Canvas is great until it gets wet and has to opened up again when you get home to dry it out . Been there done that , but now we have a Euro Van sunseeker and its bloody marvellous. Fibreglass body , bed , kitchen and set up from start to finish with a cup of tea and a biscuit takes about 15 minutes on average.
Thank you for a great tip! You’re just like me, got a problem, think about it and then just solve it🎉. Or is it just a mom-thing?😉 Keep up the spirit! 🤗
Thanks for posting you raise some interesting questions. I have 4 children, 3 boys aged 10, 10 and 12 and a 14 yo daughter. My wife cannot stand caravanning with her children so it’s just us. We did have a 2011 Bailey Pegasus Ancona 6 berth from new which I sold at the start of Covid and made money on. It was a great van, but very very large and not an enjoyable towing experience. I’d like to get away with the kids, while the still want to, but with a smaller caravan, more easily towed with the view towards towing it further afield. I drive a Tesla Model Y with a 1600kg max towing capacity so I’m open for any buying advice! Thanks for the great info on the channel!
You’re very welcome, and good on you for going for it! Making some great memories with the kids, 100% agree on your plan to go for it whilst you can :) My rule (for myself) was always to make things as easy as possible to try and de-stress things as much as poss I.e. I didn’t mind going far, but I’d do it slowly and with loads of snack stops! Easy also included not being embarrassed to motor mover the van onto the pitch if the kids were arguing (no chance of reversing it properly with zero external help and bickering going on!) and making sure everyone had jobs to make set up/pack down easier, we didn’t need a laminated checklist which could be ticked off as jobs were done, but maybe with 5 of you trying to work together (your tribe are the perfect age to be good at jobs) that would lead to maximum team work/minimum bickering??? Also, when my two got a bit older and needed their own space Decathlon fresh and black pop up tents were ideal as an easy setup (each did their own), around the back of the caravan as long as the weather was ok, or angled under a small canopy type awning if it wasn’t, so at least they could get into the van without getting wet if it was pouring down. Not sure sites would be too keen on loads of “pup” tents though and a caravan, sbut as your daughter if the eldest she at least might appreciate a bit of private space. Or maybe even a 2 berth caravan would suit, they usually have decent end bathrooms and good long sofas for everyone to sit/eat. Obviously you’d have to use it with an awning every time, maybe a small awning but with a sleeping pod on each end, then up to 2 sleep inside + 2 in each pod. It wouldn’t be possible to do overnight stops with no awning, but at least it would give you good daytime indoor space but small towing…? However you work it out, all the best wishes for your adventures!
Very informative
some really good ideas to get families thinking there Becky. 👍👍
Canvas is great until it gets wet and has to opened up again when you get home to dry it out . Been there done that , but now we have a Euro Van sunseeker and its bloody marvellous. Fibreglass body , bed , kitchen and set up from start to finish with a cup of tea and a biscuit takes about 15 minutes on average.
Thank you for a great tip! You’re just like me, got a problem, think about it and then just solve it🎉. Or is it just a mom-thing?😉 Keep up the spirit! 🤗
Thanks for posting you raise some interesting questions. I have 4 children, 3 boys aged 10, 10 and 12 and a 14 yo daughter. My wife cannot stand caravanning with her children so it’s just us. We did have a 2011 Bailey Pegasus Ancona 6 berth from new which I sold at the start of Covid and made money on. It was a great van, but very very large and not an enjoyable towing experience. I’d like to get away with the kids, while the still want to, but with a smaller caravan, more easily towed with the view towards towing it further afield. I drive a Tesla Model Y with a 1600kg max towing capacity so I’m open for any buying advice! Thanks for the great info on the channel!
You’re very welcome, and good on you for going for it! Making some great memories with the kids, 100% agree on your plan to go for it whilst you can :) My rule (for myself) was always to make things as easy as possible to try and de-stress things as much as poss I.e. I didn’t mind going far, but I’d do it slowly and with loads of snack stops! Easy also included not being embarrassed to motor mover the van onto the pitch if the kids were arguing (no chance of reversing it properly with zero external help and bickering going on!) and making sure everyone had jobs to make set up/pack down easier, we didn’t need a laminated checklist which could be ticked off as jobs were done, but maybe with 5 of you trying to work together (your tribe are the perfect age to be good at jobs) that would lead to maximum team work/minimum bickering??? Also, when my two got a bit older and needed their own space Decathlon fresh and black pop up tents were ideal as an easy setup (each did their own), around the back of the caravan as long as the weather was ok, or angled under a small canopy type awning if it wasn’t, so at least they could get into the van without getting wet if it was pouring down. Not sure sites would be too keen on loads of “pup” tents though and a caravan, sbut as your daughter if the eldest she at least might appreciate a bit of private space. Or maybe even a 2 berth caravan would suit, they usually have decent end bathrooms and good long sofas for everyone to sit/eat. Obviously you’d have to use it with an awning every time, maybe a small awning but with a sleeping pod on each end, then up to 2 sleep inside + 2 in each pod. It wouldn’t be possible to do overnight stops with no awning, but at least it would give you good daytime indoor space but small towing…? However you work it out, all the best wishes for your adventures!