I call upon the caravan gurus!!!

[AlexD333]

So basically, for a while me and the missus have been planning a Europe trip, there will be occasional hotel stops but for a fair bit we were considering a Caravan.

Now I really so need some advise from the caravan experts in here (zippy springs to mind)

Can they be parked on the road without a car attached?

How do they attach to the terrano? Via chassis I presume?

Will I struggle as I am lifted ect?

Whats the cheapest caravan people can think of? Toilet not needed, just a box on wheels.

I've seen a few baby ones on eBay starting at 350 quid buy it now.

Can anyone shed any more light? :thumb2

 

[firebobby]

I don't leave my Cvan unattended ever. To easy to steal,
the Terrano tow bar bolts onto the chassis...holes are supplied by Nissan.
You can get drop bars for the tow bar, this will allow you to lower the ball.
Normally, the cheaper you go, the worse the condition, but you may get lucky.
They are great fun, we love going away in our van:thumb2

 

[makeitfit]

Buy my camper van :sly

 

[perelaar]

You sure you want a caravan? Quite a lot of weight to pull around, will limit you severely in where you can and cannot go, especially if you don't sleep in it every day.
For sure, speaking for Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, you cannot just park it anywhere and go to sleep; you'll need to go to specific camping sites.

 

[Sweety]

Rick had 1 or 2 tow bars knocking about if I remember right so i'm sure he would sort you out if you crossed his palm with a couple of notes:thumbs then fit either a 2" or 3" drop plate to bring the tow ball down to standard height :thumb2 Around here if a caravan is parked up on the street or one of the carparks on the estate the council has them towed away:doh but luckily we are allowed to store them on our drives

 

[firebobby]

You sure you want a caravan? Quite a lot of weight to pull around, will limit you severely in where you can and cannot go, especially if you don't sleep in it every day.
For sure, speaking for Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, you cannot just park it anywhere and go to sleep; you'll need to go to specific camping sites.

What!! Caravans are fantastic, you tow it to a site, pitch up and put the kettle on, you then have your car to drive around the area and explore.

Most caravanners will book a pitch on a site, prior to hitting the road, you then know you have somewhere to stay.

I know that I'm sleeping in my bed and eating from my plates and cutlery, I can get up when i want, eat when I want and I always have the caravan to do it all again.

 

[jims-terrano]

Most caravanners will book a pitch on a site, prior to hitting the road, you then know you have somewhere to stay.

We are talking about the same Alex aren't we:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

 

[firebobby]

We are talking about the same Alex aren't we:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

Oh yeah :doh :lol:lol
He will be fine, don't know about towing it through the bloody river though :augie

 

[solarman216]

Rick had 1 or 2 tow bars knocking about if I remember right yep tow bars galore so i'm sure he would sort you out if you crossed his palm with a couple of notes:thumbs then fit either a 2" or 3" drop plate to bring the tow ball down to standard height :thumb2 Around here if a caravan is parked up on the street or one of the carparks on the estate the council has them towed away:doh but luckily we are allowed to store them on our drives

not luck but a point of law, Rick

 

[jims-terrano]

You can just imagine it, Alexs truck fording a river and his caravan floating on behind. Mind you bet the caravan will look strange with scaffolding on to the front and back:lol:lol

 

[solarman216]

Caravans have problems, park on the road/hotel car park and stay in hotel fine park on road/carpark and sleep overnight likely to be arrested/moved on, so here you are at 4pm driving and looking for a nearby campsite but they are all booked up now at 10pm still driving and hungry still looking and all still booked up whats more many will not entertain late arrivals, been there done that, not for me, or you, great if you know where you will be next evening but that takes the freedom from the whole thing, that was what we liked about the narrow boat, stop when you want where you want any time any place, but that is changing they want you in marrinas over night at rubbish charges, that is why we sold the boat, Rick

 

[rustic]

You can just imagine it, Alexs truck fording a river and his caravan floating on behind. Mind you bet the caravan will look strange with scaffolding on to the front and back:lol:lol

Don't forget the 35" tyres and body lift..

 

[firebobby]

I always book a site in advance, I like to know we have a pitch for the night or how ever long we stay, unfortunately, that's the way of the world theses days, but I don't mind.
Our kids loved going away in the van, they met loads of friend over the years.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I think that if you do want to do something like that with a caravan, you need to do a few trips in the UK first, to get the hang of things.

Towing is pretty easy, but towing on the wrong side of the road, with the limited rear view provided but the passenger side mirror is a bit of a black art.

You will also for peace of mind, need insurance, and recovery, if you go abroad, but that can be a bit more difficult on older cars and vans.

To leave a trailer on the road, it must have working lights, regardless of whether attached to a car or not, which may not be very practical. Even leaving a caravan parked up on a caravan site may not be an option, as most expect you to return to them at night, and your caravan insurance definitely will.

One big problem I can see though, is your Bumpers... My dealings with the French, German and Dutch police is they love to pull cars with English plates for the tiniest excuse, so I think you would have a very slow journey to go anywhere.

Oh, and make sure you put your anti-roll bars on, and get a stabiliser... The lorries on the continent seem to travel faster than in the UK, and on single carriage way roads the bow wave from them coming in the opposite direction really do shift some air and knock the caravan about.

 

[AlexD333]

You can just imagine it, Alexs truck fording a river and his caravan floating on behind. Mind you bet the caravan will look strange with scaffolding on to the front and back:lol:lol

Haha your comment made me wheeze!! :lol:lol:lol

I love the accuracy of all the above comments too

Given some foreign complications of caravan parking ect this may not work out for me...

We will want to stop and go, not necessarily find a site and camp ect.

Perhaps like the other thread a macho tent and awning.. :nenau

 

[jims-terrano]

How about turning the truck into a temporary camper and get yourself a nice roof box to help transport kit?

 

[rustic]

I still think body lift and bigger tyres...

 

[makeitfit]

or buy my campervan :naughty

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I still think body lift and bigger tyres...

Is that an outboard on the back???

 

[perelaar]

'wild' camping is basically the same as parking your caravan next to the road (or in a field, forest, etc) - a big no no here