Using Romahome as primary vehicle

[noosner]

Hi everyone

I bought my Duo Hylo with a view to using it as my main car, since buying it has made us a 3-car household (eco-eeek!)

However, now the little beauty is parked outside, I'm having 2nd thoughts. It would have to live on the street (no garage) which I'm not sure about, whereas if we kept it for hols only it could be stored at a caravan storage place down the road. Also I'm worried about the dog besmirching the upholstery after muddy walks. We have a dog guard, custom made by my Dad, so the dog travels in the space between the fridge and the cupboard, but even so...

I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

Best wishes, Noosner

[time2travel]

Hi we have an Outlook and it is our only vehicle - hubby uses motorbike for work Romahome is used for every thing else including taking small loads to the local tip
we bought a tarpaulin from b & q to cover up floor and seats when using for this purpose
and bought a rug protector off e bay and put the dog blanket over it when we take the dog with us and we have a good alarm which the neighbours can testify too as thunderstorm this morning set it off!!!
There is a site www.carpetsaver.com/pets.htm which do a better version
Although our Jessie is a GSD/Border Collie cross and could lay in the is;e she still likes to curl up in the small square between the fridge and under sink cupboard
The fact that we run the one vehicle saves us money that we can spend on more camping trips - we just have have to take that little bit of extra care to ensure we keep the interior clean
The cost of dettol surface cleaner out weighs the cost of another vehicle by far
Barbara

[lunnie]

I purchased a runner and 2 matching mats from Matalan at the cost of £10 these go into the washer, the runner is the full length of the Romahome, I also used rubber back mat in the doorwell, muddy grandchildren not dogs, I also use fleece blankets on the seats, cost of £5 each, in fact use anything that is washable, as you do at home. I used to have two dogs, and the garden door was open for 7 years, and the dogs allowed on the furniture(husband) not me, so I covered up the suite, and I am pleased to say the suite still looked new 7 yrs down the line.

Big bath mats, bathtowels, picnic rugs with the thermal backing?

I used my Romahome as my only vehicle for 4 yrs no problem at all. Camping is about relaxing, take some precaution, then relax and enjoy. Many ppl have dogs and cats in their campervans.

[noosner]

Thanks very much, time2travel and lunnie. What you say makes a lot of sense. I think I am just suffering a kind of post purchase excitement, the sort of thing I remember as a little kid, when I wanted to take my new bike upstairs and have it in the bedroom while I slept... basically you are right and the preciousness will wear off!! I will look into getting some covers for the seats. In fact as long as I cover the bits of the seat nearest the dog, that will probably do. Thanks for the info about Matalan and carpetsaver. Noos.

[noosner]

I am definitely improving on this front now. I drove to the dentist in the Hylo yesterday. It was quite a long appointment and it was pure joy to lie down in the back afterwards with the windows open, drinking a cup of tea!

[effiemac]

I use my outlook as my sole vehicle. Yes, it takes some thought sometimes to park but it gets me on my bike in good weather and the bus in winter for trips to Glasgow city centre - but isn't that what we're should be doing anyway? In terms of work, I do all my home visits in it (have to allow extra for patients having a nosey) and my colleagues know to check the car park before paging me. The only real wear in 3 years is the leather panel on the driver's seat under my bum! My nieces (6 & 4) know the rules re their juice & snacks and are rewarded accordingly but the scotchguard waterproofing has worked really well. I wouldn't hesitate. My only issue is I have to transport mother, 2 nieces and an additional nephew soon......
E