Hi, just wondering if I could have some comments about the A Van typical A frame type campers / vans been looking at buying one and they seem easy to tow and nice and light but also fairly basic, would welcome any comments good or bad.
dazren said
11:12 AM Oct 29, 2015
Gidday Clays, Avan campers are pretty popular, and the people who have them love them, and they seem to have very little problems, that said it is also popular opinion that the Avan factory is ranked right near the top of the ''Pathetic after sales service list,'' I had a Avan 16'6'' PopTop bought new in 2004 only had a couple of small little faults, like loose trim and faulty door closers on cupboards, travelled around 40000 Klm no problems, I think you would get a much better insight if you checked with the Victorian branch of the Avan Club Good Luck and happy camping, http://www.avanclubaust.org.au/
elliemike said
11:53 AM Oct 29, 2015
We have a 2005 Cruiseliner Done a lot of Kilometres in it. The size, weight, ease of towing, and economy, (Dmax Diesel towed weight 1100kg's +or- = 10.1 Ltrs per 100 klm. average last trip) suits us. It also fits into our parking area at home. Very easy to erect when stopped and Like the "Dr Who's" TARDUS bigger on the inside than out.
If we were buying another We think the Twin rear beds front kitchen would be what we would have. As the double rear bed means one has to climb over the other to get up in the night.
I have reinforced most of the furniture fittings in ours for Dirt Road Travel. (I think I would have to do this for most makes) Vibration loosens all sorts of things, but I have had the same problem with other vans as well.
Never had a problem with the Alko Suspension. It is pretty simple.
Like all vans on dirt roads dust can penetrate everywhere so keeping the seals (roof,walls, Door, and skylights) in good nick is a must. If you never go on extended dirt road trips this is not a problem of course.
They do make an Off Road version as well now which is higher clearance from the road.
We have lived in ours for long periods, three and a half months last trip Perth, Broome, Kununurra (over the Gibb River Rd) Far North Queensland. and back Broome to Perth. Love it.
Just selling our house and building another. So we will be living in the Avan for a year (on and off)
We are members of the Avan Club here in WA they are a great Club. A great source of instant help and wisdom from members when you want to know stuff.
It comes down to personal preference of course and money. If I had the money I would have a Kimberly Karavan. My wife hates them ! But we do like our Cruiseliner.
I suggest contacting your local Avan Club. Arrange to visit at their next camp meeting at a C.P. go along and stay in a cabin if you need to. They will gladly give you all their wisdom and help. You will get shown around every van, with enthusiasm. These people are worse than car salesmen when extolling the virtues of "Their AVAN"
Regards
Mike
-- Edited by elliemike on Thursday 29th of October 2015 11:54:34 AM
-- Edited by elliemike on Thursday 29th of October 2015 11:58:24 AM
Yuglamron said
02:05 PM Oct 29, 2015
I must admit I have never owned an A Van. However I was staying in Esk Caravan park for a couple of months. One week the Sunshine coast A Van club had a meet up in the park. There were upward of twenty vans there. All different models. As a group they were all friendly and all passionate about their vans. Very happy to show each other around and I had a look at four of five vans and was impressed with both layouts and the quality of the different vans. Personally if I was in the market for such a van I would be hard pressed to decide which of the many variations I would opt for.
Good luck in your search and hope you find one that suits you.
hako said
02:19 PM Oct 29, 2015
We have an Avan Cruiser with a double bed at the rear and find it suits our needs which is basically somewhere to sleep,cook and rest when either free camping or in a van park. Have done about 30,000km in it with no problems.
They can have all mod cons - fridge, HWS, A/C, cooktop, 60l water and a comfortable bed for 2. For toilet and shower needs we carry an popup ensuite and a porta potti. The ensuite goes up neatly next to the drawbar when camping so you only have to step out the door. They are solidly built in our experience but the best bit is they are relatively cheap. ($10-20,000 2nd hand) Easy to tow and store.
As mentioned by other posters, it's horses to courses. They certainly are not gin palaces but more your basic beer.
Good luck.
grahamg said
03:03 PM Oct 29, 2015
A friend recently sold his a fairly new model and it was only on the market for a week or so.
Dougwe said
03:15 PM Oct 29, 2015
Don't think I have seen you before Clays so welcome to the gang, enjoy here and out in the playground.
Now, Avan campers.....yep, had a "Sportliner" for many moons and had great times with it. Up and down to Townsville a couple of times, one up the middle and one coast, both went exceptionally well with no problems at all. Also all around VIC and over the NSW south coast. Canberra and surrounds etc etc. Being the baby of the family it was so easy to put up and down even just for lunch. I had single bed across back and table and seats up front but being on my own decided to ditch the table and seats and put a bench with open shelves. Worked great too.
I fully re-wired the 12v system for solar and wired in a fixed panel that I converted to portable. Most of the time "free" camping.
I only sold it 12 months ago for what I have now (listed below) due to selling base camp and going on the road full time. I wanted extra room and my on board ensuite.
If you are happy with the size you won't go wrong. Great camper. Best of all, solid insulated walls all round and above.
The only thing I would suggest is make sure the 12v cable is big enough to do what you want. Check out "Techies" for Solar etc info.
Keep Safe on the roads.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Thursday 29th of October 2015 03:18:18 PM
Desert Dweller said
03:15 PM Oct 29, 2015
We have an Avan caravan. The ''triangles'' are popular & seem to have almost a cult status. We saw a couple erecting one right beside us on a wet, windy day. Definitely NOT for us!
We couldn't stand the lack of headroom. You can always tell a ''triangle'' owner by them having a lopsided head & neck. They'd be a dream to tow though.
Dougwe said
03:20 PM Oct 29, 2015
No way DD. I stand upright mate. Heaps of room. People are shocked how much room is actually inside and I tell you that for free.
Desert Dweller said
03:35 PM Oct 29, 2015
Dougwe wrote:
No way DD. I stand upright mate. Heaps of room. People are shocked how much room is actually inside and I tell you that for free.
Bet you had to take your feathered head dress off Doug. Friends of ours had one & we've spent plenty of time in them at caravan & Camping Shows. OK if you stand in the middle! In fact the middle is too tall. Our friends had to have a long handled sponge mop to wipe the condensation off the ceiling that accumulated on it on a cold night. It you used to drip on their heads all day.
Weevil said
04:13 PM Oct 29, 2015
We had an Avan Aliner (medium size) camper trailer for 7 years and loved it, we reckon our best and most happy RV times were spent in that. The only condensation we had was from the aluminium strips around the edges inside, however I think I read where someone said they put cloth tape on theirs and that stopped the condensation.
Headroom is NOT a problem, inside the centre it is about 8 foot high, less towards each end but they are not walking areas. We had the 2B model (dining table & seats at one end, U shaped lounge that makes up to a double bed, but we left ours made up all the time. The dining room end can also be made into a single bed if needed. We went around Australia in ours among other long trips and found them ideal for our needs, low profile so cheap to tow and fits into the carport folded down.
I would definitely recommend joining the Australian A'van Club (camper trailers only) which means that not only can you go to rallies in your own state, but also to any in other state clubs while travelling oz, we did that a couple of times, as well as a National Rally. Here are some they have advertised for sale at the moment, see; www.avanclubaust.org.au/avans-for-sale/
The Club is one of the cheapest to join in Australia as well, the club was founded in Yarrawonga, Victoria, here are their fees;
I agree the company that makes them does not have a very good after sales service reputation among A'van owners I have met, but they make a reasonable product. This may have changed I don't know.
-- Edited by Weevil on Thursday 29th of October 2015 04:19:01 PM
Recoup said
05:30 PM Oct 29, 2015
Two things I can do with out in the van , Hot Water Service , and the Microwave Oven. Both are useless when free camping.Cheers
elliemike said
08:46 PM Oct 29, 2015
Recoup wrote:
Two things I can do with out in the van , Hot Water Service , and the Microwave Oven. Both are useless when free camping.Cheers
I will go along with that Recoup.
They are not fitted in our Cruiseliner either. We have a Diesel heater and even before that was installed we've never suffered from Condensation Problems. I suppose we like fresh air and always have reasonable ventilation including a top vent /skylight open. This includes camping in snow.
Because we take our van on dirt roads We pressurise the interior of the Avan with a 100 mm Bilge blower fan, keeping the dust out. I can control this from the driving position, on/off.
Use a Porta Loo and tent, but that gets used just now and then.
Solar panel on the roof plus a fold out briefcase one. Three way fridge, Sat TV.
With regards to interior space. I did call it the TARDUS. Quite a few people in out WA club are 6 feet tall plus. One couple are both are over 6 feet tall.
They are easy to put up and no canvas involved. I can erect ours in about 45 seconds if leaving it hooked up to the car for the night and not putting the stabilisers down. So if it is raining at lunchtime or the flies are bad it's up in a juffy and we eat inside.
As I wrote in the previous post. It is a personal preference how you camp and what suits you.
I doubt if I would ever want a much bigger van than what we have now. Having said that I have in the past (30+years ago) had a 22ft caravan and hated it. Plus various Camper trailers and small Motor homes and campervans, and tents. It's horse for courses.
Good Luck.
dazren said
08:55 PM Oct 29, 2015
Recoup wrote, --- Two things I can do with out in the van , Hot Water Service , and the Microwave Oven. Both are useless when free camping.Cheers
3 things I would NOT be without, Hot water service, [ gas/electric ] Microwave, and coffee machine, ?? -- When on power they all work fine, when free camping the hot water is on Gas, and the genny will run the microwave, and the coffee machine, -- and it only takes a few minutes, ?
Oh, ! and please don't let the anti genny brigade come out of the woodwork
aussie_paul said
10:06 PM Oct 29, 2015
dazren wrote:
Recoup wrote, --- Two things I can do with out in the van , Hot Water Service , and the Microwave Oven. Both are useless when free camping.Cheers
3 things I would NOT be without, Hot water service, [ gas/electric ] Microwave, and coffee machine, ?? -- When on power they all work fine, when free camping the hot water is on Gas, and the genny will run the microwave, and the coffee machine, -- and it only takes a few minutes, ?
Oh, ! and please don't let the anti genny brigade come out of the woodwork
3 things I would NOT be without, Hot water service, [ gas/electric ] Microwave, and coffee machine, ?? -- When on power they all work fine, when free camping the hot water is on Gas, and the genny will run the microwave, and the coffee machine, -- and it only takes a few minutes, ?
Oh, ! and please don't let the anti genny brigade come out of the woodwork
Well ,I don't have much room for a lot of gear, and a small car , every KG counts, cheers
3 things I would NOT be without, Hot water service, [ gas/electric ] Microwave, and coffee machine, ?? -- When on power they all work fine, when free camping the hot water is on Gas, and the genny will run the microwave, and the coffee machine, -- and it only takes a few minutes, ?
Oh, ! and please don't let the anti genny brigade come out of the woodwork
Well ,I don't have much room for a lot of gear, and a small car , every KG counts, cheers
Remember the days when it was a Rucksack, with everything in it. The technology was the Primus or Optimus Kero stove. A couple of candles for nighttime in the tent.
Now we need a Rucksack just for the chargers, phone cables, computer bits and pieces.
Back to the Avan.
You can get them with Air Con, Hot water systems, Compressor Fridge, Microwave, and take along any other gear you desire. Some of these items don't suit our requirements for camping. That's an individual thing.
Most Avanners I know with Hot Water Systems fitted seem to very rarely use them. In fact three of the WA club members recently complained about having to have new heaters fitted because they leaked. Saying "I wouldn't mind but I have hardly ever used it" !
Depending on the places you want to go The Bigger Cruiser and Cruiseliner are great for 2 people. (you can sleep three) The Aliner and Sportliner are the smaller ones suit single person. also there is a Weekender which is smaller again.
The Off Road Version is the Cruiser or Cruiseliner with Trailing Arm Suspension and is much higher ground clearance. But they look the same inside as ours. I camped next to an Aliner built like this to the customers order. She still had the same problems as everyone else on her shakedown trip (Brisbane to Broome via Gibb River Rd) Stuff coming loose dropping off etc. Just like a few "new" big name off roader vans we recently camped with. Broken this that and the other needing repairs.
If looking at an older second hand van Check under the van at the corners of the floor. Using a Phillips screw driver probe the floor at the corners to see if there is any spongy bits. This will tell you if there are any water leaks that have been accumulating in the corners and rotting the ply floor.
Inspect for tyre feathering/wear for suspension problems or tracking alignment.
Check Damage to wall triangle "A" wall look for cracking from widows to edges. Also check the Wall hinges for broken Piano Hinge along the wall.
Same for the Door hinges.
Make sure the fridge fires up on gas and works. Although this would take time if getting it to freeze down.
No signs of water damage from leaking plumbing under beds and sink.
All the wall and roof seals are in reasonable nick. These are easily changed.
Roof Bungey Cords not frayed or mising.
The roof sections should spring up/open a little at least, when the catches are released from closed down. No springiness in the roof means new Roof Springs are needed. Again not a hard job to do.
Hi, just wondering if I could have some comments about the A Van typical A frame type campers / vans been looking at buying one and they seem easy to tow and nice and light but also fairly basic, would welcome any comments good or bad.
We have a 2005 Cruiseliner Done a lot of Kilometres in it. The size, weight, ease of towing, and economy, (Dmax Diesel towed weight 1100kg's +or- = 10.1 Ltrs per 100 klm. average last trip) suits us. It also fits into our parking area at home. Very easy to erect when stopped and Like the "Dr Who's" TARDUS bigger on the inside than out.
If we were buying another We think the Twin rear beds front kitchen would be what we would have. As the double rear bed means one has to climb over the other to get up in the night.
I have reinforced most of the furniture fittings in ours for Dirt Road Travel. (I think I would have to do this for most makes) Vibration loosens all sorts of things, but I have had the same problem with other vans as well.
Never had a problem with the Alko Suspension. It is pretty simple.
Like all vans on dirt roads dust can penetrate everywhere so keeping the seals (roof,walls, Door, and skylights) in good nick is a must. If you never go on extended dirt road trips this is not a problem of course.
They do make an Off Road version as well now which is higher clearance from the road.
We have lived in ours for long periods, three and a half months last trip Perth, Broome, Kununurra (over the Gibb River Rd) Far North Queensland. and back Broome to Perth. Love it.
Just selling our house and building another. So we will be living in the Avan for a year (on and off)
We are members of the Avan Club here in WA they are a great Club. A great source of instant help and wisdom from members when you want to know stuff.
It comes down to personal preference of course and money. If I had the money I would have a Kimberly Karavan. My wife hates them ! But we do like our Cruiseliner.
I suggest contacting your local Avan Club. Arrange to visit at their next camp meeting at a C.P. go along and stay in a cabin if you need to. They will gladly give you all their wisdom and help. You will get shown around every van, with enthusiasm. These people are worse than car salesmen when extolling the virtues of "Their AVAN"
Regards
Mike
-- Edited by elliemike on Thursday 29th of October 2015 11:54:34 AM
-- Edited by elliemike on Thursday 29th of October 2015 11:58:24 AM
I must admit I have never owned an A Van. However I was staying in Esk Caravan park for a couple of months. One week the Sunshine coast A Van club had a meet up in the park. There were upward of twenty vans there. All different models. As a group they were all friendly and all passionate about their vans. Very happy to show each other around and I had a look at four of five vans and was impressed with both layouts and the quality of the different vans. Personally if I was in the market for such a van I would be hard pressed to decide which of the many variations I would opt for.
Good luck in your search and hope you find one that suits you.
They can have all mod cons - fridge, HWS, A/C, cooktop, 60l water and a comfortable bed for 2. For toilet and shower needs we carry an popup ensuite and a porta potti. The ensuite goes up neatly next to the drawbar when camping so you only have to step out the door. They are solidly built in our experience but the best bit is they are relatively cheap. ($10-20,000 2nd hand) Easy to tow and store.
As mentioned by other posters, it's horses to courses. They certainly are not gin palaces but more your basic beer.
Good luck.
Don't think I have seen you before Clays so welcome to the gang, enjoy here and out in the playground.
Now, Avan campers.....yep, had a "Sportliner" for many moons and had great times with it. Up and down to Townsville a couple of times, one up the middle and one coast, both went exceptionally well with no problems at all. Also all around VIC and over the NSW south coast. Canberra and surrounds etc etc. Being the baby of the family it was so easy to put up and down even just for lunch. I had single bed across back and table and seats up front but being on my own decided to ditch the table and seats and put a bench with open shelves. Worked great too.
I fully re-wired the 12v system for solar and wired in a fixed panel that I converted to portable. Most of the time "free" camping.
I only sold it 12 months ago for what I have now (listed below) due to selling base camp and going on the road full time. I wanted extra room and my on board ensuite.
If you are happy with the size you won't go wrong. Great camper. Best of all, solid insulated walls all round and above.
The only thing I would suggest is make sure the 12v cable is big enough to do what you want. Check out "Techies" for Solar etc info.
Keep Safe on the roads.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Thursday 29th of October 2015 03:18:18 PM
We couldn't stand the lack of headroom. You can always tell a ''triangle'' owner by them having a lopsided head & neck. They'd be a dream to tow though.
Bet you had to take your feathered head dress off Doug. Friends of ours had one & we've spent plenty of time in them at caravan & Camping Shows. OK if you stand in the middle! In fact the middle is too tall. Our friends had to have a long handled sponge mop to wipe the condensation off the ceiling that accumulated on it on a cold night. It you used to drip on their heads all day.
We had an Avan Aliner (medium size) camper trailer for 7 years and loved it, we reckon our best and most happy RV times were spent in that. The only condensation we had was from the aluminium strips around the edges inside, however I think I read where someone said they put cloth tape on theirs and that stopped the condensation.
Headroom is NOT a problem, inside the centre it is about 8 foot high, less towards each end but they are not walking areas. We had the 2B model (dining table & seats at one end, U shaped lounge that makes up to a double bed, but we left ours made up all the time. The dining room end can also be made into a single bed if needed. We went around Australia in ours among other long trips and found them ideal for our needs, low profile so cheap to tow and fits into the carport folded down.
I would definitely recommend joining the Australian A'van Club (camper trailers only) which means that not only can you go to rallies in your own state, but also to any in other state clubs while travelling oz, we did that a couple of times, as well as a National Rally. Here are some they have advertised for sale at the moment, see; www.avanclubaust.org.au/avans-for-sale/
The Club is one of the cheapest to join in Australia as well, the club was founded in Yarrawonga, Victoria, here are their fees;
http://www.avanclubaust.org.au/joining-the-club/
I agree the company that makes them does not have a very good after sales service reputation among A'van owners I have met, but they make a reasonable product. This may have changed I don't know.
-- Edited by Weevil on Thursday 29th of October 2015 04:19:01 PM
I will go along with that Recoup.
They are not fitted in our Cruiseliner either. We have a Diesel heater and even before that was installed we've never suffered from Condensation Problems. I suppose we like fresh air and always have reasonable ventilation including a top vent /skylight open. This includes camping in snow.
Because we take our van on dirt roads We pressurise the interior of the Avan with a 100 mm Bilge blower fan, keeping the dust out. I can control this from the driving position, on/off.
Use a Porta Loo and tent, but that gets used just now and then.
Solar panel on the roof plus a fold out briefcase one. Three way fridge, Sat TV.
With regards to interior space. I did call it the TARDUS. Quite a few people in out WA club are 6 feet tall plus. One couple are both are over 6 feet tall.
They are easy to put up and no canvas involved. I can erect ours in about 45 seconds if leaving it hooked up to the car for the night and not putting the stabilisers down. So if it is raining at lunchtime or the flies are bad it's up in a juffy and we eat inside.
As I wrote in the previous post. It is a personal preference how you camp and what suits you.
I doubt if I would ever want a much bigger van than what we have now. Having said that I have in the past (30+years ago) had a 22ft caravan and hated it. Plus various Camper trailers and small Motor homes and campervans, and tents. It's horse for courses.
Good Luck.
Recoup wrote, --- Two things I can do with out in the van , Hot Water Service , and the Microwave Oven. Both are useless when free camping.Cheers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 things I would NOT be without, Hot water service, [ gas/electric ] Microwave, and coffee machine, ?? -- When on power they all work fine, when free camping the hot water is on Gas, and the genny will run the microwave, and the coffee machine, -- and it only takes a few minutes, ?
Oh, ! and please don't let the anti genny brigade come out of the woodwork
I'm with you Daryl
Aussie Paul.
Well ,I don't have much room for a lot of gear, and a small car , every KG counts, cheers
Remember the days when it was a Rucksack, with everything in it. The technology was the Primus or Optimus Kero stove. A couple of candles for nighttime in the tent.
Now we need a Rucksack just for the chargers, phone cables, computer bits and pieces.
Back to the Avan.
You can get them with Air Con, Hot water systems, Compressor Fridge, Microwave, and take along any other gear you desire. Some of these items don't suit our requirements for camping. That's an individual thing.
Most Avanners I know with Hot Water Systems fitted seem to very rarely use them. In fact three of the WA club members recently complained about having to have new heaters fitted because they leaked. Saying "I wouldn't mind but I have hardly ever used it" !
Depending on the places you want to go The Bigger Cruiser and Cruiseliner are great for 2 people. (you can sleep three) The Aliner and Sportliner are the smaller ones suit single person. also there is a Weekender which is smaller again.
The Off Road Version is the Cruiser or Cruiseliner with Trailing Arm Suspension and is much higher ground clearance. But they look the same inside as ours. I camped next to an Aliner built like this to the customers order. She still had the same problems as everyone else on her shakedown trip (Brisbane to Broome via Gibb River Rd) Stuff coming loose dropping off etc. Just like a few "new" big name off roader vans we recently camped with. Broken this that and the other needing repairs.
If looking at an older second hand van Check under the van at the corners of the floor. Using a Phillips screw driver probe the floor at the corners to see if there is any spongy bits. This will tell you if there are any water leaks that have been accumulating in the corners and rotting the ply floor.
Inspect for tyre feathering/wear for suspension problems or tracking alignment.
Check Damage to wall triangle "A" wall look for cracking from widows to edges. Also check the Wall hinges for broken Piano Hinge along the wall.
Same for the Door hinges.
Make sure the fridge fires up on gas and works. Although this would take time if getting it to freeze down.
No signs of water damage from leaking plumbing under beds and sink.
All the wall and roof seals are in reasonable nick. These are easily changed.
Roof Bungey Cords not frayed or mising.
The roof sections should spring up/open a little at least, when the catches are released from closed down. No springiness in the roof means new Roof Springs are needed. Again not a hard job to do.
Hope this helps.
Mike