Welcome to Life In A Can and our first blog post!
We are The Phenix’s and we decided to launch a blog to share our adventures of travel, kids, family, work and fitness all whilst hanging out in our can on wheels…..that would be our touring caravans Myrtle and Lionel. Often we get asked lots of questions about how we get on with our little cans, how we manage with a baby, how we manage in a small space, what we cook, all sorts of things so I figured that today we would create a blog and let people in on our life in a can! Now I know you are probably wondering why on earth do we need two touring caravans? Well let me explain!
After one too many rainy nights in a tent, we decided to ‘upgrade’ to our first can on wheels! We scoured the net to see what was available but we really didn’t want to pay very much as we weren’t sure we were going to like it. Eventually we found our first can, a 20 year old Coachman Mirage we fondly (ok well I named!) Myrtle. It drives Ian crazy that I name EVERYTHING! But anyway Myrtle joined the family. Myrtle was a 4 birth and she worked really well for us and taught us so much about life in a can, but the reality was that after a couple of years we realised we needed a bit more room! We had to sacrifice the dining area to make the bunk beds and we didn’t always want to put an awning up. At times when in true British fashion it poured with rain, we could get a little claustrophobic. However I loved Myrtle and although we had started looking for a 6 birth I just couldn’t bear the thought of letting her go! I really wouldn’t get much for her and she was worth more to me to keep that the few pounds I could sell her for! So we decided to keep her and she is now having a happy retirement on a piece of land I own a few mins from our home. She is permanently pitched with her awning always up and we use for adhoc nights when we don’t want to travel somewhere or when its a school night and we want the joy of waking in our can without the packing! It makes me feel so happy to still have her and to still use her, kind of warm and fuzzy inside! She was our first can on wheels and i have a great sentimental attachment to her!
But for journeys to campsites and times away as a family we really needed more room, so we welcomed Lionel a Lunar 546, much bigger can on wheels! It took us a little while to get used to Lionel as the configuration was totally different and where we had gained certain things ie bunk beds AND a dining area, we had lost things ie a smaller bathroom and inside storage. But now 1 year on we love Lionel and we have begun to create some great memories with him!
I do believe that a 4 birth is perfect for 2 people and a 6 berth is perfect for 4 people! I take my hat off to families who travel in small campervans, like T5’s! I honestly believe I would go nuts in such a small space! For us we wanted a little can, but we also wanted a car and so now we have Myrtle and Lionel we LOVE our adventures and our life in a can!
