Do you have a Caravan?

[swartvark]

I can get a Sprite Solar at a good price, but never had a caravan before.
We are a Family of 5.

What do you find to be the pros and cons of your Caravan........and please show some Pics of your Set-up.

[Tenk]

Ek kyk ook al n tyd rond vir een, hoop om goeie inligting hier te kry. My vraag is ook wat kan n man betaal, van die nuwes is baie duur en dan kry n man ook goeie tweedehandses maar waarvoor moet jy kyk?

[swartvark]

'n Paar jaar gelede sou ek dit nooit oorweeg het om karavaan te sleep nie, want hoe kom jy by al die Lekker spots uit?............Maar as mens daaroor nadink kamp ons meeste van die tyd in 'n maklik bereikbare kampplek en ry dan van daar af uit na 'n roete.

En 'n gewone gebruikte karavaan is goedkoper as om jou bakkie uit te rig met yskas, laaistelsel en dan nog 'n ordentlike tent ens.....

Laat weet wat julle dink asb.

Hoeveel moeite is 'n karavaan?

[Knuppel]

I have had a caravan for 10 years now. Before I was a tent man. Then the kiddies came along and the tent became a bit beknop and hectic to put up. Now i am settled within 45 min of finding a camping spot.

Cons for me are that i have a road caravan and cant tow it to the rough spot. So maybe an off road caravan but then its a bit more hard work setting up. That also depends on your setup

Pro's are i have a caravan with a shower and a toilet, don't have to walk far!
Swambo is also very happy with the van and loves going out compared to tenting wich was a mission although she never complained and always made the best of it

I dont get much time off work and specifically got the road caravan to go to places not more than 3-4 hours drive from home, plonk my ass down and then relax. You got to think carefully why you want a caravan, that will determine what you must buy.

Buying a caravan is very similar to buying a car. Dont buy the first one you see. Go window shopping and make sure your partner is with you as they will make or break your caravanning holiday.
Second hand ones are not a problem. Find a reputable dealer and go from there. Your number one issue with a caravan is water! Does it leak, has it got rot. Are the tanks good, do the taps work.

I am but scratching the surface here with my answer but it will give you a good start and hopefully others will ad to this thread.

[Family_Dog]

I used to have a Gypsy 3 and then later a Sprite Major. The Gypsy was great, it had an "end" kitchen, which is advantageous if one is cooking while other people come in and out the caravan. The Sprite had a centre kitchen so this was always a nuisance. As Knuppel said, look for wood rot in the floor particularly and ensure that all outer body panels are firmly placed so that water has not been entrapped, thus causing wood rot.

Caravaning is a great past-time, I enjoyed my 'vans thoroughly. The Gypsy was a 15-footer while the Major was a 16-footer, and my opinion is that it was a more stable combination to tow as well.

Other things to consider with a second-hand caravan are the state of the shower (if fitted) and the gas appliances, including the fridge which might be a 2 or 3-way unit (220v, 12v, gas). Both my caravans were fitted with a gas oven which were used extensively for baking that very necessary camping food, Beer Bread. I'm not so sure that new caravans have ovens though.

If the caravan has a pop-up roof or vent, check its condition. The clips are not generally of very good quality.

If you purchase a second-hand caravan, have it serviced (wheel bearings, brakes, tighten all bolts) and check the condition and age of the tyres. Generally, caravan tyres do not work hard and they will develop cracks over a prolonged period of time. Edge posted some good tyre info on the forum a day or two ago, read it and check the age of your tyres. Buy a spare if there is not one included with the 'van

Towing options: The use of a Trapezium made a marked improvement in towing both caravans, well definitely when I towed initially using a Cressida and then a Skyline. By the time I had bought White Fang, I simply fitted the Trapezium in any case because I already had it.

Try the beds out. Both my CI Caravans (as they were then) had very comfortable foam bunks.

Other than that, tow with ±75kg nose weight on the towball, do not speed, 80-100kph/hr is fine with the caravan. After all, you are on holiday!


-F_D

[Johan Kriel]

Camping with a caravan is much better than a tent. But there are places where you cant take a caravan.

[WayneSchalk]

Kyk vir houtvrot!!! En doen jouself 'n guns en kyk of die bearings op die wiele reg is

Iets wat ek beslus na sal kyk as ek koop is om een te kry waar die kombuis buite is. En dat dit 'n moderne yskas is. Daai gas jobbies is nie vir my nie

[Stef]

Kyk vir houtvrot!!! En doen jouself 'n guns en kyk of die bearings op die wiele reg is

Iets wat ek beslus na sal kyk as ek koop is om een te kry waar die kombuis buite is. En dat dit 'n moderne yskas is. Daai gas jobbies is nie vir my nie

...soortgelyke redes hkm ek eerder boswa gekies het

[Thabogrobler]

GROOT pro: Jy slaap elke aand in jou eie bed!!

Ek loer ook so met een oog in die karavaan rigting.

[mcw]

Hi

had a jurgens champion many years ,but after battling wood rot gave up
just a got Camptech weekender from the other forum,all fibreglass
as it is just my wife and i, it works great

[Stef]

Personally I'd rather go with an offroad trailer for various reasons, but that's me.

A caravan doesn't really need kitting out, they come with pretty much everything and for a family of 5 probably a better option than a trailer depending on how you camp. Caravans are more expensive to buy and maintain than a basic offroad trailer IMO.

So you need to consider:
1. your camping needs ito sleeping arrangements, cooking etc
2. Towing regulations..VERY important...GVM of caravan <= Tare of towing vehicle
3. EB license (I presume you have one already)
4. Ease of towing: caravan vs trailer, drop plates, trapeziums etc.
5. Type of destinations (older caravans are pretty low on the ground) so even a speed bump becomes a problem

and then of course check all the things as mentioned already

my 2c's...

[Haboob]

Guys, as everyone has said, there are a lot of things to look into when purchasing a caravan.
The article, “Tips on Over Landing” also has a few point mentioned about extra wheels on the road using more fuel, with added problems like broken axels, collapsed wheel bearings and pulling extra weight over bad roads or thick sand.
One of the Forum members spent a bit of money on a 4X4 Caravan which ended up being scrapped because of wood rot, so this is a definite problem. There were a number of pointers given by Eric and others, but wood rot also originates from around the window and from the joints on the roof, where water often collects when a caravan is parked and rain collects on the roof and then seeps in through these joints causing wood rot.
Because caravans are often parked for extended periods the wheel bearing grease often gets hard and this leads to failure of the bearings.
Caravans these days are built with so much luxury that there is very little weight that can be added after you have packed in the caravan awning, tent, chairs, etc. Once you start loading the water, food, fridge, drinks, etc. you are already over loaded which is then a danger to yourself, your family and other road users.
If you speak to a seasoned caravaner, you will see that they also look at purchasing caravans that do not have pop up roves, as these often do not work well, are cheaply made, the cloth/canvas rots and is a place for monkeys/baboons to enter into your home on wheels.
Often caravans do not fit into conventional garages and caravans that are big enough to be comfortable enough are often so heavy that they are difficult to tow, manoeuvre around a campsite and need an EB licence to be towed legally. This becomes more problematic the older you get and from the day you purchase the caravan you are on a downward trend (You are getting older every day and weaker). This sounds like nonsense, but you will soon realise that your capabilities are slowly diminishing with every passing season.
Like everything in life, the bigger the schlepp, the less often you will want to manhandle the monstrosity that is (hopefully) parked under cover. Also remember that if you have a steep uphill or downhill into your property makes the getting in and out of the caravan more difficult.
What is the Solution?
Kit your vehicle out, as everything you have in your vehicle will be there when the children have flown the coop or if the vehicle is upgraded you have all the kit for the next vehicle. This will ensure that you have a complete camping set up for you and SWAMBO when you experience the empty nest syndrome, so just need to sell the goodies used by the children, if they don’t leave with full arms carting all dads stuff away.
A cheap pop up type of trailer which has beds and a few cupboards for the children’s accommodation is a very realistic option; is easy to handle and has nothing to interest the four legged pests that enter camping sites.
The other option is the gravel travel, caravan, but this does not exclude the wood rot problem, and they also, although built more robust, cannot be taken anywhere, unless you are not too worried about damage. These caravans are also normally much heavier than the normal on-road caravan.
The alternative is the newer fibre glass caravans which are lighter and smaller, but also not cheap than a conventional caravan. The Sherpa range has a gravel roader which has different configurations of a two berth caravan. There is now one that is a bit bigger which has just been developed but the name slips my mind (It could be the Sherpa Leisure).
These caravan are lighter than the conventional ones and would be easier to manage and would also not have the wood rot problem. Fibre glass is also a materiel that has been around for many years and just about anyone would be able to fix any type of damage, should the need arise. The only problem that I have seen, is the quality of their “add a room tent/awning”, which I do not personally like and think that this can maybe be sourced from another supplier should you feel the same about their product.
This does not change the loading capabilities of the caravan, so it goes back to what I said about properly kitting out your vehicle for over landing/camping and then having a small caravan sleeper as back-up. This will also assist with an extra fridge/freezer and packing space for the children.
Again see the article on tips for over landing/camping which will assist in kitting out your vehicle and then it can also assist with kitting out the caravan/trailer/sleeper van. I also want to again put out the warning about weight when you make your decision of kitting out your vehicle/trailer. Good luck & enjoy your travels…

[dalkill]

i have been wrestling with caravan on and off for seems like an eternity...

Some very good and valid points made there Haboob.
I enquired about the sherpa... it's not common so you can't run off to gumtree to find good second hand one.
So i enquired about new one... just the shell without anything inside it R95K...

The other option i thought of was to buy an old caravan (preferable just a shell) and strip it bear... fix all wood rot, loose joints etc, etc... but then there is always the eternal maintenance as inevitably those joints shake loose again, adn without you knowing you have woodrot again.

So i thought of converting a food trailer into a caravan. one built from aluminum adn kit it out myself to my needs. Something like this:
http://www.gumtree.co.za/a-caravans-tra ... 0372062409

Then i saw the Airstream and fell inlove with it... But eish to get it here... "7 hundred and 69 thousand , 8 hundred and 20 and 70"
I'm still trying to figure out if one can build that thing locally. I don't think rocket science. Allu struncture and sheeting... in the shape of the original airstream.
Anyhow that is just a pipedream...

[Stef]

Some solid advice there Haboob

The kitting of your vehicle vs kitting a trailer is also a debate on its own. The latter just made more sense to me, but again different needs for different people.

@ Dalkill, I bought my 2015 Conqueror Courage for 66k, which included water tanks, power system and the fridge slide & ammo box slide plus a deep cycle battery. The tent was another 20k with the 360 deg awning and mattress. With all the extras like gas cylinders, ground sheets, extra hella points etc I ended up @ R90k + VAT

I toyed with the idea of building my own, but a few years ago Oscar on the Wegsleep forum built his own trailer at a cost of R45k excluding his tent and about 12 weekends of hard labor, I would estimate that the cost of building your own is currently much closer to R60k, so I just bought a new one.

[Haboob]

"7 hundred and 69 thousand , 8 hundred and 20 and 70"

Agree 100% Shaakir
But then R95 K is still cheaper than "7 hundred and 69 thousand , 8 hundred and 20 and 70"
& you won't end up with wood rot.
I am also looking at ideas, but keep returning to the Sherpa.
I am kitted out for overlanding and will not make a decision in the the next year or two, so I can still get by with my situation as it is, but if I really go in for the "Full Timing" situation, then I MAY still get a small easy to manage caravan like the Sherpa, in which I will be able to have more fridge/freezer and packing space (as well as more space to keep out of BAD weather, than I currently have).
What is nice about my setup is that I can basically go anywhere with minimum put up & pack away time so it is not a schlepp. I am a lazy camper so have adapted my van to this lifestyle...

[ChrisF]

Edge you know we have gone the camper route. And it certainly IS a stunning option !!


But our camper is on a single cab ..... and now we cant take our 4 year old godson with .... and for the next couple of years our holidays may well include our aunt. In fact our September holiday we used her double cab bakkie, but had to do the challet thing .... MAN I love my own bed !


Point being. The "correct" setup certainly is a function of your "life" .....


right now we have the perfect vehicle ... but not for our life as it is now ....

[Stef]

The "correct" setup certainly is a function of your "life" .....


right now we have the perfect vehicle ... but not for our life as it is now ....

Amen to that, fortunately our setup will allow flexibility for years to come

[mcw]

My old Hilux is fully kitted for camping off road and suits us nicely ,however you would not know that ,if you see all the changes that are done after each trip
the camper trailer will only be used at caravan parks and not offroad
What i enjoy most of this trailer is the weight,it is very light and easy to maneuver

Martin

[Haboob]

You are right Chris, but if you visit a campsite & your grandson is dropped by you then you will still be able to enjoy bonding time. Alternately granny can drive the platkar there with the little guy or he can go with you and granny in the platkar. You will not be doing this on every occasion, but you can make a plan for the occasional trip.
Your own bed is a big factor when you go to sleep at night. As I like to say, I am on first name terms with my bedbugs.

[dalkill]

why does the caravan manufacturers still use wood for their frame?
surely steel / alu construction is much better ito woodrot.