Camper vs. Motorhome vs. Caravan

Camper vs. Motorhome vs. Caravan

Author
Discussion

martin01

15 posts

172 months

Friday 19th December 2014
quotequote all
A motorhome is a much better option for touring in Europe, you can stay for free at many Aires in some beautiful parts of the France and those that charge are very reasonable. I love fishing and have found many free Aires alongside lakes, rivers and canals. Also look at France Passion, you can stay for free in thousands of places in France.

Regards,

Martin

flatso

Original Poster:

1,240 posts

128 months

Saturday 20th December 2014
quotequote all
Martin, thank you for the suggestions, the France Pssion concept sound great. However we will be traveling with 2 small children and as such I don not think that moving on from place to place every 1-2 days is exactly what we want to do.
I am looking at US motorhomes (RV's) and travel trailers (caravans). Obviously the sheer size of these is very attractive...the european versions of look like a cruel joke in comparison. What I cannot understand is why no european manufacturers have adopted the slide-out concept that seems to be so popular in the states. I have read some german forums on this slideout absence from the european market, and it is always argumented that it is technically difficult to get these slideout constructions to be watertight. The americans seem to have been offering this for a few decades now, so surely they have come up with some sort of solutions for this.
It looks to me that the european caravan manufacturers do not want to raise the market expectations....does anybody else smell a market niche here?

Squiggs

1,520 posts

154 months

Saturday 20th December 2014
quotequote all
I'd say motorhomes are best - especially for Europe - where you can stop at aires (for motorhomes only) and the like.
The thing is the bigger you go the more restricted your adventures can become.
Something the size of a coach is going to have access problems - it isn't going to make it down every country lane, you'll probably be limited to parking up somewhere that has hard-standing and you won't fit on aires and the like. (Similarly you'll be seriously frowned upon if you start putting out awnings, extending sides etc at aires)
I've always liked the idea of a (smaller) motorhome (to allow for exploration) and having a caravan. Pull up on site and you've got two living spaces, twice the accommodation and twice the amount of beds. But then if you leave the caravan on site to go exploring in the motorhome and stay out overnight you've suddenly only got half the space you had.
A large(ish) motorhome towing a car allows for a certain amount of exploration I guess - and you could park the car within walking distance enabling you to use aires. The car allows further exploration but you need to return to the motorhome for your bed.
There's good and bad points to all the options and so no perfect solution - but whatever you choose you'll have fun.

flatso

Original Poster:

1,240 posts

128 months

Saturday 20th December 2014
quotequote all
Squiggs said:
I've always liked the idea of a (smaller) motorhome (to allow for exploration) and having a caravan. Pull up on site and you've got two living spaces, twice the accommodation and twice the amount of beds. But then if you leave the caravan on site to go exploring in the motorhome and stay out overnight you've suddenly only got half the space you had.
This does seem to be a good combination, either a van based conversion (Sprinter style) or a more daily driver oriented vehicle such as a T5 California or Viano MarcoPolo with a popup roof towing a decent caravan.
There are some modular style kits that can slide into a regular transporter style van, tranforming it from a people carrier into a camper.This way you don't have to drive the entire furniture with you allyear round when you want to use the van as a daily.
Is there anybody here with such a combination?
The CMT Messe in Stuttgart is probably the second largest Caravaning Expo in Germany after the Düsseldorf show...17-25 January 2015.

heebeegeetee

28,591 posts

247 months

Sunday 21st December 2014
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flatso said:
Martin, thank you for the suggestions, the France Pssion concept sound great. However we will be traveling with 2 small children and as such I don not think that moving on from place to place every 1-2 days is exactly what we want to do.
I am looking at US motorhomes (RV's) and travel trailers (caravans). Obviously the sheer size of these is very attractive...the european versions of look like a cruel joke in comparison. What I cannot understand is why no european manufacturers have adopted the slide-out concept that seems to be so popular in the states. I have read some german forums on this slideout absence from the european market, and it is always argumented that it is technically difficult to get these slideout constructions to be watertight. The americans seem to have been offering this for a few decades now, so surely they have come up with some sort of solutions for this.
It looks to me that the european caravan manufacturers do not want to raise the market expectations....does anybody else smell a market niche here?
American motorhomes have been on sale for a long time here and in Europe, but they are expensive to buy due to their size and depreciate heavily, which gives an indication of what the market thinks of them. They're not renowned for their build quality either and are heavy on fuel (and everything else).

I think its fair to say that if the market wanted them, it would have them. There are European slide-outs available though, from the biggest motorhomes right down to panel-van based campers. smile

flatso

Original Poster:

1,240 posts

128 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
quotequote all
heebeegeetee said:
There are European slide-outs available though, from the biggest motorhomes right down to panel-van based campers. smile
Perhaps my search has been dominated/centered mostly on the german manufacturers as I live in Switzerland, but I struggled to find any slideout offers on the market (exept 1 british manufacturer). I would be greatful for any suggestions.

Thank you and a Merry Christmas to all

nagsheadwarrior

2,779 posts

178 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
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Frankia did a slide our a few years ago, Hymer are looking to launch one for 2016.

Do not under estimate the huge servicing and running costs of American motorhomes in Europe, massively inefficient, dated design, impractical size and very very dubious build quality.

flatso

Original Poster:

1,240 posts

128 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2014
quotequote all
The biggest drawback of some american motorhomes is probably their size, but honestly some class C and B coaches are not as gigamtic as they are made out to be. Obviously only diesel engines would make any sort of sense here. As for outdated....its not as if the trusty Ducato base is a staple of modern refinement.
Anyway I am curently leaning towards buying a MB Viano Marco Polo that can also perform daily duties and possibly towing a caravan with it. The Viano comes with a 3.0 V6 diesel, self leveling air suspension in the back, the possibility of 6 seats and is surprisingly enough a lot cheaper then the VW T5.
Does anybody here have any experience with a Marco Polo campervan?

A Merry Christmas to all

Stevemr

540 posts

155 months

Wednesday 24th December 2014
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I dont get camper vans really. Not had a caraven for 20 years, but spent 2 years from 1992 to 1994 travelling round europe with a 4 wheel caravan towed by a nissan patrol.
Advantages of this type of rig:-
Accepted on nearly all sites, would not want to rough camp with kids. Nor on my own these days!

When on site you have a base and a sensible vehicle to explore, go to shops, go to lake with wind surfers/canoes etc. With a camper you loose your pitch possibly, you have to pack everything away, they are a pain to drive down narrow roads, parking is an issue etc.

If one of you wants to go off they can, leaving other and kids in caravan!

With a caravan you can double the living accommodation with an awning. This is a massive benefit, especially with kids.

We would typically stay in an area 1 to 2 weeks then explore all round it.

Sites are a lot cheaper out of season, on several we were the only ones there.

I think for like for like accomodation a rig will be way cheaper than a camper.

For example you could currently buy a new kia sorrento for £21400 and a new 26 foot twin axle for less than 20K. I dont think 40K goes very far in camper terms.



flatso

Original Poster:

1,240 posts

128 months

Wednesday 24th December 2014
quotequote all
The idea is to get a van (or camper ala T5 California or MB Viano Marco Polo, so decent in size) as a daily / tow vehicle and a caravan when we go away for a longer period of time.
This way you have a vehicle with which to explore whilst leaving the caravan on the site, but its also a roomy vehicle that can provide extra sleeping space. On site you could have a tent between the caravan and the campervan.

I am looking to rent a MB Marco Polo to see how it works out.

flatso

Original Poster:

1,240 posts

128 months

Thursday 25th December 2014
quotequote all
Or for short spontaneous getaways where you do not necessarily want to pull a caravan, a camper van with a tent extension (the extension can be left on site if you want to explore) can be a good option.


berlintaxi

8,535 posts

172 months

Friday 2nd January 2015
quotequote all
flatso said:
I am looking at US motorhomes (RV's) and travel trailers (caravans). Obviously the sheer size of these is very attractive...the european versions of look like a cruel joke in comparison. What I cannot understand is why no european manufacturers have adopted the slide-out concept that seems to be so popular in the states.
Slide outs are very heavy and therefore not popular in Europe with higher fuel coats and lower vehicle weights, also the supply chain from the US is only just starting to get itself organised.
Look at people such as Morelo if you really want a slide out now, although you'll need deep pockets.