Caravan and Motorhome Club CEO tries out the Dacia Bigster

The Caravan and Motorhome Club’s new Chief Executive, Harvey Alexander, tried out the Dacia Bigster and its Sleep Pack in June. Here’s an extract from an article published in the September/October Club magazine, showing how he made the most of this innovative outfit…

Recently Harvey took his 10-year-old daughter on a ‘car camping’ adventure. Their outfit for the weekend was the Dacia Bigster, a comfortable SUV fitted with the innovative Sleep Pack and a tailgate tent.

What's included in the Sleep Pack?

“The Sleep Pack is really smart,” says Harvey. “It’s all contained within your boot space – you simply flip over a board that creates the base for your bed and undo the mattress, which lies across that. It has simple, innovative window blinds that were easy to install (that was my daughter’s job!).”

How long did it take to set up?

“It probably should have taken about 40 minutes to set it up, including the tent at the back [please note that, under the Club’s rules, all ‘car camping’ outfits must be fitted with an additional tent]. But actually it took us more like an hour and a half as we kept stopping to talk to members and site staff. As it’s such a new concept, everyone wanted to talk to me about it. It was actually pretty intuitive – we could probably do it much quicker next time.”

More about the campsite and surrounding location

The pair enjoyed a couple of nights at the Daleacres Club Campsite in Kent. Also home to Experience Freedom yurts, it’s a great place to stay if you would like to explore the seaside town of Hythe, take in the unusual ‘lunar’ landscape of Dungeness, or fancy a ride on the small-scale Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway.

Harvey made sure he did his research before the trip. “I used Lizzie, our new, 24-hour digital assistant to find a campsite up to an hour away, that was located near great things to do,” he says. “Lizzie came back with a number of recommendations but, in the end, I opted for Daleacres because it’s right next to the Port Lympne animal reserve. You can actually walk to it from the campsite up (quite a steep) hill.”

So what does Harvey think is behind this trend for alternative types of camping accommodation?

“I think it’s all about simplicity. There are lots of brands that are offering the ability to sleep in or on top of your car because they recognise that some people want these ‘pop-up adventures’ or ‘micro adventures’ as they are being called. And obviously we want to welcome members [with these vehicles] to our campsites. The fact that we have hot showers and all the facilities you might need is perfect for them. We certainly used all the facilities at Daleacres, and they also had a food van there at night and first thing in the morning which was another bonus (thanks Lizzie!).

Find out more about the Dacia Bigster, along with available Dacia Accessories. Find your nearest Dacia Retailer.