Lightweight camping trips are all well and good – the sort where you carry everything with you from point A to point B – but family camping holidays are seldom like that. First of all you need to take so much stuff with you. Not only will you need to transport all the kids’ things – their toys, bicycles, clothes and chairs – but you have to take a larger tent with you to fit it all in. Family camping is great, especially if the weather is fair and you can really feel like staying under canvas is not going to be a hassle. On the other hand, it can be a headache if you don’t bring that crucial bit of camping equipment or if it rains. Indeed, if the camping trip is affected by poor weather then that is when you wish you had brought that additional bit of kit with you most. Perhaps you end up regretting leaving your Wellington boots at home or maybe taking an extra couple of groundsheets?

Additional Storage

If you are travelling with all of your camping equipment, plus your children’s things, then the boot of your car soon gets filled up. Roof boxes are okay to move things back and forth from home, but you can rarely store things in there so that they are easily accessible during your stay.

overloaded-car

Hitching a trailer to your car is another option that some people favour, but there are a couple of drawbacks to consider. Firstly, they restrict your speed on the motorway and make manoeuvring, particularly in reverse on grass, a nightmare. Secondly, they can rarely be left securely because you can not lock them up.

The Advantages Of Vans

A much more elegant solution to the problem of insufficient storage on a family camping trip is to hire a van. There are plenty of reputable hire companies, like National van rental, who will be able to supply something which has sufficient storage for all of your camping equipment and more, whilst providing the right amount of seats for your family – no matter how large it may be. Remember that if you want to leave items under lock and key overnight or if when heading out from the campsite on a walk, then you can do so easily with a rented van. Stowing bulky items, like bicycles and scooters, in your car boot soon becomes a hassle and you end up moving them in and out several times a day, or whenever you want to use the car. This is not an issue with a van.

Cost

Don’t be put off the costs of hiring a van for a family holiday. It is worth keeping in mind that the running costs of a van are generally lower than cars, especially ones which are overloaded with kit and have additional wind resistance caused by things like roof racks. You might even end up saving some money, depending on how far you intend to travel.