TVan - comments welcome

I have first hand experience with them, fast to set up, rugged and tough, excellent suspension, have seen one run around the Outback Challenge tracks easily, it went more places than I'd care to put my Patrol. Value for money, well they are top of the tree and well on a par with the Ultimate Camper and Kimberly Kamper. Excellent quality. And why none on the second hand market...once I bought one I wouldnt let it go until I ceased to camp or carked it.

G -Day Steve We currently own a T-van, and totally agree with Bonz in all areas.
They are one tough bit of gear. We also owned a Group1 track trailer for 6 years & towed it everywhere, Cape,Kimberlies,Gunbarrel,Gulf, heaps of trips thru Vic high country. All we spent on it was 1 set of brake linings & replaced the bearings while we were at it. Initial cost in 1996 was $14000 sold in 2002 for $12,500.
You will be extremely lucky to find one second hand ???

Hope this helps

Cheers Steve Mc

Steve,
I believe you can hire them from Guest's FWD in Fairfield, Melbourne. May provide an opportunity to try one out.

regards,
Martin.

Our Tvan has been extremely good to us - hasn't caused an ounce of trouble in the two weeks that we have had it. Made the 20 minute trip home from the factory without any failures or drama.

This time next week we will be camping out for our first night in it - other than the boys sleeping in it in the garage.

There is a Track Campertrailers Group on Yahoo that is worth joining if you want to know more.

Cheers

Andrew

Steve
I am living outside Australia and get back once a year. I have a vehicle there but hire the camper van as needed. I had read about the Tvan and it seemed to deal with some of the niggles I have with camper trailers. The price seemed high. Last year I met up with a bunch of mates who had also hired various camper trailers on Phillip Island for the Moto GP. We went the soft option with powered sites and I drove down from Brisbane, picked up the Tvan from MRT hire in Newcastle and continued down the Hume to the races. MRT were great to deal with and there were no restrictions put on use other than to keep it off the beach. On highway it towed like it wasnt there. Phillip Island turned on some really lousy cold wet windy weather for the races. The Tvan was head and shoulders above anything we had used before this and in my opinion is a fantastic unit. After the experience of spending this short time with it we are sold. It now looks like a bargain and has stuffed it up for us as far as enjoying lesser offerings. I cannot speak from experience as far as ability offroad goes but on our way back we called in at the factory and saw them under construction. I am not easy to please when it comes to quality (read PIA when I feel ripped off) but from the several hours I spent crawling under and over it looking for trouble it is an extremely well built and thought out piece of kit. There is something about being warm and comfortable on a 150mm mattress under a hard roof while your mates are out there under the direct supervision of their wives trying to rescue canvas and hammer in extra pegs which makes you feel unjustly smug. Definitely on my shopping list when the time comes. I can understand people not selling them, the way they are built your great grandkids may be still using it someday.

Comments: No way a box trailer with a tent on it is worth $20,000...

YMMV

Truckster

I think you would be hard pressed getting one for $20k - try about $30-35k..

Dear Steve
I have owened a Tvan for the last 2 years and coudnt be happier. Excellent engineering. Sleeping under a hard cover has a lot to recomend it when the heavans open up. You can even watch the lightening through the roof hatch and pity those sleeping under canvas.
Cheers John

I just bought a Campomatic M3 - the Tvan and KK were options. You make a choice and run with it.....anything will actually be ok, after you get it. The Tvan would be no change out of $30 if you got a couple of sensible options included. Its worth tha in my view, because of the resale potential. The KK was too nose heavy for my Jack - the Campo is 60k at the ball. T Tvan worried me for the type of terrain I often traverse - gibber country - I was worried about preserving the appearance of the Tvan, for resale - the stone guarding looked really inadequate to me and the storage pockets and recesses here and there rearside appeared to be a real worry for cleaning en route etc (rain - mud - dirt etc). Whatever - just an impression....had to make a choice....not interested in magazine writers who use them for a week - I only ever take heed of those who buy one with their own $ and then have to look after the investment. If I had a Tvan, I would do some mods for the stones and then enjoy the thing for sure.

Hi Steve,

We just spent 3 months travelling North/West Oz in ours. It was sensational. Extremely quick to set up and most of the time we had two adults and two kids sleeping in it. They are very expensive, but anything of the same quality is of a similar price. Admittedly we bought ours second hand($18k), so it did not hurt as much.

good luck

Andrew

Hi. rented one for 2 weeks recently. drove Melb - Alice - Palm valley - Boggy hole track- Dalhousie springs - Oodnadatta track - Melb. very impressed with the design & quality. Only niggly points were:
- couldn't open the car rear door properly because of the TVan hydraulic brake reservoir etc
- the pull out kitchen has no cover unless you put up a separate tarp

Drew- All rental T-vans have hydraulic brakes so everyone who rents them doesn't have to go out & spend a $100 or more on a electric brake controller a longer drawbar also is a option when buying a T-van great if you own a Disco or want more room. There's also a sail awning thats quick to erect if needed for cooking or there's the full blown awning.
Thats my 2 bobs worth for the Day

Cheers Steve

many thanks to all those who replied.... there's some very enlightening imformation in there both for and against and certainly assists in the decision making ... interesting to see different peoples view of the same item ...

Steve

T van is just a clostrophobic bedroom on wheels, and is in a different market to the Ultimate all together, the ultimate more like a van, and the t van more like a camper trailer.