Due to a change in jobs, I've just sold my campervan. Over the last few years the way we used it was surprising - we mostly used it over winter for short notice weekends away, usually up to the Cairngorms - either Aviemore or Braemar areas. Summer it barely moved.
This has me thinking about the practicalities of having a touring caravan, but on a seasonal pitch over winter but in storage over the summer for the most part - summer holiday fortnight notwithstanding. Seasonal pitch changing to a new location each winter.
How habitable is a caravan over the winter - can it be a cozy cottage getaway feel or is it always a damp, condensation ridden & mouldy place it's unpleasant to spend any time/relax in?
Obviously I need to weigh up the costs of owning / storing a caravan against how many nights in an AirBnB that represents, but as a concept it's interesting to me.
So any experiences of using a caravan in Winter/all year round?
Thanks
It depends on your caravan.
I use mine for work and winters are fine, lovely and cosy. It's got a full programmable wet central heating system and underfloor heating though
We've done year-round touring caravanning. Did it with very young kids too - headed to Aviemore each December for years. Hook-up utilising a small fan heater to supplement a big oil-filled radiator was enough to keep it nice and cosy, but did mean leaving them on almost all the time. Managed more than OK despite temp not exceeding -6degC for days at a time. We saw -14degC at the coldest at Glenmore.
We had a Hobby which I suspect might be on the better-insulated end of the spectrum in caravans. Had a button on the control panel for underfloor heating but TBH I never felt much effect. Winter cavaranning was the only time we used the carpets in the caravan.
Other issues to consider:
- both the fresh and waste water tanks freezing
- gas freezing (better with propane)
- caravan door freezing itself closed (happened one after slight thaw in the sun and refreeze.
At least with not moving it around much you'll avoid towing in snow. Nerve-racking but we survived. Initially used Mrs a11y's Freelander 2 before swapping to a Transit Custom van, both with all-seasons.
Bonus points if you BBQ in those conditions 🙂
I've never had anything freeze up, but I leave the heating on at 21 degrees
I’ve never had anything freeze up, but I leave the heating on at 21 degrees
Onboard fresh water tank was fine, but the Aquaroll and external waste container were both frozen up for us. Didn't get them defrosted until we got back home!
I've done it loads in Austria in the winter. Having a winterized caravan/camper does help (extra insulation and water/waste tanks in a heated part of the van etc) but it can be done with a 'normal' van, too. If you are going to be in area with a lot of snow then a longer roof chimney is a must from the gas heating, not a problem with campers as it's generally on the side. I always put a bucket under the waste water outlet on our caravan rather than wheeled tank and emptied it daily/when full. You have to elave the heating on all day too at a low level if you are expecting sub zero temperatures.
Your biggest problem is going to be making sure there is absolutely no weater in the system when the van is not in use as ice can easiy break water pipes and heaters. Do you really want to stay in one location for the whole winter? I always think that is the biggest advantage of carvans and campers is the mobility aspect.
Thanks all. Been useful information so far
Do you really want to stay in one location for the whole winter? I always think that is the biggest advantage of carvans and campers is the mobility aspect.
Good point - but the big benefit of the Camper was seeing on a Thurday that the weather for the weekend was looking promising then jumping in the 'van and heading off. If there was an extra step of picking up a caravan from storage (it won't be on my driveway) then driving for a couple of hours up north, in the middle of winter, then it just wouldn't happen/work.
We bought a hymer for 5k. Probably warmer than my house in winter 😉 Its a 2002 so quite old but was well looked after and TBH the interior is still better than some modern ones. Certainly better made. Has a decent level of insulation in its alu/insulation sandwich construction, is never damp, on board tank and big battery so it will run off grid ok too. Has a proper double bed/bedroom and a decent U shaped sofa that surrounds a good size table. Kitchen has a 3 burner hob and gas oven/grill and room for microwave in a cupboard. Would be perfect to live in for a while.
Only downsides are:
Its solidly built and 7.5m long so it needs a big car to tow it. Smaller ones are available.
The door is on the 'wrong' side being German. Some sites won't let you in but not many.
If you could stretch up to 10 you'd get a Hymer that rivals a new caravan from a UK brand and it would be fine to live in all winter.
I lived in a 2007 Bailey for a winter, was fine. You're basically after a caravan which has the 4 seasons certification, I forget its name off my head but most modern vans in the past 20ish years will meet it normally
We have ours on a winter seasonal pitch every year, from October to March.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Currently a ‘16 Bailey Unicorn Rimini. </span>
Means we still get to enjoy it without the hassle of towing on often wet and salty winter roads.
Never had an issue with cold; we have an insulated cover for the aqua roll and it’s hose. Has done the trick so far.
Bonus points if you BBQ in those conditions
I BBQ all year round, coldest (so far) is -16 and i had to shovel the snow off the deck first.
You’re basically after a caravan which has the 4 seasons certification, I forget its name off my head but most modern vans in the past 20ish years will meet it normally
Not even in Scandinavia unfortunately. If you get one that's supplied locally, it'll have it (my tiny 4 berth does, electric underfloor heating, over specced hot air and water heater, extra insulation etc).
But a lot of people import them from germany, as they are a lot cheaper and (unsurprisingly) not very well insulated or specced in heating terms.
just to add Braemar remains open for winter and you can book a pitch for the winter season in advance. Think its a 3 month term last time I checked, but that was years ago
Modern ones are great and rated down to low temperatures, even UK made ones. We dont have a modern one, just old fashioned plywood and polystyrene jobs and they are also fine in winter. The heaters are ferocious, but they do use a fair bit of gas ofc. Even our old 2000 one is dual fuel electric/gas but it's only 1.6kW on electricity rather than 3kW on gas. Fine for overnight usage though. And yes you can run them both together.
UK ones have "grade 3" insulation which means usable to -15C I think.
Our Buccaneer Cruiser is a 2016 model and was one of the rare years to come with GRP, rather than aluminium sides, which probably helps.
All the big Bucc's from around then onwards will have the wet central and underfloor heating. You can really feel it underfoot. If you get a model with aircon added, they often have a hot air blower for a quick blast too
We use ours in the garden all year round. A portable fan heater is useful to unfreeze the bottom of the door if it rains and then freezes. Oil radiators keep it warm, it is much more thermally efficient than our house that is for sure. If we are staying somewhere without showers then clearing condensation from a family all having showers is the only problem.
We were away in ours in January, warm as toast, & 3 weeks ago which was warmer than toast.
Luckily ours is on the drive, but there’s storage nearby if we needed it.
We wouldn’t be without ours.
