Taking the plunge

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CG,

  get  to  as  many  shows  as  you  can  to  compare  sizes,  fittings  etc.  If  you  can't  get  to  shows  then  spend  the  time  at  'van  retailers  instead.  When  you've  got  some  ideas  of  whats  out  there,  then  start  trawling  thro'  the  various  Owners  sites.  There  you  shouls  get  Ideas  of  whats  good,  whats  not  so  good  and,  most  importantly,  what  to  run  away  from  at  Warp  Factor  5  !!

One  important  thing,  mentioned  regularly  on  the  Advice  to  Newbies  posts  is  :--

  Don't  go  daft  buying  all  those  vital,  must  have  items  !! 

We've  all  done  it,  regretted  it,  and  many  of  us  still  have  'em  piled  up  in  the  loft,  spare  bedroom  and/or  the  garage  waiting  for  some  mug  to  come  along  to  palm  'em  off  onto  !!

Hi, CG. Welcome and good luck with your plans.

There's a lot to be said for buying a used van which has already had the bugs sorted out. There are considerable savings to be made by buying one a couple of years old and it’s not such a big hit to take if/when you want to change it.

There's little to choose between the UK makes and models in terms of build quality and reliability. See David's post re continental vans which might be an idea for you. Layout is very much personal preference and many people learn from experience what suits them best. I would definitely go for a single axle for manoeuvrability and to avoid any chance of attracting stigma abroad.

Ultimately, it's what suits you best.

Hello and welcome from me too. I can only echo what' already been said. And stress not over buying essentials 😂😂. 

does 'off gridding' mean using Aires to stop en route to destinations, or perhaps something a bit more extensive.... the more off grid and impromptu touring you go for, the more I would swing towards a MH....France, Spain, Germany are MHing heaven... with thousands of stopping places, on rivers, in mountains, in towns & cities, pretty villages....infact everywhere... however, this also applies to 'proper' campsites...so touring in a similar way in a caravan is equally possible, except that town/village Aires are for MH only... I see you have two dogs....perhaps these are the reason for thinking large twin axle van and an awning.... however, if your periods away mean one or two long stays at just a couple of sites, I might agree....but if you're hopping along, a day or two here, and then move on, exploring as you go, rather than from a base site with a car, I'd plump for a MH...and no awning.. chairs, table, awnings etc aren't allowed on Aires anyway...these are stopping (overnighting) places, not campsites... like AD, and others, we spend 2x 10-12 week breaks in France/Spain and elsewhere....but arriving at a 'destination' can take a fortnight... our bumbling along (calling in where we feel we should explore) might involve 7-10 stops of a day or two's duration, often using Aires... this type of touring is most definitely much easier using a MH... However, when we 'arrive' (we don't often know where this might be) we could stay on a (proper, full fat, pools, etc.....) site.....this 'might' be better served with a caravan and awning.....I'm thinking dogs and spreading out.... we don't have a dog, just the two of us, and we fi d a 6.4m van easily large enough to 'live in' as we spend most of our time outside, often only sleeping in the van itself.... so, plenty to think about....good luck

does 'off gridding' mean using Aires to stop en route to destinations, or perhaps something a bit more extensive....

the more off grid and impromptu touring you go for, the more I would swing towards a MH....France, Spain, Germany are MHing heaven... with thousands of stopping places, on rivers, in mountains, in towns & cities, pretty villages....infact everywhere...

however, this also applies to 'proper' campsites...so touring in a similar way in a caravan is equally possible, except that town/village Aires are for MH only...

I see you have two dogs....perhaps these are the reason for thinking large twin axle van and an awning....

however, if your periods away mean one or two long stays at just a couple of sites, I might agree....but if you're hopping along, a day or two here, and then move on, exploring as you go, rather than from a base site with a car, I'd plump for a MH...and no awning..

chairs, table, awnings etc aren't allowed on Aires anyway...these are stopping (overnighting) places, not campsites...

like AD, and others, we spend 2x 10-12 week breaks in France/Spain and elsewhere....but arriving at a 'destination' can take a fortnight...

our bumbling along (calling in where we feel we should explore) might involve 7-10 stops of a day or two's duration, often using Aires... this type of touring is most definitely much easier using a MH...

However, when we 'arrive' (we don't often know where this might be) we could stay on a (proper, full fat, pools, etc.....) site.....this 'might' be better served with a caravan and awning.....I'm thinking dogs and spreading out....

we don't have a dog, just the two of us, and we fi d a 6.4m van easily large enough to 'live in' as we spend most of our time outside, often only sleeping in the van itself....

so, plenty to think about....good luck 

Firstly what car do you have, as that will dictate the size of caravan you can tow, unless of course you intend buying a new/used car suitable for towing to start with. Both the Caravan Club and the Camping & Caravanning Club have a matching service so I'd suggest looking at one of those first to help you choose your combination. Here's the link to the CC's. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/choosing-a-vehicle/match-your-car-and-caravan/

Agree with nelliethehooker, find out what your vehicle can tow before looking at vans. take the kerb weight/mass in service of the V5C and times it by 0.85 and this will be the recommended weight of caravan to be towed, but you can go to 100% but not recommended. once you know this weight you can look at  the vans you like and check on the weight plate for the MTPLM that's close to your towing weight.

Hi cyclegladiator and welcome to CT. 

It looks like you have already received some good advice from members. The Club also has some information on our website that you might find useful:

Choosing the right caravan

Top 20 caravanning questions

Wishing you the best of luck finding your perfect 'van and let us know how you get on. 

...but before you do any of that....

youre spending upto 6 months 'touring' and the way you might do this (how quickly you move on, will you tour in a 'linear' fashion rather than the traditional caravan style of 'out and back, out and back') will (should) have a bearing on your mode of transport...

anyone who is going to be doings scores of stopovers will find things 'generally' easier in a MH than with towing a caravan ...

OTOH, if 'touring' is batting down to the med and sitting there for three months (done that too) then a caravan might be the answer.....

have a good think before you jump either way.....

good luck.

just for balance choosing the right Motorhome