My wife and I are in the final stages of selecting options, colours and layout to our new van Retreat Whitehaven.
The question I would like to pose to this group is what would you have done if you were starting over again. Are there any little things that would have made life easier.
We are upgrading from an 18ft Coromal, which we have had for the past three years. We are planning to live in the Whitehaven in the next 12 to 18 months.
Welcome to the gang Steve and Lisa, enjoy here and out in the playground.
1. I would never get an instant on-demand hot water service again, stick with the storage ones and heat just before you want hot water.
2. I wanted a recliner chair insted of cafe seating and table but let the dealer talk me out of it...never again, a reliner would be good to sit back in at night in comfort.
3. If you get single beds, get one side bigger than the other, I didn't know it could be done and found out too late.
4. Make sure you get a good quality awning, I did and live under mine.
5. Make sure your compliance plate reads maximum ATM, too late for me now.
Don't get me wrong, I love my van.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
__________________
Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
As I am not yet a full time (on the road) traveller, I can unfortunately offer not much advice, as each time I return to home base, I have seen/heard/thought of something new to add
I am sure that the full time time travellers will come along, and tell what bits and pieces they now find invaluable to them now, as compared to when they started out
If I knew then, what I know now, these are the bits (which I never missed), that I should have had when starting out my part time travelling
Solar on roof
Satellite dish (for wife)
Plenty of (120 AH Deep Cycle Battery x 2) 12 volt power
Welcome to the playground. If u want to free camp get adequate solar panels and deep cycle batteries. And carry enough water. We found out the hard waY while staying in a free camp i got gastroenteritis. Hard vomiting and diarhoea by torch light.
We Got telstra phone and internet. Have caravan yard weigh the van before u pay the money. We have had 2 vans n both needed to be replated. One was registered as a poptop instead of a full van, glad we found that one out. Get a three way fridge. Good luck n happy travels.
Welcome onboard Steve & Lisa:),
One of the most impotant things i would sort out and you may never need to but !!, happened with me and that is i had a small leak from the back of the van within the panels . Was a John Guest pipe that had sprung a pinhole leak and was halfeway up the back of the wall of the van. It looked at first that it may have been comming from the back of the shower tap fittings !!, and what a nightmare to get to if it had .
Turned out that we accessed the pipe from just behind the tail lights , and luckilly thats where the leak was . If it had been from the shower taps i would have needed to cut part of the back panel from the van to access the taps and replace the cuttout with some kind of a latch door for future need be...
So in answering your question if i were to have a van built or order a van i would ask for an access door or whatever incase in future i would need to access my shower taps to fix or replace hose.
Also jacking points on side of Van if you are to use a tralermate to lift side of van incase you need to do a wheel change , mind you saying that make sure the van can be raised from the side adjascent to the wheel area prior to doing so...
suggest you pay for a professional/engineer to inspect your van before you hand over the final payment,if there is anything that needs fixing don't accept the "oh we'll fix that at the first service"line, chances are it will never get done,also ask for a weighbridge ticket before hand over to make sure the weights match the compliance plate.regards ray
i like that idea Ray, but where do you find someone you trust, with qualifications, unbiased and experienced? It is the same for using wdh and weight measurment with car and van. There is no neutral unbiased department like RAA,RACQ etc.
When we had our van built I got a light switch next to my bed that turns the lights on in the ensuite makes it so easy getting up at night , so simple to do when van is being built. Also make sure you get more than one double power point in the kitchen area, we had one put in each end of the kitchen area and often use either. Again easy to put in when being built not so easy afterwards.
Listen to Warhorse.
Get weighbridge ticket. again BEFORE payment.
Compressor fridge. rollout (NOT Carefree)
and do NOT get a fixed ball hitch.
Make sure it a 360 deg rotation BALL not pin hitch.
I use Hyland.
Get heatproof paint on roof and down front ear of.
That with panels. you can stand van out in Darwin and be comfortable.
Also.
If you getting mutiple battery's.
Make sure you have panel capacity to FULLY charge them, normally
by around lunch time on a normal day
A genny for Air Cond and tools, frypan, kettle, etc when off mains.
Ignore the ANTI.... Whingers.
it's a much more comfy camp in all seasons WITH one.
And "I" take a trolley jack capable of lifting full side of my van.
for punctures.bearings. Levelling van O,Night when ground uneven.
and to help others.
I just sold my 6.5mtr offroader and bought an older 18ft Tandem Coromal
Ins valuation and cover. $19.800, I took it.
I paid $12k down in Melb. Very happy.
Down there for grandsons 18th.
5 New tyres. bearings. Roll out. Air Cond less than 12 months.
'99 model. Been used, but fine for my fishing weekends
and parking on different places for periods of time
so we can tow boat there as well.
Hopefully somebody will knock it off hey. chuckle,,,,
