Welcome to the gang topspark, enjoy here and out in the playground.

If I was to do what you say before buying I probably would still be in hospital recovering. I made a choice how I wanted to travel and level of comfort, then set a budget I wanted, then just researched caravans and tugs, finally selecting what I have in my signature. No regrets what so ever. My thoughts only.

Welcome topspark, this is one good place to pick up advice and a bit of fun on the way.

I agree with Dougwe, we did about 3 years of research before we retired ended up with our Jayco and Ford (a whole lot better than Dougwe's rust bucket.. lol, sorry Douge couldnt resist)

The caravans will always be more expensive to travel with due to the height and aerodynamics, poptops are lower and easy to tow, HOWEVER the privacy and comfort are second to none. We had a camper trailer before we bought our van and the canvas sides didnt cut the mustard as a barrier against cold and heat where the caravan does.

Its a pig of a job choosing a caravan BUT well worth it if you choose right.

Cheers

Hi David :) Welcome to the Forum and we look forward to many more posts from you - everyone helps to keep it dynamic and interesting !

We chose a hard top after speaking to many others who had owned both poptops and hard tops.

Without a doubt the poptop is easier on fuel use and generally speaking doesn't require a particularly "grunty" tow vehicle.

But as Phil points out, you don't have the same control with heat or cold and of course outside noise. It really depends on how often and where you intend to go with your 'van.

If you intend to use it fairly often and go into regions of heat or cold, then a hard-top is probably better.

In terms of other operational costs (fuel aside), the costs are the same - brakes, bearings etc

A friend of mine had a pop top first because of the fuel issue , Then moved onto a full height caravan , He said he didn't notice much difference , But final words were if it cost a little more to get there remember the comfort when you get there .

We have a 16' pop top, easy to tow, with low profile, we always travel with full water tanks (two) to maintain a low centre of gravity, over 200000 k's towing, has never got out of shape, blew a couple of tyres over the years with no dramas, the only thing I have against it is maintenance, keeping the vinyl clear of mildew when parked at home, having to change the occasional gas strut, and over time the vinyl has become a bit grotty.

Setting up takes a bit longer, but we got used to that and have it down to a fine art, also now have fitted air lifters to save the lifting to get the top up. (that top gets heavier with every trip!)

We're happy with it, have no need to change to something else. (as the Beloved often says, whether the van cost a million bucks or just a few bob, the view out the window is just the same.)

Bevan