Looking at Buying A Motorhome. Advice Welcome!

I hope you are making a good recovery Steve. I am sure you will find a MH less stressful across the board than even a small caravan. It’s one of the reasons we decided to buy our MH, so much less to do and think about than readying a caravan, and it sits on our drive ready to roll on a whim. All we do before setting off from home is basic safety checks, put some water in, put the bag of techy valuables in, shove the dog in and roll. Incidentally, we kept our old van. Intend (honestly😂) doing it up to use as a bolt hole left somewhere, but we just haven’t got on with it partly because we are out and about all time in MH. It should have been our lockdown project in truth, but others things took priority. 
I would investigate a solar panel for MH as well, keeps things ticking over, gives you a bit more scope for some very basic stops if you fancy. Mind, we don’t carry a TV or any electrical stuff that requires a lot of juice.

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

Interesting observation AD. We have remarked that some MH models don’t have decent windows, and can possibly appear a bit too closed in for us. The big windows are one of the things we enjoy about our choice. We often pull up somewhere, get out the bino’s and spend a while bird/wildlife spotting in the dry and warm. Much better than being glued to a TV screen. PVC’s are much more of a compromise, you have to go with what the conversion safely and practically allows, but some have big rear doors, side doors, so still plenty of fresh air and light. Like you, we live outdoors when we can😁
This was our view last Summer. Glorious beach just below dunes. Window was wide open because of heat, we had just got back from a swim, airing out MH before eating outside. It’s UK by the way😉

Which only goes to show how different people are, David.🤷‍♂️

I'll be the first to admit that having 4 people in our PVC is simply not meant to be but with the 2 of us, we do far better than 'manage', we live comfortably even when confined to barracks by the weather of the Northern Isles. Btw, we've not done away with the TV or outside chairs and have the wind out canopy for the occasional day when the sun shines.

I think it's largely mindset in that we appreciate the benefits of the small van and that makes us willing to adapt. If someone doesn't really really want small, they're never going to he happy in it. 

True Tinny. We were frugal caravanners, even in our 13 foot Windrush. We have always preferred ease of set up/getaway, but have always been comfortable in our very small choices. Won’t suit all folks, we are all different, but it works very well for some of us. And that’s weeks away, not just the odd few days. If the weather was set to be nice in Cornwall, we often just shoved the awning under the van, and lived properly outside in day. Even to point of leaving bed set up. We holidayed with three big dogs in our van as well, but never cramped. You just shoved a dog up a bit😂

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

The other consideration is taking it out for the day, whether from home or when you're away. You'll have everything with you and smaller vans are much easier to take to places. 

I haven't felt any more cramped sitting with friends in a motorhome than a caravan, I feel they're all a bit cramped for indoor gatherings but some like to meet up and it's fine either way.

Since Brexit you won't be able to load up with consumables if heading to the EU so you'll be joining in a bit more with the locals and carrying a bit less weight in the van!

It has not been a problem for us getting ready to move, when on a tour with either our two MCs or any .of our caravans before or since our 10years of using  motorised caravans, just gives us more places to go when pitched up with a caravan, but we have normally travelled light ,unless when the grandchildren came and we would spend 21 nights on one site usually near the sea

A final thought; I had a heart attack in Spain in late January 2020 and the thought of just jumping into a M/H instead of pushing & pulling a caravan for the last couple of feet has an appeal!

Steve

Sorry to hear that and hope you are now well mended? Might that be the reason for the relative radio silence recently? Certainly a good reason to be thinking motorhome! Not quite the same situation but we had an incident with our last caravan where the mover wasn't working and we had to get it back into the garden up a slight slope. We realised how futile it was and realised our days of moving a large caravan around by hand were over. I think it was that one incident that tipped us towards changing to a motorhome, we were already halfway there but that is what finally gave us the push we needed. This is our 8th year of motorhome ownership and we do really appreciate the simplicity getting ready to go and arrival or even stopping en route compared to our experience with a caravan in the latter years of our caravanning days, but others will disagree.

David 

 

Absolutely brue. We were on standby to sorn our MH for another month, but won’t if we can travel a bit further afield for day. It’s the safest day out option by a long way for us, our own facilities, our own eatery. Day trip heaven😁Even in the rain😉 Park up, walk or cycle ride, back to base for a meal, chill out watching birds, head home.