Comprehensive listings and data

WILL YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR CAR?

QFirst and foremost – and especially if you are new to towing a caravan – you should follow the 85% guideline. This states that when fully laden, the caravan should not weigh more than 85% of the tow car’s kerbweight – so you’ll need to find out the latter figure before you can start to consider which caravan you might want to buy.

If you find a caravan that complies with the 85% guideline with your existing vehicle, then all you will need to do is have a towbar fitted (if it doesn’t have one already).

That way, you save yourself all the hassle and expense of having to buy a bigger car and in particular of ending up with a car that, when you are not towing, you might think is too big for you.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO USE THE VAN FOR?

QThis is much more than just a question of deciding how many people are going to be sleeping in it, and going from there. For example, it might surprise you to know that some caravanners don’t view going somewhere in their caravan as going on a holiday at all: they just use it to get away to a local destination, for perhaps one or two nights at a time, or as a convenient base for pursuing their outdoor hobbies, such as hillwalking or fishing.

If that’s you, then you might only need a very basic caravan, with minimal washing and cooking facilities, and possibly not even a fixed bed.

However, if you’re planning to use your caravan for what most people would probably think you use it for – as a comfortable domestic-style basecamp for a family holiday – then you possibly do need a larger tourer, perhaps one with a fixed bed.

WHERE WILL YOU BE TRAVELLING?

QFor some, this might seem to be a relatively minor point, but if you think you are likely to be using your caravan abroad most of the time, it might make sense to go for a Continental model that still has the door on the Continental side.

The advantage of this is that you will be able to match more easily with infrastructure on European caravan parks, and it is much easier to get into the van if you need to when you stop on the road.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SLEEP?

QOne popular layout, particularly for seasonal tourers, is an island bed in the rear (usually with the washroom behind it), with the kitchen in the middle before you get to the front lounge.

Such a floorplan is appealing because a couple can use it for touring mostly by themselves, yet still have enough space to bring along guests (or grandchildren) for short periods of time.

This layout could be less successful, however, if you are likely to be touring extensively as a family. Parents probably still want a double bed of their own, but older children and teenagers might not like just having the front lounge to call their own.

WILL YOU BE DOING MUCH COOKING?

QAs a rule, caravan kitchens are likely to be larger than those you find in a motorhome, and they are certainly better suited to accommodate families. But dealers still tell us that they sometimes take a caravan in part- exchange and find the oven has never been used and its fittings are still in their original packaging.

That said, you will definitely need at least one mains socket, for the kettle and/or the toaster in the morning.

DO YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE A VAN WITH A FANCY WASHROOM?

QEven if you don’t use the washroom very often, it can still serve as a useful place to hang wet coats to dry, or leave your awning if it hasn’t dried by the time you need to head home (if weight/loading restrictions allow).

WHAT ABOUT THE AWNING?

QAwnings can make all the difference to a caravan holiday, providing you with double the amount of space or more to move about in.

They also offer you a bigger area for mealtimes, so you can take your foldaway table outside and leave the caravan’s front lounge seating up as a bed or an area for watching TV. The awning also offers (relatively secure) storage for bikes and barbecues.

DO YOU NEED ANY EXTRAS?

QA motor mover can be a godsend to help shift your caravan onto the pitch if you might struggle by just using brute force, or your own reversing skills.

A self-levelling system removes a great deal of hassle when trying to level your van, and means you don’t have to use up valuable storage space with levelling blocks.