signal to your caravan anyway but I can not comment on how reliable or good the signal is as we don’t take a telly.

As for the difference between basic and luxury, mine is basic and doesn't have things like a fitted microwaves or stereo system. But we like it and I have a portable wireless tat does the job.

 

[jhe]

If you have a look here the link will direct you to a table of Octavia cars. it doesn't go as far as the 2011 ranges but you should be able to roughly match up to something and the button on the right will let you know what caravans match up with your car at 80%. As for Ovens, I think that most caravans come with them, areals are often an added extra and go up in price dependant on how good they are; although you can, like we us, get an external stand alone areal for you telly (we don’t bother with a telly). Many campsites with electric hook up also have a coaxial plug to stream a TV signal to your caravan anyway but I can not comment on how reliable or good the signal is as we don’t take a telly.

As for the difference between basic and luxury, mine is basic and doesn't have things like a fitted microwaves or stereo system. But we like it and I have a portable wireless tat does the job.

thanks again Saint-Spoon
the Freedom doesn't have an oven only a grill and hob (think we will need an oven)
TV is a luxury maybe, but with young grandchildren might be needed in bad weather I am thinking
not looking really for luxury just essential things,I have asked at dealers what is included in mid range caravans on average that are not included in basic Freedom 6 TD got a vague answer that mentioned Ariel and oven never mentioned anything else.
maybe I need to go back to the drawing board

 

[saint-spoon]

My kids are 5 and 7, we play monopoly and stuff . the danger I feel with having a telly in the caravan is that it would become the primary choice of entertainment, that is why we made the decision to not take a telly with us and we go year round.

Maybe something Like this Abbey will be right up your street. We looked a a few like this with two seperate seating areas at either end, both of which turn into double beds and the after one has a bunk over the top. Yes it is basic but with less basic comes extra weight.

 

[jhe]

My kids are 5 and 7, we play monopoly and stuff . the danger I feel with having a telly in the caravan is that it would become the primary choice of entertainment, that is why we made the decision to not take a telly with us and we go year round.

Maybe something Like this Abbey will be right up your street. We looked a a few like this with two seperate seating areas at either end, both of which turn into double beds and the after one has a bunk over the top. Yes it is basic but with less basic comes extra weight.

thanks again
have looked at this configuration, I am open to any suggestions, just seemed to be well laid out with the bunks. plus I imagine our family will travel with us (in there own vehicles) if we get an awning.
Think we have decided to buy a new caravan.
approaching retirement so I think we would make good use of one
grandchildren vary in age 1-3-4 and teenagers so anything extra to amuse I am sure we will be grateful for at times lol

 

[saint-spoon]

The problem you may have is the capacity of your car to tow some of the less basic and newer caravans. When we were looking I decided to get rid of beloved Focus because it simly couldn't tow what we wanted in a caravan and the 80% kerbweight rule, whilst a guidance rather than a law, is really quite important to follow if you are inexpericenced at towing.

 

[jhe]

The problem you may have is the capacity of your car to tow some of the less basic and newer caravans. When we were looking I decided to get rid of beloved Focus because it simly couldn't tow what we wanted in a caravan and the 80% kerbweight rule, whilst a guidance rather than a law, is really quite important to follow if you are inexpericenced at towing.

think getting rid of the car might be a no go area lol
yes might have to look into other caravans
lots of towing experience with a class 1 licence, also tractor- trailers,and car trailer etc. some experience with caravans but not been a regular occurence.
thanks for your advice much appreciated

 

[JamesH]

If you need to keep your current car but require bed space perhaps you could consider a smaller van that has an oven etc. and then pick up a secondhand awning off Preloved or The Caravan Club website. You could then put an inner bedroom in the awning for the children.
We sometimes go away in our van with friends and they sleep in the inner bedroom in the awning but they are adults. We put a privacy curtain up in our van when we have friends staying with us, so that they can use the caravan toilet during the night if necessary.

 

[jhe]

If you need to keep your current car but require bed space perhaps you could consider a smaller van that has an oven etc. and then pick up a secondhand awning off Preloved or The Caravan Club website. You could then put an inner bedroom in the awning for the children.
We sometimes go away in our van with friends and they sleep in the inner bedroom in the awning but they are adults. We put a privacy curtain up in our van when we have friends staying with us, so that they can use the caravan toilet during the night if necessary.

thanks JamesH.
have started to look online at different make/models.think we can maybe get something lighter weight with the space we need or a decent compromise.
some of the grandchildren are a bit young to leave in an awning at the minute but thats a good idea for us in the future, or when family travel with us.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The problem you may have is the capacity of your car to tow some of the less basic and newer caravans. When we were looking I decided to get rid of beloved Focus because it simly couldn't tow what we wanted in a caravan and the 80% kerbweight rule, whilst a guidance rather than a law, is really quite important to follow if you are inexpericenced at towing.

Hello Saint Spoon,

There are three basic flaws in this your last two posts. All of the towing guidance sites have unintentional flaws in their data sets, The problem is you don't know which figures may be flawed.and as such you must not rely on them to provide accurate towing advice. It is always the responsibility of the driver to ensure the vehicle and caravan are compatible by checking with certified information from the vehicles ID and data plates or documentation

The second flaw is you cannot assume that a similar model of car has the same towing limits as the one you are interested in, The matching must be exact, even down to trim levels. Ands you cant even make the assumption that a bigger more powerful engine will have a bigger towing capacity.

The third problem is you are quoting an industry guidance as being 80% when in fact the guidance is 85%

And the final point which we have worked very hard to eradicate is the misquoting of the guidance as being a "rulke" it is only guidance and as there are no sanctions if the figure is exceeded it is not a rule.