First trip in my camper van.

delynet

I bought a 2006 Benimar Sport 690 two weeks ago and my family and I had our first trip last weekend. I knew nothing about camper vans a few months ago. Read all sorts including some advice not to buy and stay in hotels with the money.

My kids are 8, 10 and 11 and I figured if we did not do the camping thing now we would never do it as a family in a few years. I went with a 7 berth as I wanted that extra space.

Happy to report that our trip went well. We stayed on a campsite in Keel on Achill Island. Arrived, plugged in and the kids headed off to the beach. Couple of showers one night and you can really hear the rain when you're using the bed over the driver. Just something to get used to I suppose.

The other thing I need to tweak is that I got up at 06:00 to go for a cycle. As I moved around the camper rocked a little bit. I am missing one of the anchor things which would take it off its suspension so something for me to fix.

A very positive experience for the first venture into camper vans.

Kathnora

Good to hear your trip went well. My issue with camper vans is that when you stay in a campsite and then want to explore the area or just drive to a supermarket you have to pack away all the cups and loose objects etc before going anywhere where as with a caravan you can leave it as it is on the site and simply drive off.

delynet

I bought a bicycle and did all the shopping with it.

I hear what you are saying though, we wanted to go down to Keem Bay and that would involve packing everything away.

On a positive, when it came to heading to the restaurant on Sat evening the kids had no choice but to walk as they were hungry. Nice bit of time together that could easily have been skipped if we drove.

Kathnora

My experience is with caravans and we did a lot of touring in Europe when the children were younger. So, when it came to staying on a campsite in France or Spain for a few weeks at a time we set up the van with the awning and then we were free to tour the area, go to the local beach or village without the hassle of packing up everything. I guess it depends on where you want to use your camper van. If you are happy to stay on the site and maybe move frequently then the camper suits your purpose ...each to their own plan.

CelticRambler

Nice to see another Benimariste on the forum - we're a rare enough breed!

The "packing up" side of things (or rather "spreading out" ) seems to one of those "residential" habits that many people find difficult to change, and often it seems to go along with parking their motorhome on a campsite - just as you would a caravan!

For years, we travelled with four children and never had any frustration on account of the packing up. Each child had a box for their "stuff" with the simple rule if it doesn't fit in the box, you can't have it while we're on the road. The box stayed in their bed-space, and when it was time to move, each child packed up their own stuff; five minutes max!

As for general shopping - do it before getting to your destination. It's dead easy to arrange a break on the journey for fuel and grocery shopping at a supermarket, and everything gets packed away right out of the trolley. When you're parked up afterwards, going out on foot or by bike or bus is much easier.

For the most part, we never stayed on campsites (except for city visits) - so many much nicer places off the popular tourist trails.

autumnalcore

Kathnora wrote: »

My issue with camper vans is that when you stay in a campsite and then want to explore the area or just drive to a supermarket you have to pack away all the cups and loose objects etc before going anywhere where as with a caravan you can leave it as it is on the site and simply drive off.

We certainly would spend longer packing and preparing for a day out in the car than putting things away in the camper. No thinking involved it's all going with you. If you like staying put then a driveaway awning takes care of most of the unncecessary packing/repacking. We'd usually spend no more than 2 nights in one place and catch the shops on the way to the next place.

CelticRambler

The phrase "a place for everything and everything in its place" is a great rule to live by when you get really into genuinely nomadic holidays. We have a collection of tupperware and similar containers of different sizes that fit perfectly into the main kitchen press. Each one has its purpose, e.g. all the herbs and spices are in one place. When cooking or eating, the whole box comes out, people take what they need and put the bottle/packet/grinder back straight away. Tidying up then is a doddle - just put the whole box back in its place.

Ditto for kitchen utensils, cutlery, toiletries, USB cables, CDs ... Get organised and enjoy the trip even more!

m8

Had a caravan years ago and just did not work for me, love the camper. Just hop in and drive, don't stay in one place too long max 2 days.

Jaden

delynet wrote: »

I bought a bicycle and did all the shopping with it.

I hear what you are saying though, we wanted to go down to Keem Bay and that would involve packing everything away.

On a positive, when it came to heading to the restaurant on Sat evening the kids had no choice but to walk as they were hungry. Nice bit of time together that could easily have been skipped if we drove.

I'm pretty sure I was parked near you. Crazy windy that Sunday Night, decimated the tents and awning in the park.

delynet

Jaden wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I was parked near you. Crazy windy that Sunday Night, decimated the tents and awning in the park.

We were there Sat night. One of the kids complained about the cover over my bike making noise at around 10PM. However, everyone slept fairly well so I'll take that as a positive. Probably not as windy as Sunday night

This was Sunday AM at about 7:30. No cars or people to be seen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-6Y4OB33eI

Duke O Smiley

CelticRambler wrote: »

As for general shopping - do it before getting to your destination. It's dead easy to arrange a break on the journey for fuel and grocery shopping at a supermarket, and everything gets packed away right out of the trolley. When you're parked up afterwards, going out on foot or by bike or bus is much easier.

This is great advice, something I quickly learned when I set out for the first time last year. I only had a little T4 van at the time, but even still it was hassle packing everything up to go down for groceries. Best thing to do is stop at a Lidl or Aldi on your way down and stock up on everything you might need (and of course an obligatory gander in the middle aisles for gadgets :P)

Not only do you cut out the aforementioned hassle but you save a nice few quid too

WildWater

delynet wrote: »

I bought a 2006 Benimar Sport 690 two weeks ago and my family and I had our first trip last weekend. I knew nothing about camper vans a few months ago. Read all sorts including some advice not to buy and stay in hotels with the money.

My kids are 8, 10 and 11 and I figured if we did not do the camping thing now we would never do it as a family in a few years. I went with a 7 berth as I wanted that extra space.

Happy to report that our trip went well. We stayed on a campsite in Keel on Achill Island. Arrived, plugged in and the kids headed off to the beach. Couple of showers one night and you can really hear the rain when you're using the bed over the driver. Just something to get used to I suppose.

The other thing I need to tweak is that I got up at 06:00 to go for a cycle. As I moved around the camper rocked a little bit. I am missing one of the anchor things which would take it off its suspension so something for me to fix.

A very positive experience for the first venture into camper vans.

Glad your first trip went well. Many, many more to come. Yes, the rain a can be a little loud but, for me, listening to the rain while snuggled up in my cosy bed is one of those simple pleasures of motorhoming (if I’m tired, I’ll sleep through it).

Re the rocking, you can deploy (wind down) your rear steadies and that will sort out that issue. If you do deploy them it’s a good idea to attach the winder handle to the steering wheel so that you don’t drive off with the steadies deployed. However, the rocking may be something you get used to. We are in our 9th season and I have deployed our rear steadies a total of one time and that was at home just to make sure they worked!

CelticRambler

WildWater wrote: »

If you do deploy them it’s a good idea to attach the winder handle to the steering wheel so that you don’t drive off with the steadies deployed. However, the rocking may be something you get used to. We are in our 9th season and I have deployed our rear steadies a total of one time and that was at home just to make sure they worked!

As it's a Benimar, chances are that the steadies will retract automatically if/when the OP turns the key in the ignition.

But otherwise I agree that once you get used to a bit of bounce, they end up being little more than a decoration (and extra weight). Mine haven't been used for so long that they've seized up; taking them off completely for an overhaul is on the To Do (Later) list ... but if I take them off, it's quite likely they won't go back on if anything at all distracts me afterwards!

WildWater

CelticRambler wrote: »

As it's a Benimar, chances are that the steadies will retract automatically if/when the OP turns the key in the ignition.

That’s handy.