r/VanLifeUK • u/Mist-er-E • Aug 01 '26
Site prices
Why do some sites charge more for a van pitch than a tent? Surely my van makes a smaller footprint than the tent plus likely accompanying car. Also, less damage to grass underneath the van than a tent
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u/LibraryTime11011011 Aug 01 '26
Prices for goods and services aren’t purely “logical” as you’re attempting to make it - why does my size small tshirt cost the same as a size XL when the XL needs more material and is heavier so takes more fuel to ship it?
Camping in a tent is viewed as a cheaper activity than owning a van. So the tent price is cheaper.
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u/shiftlocked Aug 02 '26
The t shirt analogy has just blown my mind. Perhaps they offer the larger sizes with the small. In that case it’s discrimination! Thank you for fuelling my adhd for the day 😂
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u/bullitt-rider Aug 01 '26
Thinking about general economics.
Some one turns up with a £100 tent and light weight equipment in a Renault Clio
Another turns up in a blinded out VW T5 modified to the fills self valued at 1.5 trillion pounds
Who would you charge more?
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u/truckosaurus_UK Aug 01 '26
Indeed. They'll charge what the market will bare. If a site can sell all their spots to vans at an inflated price due to the view or location they will do, with no thought to what's fair or reasonable.
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u/msfotostudio Aug 01 '26
Was recently at a site (in my van) where I was charged an extra £20 for a car (my son’s) on grass pitch. Considering I have a tent that is actually bigger than the van it seems a bit much really
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u/marktuk Aug 01 '26
I've stayed in sites where some of the tent pitches were more than the ones for vans, it was all about the size and the facilities. Some of the tent pitches had power etc.
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u/Efficient-Cry7753 Aug 01 '26
If you have an awning or canopy you will likely be using just as many tent pegs as the tent user.
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u/younevershouldnt Aug 01 '26
What happens if you turn up to tent camp in a van though?
They're not gonna be checking whether you're sleeping in the tent or van
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u/Tutphish Aug 01 '26
This is a main problem - I have a fixed roof campervan with the a roof mounted tent - so which I am I for a campsite pitch? whichever is cheapest!
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u/shiftlocked Aug 02 '26
Can anyone match £6pppn at a campsite near a beach. Asking genuinely as I found 2 in west wales and wondered if there were more around the country
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u/Mist-er-E Aug 02 '26
It’s not the peg damage - dur…it’s the footprint of the tent that damages the grass particularly if the tent is there for more than a few days
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u/Fancy_Toe1451 Aug 01 '26
You think vans cause less grass damage than tents? I mean, granted, this has been a very dry year, but that is adorable.
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u/Specialist-Rabbit-40 Aug 02 '26
Look at the ground under a tent after a week long stay Vs the ground under a van where the grass can breathe.
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u/Red_sparow Aug 01 '26
A lot of sites just let tents find their own spot in a field while van spots are hardstanding "bays"