The reason why we changed to the motorhome

We've been using a combination this trip. One night on an Aire and the REmis blinds are excellent and in the warmer weather condensation isn't much of a problem. However, on a couple of sites where shade was limited, the silver screen did really help to keep the temperature down and was much more effective than the REmis.

Hi H, the thread title attracted me and having seen the content would like to wish you all the very best with your health issues.

The issue of MH v Caravan set up has been discussed, and been the basis of much mickey taking, with our MH buddies for many years.

There is no doubt that for the 'chuck the bag in and go' holiday the MH is likely to be best but that's not how we holiday so no matter how attractive a MH seems its not for us however I would also argue that many comparisons do not look at like for like as the speed of set up is largely due to many MHers not bothering with steadies or an awning etc and for longer stays were MH do use these things there is not a great difference in the time taken.

We are just back from a rally whilst there were discussing the 'chores' that are involved with a guy who has just gone to a MH. Both myself and his friend did not see the setting up as a chore but just a part of what camping involves.

If these tasks become difficult for whatever reason then we may rethink but cant see how a MH would allow us to holiday as we do now and due to issues we have bikes are and public transport are unsuitable.

BUT you are enjoying it and that is all that matters!

I

Allan and Jean

All I can say is that our setting off and setting up routine has changed substantially since we changed to a motorhome. I don't see it as a competition between the two. We caravanned for 30 years and I suppose for the last 5 of the 30 years we were thinking about changing and amazing during that thinking period actually purchased a new caravan! Where we live we could never guarantee that it would be easy to get the van out of the back garden and onto the road in order to hitch up the car so that was always a worry. Now I just drive out of the back garden and can park virtually anywhere. Rather than time saving it is less stressful. It also means it easier in reverse when we get back home. If people keep their LV on the drive or in storage I expect none of that would be a problem. There is also no checking or changing of tyre pressures, no checking nose weight, wheel torque, road lights etc. Some of those things do need to be checked occasionally but not every trip. On site we put out the Fiamma if it's sunny and wind it in at night. Caravans do have the advantage of having more space to store things as you also have the car. Having a car is also useful for getting around but we tend to visit sites where a car is less essential and it generally works out for us. Now that we have found a motorhome whose size and layout suits us better than the previous one I can't see caravanning being back on the agenda for us. 

David

A and J writes....

"There is no doubt that for the 'chuck the bag in and go' holiday the MH is likely to be best but that's not how we holiday so no matter how attractive a MH seems its not for us"...

we have a MH but dont really do any chucking of bags, we dont even have bags...taking a bag to a Mh sounds like something you'd do with a van in storage, something we just couldnt live with.

having the MH at home means we can pack gradually for a long holiday or just add a few clothes for a short break and just go....as the van gets used regularly usually without more than a fortnight since the previous trip, its always primed (with water, etc) and ready to go.

yes, you can do this with a caravan at home (but water would usually be drained as no tanks and towing with water is seen as a no-no) so there are IMHO less 'chores' with a MH, when setting up on site. We really arent far away from 'pull onto the pitch and handbrake on'.

we might top up our tanks with water on the way in (but no inside tap spluttering, priming ritual to go through, every stop) if staying a while (although on a uk site, usually less than a week) and that negates the daily caravanner water trundle.

but, for us, the main advantages of a mh go far beyond the ease of set up and into the ease of touring without the issues of a large box in tow.

a good deal of our continental touring (itself the greater part of our total vanning) involves impromptu pulling over into aires and other non-site locations, where we are self reliant for water, power and waste.. discovering places that werent identified as part of any planning, merely turning the wheels in that direction because 'it looks nice/interesting' and then deciding where/if we should stay (or not)....this might be an overnighter or sometimes several days.

sometimes our 'destination' hasnt been identified and we could take several weeks heading slowly in a particular direction, stopping many times....so this ease of 'touring' is important to us.

if i want to see a town, ISTM to be better to pull in there (at the local town centre aire) as we pass through rather than have to park a caravan somewhere else (wherever the site is located, along with associated check in, water fills, plug ins and other caravan setting up 'chores') and then come back later (by that time, possibly the next day) in a car....

and when weve finished, we can just stay the night without returning to the camp site (which might even be in the wrong direction for continuing the tour) and/or we could choose move on without having to head back there to collect the caravan....

we couldnt do this type of one/two night impromptu touring as hassle free with a caravan in tow.

and, as you suggest, while 'travelling' we dont deploy awnings nor steadies (neither are required) which makes pitching/parking/leaving a very simple operation, in tune with our 'pull in, couple of days to explore, next stop' style.

as the mileages arent necessarily large between stops, and the setting up is so easy, its not in the least tiring to drive perhaps an hour along a coast (or the next stop on a large river or inland somewhere) to check out the next area/town.

i guess with a caravan, and a long way to a destination, stops have to be planned and arrival dates met, with the 'schedule' dictating where you have to be and when....

great for us on a a two week cruise or package holiday, but with three months or more of living away from home, there will be other drivers that dictate the direction the journey evolves into.

we'd see site bookings as a restriction/hinderance rather than an advantage.

having said that, we also use Continental sites (sometimes with bookings, sometimes for several weeks) as 'destination' sites/locations over there hold far more interest, when we want a rest after travelling for a while.

the MH suits us fine there, too.....again no awnings (other than a wind out for shade) as we sit outside when sunny or inside when it gets cooler...sitting in a tent attached to the van holds little appeal.

we have plenty of 'transport' options too......ebikes, legs, trains, busses, site organised excursions, hire car etc....oh, and the MH which is quite small and slim.

its great that Heethers has found a touring machine that seems to be in tune with his style, making some of those 'tasks' (mentioned earlier) a lot easier.

despite the fast rising number of MHs, the high number of caravans certainly shows that the 'drop the van, explore in the car, repeat for two weeks, hitch up the van, head for next area or, for many, go home' style of touring is still very popular.

but, as you say, each mode isnt for everyone....

however, if i was confined to the uk (the most MH unfriendly place weve ever been) i would have a small caravan as the MH infrastructure I'm used to on the continent, which makes real impromptu touring so easy, isn't in place.

as well as Heethers and DK, i enjoy posts from CY and SteveL who have both made the change fairly recently.

different modes mean different advantages for different people, its a good job we all have a choice.

ps, DK....our MH garage has over 2cu mtr of storage so more than many a large estate car (merc e class 1820 cu cm with all seats down)

I agree that it’s what suits the individual is the important point.  We caravan because we don’t ‘tour’.  The idea of a few days here and there to visit places of interest doesn’t fill me with joy.  We prefer to get set up and relax, popping off to ‘places of interest’ on a whim because we have the car available.  I cannot walk far with hip and foot problems, I do not like public transport as it can be too infrequent and unreliable (if it exists at all) in more remote areas.  I have seen MH’ers standing at bus stops in the pouring rain and knew that wasn’t for me - on our way home I will add, otherwise we may have offered a lift!! 

We pitched (on a no facilities site) next to a medium sized MH earlier this year towing a small car for occasional transport as his wife was disabled, it was set up with awning etc, and didn’t move for the full 7 days we were there.  Unless he didn’t like towing a caravan I couldn’t see why they used a MH, their choice of course.

There have been times when we have considered a MH but the extra cost and our preferred touring style just wouldn’t work for us. 

crikey!!!!! are you getting paid for promoting motor homes ???

You may very well think so……😋

Welcome to the dark side, you now know the Lady is always right.

When we moved to Mhs we tended to book sites near villages or towns.

on a more serious note , there is a very good letter in this months magazine "Tech?No!" very poignant, i thought and without wanting to quote the whole letter, the contents are something i can very much to relate to, being a tugger with just sufficient home comforts to keep life simple, e.g. no television for starters. Interestingly during our last 2 weeks away there were quite a few Mh owners quite disgruntled at the remoteness of the site, the lack of public transport and how their Ebikes were of little use due to the distances involved in getting into nearest town etc, I know they should have done their homework before using the site, but this sentence from the post above made me smile   

I have seen MH’ers standing at bus stops in the pouring rain and knew that wasn’t for me - on our way home I will add, otherwise we may have offered a lift!!

very noble, but note the word "may"

The point about changing from a caravan to a motorhome, especially if you have caravanned for some years shouldn't be done on a whim and without a great deal of thought otherwise it will end in tears. In the latter years of our caravanning we were tending to stay on sites for shorter periods and also tended to select sites near to local facilities and tended to leave the car on site, either walking or using public transport. I quite like the latter as you often strike up some interesting conversations. It does take a bit of planning but with the aid of the internet it's surprising how much you can prepare and of course now you can download the local bus services app to your smart phone so you have live arrival and departure times.  Unfortunately it just doesn't rain at bus stops in the UK My mobility is not brilliant as I have a problem knee but I strap it up and off we go, if it starts to hurt I sit down for a minute and then up and off. Also a good excuse to stop for a coffee! I have been thinking about the idea of towing a small car. Margaret is not so keen as she feels the cost could just be invested in the odd hire car here and there, perhaps she has a point. It wouldn't surprise me that there are quite a few motorhomers around who don't like the prospect of towing a caravan so opt for a motorhome and car as the next best option. There is no way I would try and persuade anyone to change from a caravan to a motorhome unless they had thought very long and hard about it.

David