Dan Cartwright has over 12 years of experience in the caravan and motorhome industry. He is a judge for a number of prestigious leisure vehicle awards and regularly heads off in his motorhome with his family. Every week, Dan shares his insights with the community. Here’s what he has to say this week.
At this time of the year, caravan and motorhome publications are full of ways to winterize your leisure vehicle, but it can often feel like a very one-sided argument. Realistically, there are plenty of reasons to get on the road in the winter period.
So, don’t shove your caravan or motorhome into storage and certainly don’t leave it on the driveway and then lose the keys. Instead, here are five very good reasons why you should use your leisure vehicle for long or short breaks and fun getaways over the colder months.
Caravans get lonely too
Don’t be selfish, it’s not all about you! Think about your poor leisure vehicle, spending its days alone in the cold while we all get together to drink wine and eat festive foods. Well, that’s not exactly true, but in a vehicle sense, it’s really good for them to be used.
Getting out and about in your caravan or motorhome will help to keep it maintained throughout the winter. It will prevent the buildup of dampness, which can be especially disastrous when soft furnishings meet unusual changes in temperature, pressure and humidity. Also, using your leisure vehicle will stop rubber pipes from corroding and avoid tyres from going flat. Your battery will stay charged all year round if you keep using it. So, let the air flow around your motorhome and make sure it’s in good shape!
Site availability
We all have certain sites we want to try, which are bustling during the typical holiday periods and warmer weather. On top of that, I’m sure lots of us are already thinking about where to head off to next year. Shall we book now? No!
Take the opportunity this winter, at a moment’s notice and when sites have plenty of availability, to book yourself into some of the sites you’ve been keeping an eye on. This way, you won’t have to commit to a long summer holiday and risk not enjoying it. The amount of availability in the winter makes things quick and easy. Bear in mind, as the cost of living crisis continues in the UK, we’re expecting campsites to be a lot busier, so get ahead of the crowd and try before you buy.
They’re designed for this!
Just about every modern caravan has been put through a rigorous Grade 3 NCC test, which involves taking the chamber down to -15 degrees C and timing how long it takes to reach 20 degrees C across all 4 corners of the vehicle, evenly. Current insulation technologies mean this usually takes under two hours. I’ve witnessed loads of these tests in person and the thermal ability of caravans and motorhomes is amazing! So, if you’re worried about being cold – don’t be!
Winter sports
Given the current financial climate, not many of us will be looking to blow the bank on a trip to the Alps this winter. But not to worry – you can enjoy winter sports this year from your leisure vehicle. In particular, Scotland has some amazing sites geared for this exact purpose, with drying rooms, ski storage and other great facilities.
If the weather doesn’t turn out how you expected, or there’s no snow on the ground, consider heading to an artificial snow centre or dry slope. Often enough, these places have amazing deals where they might seem very expensive for a single session, but work out to be very cheap for a whole day. This winter, you can hit the slopes in Castleford before heading to an après-ski in Pontefract with your caravan or motorhome.
The money argument
With the ongoing cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills, it probably works out cheaper to spend the night on a site in your leisure vehicle than it would be at home. There’s a much smaller area to heat up and less energy required to do so. Any energy you buy is at a fixed rate from the campsite supplier and, as mentioned, caravans and motorhomes are thermally efficient. So, if you’re considering having to heat a huge house with old windows, don’t bother. Get out in your leisure vehicle and spend your savings on a nice, inflation-busting meal.
We all know hardcores are walking amongst us. Those people who will cook a full turkey dinner for six in their motorhome each year, and swear by it. We’re not saying you need to take it this far, but do consider using it over the winter period for the benefit of yourself, your leisure vehicle and your wallet.
