sandalwood Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 On our recent travels and still looking to downsize, 4 lovely persons say " buy caravan". Views please! Ian Is retrograde step as far as travelling concerned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 I don't believe a caravan is a solution to downsizing. Caravans tend to be bigger and then you have to add the car. For example, Lunar make a nice 2 berth caravan which is 6.2m long but the interior space is only 4.6m. Add in the length of a car ... My 6m A-class is 6m but the interior space is c5m. I caravanned in the early 90s before turning to motorhoming. Caravanning is a good way of life. Better than motorhoming? Yes if you like staying on campsites for weeks on end and like to have a vehicle on site that you can use to go out for days and park easily. No if you like wild camping, hop from site to site, or like the convenience of a clean toilet on the road. I see caravanning or motorhoming as a lifestyle choice rather than a downsizing choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmerson Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Brock - 2017-07-18 5:24 PM I don't believe a caravan is a solution to downsizing. Caravans tend to be bigger and then you have to add the car. For example, Lunar make a nice 2 berth caravan which is 6.2m long but the interior space is only 4.6m. Add in the length of a car ... My 6m A-class is 6m but the interior space is c5m. I caravanned in the early 90s before turning to motorhoming. Caravanning is a good way of life. Better than motorhoming? Yes if you like staying on campsites for weeks on end and like to have a vehicle on site that you can use to go out for days and park easily. No if you like wild camping, hop from site to site, or like the convenience of a clean toilet on the road. I see caravanning or motorhoming as a lifestyle choice rather than a downsizing choice. Or do as we do, and have both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 sandalwood There is a useful “Downsizing - is it really practical?” article by Andrew and Rona Bromley on Pages 203/204 of the latest (August 2017) issue of MMM magazine. I would have thought that ‘downsizing’ from a Rapido 776FF to, say, a Rapido V68-size panel-van conversion should not be too challenging. It would be quite another matter if you were considering downsizing to, say, a Mazda Bongo or a Romahome R10. You’ve been considering downsizing for at least 5 months, which suggests you (and/or your partner) have considerable reservations about doing it. If that’s so, it’s probably best you don’t. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandalwood Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 'Tis. Point taken! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandalwood Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 'Tis, age is making us think about downsizing, also it's hubby who wants new ( toys for boys). If we don't downsize and sell mhome we left with hotels etc, which we have done but didn't like much! Would be nice to know at what age others give up at? My vehicle good to drive, no problem parking etc, but gut feeling says we may be too old! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 IMO what age you feel like doing/not doing something is very specific to the person, so trying to judge it from others is not very relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 The simple answer is that you have to make a decision. If you have difficulty in that then you will never be satisfied. There are plenty of choices to look at when you are on a site, just go and ask. And don't be persuaded by others, they all have their own quirks on why they chose what they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 sandalwood - 2017-07-19 10:36 AM 'Tis, age is making us think about downsizing, also it's hubby who wants new ( toys for boys). If we don't downsize and sell mhome we left with hotels etc, which we have done but didn't like much! Would be nice to know at what age others give up at? My vehicle good to drive, no problem parking etc, but gut feeling says we may be too old! Ian You obviously do not really want to give up. So DON'T Life is for living ! If you still enjoy motorhoming , then carry on PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 sandalwood - 2017-07-19 10:36 AM 'Tis, age is making us think about downsizing, also it's hubby who wants new ( toys for boys). If we don't downsize and sell mhome we left with hotels etc, which we have done but didn't like much! Would be nice to know at what age others give up at? My vehicle good to drive, no problem parking etc, but gut feeling says we may be too old! Ian Gordon Bennett ... why do some people go on about age ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyLou Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Unless you have a MH > the 3.5T limit I can't see what downsizing will do for you. You are better to change your locations so that they are easy to get to and the size does not become an issue. have you considered hiring a car when you get to your destination. Some companies do a delivery and pick up service so you get them to drop it off at the campsite or wild spot. Try to think about changing what you do rather than changing the MH. When we changed from a caravan I thought the lack of a car would be a problem but we just changed the way we holiday. More short stops and visit attractions with big car parks during the day in MH and then use wild or pub stop/aires at night. Hope you find what suits you. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I don't think 'Downsizing' is about changing from a Motorhome to a caravan. Having recently decided and now done this I believe the two although in the same 'camping' arena are completely different. We had caravans for years when the kids were little, changed to Motrohomes when they didn't want to come with us any more and toured all over Europe in them (We did tour Europe in the caravans too). What needs to be looked at in detail is what you want to do with your life from hereonin. If you want to tour with very few long term stays then providing you don't have age limitations on your licence stay with motorhomes. If you do have a limitation then stay under 3.5 tonnes and there are plenty of motorhomes about in this weight catagory. The benefit of this is you can stop where & when you want, have your facilities available instantly and can be 'set up' anywhere within 5 minutes and decamped in about same time. Easier to drive ie rigid outfit but if you want to take say a motorcycle you can always carry a small one or a trailer for a bigger one. Or in our case Car on A-Frame (don't start!) The downside of a motorhome (in our opinion below 3.5t) is the fact you are limited for space as the cab is a third, bedroom a third & lounge/kitchen a third-thus you have a more confined space but not a problem if you are moving along frequently. We found as we got older we tended to spend less time on the move and more time on 'Long Stays' especially for the Winter months and thus we lacked space & comfort. Having only the cab seats and not very comfortable bench seats which were ok for eating but not very comfortable for relaxing especially in inclement weather we found it was a comfort problem as we got older and the old joints start playing up. Furthermore, as ours had a fixed Transverse bed, nightime loo visits were a factor as one has to climb over the other thus disturbing the sleep. After much deliberation and looking at what other people had on various sites & discussing situation with them we decided that our lifestyle would be better suited with a Car & Caravan. We thought long and hard over it and decided an island bed (to help nocturnal journeys) a decent kitchen and forward lounge would best suit our needs and for what we intend to do in the future ie 3/4 month stays maybe longer in Europe. We subsequently bought a 4x4 & 7.5m caravan and so far believe we made the right decision. Time will tell after this Winters jaunt to Spain and hopefully we've got it right. The downside is it takes longer to set up/break down, have to fill the water up more often, and the driving is completely different to driving a motorhome. The upside is we loads more space (double again if you erect awning) a lot more comfort as the seating is far superior to the van and can walk round both sides of bed to individual wardrobes. Fuel-wise I don't think there is much difference-averaging about 28mpg towing which is about what I got with the van, no road tax for the caravan & insurance is cheaper. (I have replaced car with 4x4) I have a car on site if I want to go off anywhere. So in summary, I would say look at your current lifestyle, contemplate your future lifestyle and decide if you intend to do a lot of touring or a lot of long stays-if it is touring look for a sub 3.5t motorhome, if it is fixed site/long term holidays look at the caravan option. Cost wise there is not much difference between a car & caravan or a decent motorhome-you're probably talking £50k either way new or £25k+ used depending on age. We feel with the caravan, we will have a lot more comfort, a lot more space and many more facilities that suit our intended usage. However, if we stop en route it is a bit more work and realistically wild camping is over. That said the amount of wild camping we've done over past couple of years really is the exception rather than the norm. So for what it's worth that's my opinion hope it gives you some food for thought Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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