Caravantents

October saw the final results from the annual static caravan ownership survey.

This annual survey targets feedback from new static caravan owners who have purchased a holiday home on a UK holiday parks, and is seen by many as the most comprehensive survey of its kind.

With the launch of many new luxury specification caravans the average sales value of static caravan holiday homes continues to increase. New sited static caravan prices now range from 15,000 to well over 100,000.

Many new owners have reported that Static Holiday Caravan ownership has brought many lifestyle benefits over the past year including;

Encourages more breaks with friends and family
Gets my husband away from the office
No more packing everything we need is kept in our caravan
Friendship and community with other owners
Children love caravans!!!!

The survey results also gives help and support to prospective new owners as they are able to learn from people with real life experience. Suggestions included;

Find the best pitch
Location, Location, Location
Facilities on the park are crucial to owners
Dont buy more than one and a half hours from your home
Why not buy with friends

As with previous years the main negative feedback came from owners who have sold their static caravan a short time after purchase and have been subject to heavy depreciation.

Other concerns included damage to van when subletting, high site fees and the inflexibility of some holiday park ownership contracts.

A spokesperson advised Many people enjoy huge lifestyle benefits from static caravan ownership whilst subletting to subsidise the cost of ownership. We urge prospective customer to complete as much research as possible prior to purchase to ensure they make the right long term decision. As with any capital purchase (such as a new car) if you make the wrong choice and wish to sell a short time after purchase, depreciation becomes a major factor.

Buying a static caravan on a UK holiday park is now more popular than ever with people in the UK taking more eco friendly UK short breaks.

When using such holiday homes safety is of paramount importance when traveling with your friends and family, especially the LPG gas supply used as fuel for heating, hot water and cooking.

Some holiday parks are now converting to central storage of LPG gas supply that is linked to all static caravans on the site to improve safety, however most static caravans in the UK still have independent LPG cylinders stored adjacent to the caravan.

Many owners consider large red LPG cylinders to me unsightly, often spoiling the view from idyllic holiday locations. Most LPG cylinders have had a very hard life with dents and flaking paint and make even the most recent models of static caravans look unappealing.

These cylinders currently have no protection from the elements or from tampering and vandalism.

Some owners we have spoken to have tried to box in these cylinders, however there are many rules and regulations regarding issues such as ventilation and advice should be gained from a Corgi registered engineer before completion.

As a result of these issues an innovative UK company has produced the first Gas Cylinder Cover designed for Static Holiday Caravans.

This product is designed to keep 2 LPG Cylinders safe and secure whilst using a range of colour options to help owners match with their static caravan.

Should this product be a success there will be an instant improvement in the look and feel of many static caravans based on UK holiday parks, especially if supported by the park operators.

We could also see an extension in the life of LPG Cylinders, reducing costs and helping the environment.

It is common for static caravan owners to rent out their static caravan to generate additional income. The level of additional income will depend on the numbers of weeks per year for which the caravan is rented for.

One of the main considerations of renting out a static caravan is the cost of marketing the van to ensure adequate levels of booking. There are two main means of marketing. First, is to self promote the caravan to fulfil bookings. Secondly, the park operator will often market and rent your caravan for you. They will look after the entire process including organising bookings, payment, cleaning etc. The park operator will however take a commission percentage of the rent as their fee.

If you are marketing your caravan yourself there are several options:

Friends and Family easy and reliable option
Word of mouth repeat business no marketing costs and simple
Local Press Advertising – cheap means of advertising
National Publications e.g. Daltons Weekly
Own Website technical and difficult to operate
National 3rd party websites can be cost effective

In addition of the marketing, you will have to also deal with:

Advertising and Marketing
Dealing with enquires via phone or email
Collecting and chasing deposits
Collecting and chasing balances
Confirming bookings and terms and conditions
Dealing with issues such as cancellations
Cleaning and maintenance

The most cost effective form of direct marketing for owners is often friends and family as this requires no financial outlay. Many people also like this approach as these users tend to be reliable.

So caravan owners will opt for the park operator subletting their static caravan on their behalf, simply because it removes a lot of the work load associated with renting the caravan yourself.

What is North Face?

The North Face is an outdoor product manufacturing company, specializing in products like jackets, tents, fleece wear, luggage, and shoes started by Douglas Tompkins in 1966. Their clothing and equipment lines are specifically aimed towards climbers, mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders, and hikers.

Mr. Tompkins sold the business in 1968, and The North Face is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the VF Corporation, one of the World’s largest apparel companies, owning leading brand names such as Wrangler, Lee Jeans, Riders, Rustler, Brittania etc.

North manufactures three main types of tents: Expedition, 3-season and Ultralight tents.

North Face Expedition Tents:

North Face Expedition Tents include the 2 Meter Dome, Himalayan 47, Expedition 36, VE 25 and Mountain 25. All these tents are constructed with Waterproof Flysheet technology – Polyurethane coating, hot-sealed seams with polyurethane tape, and welded Velcro strips on fly attached to poles for added stability. Except for the 2 Meter Dome, they also come with a polyurethane window, cold crack tested to 60F. Price ranges from 400 to 5000.

The 2 Meter Dome tent offers maximum space and wind resistance, mainly intended for expedition activities. Features include dual doors, interior canopy loops, 420 denier nylon taffeta floor, and 210 denier nylon Oxford canopy. It is the most expensive North Face tent.

The Himalayan 47 is designed for resistance against weather conditions such as high winds or heavy snow. Features include dual doors with dual vestibules, compression stuffsack, internal pockets, internally adjustable zippered vents with mesh screens, reflective guyline loops, guylines and glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls, etc.

The Expedition 36, VE 25 and Mountain 25 are specifically designed for high wind resistance. Their features include most of the Himalayan 47 features such as dual doors with dual vestibules (for the Mountain 24, a front vestibule), internally adjustable zippered vents with mesh screens, reflective guyline loops, internal pockets, etc.

The Himalayan 47, Expedition 36 and Mountain 25 all come with 70 denier 210T nylon taffeta floors, and 40 denier 240 T nylon ripstop canopies.

North Face 3-Season Tents:

North Face 3-Season Tents include Trailhead 864, Merlin 33, Petrel 23, Roadrunner 22, Bug 23, Rock 22 and Talus 23, with price ranging from 180 to 400.

The Trailhead series come with 70 denier, 190T nylon taffeta canopy, 210 denier Oxford nylon floor, and include integrated roll down dividers for separated sleeping compartments. The series number indicates the number of people that can be accommodated.

The Petrel 23 is a freestanding, front-entry, two person tent – a backpacking staple for three-season use. The Roadrunner 22 is a two person tent with Waterproof Flysheet Construction. The Rock 22 is constructed with Continuous Pole Sleeve Technology which increases tent stability by maximizing contact between canopy and tent pole, and distributes pressure and weight from high winds and snow; and both the Bug 33 and Talus 23 with Fusion Pitch technology which combines continuous pole sleeves with clip construction for easy setup and improved ventilation.

North Face Ultralight Tents:

North Face Ultralight Tents include the Tadpole 23, Particle 13 and Vector 22, with price ranging from 200 to 230. All the three models are constructed with Waterproof Flysheet technology, with 40 denier 240T nylon ripstop canopy and 70 denier 210T nylon taffeta floor.

The Tadpole 23 is a two-person tent with Fusion Pitch, while the Particle is a lightweight one-person tent with a silicone flysheet for ease of packing and water repellency. The Vector 22 is a freestanding, two-person backpacking tent also with a silicone flysheet and dual doors.

All the Ultralight tents are equipped with the common North Face tent features such as compression stuffsack, fly only pitching, internal pockets, DAC Featherlite aluminum poles, reflective guyline loops and zipper cording etc.

Why use lightweight and ultralight tents? Because a heavy tent is one of the biggest obstacles to lightweight backpacking. You have to cut the weight of the “big three” (shelter, backpack and sleeping bag) to really go light. How do you choose one, though? Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Are you claustrophobic? Some ultralight tent designs are really just fancy bivy sacks. For those who hate tight squeezes, it will be like sleeping in a coffin.

2. How tall are you? If the length of the tent is only a few inches more than your height, you’ll be touching the walls. This probably means getting wet from the condensation on them.

3. What do you do in a tent? If you just sleep, total floor and head space are not important. If you normally play cards with friends for hours, you’ll need a design that allows for that.

4. Do you backpack in bad weather often? If all you plan to do is camp on nice summer nights, you can just look at the cheapest lightweight tents, and worry less about quality.

5. How much have you budgetted for a tent? More money equals a lighter tent, but if you can’t get it light enough on your budget, you may want to consider going even lighter – and cheaper – with a tarp shelter.

6. Which is more important to you, fast set-up or lightest weight? Hopefully you’ll find a tent with the right balance, but keep your preference in mind when shopping.

More About Lightweight Tents

Single-layer tents (without a rain-fly) will usually have more condensation inside. This is true of even those that claim to be waterproof and breathable. It is less of a problem with the newer designs that have a lot of screenventilation area, because air circulation is as important as “breathable” material. These materials just don’t breath that well anyhow.

Test your tent. It’s no fun spending 20 minutes setting up a complicated tent in the rain. Also, it can be worse than inconvenient to tear seams because of a design that stretches everything so tight you have to fight with it. Try the tent in your yard or living room, before you head into the wilderness. That way you can return it if it won’t work for you.

There is only one totally enclosed 2-person ultralight tent that I know of under 3 pounds. It’s a single layer, but the forward sloping door allows for a large screen area, to keep air-flow at a maximum. This keeps condensation to a minimum.

There are “floorless” tents, which are specially cut tarps which typically use your trekking poles for support. One of the lightest of these is a three-person design that weighs less than 2 pounds. I haven’t tried it, but it gets good reviews, and it is in the weight range I like for ultralight tents. You have to bring a groundsheet with this type, so figure that weight into the decision.

Unfortunately, I’ve discovered the hard way – four tents and counting – that you tend to get what you pay for with lightweight tents. That’s one of the reasons I backpack with a tarp.

When choosing a static caravan you will probably look for the holiday park which meets your requirements and then move onto the caravan. Selecting the right holiday park is vital to ensure a long term ownership.

Now for the caravan and looking for the right caravan to suit your needs. Most of the Parks will deal with majority of the manufacturers. If buying directly from the park you will probably deal with a salesperson instead of direct with the manufacturers. You can collect brochures direct from the manufacturers to research all the models and specifications which will not only ensure you choose the correct model but also help you to understand what to look for and choice of different models. To see the caravan you can visit them at key caravan exhibitions as most top manufacturers will display there, see events.

The static holiday caravan has been designed for holiday use instead of full time living. With its modern construction and use of high quality materials the static caravan should be built to British and European standard: BS EN 1647 but some luxury caravans are built to BS 3632 confirming to residential standards.

Normal static caravan can come in either one or two sections with width up to 22ft and 60ft long. If you have a one piece model this is a single unit and the two piece is known as a twin and usually assembled on site.

Decide on how many bedrooms you require as most caravans can be from 2 to 4 bedrooms but up to eight berths. Manufactures will normally have their own layout but will offer a number of ranges depending on your budget.

When it comes to size and specifications you should not only look at all of your own needs but if you are sub letting then there maybe other requirements. This decision should be looked at before purchase, maybe make a list of what you need and what is needed for sub letting.

Budget will normally make your decision also how often you use the caravan and again if you going to sublet. If you will be there for long periods of time then it may be worth spending a little extra to gain more living space or an extra bedroom but if only there for short periods and subletting you may opt for the standard size and specifications hopefully providing you with a better return.

If you like to travel but you like even more the feeling of freedom, the solution is obvious: a caravan. Long ago travelling by caravan meant giving up your comfort, nowadays this is not an issue. The ‘home on wheels’ gives you the wonderful feeling of freedom and security unique as well as all the comfort you need.

The desire for freedom, the atmosphere associated with the caravan hitched up to the back of the car and the smell of food cooked in the warm air of a beach campsite are the elements that make people love this way of holidaying and travelling.

No matter if the taste for travelling by caravans was raised by the memories of the excitement of arriving at the campsite when you were a child or by the need of coming back to the roots when people where travelling free, the enthusiasm of caravanners is infectious. The caravan offers a return to simpler holiday pleasures.

By returning to the origins of caravans and caravanning, you can find this way of travelling at gypsies and showmen who spent most of their lives in horse drawn caravans. Another historic fact for the story of caravans is that the world’s first leisure caravan was built by the Bristol Carriage Company in 1880 for Dr. W. Gordon-Stables. It was an 18 ft design, based upon their Bible Wagons, which the Doctor named “Wanderer”.

Now anybody can buy a modern caravan. Of course there are different sizes, from tiny two-berth caravans with no toilet and only basic kitchen facilities, to large, twin-axle, six-berth caravans with all the luxuries of a four-star hotel.

In the last 2-3 years the popularity of caravans and caravanning increased in the UK, maybe due to the excellent summer weather, the fear of travelling abroad due to worries over terrorism, large increases in house prices, which provided people with the ability to raise capital by re-mortgaging their homes or just the need for a simpler holiday and more freedom. No doubt one of the reasons for the growth in popularity of caravanning has also been enhanced by the improvements in quality and facilities making caravan holidays possible at any time of the year not just summer months.

The features of a typical mid-range, modern caravan should be: GasElectric powered refrigerator, GasElectric powered stove, oven and grill, GasElectric powered water heater, one or more beds, some of which double-up as daytime seating, electricity supplied by battery or external hookup, toilet with removable disposal tank and flush-water tank, shower, Radio, TV aerialsatellite dish. They may also contain the following: Air, External barbecue points, Tow hitch stabilizers, CD players, awning or screen room, clothes washer and dryer, microwave.

Camping Tent Footprints What Are They and How Do You Select the Right One?

Most people who camp frequently know they need a weather resistant floor in their tents. Usually, this knowledge is learned the hard way through experience. What are tent footprints and how to select the right one?

One might assume that a tent they just purchased comes with a built-in floor. In fact, many tents do not come with a tent floor. For those that do, they may not have a weather resistant floor. That’s where tent footprints come into the picture.

Not only does a tent footprint provide you with protection from the elements such as water penetration into your sleeping surface, they also prolong the life of tents that come with their own tent floor. Footprints are designed to take punishment and much wear and tear.

This all leads to the next question: How does one select the right tent footprint? Actually, it is very simple in many cases. This is because most tent manufacturers make tent footprints as accessories to each of the tents in their lineup. Because of this, you can usually find a footprint custom made for your tent. Just search for the footprint made for the tent you own or are purchasing and it will match perfectly.

In other cases where you need a specifically sized tent footprint for your tent there are many selections available for general tent use. Models such the Eureka Floor Saver line are an example of general purpose tent footprints that you can purchase.

When fitting a footprint to your tent you want to make sure it meets the following criteria. 1) The footprint must have the correct dimensions to cover the entire floor size or your tent. You want it to be large enough so that when you fasten it to the ground, it protrudes slightly from the tent floor outline. 2) The footprint must have a rugged and easy-to-use fastening system. Usually, you’ll find a stake and ring system. 3) This is a personal preference item, but make sure the footprint has a color that compliments the tent interior.