Changing camper usually coincides with the need to improve our vehicle, because it has done its miles, it is outdated or the escalating repair costs would be excessive. But sometimes, on the other hand, we need to change our vehicle because our family has expanded or changed.
So when we want to change camper, what happens?
Choosing a camper
How many times have you asked yourselves, do we want to change camper, and if so, now? So we plunge into the review websites, fair visits if possible, visits to dealerships, or we ask friends for advice, we calculate how much we can spend etc etc, all with the aim of finding the best solution, new or used.
Sometimes I return home with a bundle of quotes, information sheets, photos taken of campers, and lots of information in my head! In fact even if we have a relatively clear idea of what we want, I usually return home with some new information or ideas! So what details do we need to concentrate on? They might include:
what type of vehicle best suits our needs?
What type of engine to choose
what internal layout do we need?
The size of our boot space, and the space needed for overnight stays, or for our dogs (we always have ours with us) or the scooter
do we need a bicycle rack?
What type of heating we need
what accessories are already installed (for used vehicles) or which we would want to install (for new ones)
our maximum budget
The answers to these questions lead you directly to your final choice of vehicle. Next, and after many second thoughts and considerations, we reach our final decision, and we make our purchase. And then….
Changing camper: a woman’s opinion
Speaking as a woman, every time we have decided to change camper and we have swallowed the consignment of our old vehicle, we have had to take our vehicle to the dealership. while we are waiting for our new camper, or we prepare to consign the old one. We get ready to empty our camper, and suddenly, my head starts to fill with new doubts and questions.
Will all these pans fit in the new camper?
Can the cupboard take the underwear boxes?
Can I put my shoes in the space under the step or the boot section of the new one, as I do here?
Will my specially-made curtains fit the windows of the new camper?
Will the bed-sack fit the new camper?
Spaces, wardrobe spaces, cupboards, shelves, the toilet etc etc, these are the doubts that flood my mind until the new vehicle arrives. And all of this goes with the nervous wait until I can organise everything in my “new home on wheels”. And finally the day arrives: we collect our new vehicle, the usual explanations and we go home.
Changing camper is like moving house
Ar this point, at least for us who have done this more than once, it becomes like moving house!
I repeat, it was like this for me. Every time we change camper, I including the auto-emptying disinfectant gas cannisters, I clean the entire inside (mattresses included), while my husband deals with the outside, the engine and the accessories. Finally we reach stage two: fill the camper up, or better, put everything in its proper place.
And this is maybe the hardest part. I always ask myself:
Where is it best to put the plates and glasses?
Put the pots on the shelf above the sink or in the space under?
The tissues go in the toilet cupboard, or should I put them on the shelf above the bed?
The underwear boxes are too big for the new cupboard…
And so on and so on, but I could carry on with questions about every little thing.
To conclude
As a women, I think that changing camper is like moving house, furniture excluded. Over time, I have also changed the inside, making little changes, the addition of little accessories, trying to find the perfect organisation. But I think the same will happen to you.
After 20 years and more than one camper change, I can assure that the memories of your vehicles remain deeply imprinted in your mind. In some cases, you regret previous ways of doing things or previous solutions, compared to the vehicles currently on the market. Maybe these are little things, but they help me remember that, as a woman, changing camper is not an easy choice.
