Newbie and Novice :)

[BigElz]

Hi All.
I am saving up hard for my new van an canot wait till March to get it have been looking at an Elddis Odyssey 540 fixed bed and thought it was great. Any tips greatfully recieved as this will be mine and my husband's 1st van we will be towing with a disco II td5.
Also are there any freebie for subsciption joining and do i need a code ????
thanks everyone

 

[Parksy]

Hiya Elz, welcome to the Practical Caravan forum, you've come to the right place to get tips and the information that you will need to make your caravan ownership safe, enjoyable and not too expensive and I hope that you will enjoy using the forum.
If you ask about the Elddis on the buyers guide-caravans message board I'm sure that you'll get more replies, I've never owned an Elddis but I can say that fixed bed is the way to go, we'd never go back to making up beds every night now.
My tips would be to buy from a reputable dealer, closely followed by enjoy the caravan as often as possible both summer and winter, and don't forget the corkscrew
At the moment according to the Practical Caravan Summer Special, issue of the magazine the subscription offer is a pair of Millenco safety plus towing extension mirrors, you can subscribe or get more details by Clicking Here

 

[Mel]

Hi, bigelz. Welcome to the forum. Hope there is enough in the piggy bank to get a van soon. we have an eldiss (Avante 526) and love it. Nice build quality and the winterhoff stabiliser is better than the Alko one (imho) that we had on our last Swift. Have to say we bought the van for the layout rather than the make but are very happy with it. Also have a fixed bed which is a massive improvemnt on making up a bed every night.
keep posting and keep asking questions. No questions are too simple or stupid. There is always more to learn
mel

 

[BigElz]

Thank you both very much for your kindness i shall be posting lots and lots with loads of questions thanks again you have been great help

 

[Parksy]

You're welcome Elz and though I shouldn't say this at least when you ask a question on the forum you stand a very good chance of receiving an answer from an experienced caravanner ( unlike on a certain social networking site

)

 

[kopite]

Hi Elz and welcome
We have just changed from a triple bunk to fixed bed we were last week and was great not having to make beds up.It is now for us but i would look at as many vans as you can it`s not only good fun but making sure you choose the wright layout is important
Happy vanning

 

[Beachball]

Hi BigElz Welcome to the practical caravan forum any questions you should receive a answer....

 

[Gagakev]

Hi bigelz, always nice to greet new lady members to the forum you can give us tips on
cooking and cleaning etc

sorry only joking the ladies on here are actually very knowledgable and they do teach and keep us men folk in check

Keep posting and enjoy

 

[mealsonwheels]

Hi BigElz and welcome to the forum.
I remember what the excitement is like when buying a new caravan. As you're still saving up, you have time to have a good look around and to choose a van that will suit your needs. There are bargains to be had out there with dealers discounting caravans in readiness for delivery of the new seasons vans.
We upgraded to an island bed, because with an offset bed, the person sleeping on the inside has to climb over the person on the outside when getting out of bed, especially in the middle of the night. It's really great not having to lug cushions about to make up a bed late at night. We got a memory foam topper for ours too, as the new mattress seemed a bit too firm for us. We got it from a firm called Raskelf.
When you're looking inside a caravan, try to imagine a living in it. Both lay on the bed and check it for size. Stand in the shower and check that for size too. Has the kitchen surface got enough room to prepare food and washing up etc. etc. One thing we didn't think about, which we've found to our cost, is that our fridge is on the awning side of the caravan, which can get extremely hot inside and our fridge has a hard job to keep the temperature as cold as it should. If we get another van, having the fridge on the other side of the van will be a must. Also check there is enough storage to hold everything you'll need when you're away on site.
You've certainly got a good tug and won't be limited too much on weight.
Enjoy your time choosing your new van!

 

[Martin24]

Sorry but the two explorer group vans we had, 2001 (replaced free of charge with a 2002) where hopeless, the first much worse than the second, hence the replacement. Overall I would say even when the peeps are gone we wouldn't go for a fixed bed as would prefer the living space and to make the bed up than waste a lot of day space with a fixed bed, it is of course horses for courses, good luck with with whatever you decide to go for in the end.