caravan

What could have the deciding edge is what your going to tow it with. I currently have a single axle van and wish now that I had opted for dual axle to take the load of the rear of the car. I would also look at getting something that is high off the ground (off roader) perhaps. Still great to tow on the road but the height is there if you are an adventurer. As far as brands go sorry I cant help there . Look around for caravan and camping shows and head there. Many ideas at those.

Mishy25,

My brother has a Supreme Territory semi off roader that he will be selling in a few months after he moves into his new house.

Its 19' full size van, dual axles, simplicity suspension, rear side entry, full ensuite at rear, middle kitchen and lounge and single beds at front, hot water service, rollout awning, 19" LCD TV etc etc and is only 2 yrs old.

If you are interested let me know on cruisermac@gmail.com and I will give you his details.

Cheers,

Cruiser

You need to post the exact details of your tow vehicle before even thinking about a van

Quite a lot of vans are too heavy for vehicles with a smaller tow capacity.

ANY VAN should be weighed empty before purchase to see that it adheres to the stated weights on the compliance plate.

Lots of second hand vans have aftermarket fittings which add weight and come out of the payload.
This figure is usually 300kg for a single axle van or 400kg for a Tandem axle.
This amount is quite hard to stick to when loading for a long trip.

We had to leave stuff behind twice to get down to a legal weight.

The ATM figure on the compliance plate should NOT be exceeded EVER or you may invalidate any insurance claim if the cause of the accident can be attributed to overloading.

It is also sensible not to tow a van that exceeds 75% of your vehicles tow capacity if you want it to last the distance especially in a 4 cylinder vehicle.

SO tell us what you have and you will get more constructive answers.

Hi Mishy

Sturdy and reliable usually attract a premium price, and also are heavyweights. While asking here you will most likely get a few personal experiences, but not nearly as many as going camping (with a tent or what ever) at places like you will choose, and ask other campers. Most are keen to tell the pros and cons of their choice in person, but may be reluctant to state problems on the internet. We spent years doing this before purchasing our present caravan.

We all choose different rigs for different reasons, so ultimately it will be your priorities that govern your final choice. It also depends on what sort of roads you will travel. We have been on a number of road with hundreds and hundreds of kilometres of relentless corrugations, which can challenge even the sturdiest of rigs. To avoid these would mean we miss out on seeing some of the best part of Australia (in our opinion only), and would travel the same highways each time to get back home the long way.

Features like solar power were important to us, and now having a caravan with a bathroom, we would not like to go without. Aside from the convenience, it widens the scope of places you can camp.

When researching the brands, read the fine print. Some caravan models, even with an off road or similar tag, say taking on rough stony or corrugated roads may invalidate warranty. When buying second hand, warranty may not seem an issue, but it says a lot about the manufacturer's confidence in their design and workmanship.

Depending on your plans and style of travel, much of inland Australia involves travel on dirt roads. There will be times that it is necessary to take a tent and camp for a few days if you want to see certain areas, but the ability to travel dirt roads saves a lot of back tracking.

Motherhen

Buy this months Motorhome and Caravan Trader

On page 117 there is a late model Roadstar Voyager Sapphire For $49990.
This is a later model of a van I had and has Simplicity suspension and usually an ensuite.

These are rugged vans and would probably go where you want to.

It is for sale by Albury RV's

Also on page 205 is a Sunland Winton Offroad which is a beautiful van is at Gold Coast Caravan Sales $54900
Would be as good or better than the Voyager.