Choosing a Caravan

     Car                   Weight  85%   Suited 'vans          Weight

     Corsa 1.4             1180    1003  Abbey Iona              1000
     Corsa 1.7 DTi         1228    1043  Knaus Sport & Fun       1000

     Rover 25 1.4          1020     867  Fleurette Tamaris 31TE   750

     Focus 1.8 Saloon      1129     959  Bailey Scorpio 450/2     950
     Focus 1.8TD Estate    1194    1015  Avondale Dart 380-2     1000

     Astra 1.6 Estate      1160     986  Lunar Ariva GTS          950
     Astra 1.7TD Estate    1245    1058  Bailey Discovery 462    1041

     Xantia 1.8 Hatch      1264    1074  Bailey Ranger 380/2     1027
     Xantia 2.0 HDi Hatch  1361    1156  Abbey Rialto 390/2      1100

     Mondeo 2.0 Hatch      1285    1092  Compass Corona 362      1050
     Mondeo 1.8TD Hatch    1335    1135  Sterling Europa 390     1110

     Vectra 1.8 Hatch      1315    1117  Lunar Solar Eclipse 462 1100
     Vectra 2.0 DTi Estate 1450    1232  Coachman Pastiche 420-2 1230

     Omega 2.2 Saloon      1530    1300  Avondale Avocet DW      1300
     Omega 2.2 DTi Estate  1655    1406  Avondale Argente 555-4  1400

     Terrano 2.7 TD        1875    1593  Abbey Impression 520L   1500
     Discovery 2.5 TD5     2280    1938  Vanmaster Occasion 560  1900
     Frontera 2.2 DTi      1791    1522  Eccles Emerald          1425

With the sole exception of the Knaus, these are all British, but there are many more from other countries. Adria, Polar, and Freedom hail from Poland. Adria and Polar make some very nice mid-range kit, whilst the Freedom is aimed at the small car market.

Cabby, Hobby, Lord Munsterland, Burstner, and Tabbert are German, and these 'vans are large, imposing and very luxurious.

The Spanish Eriba's are rivals to the more modern Freedom, and Chateau are a luxurious French manufacturer, whilst Knaus take their slice from the mid-range share.

Not to be outdone, a Carlight Commander 182 EK will set you back a paltry £32,985! And you need a tank to pull it! Well, a Disco at least.

All the above are reasonably well-known in the UK, but I've only ever seen one Lord Munsterland over here! You may also see an American Airstream; their bullet-shaped aluminium hull gives them a quite distinctive appearance.

Of the many 'vans still on the move, you should also see names like Monza, Sprite, ABI, Cosalt, Cotswold, Elddis, or Perle, although sadly some of these manufacturers have since closed their doors for the last time.

In no case in the above list, have I ventured over the 85% limit. There is no legal precedent for this, it just allows a greater margin. The law states that no vehicle shall tow a trailer whose MTPLM (Maximum Technical Permissible Load Mass, or Maximum Gross Weight) is greater than the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.

Now, just because your car is capable of 90 mph, do you drive at that speed? No. It just isn't practical. So, loading any trailer up to 85% is more practical than loading up to 100%.

Taken from the list above, you can legally tow a fully laden Abbey Impression 520L (MTPLM 1500 Kg) with an Omega saloon, but the whole outfit will weigh over 3 tonnes! A Mercedes-Benz Atego flatbed truck could weigh less!

Sometimes, the numbering behind the names gives a clue as to the 'vans length and number of berths. The Avondale Dart is available in 380-2, 470-2, 510-5, 515-4, and 556-6 flavours. The 380-2 is a 3.80 metre long, two berth 'van, the 470-2 is 4.7 metres, again with two berths. I'm sure that working out the others won't cause a panic attack!

The Avondale Dart 380-2 is easily towed by a 1.6/1.8 Escort/Focus size car.

Sometimes, the listing is augmented by some lettering. Not so with the Abbey Vogue GTS, as the GTS is part of the name, but EB, (End Bathroom), EK, (End Kitchen), CK, (Centre Kitchen), FB, (Fixed Bed), TA (Twin Axle), are self-explanatory. The reason for this is so that a prospective buyer can tell the difference between models with an end kitchen or an end bed. A married couple with 3 young children may choose a 4-berth 'van with two double beds rather than a similar five-berth with a bunk bed, as the layouts will almost certainly differ.

On another ng CLIC (Campers Live Internet Chat), a nice young lady and her husband tow a Dart 475-4 with a Renault Scenic 1.9 DTi. The 'van weighs around 1250 Kg max, and to stay within the 85% scale, the Scenic ought to weigh 1470 Kg. But the Renault is much lighter than that! The owners have had some of the original kit taken out of the Avondale, and they don't load it to capacity, but they're still on 95%! They're looking for something a bit more substantial to tow with now.

The number of berths is quite important, honest! If there's five of you, you'll need to be very intimately acquainted to sleep in the same caravan, and if you weren't, well, you soon will be!

Conversely, if there's only two of you, a six-berth 'van may be a bit much.

Again, having said that, on Clic, another crony has a Vauxhall Monterey (Isuzu Trooper) and he drags an Eccles Elite Searcher around. This beastie is 21 feet long (6.35 metres) and has a permanent bed at the back. When coupled up, this outfit is the same length as a bus, and it's performance is about as sparkling, as the Monty weighs around 2300 Kg and the Searcher weighs another 1700, so the whole thing gross' at nearly 4 tonnes! He reckons it's adequate for him and his wife.

Well, their main holiday is 3 weeks in France (they live in Torry) and he's a Pipe Major, so they do competitions several times a year. The fixed bed is much kinder to his back than a traditional caravan bed.

A larger caravan with a fixed bed has some advantages and some disadvantages. One advantage is that a fixed bed usually has something a little more substantial around it than a curtain. So, if someone isn't feeling well, or is simply tired, they can go and have a lie down. Another is that the bed hasn't got to fulfill a dual role, that of night-time bed, and day-time seating. A disadvantage is, if you go on a club 'rally' with several others, you can't 'entertain' as you could in a differently specced 'van.

A rally simply means that a herd of 'vanners gather together in a field, where an early morning dump is usually followed by a howl of pain as the unfortunate discovers that behind the 'toilet bush' is a clump of thistles.... Talk about a sting in the tail!

One way of increasing the capacity of any caravan is to attach an awning. Awnings are available in three main flavours; full, the same length as the 'van, midi, about half the length, and porch, which is about 2 metres square.

A full awning can be sub-divided like a large tent, and have some more sleeping compartments if that is what is needed. Or a table and chairs. Or can be used as a sun-lounge, or simply as external storage.

The better-known awnings are made by Bradcot, NR, Isabella, and Dorema, although there are many more on the market.

So, how do you actually choose a caravan? Well, take into account your towcar, size of family, and budget, and lop off all those that fall outside the remit.

Towcar. To find the weight of it, either trundle off to your local weighbridge and physically weigh the thing, look in your handbook, or ask a car or caravan dealer. Then divide by 100, and multiply that by 85. That gives you the 85% that you need.

If your budget is, say, £750 and you have a Clio or similar, you can get a reasonable late Sprite 400 or early Cadet. The Cadet range replaced the 400, and has only 3 berths to the 400's 4. You won't have an inside washroom or loo, so, you'll have to either a) buy a toilet tent, b) go to sites where they have such facilities, or c) beware of thistles!

If your finances will stretch to £1500-£2000, a Perle Orestes (3- berth) or a 2-berth Freedom Microlite, are within your grasp, but if you can scrape more than £3k together, then you could have a very early Abbey Iona with 4 pits, or a cheapish Compass Lynx.

If you've got more than about £4-£5000, then new 'vans could be the order of the day, as a brand new Freedom starts from around £5k.

If you have an Astra/Escort sized tug, and a budget of under £1000, a Perle Argos, Cavalier 390T, or Monza 1200 could be suited. Caravans of this size will usually have an inside loo/washroom.

In the price range £1500-£2000, an Abbey Lincoln or Avondale Leda can be had.

Any Sprite Alpine shouldn't cost more than about £1500.

Assuming you have a Mondeo/Laguna sized car, for up to £1k, you could choose between a Windrush, Monza 1400 or an ABI Ace Globetrotter.

£2k could get you a Hobby Prestige, Sprite Musketeer, or an Avondale Leda, whilst another thou can secure a good Lunar Solar, Elddis Avante, or a Fleetwood Colchester.

£4000 puts you in Swift Challenger/Lunar Clubman territory.

With a Granada size towcar and less than £2k, you could be the proud owner of a 6-berth Sprite Major or Eccles Amethyst. Double that, and Burstners and Carlights are within reach.

If you add money to the above prices, you can start adding kit to the basic caravans. You need to add maybe £2-£300 for an awning, £150 for the mains hook-up, £350 for central heating, £100 for a shower... the list goes on. Just think sensibly about your needs, and if this is your first time 'vanning, keep making lists of things you'd like to add while you're away.

There is no reason why you can't take a TV, and video, as 12 volt models of both are available, as are microwave ovens!

So, choose your weap .... caravan!

For more Information Visit www.clicreports.co.uk

Chris