[Closed] Should we buy a motorhome? Pro's and cons?

Hire one see what you think.

If you use it's they're a great thing but if you only use it twice a year don't bother

Every time I've done the maths, staying in up market B&Bs / Hotels has worked out cheaper unless you can basically live in the thing.

staying in up market B&Bs / Hotels has worked out cheaper

It is a bit of an apple/orange comparison though. Motorhoming is camping, so has a much more 'outdoor' bent to it, especially on the continent. If that's what you're after, hotels and B&Bs don't really cut it.

We bought one four years ago. Been thinking about it for years and in hindsight should have taken the plunge years ago. It gets used most weekends throughout the year and for our main holidays. Just had a couple of weeks in the Dolomites and Alps for the EWS. Was in the Peak last weekend and will be in the Dales this weekend. next big trip will be Zermatt and then down to Finale. Its big enough to sleep four in comfort and can get four 29ers without removing the wheels in the garage. Done 35,000 miles since we bought it and have had no regrets.

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Just bought one and collected it late May. Been away for a few weekends in it already. Alps / Pyrenees next year with the bike on the back and planning a few long weekends up in Scotland. Love it. Real home from home.

I keep mine on a storage site 10 mins up the road from where I live so dead handy. I can be pitched up in the lakes / dales / wales within an hour and a half.

Pros -
Easy to set up
You can wild camp - Get a solar panel for extra convenience
Home is literally where you park up.

Cons.
Expensive but do have great residuals if you decide to sell.

I know a couple who are retired and pretty much live on their motorhome, they rent out their house back in the UK.
I'd say it really depends on how realistic it is that you will get to use it in the time before you retire - by which time the motorhome itself will be pretty old if second-hand. The parking costs can add up too so research how much that is locally.
I'd be tempted to rent one first just to see then decide.

I can be pitched up in the lakes / dales / wales within an hour and a half.

You want to work on your routine fella, we can be pitched in about fifteen minutes, and that includes putting up the awning 😉

You want to work on your routine fella, we can be pitched in about fifteen minutes, and that includes putting up the awning

Thats from leaving home 😉

From my m8, the most annoying thing is that you can't pitch up setup you awning and unpack, only to find you then want to drive away to grab some milk.. & then the sugar you forgot the 1st time (or go for a day out). He's serious considering if a caravan would not be more practical/useful.

Not using ours so much now (5 years in), it was great for Scotland (lots of long trips, remote areas and pretty much everywhere done over 3 years, we find it less good for built up areas as much more of a pain to park/drive and you tend to stay in one place longer as there are more things to do/see(so house hire with car more practical)

We have a Nuevo ek, 5.7 metres full everything (kitchen, fridge with freezer bit, microwave, shower) which was the smallest we could get with full facilities. I’d say for remoting/ small roads exploring/ferries etc etc it’s great (and it fits on our drive) but you wouldn’t want it as your every day vehicle. Something bigger would give more space (I find making the bed every night a pita now so a fixed bed sounds great) it will be a pita to town drive and park but it won’t be much higher/wider/longer/less mpg than ours and the extra space may help. motor homes are pretty much spaces/facilities vs ease of parking/drveability you just need to pick your point on the curve.

Tips
Blinds that come up from the bottom are good(light in with privacy)
Windows with fly mesh are good(esp for Scotland)
External gas point is handy (bbq and saves cooking mess/smell inside)
Beware over 3.5 tonnes I **think** that newer licences do not cover these automatically/not sure/ check
Get proper motorhome roadmap as some bridges weight/height and some road widths exclude motor homes
If you’re using tolls/ferry’s a lot check how size/weightimpacts prices.
For bikes (we have a bike rack - with a Taylormade cover and lock with a 3m steel cable and a kanulock tiedown, works fine but I reckon a garage would be easier/safer
Get milenco quattro ramps (or ones with the same height)
REMEMBER TO WINTERIZE IT (drain water, silicone lube window seals)
Tyre covers (see eBay) help tyres last longer

Observations, I would say motor homing is increasing in popularity and (in uk) we found some sites full and that sort of took some of the flexibility away as rocking up and not being able to stay meant that we were tending to prebook esp the nicer / remoter places also some of the site prices are now more than a cheap hotel(Travelodge, premier inn etc) booked well in advance.(ditto with cheeky spots in Scotland, imho not so much fun when there are 6 people staying there)

Did you see the comment about vfm above

Does anyone else think that this will be a market that suits electric motors especially? (charge each night/plenty of space for big battery) And if so will that have a massive impact on residuals? Suggesting that our £35k investment might drop down significantly if the whole market shifts?

Frpom a weekend where I saw a whole electric taxi fleet and an electric police van it appears to be slowly shifting.

@z1ppy - your mate is an idiot.  Or you're just trolling

@hb70 - in the long term maybe.
There aren't many electric base vehicles available hence there are even fewer electric motorhomes. The only one I've seen in the flesh is based on a Nissan NV200 so it's great if you're very small and want to camp 40 miles from your house.

Good feedback thanks everyone

There was a long thread last year which went through all the pros and cons of motorhomes vs camping vs caravans vs hotels etc.

it's worth searching for as a lot of the issues were discussed

Thanks @ElShalimo will search that out. Apologies

Why is he an idiot? This is the worst thing for him and his parents (who also use it seperately), they've had one for 5 or so years, and find this part of owning one of the worst experiences. Not everyone moves night to night, they like to pitch up in those smaller out of the way campsites with no shop, and then find themselves packing stuff away to visit local stuff or go shopping..

Bought ours last year after 4 years with a caravan (T5 before that, trailer tent before that!)

We have 2 dogs so it’s great to be able to take them away, kennels are expensive, as are cottages/b&b which will accommodate them.

Caravan was a bit better for being in one place for a while as we had the car but a little more organisation means it’s not that big a deal. At a shade over 6m ours is ok in supermarket car parks etc.

Motorhome is far quicker to set up than caravan, water tank on board etc. Wild camping is easy too, we have solar panels, diesel heating and 2 gas bottles so have managed 4 days ‘off grid’ with no dramas.

Best additions other than the solar are the external gas point for bbq, external shower for washing legs after muddy rides (or dogs!) and the clips on the side to take the awning legs so that we can have it up on hard standing.

We keep ours on a storage site which also has this campsite attached, ideal for quick one night away type trips when we can’t be bothered to actually drive far.

Once work quietens down we’ll be off for 3 weeks in Oct/Nov and will just head wherever the weather looks best...

They hold their value extremely well too so although they seem expensive the depreciation curve levels out quickly after the first 3 years.

@z1ppy - lacking the ability to plan ahead and buy enough milk & sugar is nothing to do with the motorhome.

Moving the van to visit somewhere isn't that difficult but it's easier with a caravan or a tent as you just leave it there and drive the car.

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/caravancampervan/page/2/

Here is the longer thread. Thanks

I agree that was not a great example, but it was the lack of mobility that annoy them, as I said in the 2nd post, a day trip out from the base mean their (full) awning and stuff they've unpacked, need to all be packed up again. It as I say, is causing them to re-think their camper, I thought this was a valid point that should be noted?

I’ve been dreaming of renting one and taking it on a long European tour for years, I don’t think I’d buy one though.

Like someone else said looking at the Maths and it would be cheaper to stay somewhere with mains water, plumbing and electric, but I’ve come to realise that’s kind of the point.

I don’t enjoy camping, when I’ve stayed in a tent it’s because I couldn’t use a caravan for whatever reason, when I’ve used a caravan it’s because I couldn’t use a hotel etc. So it’ll only ever be a means to an end.

Some of my old colleagues were well into it, the £40k+ Motorhomes in fact the £40k+ homes towing a Toyota Aygo. To be it’s become a hobby in itself.

Still more power to them, it’s just not for me.

From my m8, the most annoying thing is that you can’t pitch up setup you awning and unpack, only to find you then want to drive away to grab some milk.. & then the sugar you forgot the 1st time (or go for a day out).

It's a mentality thing. You don't have to use the car/van for every trip

Equally if you have a big enough van and don't insist on having to pitch a tent next to it you can be rocking and rolling in about 15 minutes.

For us it's. Turn off the gas ,put away the drain tank , roll in the awning and fold up the outside chairs and put them in the boot.

If you must go to Tesco for every odd and end then I can see why that would be a hassle.

If we are on holidays we tend to dump the van on a site for a few days and go to/from on bikes .

If we are at events we tend to park in the thick of it with no reason to move

If we are away for a weekend we will park in lay-bys etc

Every time I’ve done the maths, staying in up market B&Bs / Hotels has worked out cheaper unless you can basically live in the thing.

Depends on so many factors impossible to state this without summarising background assumptions. For example if you buy a campervan or motorhome and only use it for a week every year then that is one thing....use it multiple times a year then you very quickly overtake the B&B comparison, especially when you consider you cant just book an 'upmarket' B&B or cottage for one night in the height of summer - often you can only book up for weeks at a time.

My take on this after 3 years of owning and running a campervan as a daily runner too and now looking to ditch it and get either a motorhome, caravan or just rely on B&B's/cottages/static caravans etc. is:-

Cons:-
expensive to buy and finance
expensive to run
PITA to drive around if a caravan or proper motorhome (campervan is no more inconvenient than a car)
Inconvenience if you can't park it on your drive and have to pay to keep it in a farmers field somewhere....then drag it out to prep it for use. If on your drive much more convenient and therefore likely to go on those spontaneous weekend getaway's

Pro's:-
You have it and it will likely cause you to get out when you might otherwise elect to just stay at home and potter about.
Offers up opportunities not open to you otherwise
Less need to plan so far in advance....most B&B's or cottages in popular areas are booked up a year in advance...those worth staying at at least.
Once you have one and if you use it then you soon forget about the cost as the value of having it far outweighs the cost....the old adage of knowing the cost of everything but not the value
Pro of a caravan -you have use of your car so don't have to pack away when you want to go somewhere...but not as much of a pro as you might think as with a motorhome you tend not to unpack as such so doesn't take long to prep the van to drive away - but then less convenient to thread through narrow streets of old villages and town's and park.

But ultimately caravans, motorhomes and VWT5 campervans hold their value very well so by the time you've owned it and enjoyed it for a few years then come to sell it, you've not actually lost that much money reinforcing the business case even more compared to the alternative.

The fact a motorhome might cost £40k is irrelevant if you can finance it and achieve affordable monthly payments. Get it on HP, run it for a few years and sell it and clear the finance. It becomes irrelevant what the cost of the vehicle is....it's all about can you get the finance on it.

It also makes a good spare room at our house....and a great spare room at the in-laws , and any of our friends when we visit.

My parents bought one when they retired, and they love it. Factors in favour of it though are that they have a dog (as said, dog-friendly accommodation is harder to get), and both have quite a lot on in their retirement so it's way easier to get away for a few days than it is to clear a week. They tend to go an hour or two away and just explore with the dog, although they've done a few bigger trips, the odd festival, etc in it. It's well insulated and heated so they do that all year round - big plus in a motorhome is that it's already warm when you arrive. They do have driveway space for it though so easy to stock up and go when they want to.

I spent a great weekend with my dad watching motor racing in it - that was just in a field with no hookup, etc and it had enough power and water to get us through a few days. Really comfortable, much easier to cook than in a tent (proper fridge, cooker, lots of worktop space, etc), and super quick to set up and pack away. I do see the appeal.

They have a bike rack and keep a couple of cheap old hybrids on there for popping to the shop if they forgot something. Really though with a big fridge and lots of cupboard space you'd only need to resupply if you're staying in the same place for ages.

I've always hankered after a camper, they work so well if you have MTB or climbing or similar as your hobby - and you have a dog so that traditional accommodation is harder to get.

But the costs of sites, storage issues, general faff and expense (and owning a cat not a dog so can't go away every weekend anyway!) have always stopped me. Plus now #vablife is so popular the wild camping cheeky spots are getting crowded.

So I am still camping with my tent - old school style!

we rented one for a few days in the alps this year (from wiki campers) - had a brand new 4 berth transit-based motorhome. I found it more of a compromise than I was expecting - the living in it bit was mostly fine (shower was a bit of a PITA), as was the amount of space to prep food), but it was noisy, fairly slow, and you had to drive really slowly on all windy roads for fear of lots of stuff falling about everywhere. This might be obvious (and would be the same in a camper), but it made crossing passes a bit of a labour compared to doing it in a car. With 2 small kids I don't think I'd buy one unless I had a massive shelter to give a bunch of outdoor space (the awning only works if its raining and the wind is going the right way).

As a 2 berth, future retirement vehicle I can see the benefits - If owning a vehicle is still a thing when I'm at retirement age, the grand california looks pretty nice

It’s a mentality thing. You don’t have to use the car/van for every trip

We just got back from a week away. We booked a site that was walking distance from the beach, but the waves weren't great for the kids to bodyboard. So we drove to another beach 6 miles away. Too far to everyone to ride and carrying bodyboards and beach paraphernalia isn't really possible on a bike. Because we had a caravan, it was easy. Also went to CyB another day.

So being able to use a vehicle changes what you can do. As does having a camper van, of course.

Wev'e got a caravan & love it, my mate has a MH & loves it. I know people who've had a caravan, then gone to a MH & back to a caravan & vice versa. I don't think either is 'better' than the other. A caravan suits us touring round where we do but If we went further afield IE France, Spain etc with longer distances to travel I'd probably prefer to do it in a MH.
We like the fact we can just leave the caravan pitched up & wander wherever the Xtrail that tows it will go. Stayed at Skelwith Bridge site last year & had a day out over Wast Water via Hardknott & Wrynose passes, wouldn't fancy hauling a MH over there.
Horses for courses & personal choice innit.

We bought one a few months back and love it. When folk are spending £40K+ on a new car that will be worth half that in three years, splashing out on something that hardly depreciates at all doesn't seem that daft. When you go to the continent you won't fail to notice that folk have practically given up camping in tents which explains why second hand ones are so dear.
Things we noticed:
Somewhere like Garda wasn't great as you can't park and get into the wee towns on the lakeside, nor can you drive up hills as the roads are too small. The Dolomites was much better with bigger roads up hills and cable cars to get you higher.
You can't fill up with lpg for cooking etc in Italy in petrol stations as its "vietato"!
Hide cash, documents and jewellery very well when parked, even for 15mins; we had unwelcome visitors who thankfully missed our stash.
We really like our minimal storage, maximum living space MH and don't miss a "garage". The bikes rack is bolted through a 3mm thick plate that goes the width of the rear of the cabin plus bikes have three massive locks on them.

Mrs and I bought a motorhome 10 years ago. We never regretted it as we used it regularly all over the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. It took us to places we never would've seen otherwise. We like it so much we shipped it over to NZ when we moved here and have toured all over both islands. My daughter was conceived in it!

It would be a definite yes from me. I've had one each year since 2008, mostly panel vans converted in to camper/race vans but a couple of proper fibreglass body campers too. Running costs to me are very low as I change vans each year and never get any depreciation to cover. It gets used a lot over the year 8-10k miles and a lot of trips. Just back from 2 weeks in the alps in it. Mine is equipped such that campsites are not needed and we didn't use one for the whole trip. In general europe is good at having places to park up etc.
Some folks would say you can stay in hotels for less or the same cost (which I don't see) but even if that were the case I'd take my truck every time. It's just like an extension of my house, has a lot of stuff packed all the time so going away just requires bikes, clothes and food to be added. in fact this weekend we went to Shropshire for the weekend to go riding to avoid the rain at home.

When you go to the continent you won’t fail to notice that folk have practically given up camping in tents

I guess that might appear to be true if you stay on motor camping sites. Just back from a cycle camping trip on the continent, and there were still plenty of people in tents on the campsites we stayed at.

ElShalimo

Member
@z1ppy – your mate is an idiot. Or you’re just trolling

It is for a similar reason that a colleague has just sold his motor home. Once set up in the campsite, awning in place, electric plugged in etc., that was it, he couldn’t drive anywhere without packing everything up. Where-as a caravan can be de-coupled from the vehicle, giving freedom of travel with the vehicle. I guess it depends on how long you plan on staying in one location and whether you want to visit places beyond what you cancel reach by bike/local forms of transport.

@doordonot Whilst it's easier to use your car once at the campsite, it isn't that much of a hassle to wind in the awning and reel up the electric cable and use the motorhome to travel around. Caravans and motorhomes both have their pros and cons, so it's just a case of working out what suits the individual and what type of touring.

I've used caravans in the past and didn't like that you had to load/unload the car and then load the caravan at your destination. Motorhomes are generally better for touring as they're easier to manoeuvre and can reach places that wouldn't be possible in most caravans. We have ours with all our stuff packed and ready to go and can also tow our small boat.

I really fancy one of the Crafter/Sprinter sized "Sport Homes" with the garage in the back. I do a lot of motorbike trackdays so it would be ideal for that too. As for the transport when you get to destination, if I was on a normal holiday I would get a little scooter to put in the back for nipping around on.

I have a trafic van at the moment that I use as a daily driver too. Only thing that puts me off the Sport Home is I would probably have to have a car as well as they are a bit big for a daily driver.

A timely discussion & certainly something the Mrs & myself have been thinking about & have considered most of the pros & cons already mentioned.

We have a VW T5 - fully fitted out as a camper with bed, fridge, cooker, pop-top, diesel heater, solar panels, tow-bar bike rack, wind-out & drive-away awning - all be it a 2004 converted job - but it looks decent & does the job.

We normally use the drive away awning & tend to use an external cooker (to avoid smells in the van) & can still un-zip the van & drive away to the shops / visits etc. Most recently we used the wind-out awning & have a privacy / safari room (sides & front) that were attached - but this made us feel 'stuck' as we could no longer just drive away - but we thought we'd try it.

With just the two of us it does feel 'cosy' & keep looking at motorhomes & caravans on campsites and are very tempted but are not persuaded by the 'cons'. We have a drive which can take 2/3 cars but we couldn't fit a motorhome or caravan on to it & still be able to park a car. We do also have a 2L estate car - with a tow-bar & electrics - (as does the camper van) but again the thought of having to keep a caravan somewhere else & the hassle of towing down narrow roads puts us off.

As we are both retired & would like to spend some of the winter in Portugal or Spain we are really tempted for something a bit more spacious & 'permanent' than our current set-up & a motorhome would certainly fit the bill. An internal toilet & shower would be good.

I could swap my camper for a motorhome but would then loose a vehicle that we can both drive as a 'daily driver' & go down to 1 car or buy a 2nd small runabout. If I had the space & canvenience of parking a motorhome on my drive / garden - then I might be persuaded it's the way to go - but although I am very tempted I'm not quite there yet.........

I wouldn't mind one of these (removes the hassle of not being able to drive about easily once parked up...)

As we are both retired & would like to spend some of the winter in Portugal or Spain

Mrs Kilos elderly aunt and uncle do this, every year they drive off for most of the winter, they say e bikes have been a great addition allowing them to tootle off without moving the van.

Bought one 2years ago don’t regret at all. Sitting outside having breakfast in sunny Dee-side just side just now.

Do shop around lots of different layouts and small things can make quite the difference. Find what works for you.

Buy a £10 damp meter off eBay and check all over. Even better pay for a habitation check and make purchase conditional. Damp can be a real issue and we almost spent £20k but fortunately got a check don’t 1st.

out of interest, why does no-one make a wind-out-awning that also has sides? It doesn't seem unfeasable to have 2 of those roller boxes (vertical, one at each end of the 'ceiling' one) all linked together through a gear system, then you could wind it all out in one go and back in one go..

I have used a fair few differnt camper vans / motor homes over the years.

Large coach built. Great to live in, awful to drive. ( permanent double bed and large garage.) This was right on the 3.5 tonnne limit. Proper fridge and cooker - one downside we realised after wards was e hardly sopke to anyone else because get back from a ride, cold beer is in the fridge and we can cook a decent dinner - so we never went to the bar!

Van based with hi top- better to drive but still not so great on wee highland roads - however not nearly so convenient. Bike had to come out to make up the bed. Fridge tiny, cooker next to useless, very limited water capacity

People carrier based with pop top- best to drive, worst to live in. Bed needed to be folded out and when you did it blocked the cupboards. No on board loo for nightime pees. Tiny fridge adn cooker.
For me each type has compromises and thus I tend to hire the right type for that trip. Other advantage of hiring is if you go to mainland europe you can fly over and hire there - so you get a steering wheel on the right side and cut out 1000+ miles of dull driving

Will I hire one again - certainly. Will I buy one - possibly when I retire. I simply would not use one enough now to be worth buying

My thoughts (read the full thread later)

We have just bought a T6 to convert into a camper and last weekend was the first one away. It rained most of the time but we still really enjoyed it even though the van is makeshift. The conversion will take me months so next year it should be in a recognisable camper state!

We stayed at a site and I have camper envy looking at the larger "proper" campers however we enjoyed being able to unhook from our drive away awning and moving about a bit. The people in the larger ones tended to stay put. Nothing wrong with that but I prefer the option to move around a bit from our base. My mate has just bought a larger camper and he has used it quite a bit but again they tend to stay put on the site quite a lot.

For me I can see that style of motorhome being more appropriate in 10 years when I retire. For now happy to use my Transporter and drive away awning.

We used to travel round France and Spain every summer when I was a kid, first in a Comma diesel minibus that my dad converted into a camper van. The we bought a BL Comma van with a Dormobile conversion and it was absolutely dire so we bought a VW camper with a Dormobile conversion and it was even worse, it broke down twice on holiday in France and rusted for fun.

I certainly wouldn't want one as they are so expensive to buy that people tend to hang onto them for years and I wouldn't want to end up trogging up and down the country in a worn-out, damp-smelling old vehicle that's got faded paintwork and rusty wheel arches. I narrowly escaped getting into a relationship with a woman who had one of those, which she shared with two fat stinking farting old dogs - thank God I saw that one coming.

@globalti - things have changed in the last 25 years

"I narrowly escaped getting into a relationship with a woman who had one of those, which she shared with two fat stinking farting old dogs – thank God I saw that one coming".

this is also optional

Very tempted by someting non T5 and two birth. Some of the smaller motorhomes have a toliet and wet room. This looks about right for two and a small dog for touring France.

https://www.webbsmotorcaravans.co.uk/used-motorhomes/nu-venture-moniche/

I don't want a mobile bungalow.

https://drivetribe.com/p/watching-motorhome-and-rv-crash-ZXCmDZ2vRHeMFb48zPkLlg?iid=Q9y6e_jSQaq6YZOXWBF9jg

Mercedes Vito Compact 2 birth here. Takes up no more room than a Momdeo Estate on the drive. Does 40mpg. Will do over 100mph easily. I prefer to drive it to my brand new CClass car.

I built it to use for myself primarily so it’s huge for that job. It’s main use has been to ferry me and my daughter to competitions all over U.K. and Europe. My daughter is now so well travelled in the camper we kind of ‘sense’ where the other person is when cooking and washing up. It’s like poetry now but for others less well seasoned I would imagine it’s a nightmare. I wouldn’t even contemplate it with the wife, she just has no sense of spacial awareness. I would have to kick her out when doing the dishes. With my daughter we can set the bed up, have a semi dignified pee and everything else even in a monsoon downpour. All this out of a 2 birth vehicle the size of a ford mondo.

We are about to embark on a trip to Dorset with 2 adults, kids and 2 dogs in it with an awning. Plans are for wife and daughter to use the van while me and my son and 2 dogs use awning. It’s a precursor for going abroad in it next year.

The thing is, I work in commercial motors. I stand this thing in at about 50% of what it’s worth. I have wanted one for about 20yrs. Even then it took me a lot of heartache to decide to get one. If I was in 95% of the people here’s position I wouldn’t even contemplate one

Just to back the figures up a bit on my van. Stands me at £8500. Is worth about £15,000

I have done Austria twice in it. Reckon those trips have saved me £1000 over the costs other parents have spent each time (I go with a mate so split costs). £2000 saved
7 x national comps which other parents have paid neck end of £300 each with travel and accommodation. We have spent about £100 each time on fuel as we wild camp. That’s another £1400
4 x GB meets ups on similar basis to above. Another £800

That’s £4200 saved over last couple of years. It makes sense for me to have the van

Incredible timing once again STW. We’ve just been discussing/planning our wind-down options. So your considerations have helped a lot. Ta!

... and I’m thinking that our kids may be allowed to borrow it occasionally too.

Hide cash, documents and jewellery very well when parked, even for 15mins; we had unwelcome visitors who thankfully missed our stash.

Please please don't. It's selfish and it's stupid. Please leave your valuables at home or keep them on your person. Don't encourage the scrotes to break into random vans in the hope of finding valuables hidden in them.

Cheers

Please please don’t. It’s selfish and it’s stupid. Please leave your valuables at home or keep them on your person. Don’t encourage the scrotes to break into random vans in the hope of finding valuables hidden in them.

Yes I'll just go on holiday with an empty van.

Ill take my passport with me swimming in the sea.

You can minimise it but the advice to hide the stuff you need is much more sensible

I think another mate of mine has the best of both worlds.
A T5 camper with a towbar & a caravan + awnings for both.
He can tow the caravan to site then go exploring in the camper & not come back till he wants to.
It's like home from home from home.