Thinking of buying a campervan?… Think again

Nothing fuels one’s need for adventure quite like a four-month lockdown. Having spent day after day cocooned in our own homes, the desire to break free and escape to another land has never felt so great. Yet, the uncertainty surrounding international travel in this ‘new normal’ has made adventure seekers look for escapism closer to home. As the lockdown begins to ease, searches for campervans have spiked in the last few weeks. Here we share our secret on a better way to escape in the UK this summer.

Why get a campervan?

There is nothing quite like setting off with no idea where you’ll end up come sundown. It was that freedom and excitement that saw us start this business. Loading all your possessions into your vehicle and setting off into the wilderness – playlist on loud, windows down. The UK is a dream for this. We’ve got more coastline than New Zealand, more lakes than Canada, and more miles of open road than Sweden and Norway combined. 

Campervans are like a house on wheels - which isn’t always a benefit!

You will never get tired of sitting on top of your vehicle, with a chilled beer in hand, watching the sun set over a deserted bay. Whatever you own – a campervan, trailer, caravan or tent – this is what this is really all about. This blog is to help you make the best choice in getting to that spot – in the most fun and comfortable way.

Flexibility

What’s more flexible than a vehicle that’s both a home and a car, right? Sounds logical. But anyone who’s ever owned a TV with a built-in DVD player understands that combining functionality isn’t always a recipe for success. The screen quality was always inferior to that of other standalone TVs, and the DVD player would always break long before the rest of the unit. You were left with a naff TV, for what? To save having an extra remote?

It’s a similar case with a campervan. Campervans are big cumbersome vehicles; they’re not really a replacement for a car. They’re a nightmare to get into a multistorey car park, and when something goes wrong (which will inevitably happen from time to time), you’ll be stuck without a means of transport.   

A Teardrop Trailer (or mini-caravan as they’re sometimes known), on the other hand, is there when you need it, and out of the way when you don’t. They fit on to any car (or indeed trike – you’ll just need a tow bar) and they’ll fit into most garages too, so you can keep it looking showroom new all year-round. 

Freedom! Sort of.

For the times you’re stopping by the side of the road for a night here and a night there, a campervan does just the trick. Park up, sleep, disappear the next day. One-night stops were what campervans were made for. But find a spot you really love and want to stay another night? Well, that’s when the trouble begins.

Campervans – being your source of transport as well as your home – go with you wherever you go. Along with all your travelling possessions too. Each morning you have to pack up and make the campervan road-safe before heading out for the day. You get back, and damn – someone’s stolen your spot. 

With a Teardrop Trailer, there’s no packing up. Just lock up and head off for the day – knowing that your pitch is secured, and ready for you once you get back.

Cost

Campervans don’t come cheap. Understandably so. Not only are they a house, but they’re a fully functioning vehicle too. Lumping a two-storey pad up steep country lanes requires some pretty hefty kit under the bonnet. Kit that costs a lot, and kit that goes wrong. 

For the days you’re out, tearing about the UK countryside, that might seem like a justifiable outlay. But sadly, few of us can adventure fulltime. There’ll be many days when your campervan sits on the drive – gathering rain, yearning for its next adventure – and that’s a lot of kit not earning its keep. 

A new Teardrop Trailer is under half the price of an equivalent camper. That’s a lot of money to put towards cold beer or a new car.

The Important Stuff

Teardrop Trailers can hook-up and go in a matter of minutes!

And part of that cost-saving comes down to focus. A Teardrop Trailer has no engine. The engineers who built our trailers aren’t mechanics. Whilst their counterparts at VW and Ford fret about pistons and carburettors, they’re busy working out how to give you’re a comfier sleep and a better-cooked breakfast. 

We’ve chosen our Teardrop Trailers because of their ability to do the important bits well. From their storage, to their integrated kitchen, we fell in love with these products because they got what being outdoors was about: a good night’s sleep, anywhere. Being able to level a Teardrop Trailer on any surface – so you’re always sleeping on the flat – is just what the doctor ordered on a day of aches and pains. 

Check out our gallery to see our Teardrop Trailers in action, or visit us in our showroom for a closer look around. Whatever route you go for – campervan, teardrop trailer, or tent – we look forward to seeing you out and about soon.