Best online motorhome communities

Published in Caravan Guard News, Polls on   - 134 Comments

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  1. Robin says:

    Interesting way the votes went, nice to see the small clubs doing well, I have looked on most of the forums at one time or another and this confirmed the truth about the ‘ Biggest Club ‘ which in my mind did very poor with under 2000 votes out of the 54000 members. I logged on to Motorhome Facts a few years ago and had my doubts about how many members they claim. Well done Motorhoming-Wild and Motorroamers as up and coming forums doing well in such a short time, but I must say that Motorhome Fun members really went for it with their votes and got ahead at one point, they were never going to win because of the member rating but the members do tend to stick together and having seen them a Rallies and Shows are more than happy to fly the flags and walk around with their names badges on like one big happy family having fun. ( smile that’s what they do ) I would say going by the loyalty of members and the amount members claimed Motorhome Fun is the better forum. But well done everyone that took part, you all need a pat on the back.

  2. jan says:

    The forums being voted on are all good and have their own usefullness for motor home owners.

    The difference between them and the Motorhome Facts is that they are run by motor home owners and enthusiasts for their mutual benefit of friendship. and passing of help and free information.

    Motorhome Facts is purely a commercial site run for the financial benefit of the owner and no-one else, any information on that site is only available if you buy it in the form of downloads unlike the other ones.

    The others are not run for commercial gain in any way.

  3. Dick-Vanagogo says:

    Motorhomefacts simply the best

  4. Zoe says:

    Thanks to everyone who voted for Motor Roamers!

  5. steve says:

    alot of the post’s are so bitchy and so so sad if i did not no better i would think this where a load of school kids

  6. Ven says:

    There are plenty of good sites to get information and get involved but the one we have used the most is motorhomefun.co.uk

  7. Pablo says:

    Seems like some people are taking this way too serious.

    At the end of the day folks will use the site or sites that suits their needs. 🙂

  8. Keith says:

    FAO The Man: can I refer you to my earlier post Keith, on February 14th, 2011 at 9:53 am Said:
    I find the validity of this vote to be somewhat pointless having read on MHFun (thread now closed, probably due to it all getting out of hand, now that is Fun for you! ;-)) that members are voting multiple times!

    Whilst I would agree with most of your comments if the vote was indeed a fair fight so to speak, however your claim that Fun is the best due to amount of votes versus membership it is a massive “FAIL” I am sorry to say and proves very little. I do think that some of the small (no not Fun) sites come out of this with far more credit and dignity intact.

    Keep smiling

  9. Carol says:

    Still the same rhetoric from the not so ‘fun’ side. It’s facts all the way for me. Cannot be doing with the fun fun fun at all costs! Also fun is modded in its own way, who do you think closed your last thread about the vote because it was getting ‘boisterous’ (fancy way of saying nasty enough I don’t want google referencing it as it shows us in a bad light), yep your very own Ringleader!
    There is room for all the forums in this vote and each to their own. The nasty stuff from fun just shows up the whole forum. Apparently they have now found a way to vote again even with the same IP address. Desperate or what!

  10. neilmac says:

    With just a few days left for this poll to run I would just like to thank folks who have voted for Club Motorhome. We are very new and still very small but I’m glad to see that we have been considered useful to some.

  11. Graham says:

    Many thanks for all those who have voted for the small motorhome forum, we are truly staggered by the votes we have received and the kind comments, we have some really lovely people on our forum and have made many good friends. smallmotorhome.co.uk/forum

  12. The Man says:

    Motorhome Fun is going from strength to strength. Almost 20% of the membership have voted unlike a similar named site. It’s ok have a mega amount of members showing but actual paying members is another matter. time that these sites had a clear out of non posting or lapsed members. I am still shown as a member of the so called “Big One”, but have asked several times for my name to be removed. However, these requests have been ignored. Oh well, if the site owner needs ghost members to keep his site looking busy then that is a pity. We all know it is a second rate over modded site that bans people who question a mods views and points every question regarding products to the owners shop.

  13. Chris Randall says:

    Motor home fun is a great website forum, loads of useful advice and information and very friendly bunch.

    Hi to all you out there trying to score cheap points, are you the same folk who wave as we pass each other.
    Everyone knows Motorhome fun is the best website club, forum and has the best rallies.
    How can we be so certain, we`re Funsters…Yeah…

    Rob and Chris.

  14. Steve says:

    It is a shame the votes were for just Motorhomes and Caravaners were not asked to partate, cheating in my book.
    Ah well!
    I know which club gets the most attendance at rallies and have the more accurate count of members.
    Keep up the good work Jim
    MotothomeFun, by far the best

    Steve

    • Heather says:

      Hi Steve

      We’ll be giving the caravan forums the limelight next month, so caravanners won’t be left out!

  15. dshague says:

    its motorhome fun for me.

  16. Jenny says:

    Small is beautiful. I love the small motorhome forum because it is so inclusive and friendly. It is about small motorhomers but it includes everybody. So we have people in tents, people in big motorhomes, people in caravans and lots of people in little motorhomes and camper vans. There are very informal meets and it has a small family feel. The tone is friendly and nobody makes snide comments which happens on bigger forums at times. We have a wonderful technical expert in Ant who specilises in Romahomes. Home baked cakes at meets is becoming a speciality I think.

  17. Vivian Twells says:

    [quote] Dave Burley Owne of Motorhome facts, The challenge is maintaining that community spirit as a site grows[/quote], this is so true, and seriously you should take onboard your own statements, I use to love facts for the information, but as i began to notice as soon as you have an opinion regarding anything, theres always a moderator or some know all that thinks they know better and crush you and make you feel inferior, as for now i’m a member else where and have ceased my yearly subscription with Daves forum, as i’m in it for the fun factor, which is what its all about, these days if i want to know anything theres google which is free to search and with the increasing size of internet forums more informative and to which are free….best of luck to whoever wins…thankyou.

  18. David Burley says:

    [quote]David Jones
    I buy advertising in various journals based on claimed subscription numbers and if I were an advertiser in the motorhome business I would like to know an accurate number of real members, not just those who log on once or even by mistake and never come again. [/quote]
    Your understanding of online media is grossly incorrect Mr Jones.
    Advertising is based on throughput / footfall, in the case of a paper medium such as a magazine / journal then of course you base costs of advertising on actual circulation i.e. subscriber count. In online media its the Unique visitors to a site that is the key factor, as member count is purely a number and doesn’t actually reflect the true status of a site. Motorhomefacts receives up to 200,000 unique visitors in the peak season (2010) and in fact this month alone (Off season) it is on track for 160,000 unique visitors to the site (February short month) (so we are expected to break substantially through the 200K figure this year). I would anticipate the reason why the smaller sites have greater take up of pollsters is purely down to the more intense community spirit always present on smaller groups, and the ease of getting the message across to all of them.

    Magazines do tend to have a huge amount of advertising within their content and a figure of up to 70% Adverts Vs Content isn’t an exaggeration whereas our content vs advertising ratio is far, far lower. So it can be argued that your advert in your Journal is being diluted Vs online advertising.

    It is good to see the motohome industry as a whole has so many diverse forums of all shapes and sizes catering for each individual niche and this should be celebrated.

    The challenge is maintaining that community spirit as a site grows

  19. Jennifer says:

    The membership numbers of the big sites are grossly exaggerated in order to make them appear more attractive to advertisers. The membership includes everyone who ever signed up including those who left, gave up motorhomes, or defected to another site. Since the bigger forums have been going for many years there’s a large number in that category.

    The active members are a fraction of that total this can be confirmed by browsing their forums, seeing who is posting and active now this year. Even allowing for lurkers, it’s clearly nowhere even close to the total number quoted.

    Thanks to Caravan Guard for shedding some light on the truth about the big guys.

  20. David Jones says:

    It would appear the smaller forums have members who are much more satisfied than those in the two large ones.

    As an example, MotorRoamers has only 200 members but 100 have voted for it. That’s 50%

    MH Facts claims that 53,000 have joined but just 1600 have voted for it. That’s 3%

    MH Fun claims to have 14,000 members but just over 900 people have voted for it. That’s 6.5%

    The major sites cannot have it both ways. Either their membership numbers are grossly exaggerated or they have a massive number of dissatisfied members who are not willing to vote for them. Which is it chaps?

    I buy advertising in various journals based on claimed subscription numbers and if I were an advertiser in the motorhome business I would like to know an accurate number of real members, not just those who log on once or even by mistake and never come again.

    If the motorhome forum world was books, they’d count me as a visitor if I happened to glance at a title on the shelves of W.H. Smith!

    Advertisers should be very grateful to Caravan Guard for this illuminating exercise which casts a much more accurate light on forum numbers.

  21. Crazy Pete says:

    SBMCC (self build forum) – we are the lunatic fringe of motorhomers, if the MH next to you is an ex-fire engine or WW2 landing craft with a genny running all night and a log burning stove in it, thats us

    be afraid, very very afraid

  22. Dave Treanor says:

    I Vote Motorhome Today, its free, friendly,and members are made very welcome.

  23. Leo De Bruyn says:

    Thank you caravan Guard for having this poll. It is a boost for the small free forums to get in the spotlights and finally out of the dark.
    Especially for those fairly new ones: Motorroamers: 1 year, Motorhoming-wild: 10 monts.
    BTW there is a very good understanding between this forums.
    Both have their specialities, but they share the same free, happy spirit.

  24. Zoe says:

    I’d like to second what the motorroamers.co.uk Admin has said. We have had some lovely new members join us from this poll. I think it has done wonders for the smaller forums like our friends at Motorhoming wild and for us, by getting us on the map.
    Thanks for the promotion Caravan Guard

  25. Lord Snooty says:

    Calm down dears it’s only a camping forum vote!

  26. Jennie says:

    We joined Motor Roamers a few months ago, although we do keep quiet, they were very welcoming, and we enjoy reading not only the information, but the nice friendly banter between members.
    They also have one of he best lists of get togethers I have seen on any forum, and have members with all sorts of vans and from all over the country, and now from the continent.

  27. Adam Fletcher says:

    Can I just say thankyou to Caravan Guard for this Poll, as it has pointed alot of new members to our little group. Admin of motorroamers.co.uk
    please feel free to come and join in on all the fun.

  28. lugnutt says:

    motorhomefun

  29. Little Voice says:

    Reading some of the comments on here makes me very ashamed to be associated with some of the ‘motorhome community’.

    All forums have a purpose, you chose which you want to join/participate with, no one makes you do it.

  30. William says:

    Quote Big John
    “No free forum will cater for all of the addons that these big sites provide, classifieds, albums, directories, reviews”

    This is just plain wrong. It suggests you are just making random statements without having been to the free forums. There’s plenty of albums, directories, and reviews on sites such as Motorhoming-Wild, MotorRoamers, or Wild Camping for Motorhomes – all free forums.

    As for “classifieds” that’s just yet MORE advertising, and there is plenty of that elsewhere on the web. I don’t want it shoved in my face again on a forum, thanks very much.

    In terms of classifieds for members advertising their own sales and wants, then that will be found in abundance on free forums such as Motorhoming-Wild, Motoroamers or Wild Camping.

  31. Vote for MotorhomeFun - MotorhomeFun says:

    […] for MotorhomeFun Please click this link to vote for your Favourite Motorhome Community [click to vote] Thanks for voting. I have close the original thread, it was getting out of hand […]

  32. Big John says:

    This makes interesting reading, I am a member of many forums and the top two in this poll should be there, they are eaily the best forums, those that knock them for charging have no idea. No free forum will cater for all of the addons that these big sites provide, classifieds, albums, directories, reviews etc etc

    Now to choose between them, its difficult, they are both good, they were both started by motorhome enthusiasts, but only one seems to be hands on. The motorhomefact.com owner, is no longer a motorhome owner, he does not attend rallies and only posts on the forum when something is not working or he wants to sell the members something. The motorhomefun.co.uk owner is still enthusiastic, he posts on the forum every day, asking and answering questions and attends lots of rallies. THIS REALLY SHOWS THROUGH and makes everyone enthusiastic and makes the fun site just tip it as the best online community. MOTORHOMEFUN.CO.UK Gets my vote.

    Given that motorhomefun.co.uk has 40,000 fewer members and is only 400 votes behind it seems that it will not be long before Fun is No 1

  33. Steve says:

    Motorhome Facts is streets ahead of the opposition,it is the biggest motorhome forum in Europe and for good reason.For technical advice,help and camraderie it cannot be beaten.

    It has a huge database of campsite reviews,guides and directories,I have saved my subscription many times over and am thankful I joined

    MHF even has it’s own dedicated insurance designed specifically for motorhomers-no other forum has that.There is a place for all the other forums of course but MHF is the benchmark for them all to emulate.

    The smaller forums can be useful as well and occasionally have some interesting threads but motorhomers will get everything they need from MH Facts.

  34. Keith says:

    I find the validity of this vote to be somewhat pointless having read on MHFun that members are voting multiple times! One boasting that they have managed to vote eleven times! Whilst many others are actively encouraging the same others to do the same! How sad……… what has this motor home community come too?

  35. YODELI (Frankie) says:

    As many , i voted for MotorhomeFun. I never wanted /needed to go on any other forum; This one became my english family (i am a female froggie!!) I found nice and helpfull people !!! Vive le Royaume Uni et Vive motorhome FUN !

  36. Pete says:

    Carol @ how does paying forums benefit you then small forums ??

  37. allan b says:

    i used to be a member of another site but got fed up of being tapped for subs every year since joining motorhomingwild which is totaly free its a great site we have fantastic meets up and down the countryand do events to raise money for variouse charities.and you gets loads of good valuable advice from great people .

  38. A Motorhomer says:

    Well, well, I bet Caravan Guard are wishing they’d never started this 🙂
    I note with some amusement that the original motorhome discussion forum, started in 1998, is not included in this ‘beauty contest’, and has no wish to be.

  39. Geo says:

    Heather Can you explain how the score % are worked out we seem to have 3 clubs with23 vote between them and 0% scores the total % displayed for the rest =98%
    Confused

    • Heather says:

      @Geo – I think it’s to do with the rounding, so if it’s less than 1% it will say 0%. There also seems to be an error with the last entry as it shows 3% with no votes. I can assure you that the final tally will come from the number of votes and not the percentage show.

  40. Angela says:

    I like Motorhoming-wild, it’s free and friendly. Last year we raised over £800 for a Childrens Hospice, and this year we are doing things to raise money for the Prostate Cancer charity, and at the same time enjoying what we do best, Motorhoming.

  41. Techno100 says:

    If you want value for money MHF has saved me a tenner ten times over since I joined last May. If you want FREE Motorroamers does it for me! Only a year old and thanks to this poll a big boost to the membership 🙂 . Nice people, no mods needed so far just active staff lol.

  42. Tony says:

    If there is one thing that will come out of this poll and am sure it has been noticed by the sites, it is the increased traffic to their sites by people who did’nt even realize they existed. For that Caravan Guard we congratulate you.

  43. frank says:

    i have been a member of both the main sites,and have gained some invaluable information over the years from there members,but when it comes to getting in your motorhome and going to a meet,motoroamers wins hands down,always well organised meets,a very friendly group who like to socialise{and a drink or two}only in its infancy yet feels you have known these people for years.so its not all about sitting at your pc and gaining knowledge about motorhoming etc,get to the meets and enjoy yourself,

  44. Rick says:

    EERRRRrrrrrrrr, I think that actually motorhoming-wild is the only wildcamping site that is free, ……….thats why we started motorhoming-wild.

  45. Peter Smith says:

    Friendly, informaative and helpful….10 out of 10

  46. Carol says:

    @Wildcamper. You are mistaken my motorhoming friend we do not ‘fall’ for anything. We join the pay forums because they benefit us in some way. We like what they bring us. We pay because we want to be a member, not because we are suckered into it. We are not idiots led by the nose lol

  47. Wildcamper says:

    You can get great advice at Motorhoming-Wild or Wild Camping which are free forums. I think most people who get tapped for £10 a year by the bigger forums are internet newbies who don’t realize it’s possible to run large forums for free. They’ve fallen hook line and sinker for the bandwidth and special software excuses, LOL.

  48. Bob Hojgard says:

    Given the vast difference in membership numbers (13k FUN/54k FACTS) then FUN is way,way out in front.

    I rest my case!

  49. Tony says:

    Guess all those slagging off other forums are banned members lol

  50. Salopian says:

    I
    wonder if it was me who opened this Pandoras Box ! Because when I renewed my insurance with Caravanguard I mentioned the MH Fun website and suggested that they should look at it because there were so many posts asking about who gave the best value for money !!!

  51. Tony says:

    Geo
    I think you need some fish with rather large CHIP you are carrying, if you have a problem with facts vent with dave directly as you only look a fool making these stupid accusations on a site like this 🙂

    Facts for me has been a god send when ever I need advice people offer it, some might be wrong but this world is not made up of people who are always right, 9 out of 10 I have the right answers in just a few mins not like other forums where it may be days and in 2 cases no replies at all.

    As for Dave being a completely profit orientated organisation well good luck to him and I wish I had thought of it first:) he is welcome to my £10 each year and I have just renewed again.

    MotorhomeFacts is the better forum for quick responses and lots of fun and laughter too 🙂

  52. Viv says:

    Small Motorhome Forum is friendly, free and helpful. So friendly that those who join, stay to chat and join the meets even if they change to large motorhomes, tents, caravans or anything that can take a sleeping bag. New members are always given a great welcome and the lounge is really cosy and always warm!

  53. steve says:

    i have been with facts from the time before you had to pay and fun for a few years but for nice people,and great meets and rallies motorroamers are the best

  54. Jan Baldwin says:

    MotorRoamers.co.uk is really friendly and welcoming with some great meets.

  55. Bazza says:

    Motorhome Facts, Fun, Wildcamping.co.uk and Fulltiming 365 in that order for both usage and enjoyment for me. Why not just join them all? If you have a motorhome joining all the paid ones is less than it costs for a weekends diesel!

    They are all good really but I cant understand why some of you feel the need to slag off the other sites. Pathetic really.

  56. Leo De Bruyn says:

    Both FREE sites Motor Roamers and Motorhoming-wild are fairly new in the forum scene. They share the same spirit and have very good ties between them. A lot of Roamers are also members of Wild, and vice-versa. Both sites have their specific domain: Roamers for the meetings, Wild for the wild spots; they do complete each other. When you add the votes together you’ll see they together do represent a fairly part of motorhomers.

  57. Sonja says:

    Well Done Roamers for getting on the list. A very friendly group and the best small forum I know. Visit motorroamers.co.uk you know it makes sense.

  58. Rick says:

    It has to be motorhoming-wild, it is FREE, run by its members, shares all the info you PAY for elsewhere, is lightly moderated, never censored, never bans free speech, has loads of brilliant meets up and down the Country and raises POTS and POTS for charity at every meet…..even GIVES away freebies.

  59. don clarke says:

    I have been in many clubs etc in 50 years but Motorhome facts has turned out to be the best, very friendly forum and rallies.
    on one forum connected to a magazine, fellow users are quite regularly rude to people who only tel the truth, whereas on facts many people are thanked for there input and treated with respect

  60. Carol. says:

    For its warm welcome where everyone is made to feel equal, and it does not matter what vehicle you drive or what information you ask, Motorhome Fun members do their best to help, the rally’s or motorhome show meets a pleasure to attend, so Motorhome Fun gets my vote.

  61. chris green says:

    when you consider that the owner of facts does not own a motorhome and has not for years,and has little intrest in rally’s or meets,i think as the two big forums go il stick with fun,and i have rallyed with both,but both offer great rally’s so cant pick between the two as far as rally’s go.
    hello mavis i know you are out there somewere.

    chris green

  62. Hitlerdoglilly says:

    I’ve voted Motorroamers as its friendly, Im my life on the forum i have not seen anything bad outstanding meets friendly people, and Great welcoming forum is easy to use.
    All round 6 stars
    Hitlerdoglilly

  63. geo says:

    Motor Roamers For the title

  64. KeithTheNotSoBigUn says:

    I really do not get all of this in-fighting between the different forums. We all have one thing in common and should celebrate that. For me it is not a question of which is best, simply which one do you prefer? I happen to prefer MHF, that does not make me a nasty person or in some way different to any of you. Yes I lurk most days and do not comment, my choice! Keep smiling and travel safely. x

  65. Bob Quinn says:

    motorroamers.co.uk is a very friendly and inviting club, everyone is nice with no bickering and a real good meets section.

  66. Alan Talbot says:

    I think MotorRoamers should be voted the best small forum of the year…….

  67. Zoe Fletcher says:

    Here Here! MotorRoamers is the best small forum of the year!

  68. Stephanie Fletcher says:

    I vote for motorroamers.co.uk, its the best!

  69. Carol says:

    I agree Dave, but aren’t we supposed to be adults?

  70. Adam Fletcher says:

    My favourite forum isn’t even mentioned!
    I think motorroamer.co.uk is the best new site, and has the friendliest people 🙂

  71. Gail says:

    If you’re looking for advice or
    If you’re looking for fun
    Small Motorhome Forum
    Is obviously the one !!

  72. John says:

    Interesting fact..

    Facts have 53,000 + members yet only 726 members have voted, less than 2% … I wonder why… “rolls eyes”

  73. Dave says:

    Carol, It’s playground stuff, my dad is better than your dad etc.

  74. John says:

    Dummies are being spat out now …

  75. Tammi Jameson says:

    I’m sorry, all these arguments about needing “dedicated server space” and “special software” to grow just don’t stack up.

    It’s quite possible to have forums with 100,000’s of members on forums such as Proboards and ipb-free. They give you unlimited traffic and database size all financed by a few Google ads. The forum hosts like the traffic, it all means more exposure for their Google ads. I’ve been a member and had a hand in running forums on freehosts many times bigger than Facts or Fun.

    The dedicated servers space and bandwidth arguments are put forward by the forum owners as a conveneient excuse to relieve their members of £10 or whatever the rate is. I don’t doubt that they have actually hired servers and bought forum software, but they don’t *need* to go down that route. What it does mean is that they get control of the advertising.

    While their members cough up for the servers/software, and other members moderate for free, they trouser the substantial profits from the advertising. This is never explained in detail to the membership though!

    That is much more of a business than it ever will be a “community”

  76. Carol says:

    Sad that one forum sees this poll as a chance to vent their aggression and hatred of another site so publicly!

  77. Mary says:

    The Small Motorhome Forum has my vote every time – a really lovely community of friendly and knowledgeable motorhome enthusiasts

  78. Dave says:

    For top quality, I’ll stick with Out & About forum, at least you know who your enemies are.

  79. Dave says:

    Seems like a few feathers are being ruffled. How long before it turns really nasty…………..mmmmm, can’t wait.

    And those who profess to be spelling and grammar perfectionists seem to be a bit lacking in those departments today.

    “And we’ll have fun, fun, fun till her Daddy takes the T-Bird away…..”

  80. John says:

    Quote Heather
    “Thank you for everyone’s responses to this poll so far – let’s keep the community spirit and remember – it’s just for fun!”
    Unquote

    Hear hear.. well said

    A lesson that facts has yet to learn..
    They are far too serious, with grammar, spelling and thought Police..

    FUN is the game and FUN is the name of the very best forum

  81. Geo says:

    Looks like I stuck a nerve

  82. Chris Ivory says:

    No mention of Rascal Campers?
    Oh well, we’ve only been going 3 months
    rascalcampers.com

  83. Frostie says:

    Precisely the reason Heather I keep away from the big sites, constant bickering and now trying to get one up on each other. I’m happy with the small non profit sites like smallmotorhome.co.uk/forum, friendly and sociable.

  84. David Burley says:

    response to Geo:
    “Fun most defiantly does not profit from its members, break even at best,”
    Sorry I don’t believe you are the person who owns the motorhomefun website so how would you know that, are you privvy to their accounts ?

    “It is truly a commercial venture, Completely profit orientated, it has its own Shop with highly inflated pricing, its stocks nothing in my opinion and is merely drop shipping its orders IE a middle man making a profit,”
    Outdoorbits.com has no bearing on this “community poll” and how would you know what stock is held by Outdoorbits unless you also have access to the accounts and inventory list of yet another business ?

    As for highly inflated pricing, i think you will find that the reverse is in fact true with the majority of products sold (not all) are very price competitive Vs other retailers.

    Online surveys never truly reflect the membership and attendance figures of any websites especially when their are personal grudges apparently held by some pollsters 😉

    • Heather says:

      Thank you for everyone’s responses to this poll so far – let’s keep the community spirit and remember – it’s just for fun!

  85. Pablo says:

    @ fundwellerv Terry.

    It’s MOTORHOMEFUN.CO.UK not .com. Type carefully. Can’t think why any other site would wish to pass themselves off as something they are clearly not. 😉

  86. Jim says:

    Pay, Pay, Pay.
    Seems to be considered the best value nowadays.
    Small motorhome forum is FREE and must be better value than commercial forums.
    Plenty of activity, approachable and friendly unpaid organisers, lots of humour and good advice.
    What more is required? For my non-money, the BEST.

  87. Geo says:

    You would have to have been a member of both the “Big” Forums to understand the policies and politics, Fun has never claimed to be big.
    Fun most defiantly does not profit from its members, break even at best,
    The other smaller forums will always remain small unless as Fun found out,
    Money is spent on dedicated software and server space, it’s the only way to grow.
    Fun tried it for free, as that was Funs ethos, but popularity made it too big to cope with the free sites on offer in the server world,
    £12 was set as the break even figure based on member numbers, as it grew, it was reduced to £10, with Jim giving away a Motor Home book that sells for £10 to every member, Free, so not a lot of profit in that was there,
    Facts on the other hand started out Free and then for the same reasons as Fun applied a member’s fee, but that has taken off on a completely different path.
    It is truly a commercial venture, Completely profit orientated, it has its own Shop with highly inflated pricing, its stocks nothing in my opinion and is merely drop shipping its orders IE a middle man making a profit, Fact is not this mans only profitable forum he runs many
    Try typing in motorhomeFUN.com and see where it take you, he don’t even play fair
    The voting I find intriguing too if as already stated Facts have 10 x the members of FUN then the %figures are all wrong.
    With 100 facts members voting that represents about 5% of its votes
    With 100 Fun members voting that’s about 25% of its votes
    As I see it Fact should win hands down over Fun due to voting members
    If Fun finishes a close second, fact should be very ashamed of its self
    As for the members of both site there is nothing to chose between them just ordinary folk enjoying there chosen Motor homes,
    It’s a fact FUN is more FUN than Facts
    And it has all the facts too!! Plus
    Free Profesional advise and help at all its shows and meets
    Geo

  88. teljoy says:

    I voted for Motorhome facts and having been a member for five years I believe it is the best annual tenner I have spent. It’s members have helped me with numerous questions I have had regarding solar panels, batteries, continental touring, maps and general upkeep of the motorhome.
    The forum also has many members with a great sense of fun and are always willing to help.
    Terry

  89. David Burley says:

    I feel i must respond to the comments of David Jones above, to say we are dishonest and our joining members numbers are a “total con” sails close to the wind defamation wise !
    I can’t speak for other sites but the same rules should apply, we most definitely have had that number of members join the site, the paid subscriber numbers have nothing to do with how many people would vote on an online poll !.
    The most important figures in any advertisers mind are the number of Unique visitors a website gets per month and motorhomefacts.com has approx 200,000 per month in peak season months. Posters on forums and active members are always by far the minority as Lurkers (none posters who use the websites and glean information but don’t actively participate) are always the vast majority of the site visitors.

  90. David Jones says:

    This poll has highlighted what I have always believed to be the dishonesty of both of the pay forums. MH Facts boasts that 53,000 people have joined and MH Fun claims it has 13,000 members. The vast majority of these are people who sign up and stay for a few days and decide that they’re not going to pay the fee.

    How else do you explain these derisory voting numbers of a couple of hundred people?

    This is a total con to woo more advertisers. If advertisers really knew the very tiny number of real, paying members, they’d be off in a flash. I suspect that neither forum has more than a few hundred paying members.

    Time to come clean folks! Stop this rip off of companies who pay to advertise with you!

  91. Joan says:

    I am a member of a number of forums, but this is simply the best!!

    Smallmotorhome.co.uk is such a truly caring and friendly forum, where you receive the best advice and have such a great laugh as there are a couple of comedians there.

    You really feel that you are part of a family, which is certainly not the case with other forums.

    This is a forum that actually cares about its members Pauline and Graham run this brilliantly.

  92. Tweets that mention Vote for the best online motorhome forum community -- Topsy.com says:

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Graham, Caravan Guard Ltd. Caravan Guard Ltd said: News Update: Best online motorhome communities – We're asking you to tell us which forum you find the most useful in… http://ow.ly/1bfD1e […]

  93. fundweller says:

    Been going round forums for a while and find motorhomefun.com much more humouros and with a good moral attitude.

    Terry

  94. chris green says:

    if your spelling is not what it should be stay away from motorhomefacts,you will be wasteing a tenner,on the otherhand motorhomefun has banned comments on spelling as its all about enjoying our hobby not who has the best education.

    chris-green

  95. Neil McLeland says:

    There’s a new forum that’s not on the list – forums.clubmotorhome.co.uk Its not just the big ones that can be useful – they all have to start somewhere 🙂

  96. Phil (Moblee) says:

    When I joined motorhomefacts in 2006 I was a complete novice….Since then I have saved money on insurances,ferries,etc,become more knowledgeable and made some good friends.

  97. Derek Johns says:

    You have missed out smallmotorhome.co.uk/forum ,give the small vans a voice 🙂

  98. Jenny says:

    Small motorhome forum. Favourite site and yet it is not on your list. It is by far the friendliest community.

  99. Paul Nicholls says:

    Although you are of course right (Peter Shore) there is a big difference between the sites. Whilst not everybody whom owns a motorhome is able to display a degree in the English language and produces word perfect posts, Motorhome fun do have a rule that if you can make out what is said its good enough. That way no one need be afraid that they will meet a stern response from the Grammar Police. Motorhome fun is a fun place to be, often light hearted with good in-depth debate of some serious stuff. There are some very knowledgeable people on Out and about live but often I believe the members take it all a little too seriously. However what ever forum you like, enjoy it, but most of all enjoy your motorhoming.
    haganap/panagah.

  100. William says:

    The thing about “Fun” and “Facts” is they are big sites with huge memberships run on a profit basis for their owners with restrictive practice on what you can link to because linking to “unauthorised businesses” this will diminish advertising revenue for their owners.

    Whereas a site such as motorhoming-wild is for free and run on a charity donation model. While not having the massive memberships of the big guys and thus unable to muscle a competition like this on weight of numbers, it does have a much better community spirit.

  101. Dan says:

    Motorhome Fun is probably the most well balanced, informative and most importantly – welcoming site on the internet.

    It balances a relaxed, fun dialect with the most accomodating and warm welcome you could expect from a close family forum. You don’t find any of the bias, or huddled groups you find in other communities. Advice is good, excellent trade support, moderated extremely well offering a great online community.

    Highly recommended for anyone – you won’t find any prejudice on this site – just good honest family fun!

  102. Gail says:

    I came across MOTORHOMEFUN accidently in 2008 when the site was originally free. Found everyone welcoming and very helpful no matter what questions were asked. Okay so now its £10 a year subscription, but with the discounts at shows and on insurance etc I gain financially far more than I pay in subscription. There are people of all ages and from all walks of life. Everyone chips in at meets with food, drinks, entertainment. It is FUN, and if someone is in trouble or needs help, other members come to their rescue

    It is my pleasure to say that I have never had to look for another online motorhome community.

  103. mick noe says:

    no contest motorhome fun not just an amusing forum but things to do /get involved with meets etc………..a community

  104. Phil says:

    For 8 years Wildcamping.co.uk has been wild camping and motorhome advice to its members. As one of the oldest motorhome communities on the Internet and the World’s largest Motorhome Wild camping website, you can be sure of a friendly welcome and expert advice from it’s thousands of members. I would also like to say that the other websites listed are all superb and well worth joining. Phil (wildcamping.co.uk)

  105. Francis Graham says:

    Motorhome Fun is just to relentless with its enforced ‘Fun’ and its ‘Funsters’. Motorhome Facts is totally over moderated by people who love being school monitors and Out and About Live seems to attract a few really awful people who are too tight to pay a few quid for a bigger forum.

    So that leaves Motorhome Today, which has some really helpful people but very few contributors.

    Favourite quote of the forums -“We will never charge” (Motorhome Fun some months ago). Just before it charged £2.00 more than Facts. It has now embarrassingly reduced it to a tenner.

  106. Lynn ( Mrs Ash ) says:

    We have been members of motorhomefun for 4 yrs now , its a very friendly club and we have met lots of friends from all over , everyone goes out of their way to be friendly and offer help if it is needed , highly recomended 🙂

  107. BobandJane says:

    We voted Motorhome Fun, we are members of both clubs fun and facts and we chose the best club by far. motorhomefun.co.uk/ check out our next meet at Newark Show the biggest and best club attending.
    A happy forum that needs No Moderators, and that give us a lot to Smile about.

  108. Gooney says:

    Peter Shore is correct, there are some very well meaning uninformed people putting their pennyworth in, but more importantly there are a lot of knowledgeable experienced people that offer good genuine advice, I find reading through the various threads it is quite simple to find the factual details you are looking for.

  109. Rob Wharmby says:

    I voted Motorhomefun as t is one of the many sites I visited and was made very welcome by the community it is informative andthere is a lot of light hearted banter on the forum you are not made to feel like an outsider

  110. Graham says:

    Why isn’t Small Motorhome Forum included? Lots of friendly people on there and a resident expert who knows all there is to know about Romahomes.

  111. Vote, Vote, Vote says:

    […] have a head start, including one with a similar name to this one. We are bringing up the rear. Vote for the best online motorhome forum community A friend in need is………nowt but a nuisance. Reply With Quote + Reply […]

  112. sooz says:

    I notice that smallmotorhome.co.uk is missing from your list. It is by far the most helpful and friendly site for those with small motorhomes. The technical advice is spot on and all the other info has proved very accurate. Its so popular they’ve had to open it up to caravaners, tenters and those with larger motorhomes.

  113. Frank says:

    motorhome facts does it for me questions are answered almost before I have finished typing them in, and there is a good sense of camaraderie and friendship.

  114. rebbyvid says:

    As a member for quite a few years of all the above forums(and a few more) it was quite a hard decision as each has its own for’s and against’s but the one for me with a sense of community has to be Motorhoming-Wild

  115. Tony Bond says:

    What about the thriving community on
    smallmotorhome.co.uk/forum

  116. Ramos says:

    As my account is a joint account being a member of MHF as a spouse Why am I not allowed to vote for Favourite forum

    • Heather says:

      Hi Ramos – sorry, only one vote is allowed per computer. Using another computer or internet device would allow you to vote too. It’s the way the software works to prevent multiple voting.

  117. Phillip probert says:

    I browse most of the sites but none of them are as good as www. tribby.co.uk the members are very helpful and not a bad word or post as been made on the site. And having spent a weekend with some of the members i can see and the site is free to join

  118. Mike Cummings says:

    Not all forums are as Peter Shore describes and not all forums require payment so I have voted for the friendly motorhome forum Motorhome Today. You will need to sign up but this is to keep the spammers out.

    PS have just reread Peter Shaws comment and find his opinion that if somebody can’t spell or their grammer is not perfect their views are invalid at tad worrying

  119. Weejocky says:

    Does the competition have a closing date or are you just leaving it open to harvest as many motorhomers email address as possible? I am a member of facts and fun, they are both ok, but if forced to choose the Fun is better, not as many anal retentives as Facts 😉

    • Heather says:

      Hi there, Weejocky. The closing date for votes is 28th February. We are not collecting email addresses – the votes are completely anonymous.

  120. Colin Taylor says:

    Comparison of the three most-used ( and voted for) forums, all of which I have used in the past year, as we are new to motorhoming, leads me to believe that there is no contest — Out & About Live has all of the defects that Peter Shore ( above) describes, but there is humour, you can find decent advice among the dross and it is free!

  121. Ray Stewart says:

    I voted Motorhome Fun this is THE premier forum on the net the members don’t take themselves too seriously but it is a very helpful site it does also have an offshoot site at motorhome365.com this is mainly aimed at full timers to give them a voice

  122. William Dawber says:

    Before you vote, checkout motorhomingwild.forumup.co.uk
    we are not mentioned on this poll, but deserve to be, and it’s free.

  123. Clive Palmer says:

    With no biase motorhomefacts.com have made me feel very welcome and the site is always ready to help anyone… so thats why I voted MHF, and only costs £10.00 per year very good value 🙂

  124. 4b2 says:

    The list is not complete, what about:
    wildcamping.co.uk
    and
    motorhomingwild.forumup.co.uk/

  125. Peter Shore says:

    I find so many invalid, inaccurate comments and opinions on the MH forums that they are all but useless. Ask one question and you get (at least) three different answers from “experts” all believing they are the authoritatively correct! Take, for example the subject of A-frame tow cars, insurance and M.O.T., LPG warning labels; the list is endless. I gave up taking/giving advice on these forums long ago. I now read them (occasionally) for entertainment only. Apart from that, the majority of posts contain awful grammar, punctuation and terrible spelling. These message boards irritate, annoy and in my opinion are next to useless.

  126. David Burley says:

    well of course I am biased here but as MHF has been running since 2003 and has been at the forefront ever since 😉
    if you haven’t been to motorhomefacts yet check it out at motorhomefacts.com before casting your vote 🙂


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