A very clear decision

March 2010

So, off we went to the Hamilton show. This was our third visit - two years ago we signed up for our beautiful 6.5m Leisureline at the show. That was an adventure in itself, but an old story that can wait for a quiet news week.

We had a pretty clear agenda. Check out some fifth wheelers, peer into a couple of campervans just to confirm our thinking on those and look at what bus options were around.

So, the fifth wheeler. Quickly took that off the list. It's not that they're not right for some people; they're just not right for us. Layout and space weren't what we were after.

Campervans. Yes, a couple of these do actually appeal (and the ease of driving and set-up are a big factor here). But they still have the bed up top (even if it is a north-south bed) and the cost, well, just not what we wanted to spend on what we saw as a compromise.

Over to the buses. Wow, some of these are gorgeous. If you have $600,000. Or even half that. But again - not what we want to spend. In fact, we just haven't got that sort of money.

And what do you even get for that sort of money. I really would expect a full-size bed, not one with the corners cut off. And what use is a bench so deep I'd have to kneel on the edge to be able to wipe the back of it? One woman suggested you could throw a double mattress on top at night if you had unexpected guests.

The other thing that strikes us about these big machines is how often their expensive slide-outs just create floor space, not actually any extra or clever living space.

Then we decided to wander over and catch up with the Leisureline folk. They always remember us as the couple who put in the red leather upholstery - which they tried to talk us out of.

There was the caravan of our dreams. 8m, full bathroom across the back (where you can take a shower without getting the dunny wet) and plenty of living space. We even worked out the alterations we'd want to the plan - put the fridge on the other side so there's more bench space, take out the seat aft of the door to fit in the fridge and a small office area and it's all sorted.

Yes, there are some compromises - we'll have to fill up with water and dump the waste every couple of days, maybe plug in more often than we'd like, but oh how we love the space of a caravan. And the cost of upgrading would be so low compared to any other option.

Job done. Our trip to Hamilton had helped us decide exactly what we wanted.