We are MH fans and have just done around 10000k in about 8 weeks, we like the fact we can have a pee on the move and also make a snack on the run..

Plus our beds are on the ground floor and not up in the air above the cab..

we can have the billy boiling while others are getting into their van..

When we pull up we are in our living quarters and we are always ready to move on if there is any problems we dont have to goto the tug..

we tow a car that takes about 2 mins to connect and disconnect and then we become tourists.

this is our rig but all MH's offer much the same so long as the layout is correct..

Yes we are the same , don't have to get out other than to turn on the gas , we don't tow any other vehicle so we tend to get anything we need early ,we only have a portaloo so that requires setup but we are very happy with the setup we have.

I agree with all the comments in favor of a MH. 

This subject has been raised several times before. You might find more comments if you do a "Search"..

-- Edited by Big Gorilla on Monday 10th of March 2014 07:29:42 AM

MH all the way. Safe and quick to set up and be eating........and drinking! Also, a mate of ours has a caravan behind a LandCruiser and is only getting 18-20 litres per 100km. In our MH, we got 11 litres per 100km. No contest!

Love the ease of the MH, especially on the long drives, we are not lucky enough to be retired so some days are 10 hours plus to get where we have to go.

But if you are hungry, swmbo just climbs over and makes us some lunch or if we feel like a coffee away she goes again. The amount of time saved by not having to stop is huge, every time you stop for something to eat or drink always seems to add an hour to the trip, this way we don't have to stop.

The only time we stop is for the odd toilet break (not toilet on board) & we generally use that time to change drivers, I believe it is safer too for we don't get tired, if one of us feel a little weary we just go and lay down & have a snooze while the other is driving. That way we never have a tired driver behind the wheel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I am joking, before we all start jumping up & down

But seriously MH is the only way i would go, I can be pulled up & setup in a minute, 30 secs to roll out awning & the same to grab the chairs, beer in hand in no time at all if you are that way inclined.

In regards to the gas Nelly our fridge will be 12 volt so its not a problem.

 

-- Edited by Woolly on Monday 10th of March 2014 11:10:20 AM

I'm not so sure of this "safe" bit about a motorhome.

If a group of hoons are  intent on you not escaping their attentions in a dark and secluded camp spot, then you are kidding yourself if you think you could either move on or otherwise prevent them doing what they wish in a much more effective manner than you could with a caravan.

Simply slashing a couple of tyres, which could occur before you even knew what was happening, would ensure your lack of a timely or distant departure.

A decent plug in the exhaust would further prevent any movement. There are many ways that a deviant could use to incapacitate your vehicle that you would be totally unable to prevent.

Some suggest carrying a weapon as a deterrent, but many deviants also subscribe to this theory, if this is your way, then maybe you should name your motorhome "The OK corral", and you are at a definite disadvantage engaging in a gunfight from the confines of a motorhome 

We all stop at these remote spots with the (usually correct) expectation that there are few such folk out there who really wish to cause you trouble of a serious kind.

 

I notice a lot of Motor homes are flat out at about 80 or 90 Kms an hour.
The other concern I have with a MH is the ground clearance on dirt roads,how have other
MH travellers experienced this problem,or do you have to stay on the black stuff?
I also can see advantages of an MB and it is still on my list of scenarios for off road
travells with the one worry of ground clearance..

It all depends on what size/sort of MH you are after, we have a Fiat Ducato van which we are slowly decking out and using at the same time.

It sits on 110 km not a problem, did a short trip of 4500km's in August and used on average just over 10l per 100km's, the ground clearance is fine, higher then a normal car and just under a 4wd.
One of the reasons we chose this vehicle to deck out is that we like to get off the track and spend time camped on river banks and such, anything bigger in length would cause issues to get where we want to go. I spent a lot of time fishing & camping along the Murrumbidgee, Lachlan & Murray rivers & had a mate who owned a coaster that came with us a fair bit, the issue he had was there were places he could not get into at times that we could.
Its obviously not a 4wd so it doesn't go everywhere but it certainly handles bush tracks and state forest trails with ease.

We live fairly simple on the road & don't need all the extra room of a bigger MH, even a Coaster size for that matter. Though when we start full time on the road in a couple of years time we are considering decking out the XLWB version of the same van, just to give us that extra inside & don't believe the size will prevent us too much getting where we won't to go.

brian wrote:

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I'm not so sure of this "safe" bit about a motorhome.

If a group of hoons are  intent on you not escaping their attentions in a dark and secluded camp spot, then you are kidding yourself if you think you could either move on or otherwise prevent them doing what they wish in a much more effective manner than you could with a caravan.

Simply slashing a couple of tyres, which could occur before you even knew what was happening, would ensure your lack of a timely or distant departure.

A decent plug in the exhaust would further prevent any movement. There are many ways that a deviant could use to incapacitate your vehicle that you would be totally unable to prevent.

Some suggest carrying a weapon as a deterrent, but many deviants also subscribe to this theory, if this is your way, then maybe you should name your motorhome "The OK corral", and you are at a definite disadvantage engaging in a gunfight from the confines of a motorhome 

We all stop at these remote spots with the (usually correct) expectation that there are few such folk out there who really wish to cause you trouble of a serious kind.

 

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 Soooooo using your set of circumstances where would you rate a car and caravan Brian..

Roving Dutchy said.

I can't believe that some of you are advocating that the ability to prepare meals while on the move is an advantage, if your motor home is involved in even a minor accident while you partner is preparing a meal they will either suffer significant injuries or be killed.
Surely we are not in so much of a hurry that we don't have time to stop and enjoy our meal breaks.

 

We have a converted school bus and Walking around while traveling is no problem just think back to when you were a school kid traveling to school in a bus (If you can remember that far back..lol) and also busses still have standing spaces allotted as well..

Infact most school busses or commuter busses for that matter still don't have seat belts.

There is an old saying:- "If Ifs and Buts were pots and pans there'd be no need for tinkers"

I guess it is a case of "Each to their own" but I prefer to convenience of a MH over a Tug and Caravan..

 

 

 

Roving-Dutchy wrote:

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I can't believe that some of you are advocating that the ability to prepare meals while on the move is an advantage, if your motor home is involved in even a minor accident while you partner is preparing a meal they will either suffer significant injuries or be killed.
Surely we are not in so much of a hurry that we don't have time to stop and enjoy our meal breaks.

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I agree RD, dangerous and illegal, as is leaving the gas turned on at the bottle while traveling, some people are their own worst enemies.

We own a Kea 6 berth MH, moving around whist the vehicle is in motion is something we don't do, cant believe people are suggesting its a point in favour of MH's.

 

Back on topic, we have traveled using both caravans and motor homes, for us the convenience of the mh wins hands down.

-- Edited by Santa on Monday 10th of March 2014 06:22:24 PM

I just find moving or hitching up a van increasingly difficult. Bad back you see.

Pro's and Cons for both, having had both these days I lean towards a motorhome, don't find hitching, backing and setting up of a caravan as easy anymore. 

Also, if you are working your way around Oz or intending to stay in one place for some time, a caravan might be the better option as you can leave your caravan at your base and use your car to got to and from work or whatever.

Some MH/Bus owners get around this by towing another vehicle, but some don't use this option.

A matter of choice really what suits your situation best....

-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 10th of March 2014 06:01:32 PM

There's quite a difference between a converted bus and a manufactured MH. Buses are very secure, have strong paneling, 6-8ply tyres and side walls, strong frame, high windows and strong doors. The majority are designed for all weather and road conditions.

The Winnebago style MH is no different to a caravan, light frame, light paneling, light tyres and flimsy doors. So there would be little difference in security between the modern MH and a caravan, except you can just drive away without having to go outside in a MH. Then you have the dedicated 4x4 MH which cater for all conditions, as well as off road vans.

You've got much more chance of having security problems in and around cities and large urban area's. It's a personal choice really. If you are going to spend your life on the road, I'd be going for a converted bus. You can make lots of changes to them without effecting the integrity, strength and safety of your rig. If you just go away for a few weeks and want to explore long distance from your rig, then a van would probably suit.

Santa wrote:

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oldbobsbus wrote:

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Santa wrote:

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Roving-Dutchy wrote:

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I can't believe that some of you are advocating that the ability to prepare meals while on the move is an advantage, if your motor home is involved in even a minor accident while you partner is preparing a meal they will either suffer significant injuries or be killed.
Surely we are not in so much of a hurry that we don't have time to stop and enjoy our meal breaks.

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 I agree RD, dangerous and illegal.

We own a Kea 6 berth MH, moving around whist the vehicle is in motion is something we don't do, cant believe people are suggesting its a point in favour of MH's.

 

Back on topic, we have traveled using both caravans and motor homes, for us the convenience of the mh wins hands down.

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 If you grab a Greyhound bus from Brisbane to Sydney and need a pee what do you do get the driver to stop or use the onboard toilet.?????????

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 Not talking about Greyhound buses, the discussion is about caravans and motor homes, we always stop for toilet breaks, they usually coincide with driver rest breaks anyway.

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 Just for you I will post a photo of our rig again and as you can see it is a converted  bus and has a toilet onboard it is not a toy wizzbang, I stick with the fact we can move around in OUR MH without it being a problem.

I agree to move about in a Wizzbang would be unsafe..

Back on topic we have the advantage of being "Johnny on the spot" if something moves or we failed to secure it we can stop and fix it before damage is done, with a van you have NFI what is happening in the van IF something is wrong..