I would feel unsafe living in a tent. Imagine in the middle of the night, someone cuts open the tent with the knife. Finds the car keys and drives off with it. Or worse, kills you.
In a campsite surrounded by lots of other people, many of whom will be in tents (not necessarily attached to their car/van, what would make you the prime target?
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Laughing youths set fire to homeless man’s tent while he is still INSIDE and throw rocks at him
www.thesun.co.uk/news/9085878/homeless-man-tent-du.../
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Laughing youths set fire to homeless man’s tent while he is still INSIDE and throw rocks at him
www.thesun.co.uk/news/9085878/homeless-man-tent-du.../
That is indeed a terrible thing, but I fail to se the relevance. That chap was there because he had no other options.
Someone who 'goes camping', is not going to choose to do so in a park in a city, they will be doing so in a campsite, or a remote spot in the back of beyond somewhere.
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I would feel unsafe living in a tent. Imagine in the middle of the night, someone cuts open the tent with the knife. Finds the car keys and drives off with it. Or worse, kills you.
As our dear departed friend Avant might have quoted, in my case, if anyone entered my tent uninvited, he or she would find that "“It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine"
;-)
Edited by Alby Back on 01/04/2021 at 16:45
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I would feel unsafe living in a tent. Imagine in the middle of the night, someone cuts open the tent with the knife. Finds the car keys and drives off with it. Or worse, kills you.
If you worry that easily, you should try camping in the Rockies, with bears wandering about. Been there, done that - admittedly 55 years ago ....
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I once set fire to my own tent. Not deliberately of course, but it was a combination of it being a bit windy, a barbecue, some over volatile sausages, and me containing too much gin at the time...
:-(
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I would feel unsafe living in a tent. Imagine in the middle of the night, someone cuts open the tent with the knife. Finds the car keys and drives off with it. Or worse, kills you.
Can do that in your own home as well...easy enough to kick in a door/window...think you worry too much.
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Looked at camper vans and quickly realised that I am no Ray Mears!! Pretty basic is a kind description. Then looked at motorhomes, not bad but cramped unless you go for a larger conversion. Hired one to see but having to repack stuff and disconnect services if you drove for a pint of milk to the nearest shop soon became a chore. Settled for a decent caravan. Once there, unhitch, set up and you have your vehicle for travel and your home settled in one spot. caravan for me every time.
Cheers Concrete
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Settled for a decent caravan. Once there, unhitch, set up and you have your vehicle for travel and your home settled in one spot. caravan for me every time.
Cheers Concrete
Exactly the process we thought through.
Came to idea of a (motor)caravan from camping with kids between from pre primary to A level. Aside from the time/inconvenience of packing everything to go out for the day there were any number of occasions where I'd gone off with one or both children for bread/supplies. Whilst we were away members of the party sorted coffee and got the table, jam butter and cheese plus cereal The Lad needed all ready.
Since we got the caravan in 2014 she's done sorting while I get bread etc.
Easy peasy.
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I've done both...and both have their negatives and positives..
For me, it was always the length of time spent "on site"...caravan was great for a few days or more..but I never liked towing.!..but I did love having a "home" to come back to after a good day out.
Campervan...less room but great for those overnight stops (2 nights max) if you want to keep moving on.
We use the Estima now for those overnight stops but I doubt we'll be doing many of those this year..too many others will be wanting to do the same and sites are already heavily booked I understand.?..though at least with my Estima I can usually find "somewhere" to rest.
I was a fan of social distacing well before Covid came into our lives.!!..lol
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One of my retirement projects is to do what my neighbour has done and buy a decent van and convert it. There are kits available for all the units, a bit like the flat-pack stuff you can buy for the house. In his case he got a professional company to cut in the windows and do the electrics and gas, to ensure all regs are followed. Also with cutting in windows you want that done right first time, I wouldn't risk doing that myself. He's done a nice job, by looking at it you wouldn't know it was a DIY conversion, it's a very neat job based on a SWB high roof Transporter. Then I would do a tour of the UK, Scotland and across to the Shetlands taking a few months over it. Then I would sell the van for hopefully what it cost to buy plus the conversion.
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he got a professional company to cut in the windows and do the electrics and gas, to ensure all regs are followed. Also with cutting in windows you want that done right first time, I wouldn't risk doing that myself.
One way around paying someone to cut the bodywork and fit windows would be to buy 2nd hand side and rear doors from the minibus version of whatever van you buy. Of course unless you were lucky enough to get 2nd hand doors the same colour as your van, you will still need to have them repainted, but I'd guess that would cost less than buying new 'camper windows' and having them fitted. At the very least, this would give you windows on both rear doors and the N/S slider, but if the van you bought happens to have twin sliding doors, just buy another minibus door and seat it up. The minibus door windows will open, or at least have opening sections.
Having lived in Shetland through all my school years (apart from about the first 6 months), I do have a strong link to them, but even so, I'd urge you to take in the Western and Orkney Isles too!.
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"Having lived in Shetland through all my school years (apart from about the first 6 months), I do have a strong link to them, but even so, I'd urge you to take in the Western and Orkney Isles too!."
Yes, thank you. Still many years away but no harm in gathering some ideas...
I have plans of taking a campervan on the overnight ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick, leaving the van somewhere safe for a month while doing voluntary work on Fair Isle, before returning to Shetland to explore the rest. I was hoping to visit Fair Isle in 2019 but the observatory burned down and then the pandemic stopped everything anyway.
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"Having lived in Shetland through all my school years (apart from about the first 6 months), I do have a strong link to them, but even so, I'd urge you to take in the Western and Orkney Isles too!."
Yes, thank you. Still many years away but no harm in gathering some ideas...
I have plans of taking a campervan on the overnight ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick, leaving the van somewhere safe for a month while doing voluntary work on Fair Isle, before returning to Shetland to explore the rest. I was hoping to visit Fair Isle in 2019 but the observatory burned down and then the pandemic stopped everything anyway.
Cheaper to use the ferry as a foot passenger and hire a camper on Shetland - the ferry fare for cars, motorhomes and caravans isn't cheap - despite the subsidy.
There are a few B&Bs on Fair Isle besides the Observatory accomodation (as was and hopefully will be in future)
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Thanks for that suggestion, it's another thing for me to think about. I think the observatory will be rebuilt by the time I retire, despite the difficulties they've had.
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Campervan...less room but great for those overnight stops (2 nights max) if you want to keep moving on.
I've never contemplated owning a 'van' or towing, but I have enjoyed a couple of campervan holidays in America. Both kinds of vehicle have plus and minus, but whichever is chosen it always means a second vehicle in addition to a daily driver - which means being able to keep it somewhere safe, extra insurance, etc.... A neighbour's campervan was nicked off his drive a few years back - fortunately it was recovered fairly promptly.
As with a canal boat, I would always borrow someone else's, not have my own.
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A reason why I resisted buying a proper camper/motorhome is that lack of use. Most likely it will be only used few days a year which does not justify the huge upfront cost.
I never intend to "live" in a van, but prefer something for one-off adventures couple of times a year. I can see my family [2 adults + 1 child] fitting inside a van for 1-2 nights max - not any longer.
For this, possibly an MPV is ideal. Spend most of the days outside. Then at night fold the seats flat and good enough bed. If doing wild camping toliet is not an issue ;-) and for proper campsite there is always an option to carry a separate tent and porta potti. There are some portable inverters available in Amazon which can power a 220 V fridge for few hours. For cooking, a camping stove is all what needed for 2-3 days.
Typically a Ford S-max or similar sized MPV ticks all boxes for this. An MPV can also be used a daily car so need for any special vehicle for camping trips.
On a different note, I read that MPVs are getting out of fashion in favour of SUVs. I don't think SUVs are as versatile as MPVs.
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On a different note, I read that MPVs are getting out of fashion in favour of SUVs.
That has been the case for well over a decade now.
I don't think SUVs are as versatile as MPVs.
As for versatility, if that is something which appeals, you need to be looking at a bigger Japanese import MPV. With multiple seat positions like swivelling the middle seat or bench to face the rear, or turning the middle bench 45 degrees to push the back against the O/S which is just perfect for a family day out!. The MPV's we get and got in this country were never anything like as versatile.
In that respect, a big SUV can be just as versatile as the big MPV's available here, past and present, though the ultimate volume of space inside may not be as high due to the higher floor.
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On a different note, I read that MPVs are getting out of fashion in favour of SUVs.
That has been the case for well over a decade now.
I don't think SUVs are as versatile as MPVs.
As for versatility, if that is something which appeals, you need to be looking at a bigger Japanese import MPV. With multiple seat positions like swivelling the middle seat or bench to face the rear, or turning the middle bench 45 degrees to push the back against the O/S which is just perfect for a family day out!. The MPV's we get and got in this country were never anything like as versatile.
In that respect, a big SUV can be just as versatile as the big MPV's available here, past and present, though the ultimate volume of space inside may not be as high due to the higher floor.
Which is why I went down the import route and bought my V6 Toyota Estima MPV 5 years ago..truly a multipurpose vehicle.
It is my every day vehicle (though my wife has a new Yaris too.) and is used largely as a day van and a camper when we need it to be.
It's been a decision I have never regretted.
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