Try before you buy?

[SimonVokes]

Hi all,

Have been a caravanner for about 5 years now, but had a conversation with the wife the other day about try before you buy.

We love our van hols, have got 2 young kids in tow and when we started we bought all new without trying first. What a total nightmare it was!! The first set up was total pants, & that was with no awning. It felt cramped, un level (my fault!!) cold, smelly toilet (didn't know about the number 2's rule then!) Only had 1 child at the start, and a 4 berth entry level van, Lunar Zenith Four (which we still use)

All in all, not great fun. But all has changed now, have a good set up routine, kids help and we look forward to our weekends when we go away, and the main hols in the summer, France last year, Devon this year due to the strong Euro after X-mas.

What I'm getting at is if we had tried before we had bought, we never would have taken the plunge. Did anyone try it first, and would you recommend trying or just going for it?

Interested in your response!

Simon V

 

[Froggy1]

Hi Simon

I had only caravanned once before, an absolute nightmare. I had no clue really, just hooked up the hired 'van and set off. Nothing worked and I really didn't know what I was doing.

Now that was about 12 years ago and the year before last we borrowed the in-law's 'van and went to Buxton for the week.

It absolutely tipped it down and we couldn't get off the site for two day because of the roads being flooded.

When we got home SWMBO said "That's put paid to that then, eh?".

Not a chance, I found it to be one of the most relaxing weeks that I have had on holiday. So much so, we went and bought a new one and are now into our second year and loving it. After a few frustrations at first, plenty of huffing, puffing and the odd (!) swear word, I now look forward to going away and find that, regardless of how long it takes to get there and set up, I always have a great time.

Just goes to show, doesn't it?

 

[James_374408700]

Hi Simon,

I've been caravanning for many years and never heard of the "number two rule", care to enlighten me !

Jim

 

[Guest]

Doh. Does nobody do a trial set-up before heading off to their first campsite? It's a long time since we bought are first caravan and we had both been caravanning and camping long before then.

We've set caravans up on mother inlaws front lawn and cooked and slept in it over a weekend and looked like old Pro's when we arrived on sites.

We've spent days and days wandering around caravan dealers and sitting in various caravans and pulling them about working out bed layouts and how we would use the layouts. We now have three granddaughters and our old rule of max space being the most important thing still holds. To me it is not a lot of good having the swishest 'gin palace' with all the techy gadgets and gizmo's if you are packed in like sardines.

Being taken in pretty furnishing and woodwork and fancy lights is not the way to pick a long term joyous caravanning experience.

 

[SimonVokes]

Hi Simon,

I've been caravanning for many years and never heard of the "number two rule", care to enlighten me !

Jim

Hi James

Number 2's rule basically means no number 2's in the loo, if you know what I mean! Toilet block for those!!!

 

[Maginnis]

We purchased our van in November last year after taking on a rescue dog and realising there would be no more carribean holidays as she can't go in kennels - that was one thing I hadn't considered when we got her!!

We looked at hundreds of vans before buying but neither of us had caravanned since we were kids and we're 40 now.

First night was spent in an Army camp garage completely set up including cooking dinner and breakfast and using the shower, heating and gas. Thanks to a good friend who has given up vanning who spent 6 hours with us setting it all up, everything went smoothly and we loved it.

First weekend away was hectic with trying to remember everything we'd be shown but we got through it, and more importantly, the dog loves to van so we're one happy little set up )

We certainly looked at trying before we bought, but nowhere would rent us a van and allow us to take the dog, that mean a both feet approach was required.

 

[WilliamLX]

We did not try before buying (we just bought a cheap but sound old van first). First outing was a bit of a disaster. Took 2 hours and much swearing to get the awning (which was complete but lacked instructions) up. Then the first night a rain storm (which had not been forecast) hit and the campsite flooded. Caravan was ok but the awning had 3 inches of water in it and would have blown away except we had storm straps (another awning 2 pitches away blew up over the roof).

Didn't put us off (except I have never warmed to awnings since). Had no trouble setting the actual caravan up and I find it hard to understand why anyone does????

 

[Surfer]

Hi James

Number 2's rule basically means no number 2's in the loo, if you know what I mean! Toilet block for those!!!

Why if you have a pefectly functioning toilet in the caravan?