Which caravan length to buy

Pradokakadudavid · Senior Member

Which caravan length to buy

Sarge9 · Senior Member

its a bit like asking which footy team to barrack for and why.... the most popular length would seem to me to be 19 is foot... but only a few years ago, there seemed to me to be a whole school of buyers who stayed in the single axle country (mostly less that 18 feet) and so many of them were pop tops..... the other big school were the 18 to 20 feet tandem people..... how about we pick what colour to paint your surf board.... it will come down to what works for you....

Some people will swear you off a Land cruiser as well....

Consider your driving skills/experience... that should keep YOUR choices smaller/shorter until YOU KNOW how much and how well you can handle a big rig. Hire a van and have a crack... the Prado will manage a biggish van OK just not speedy... for a weekend or week away, you will get the idea if big is too big....

I think your surfboard should be mostly lime green with red highlights and white pin stripes...

Good luck with your choices... I will be the bloke with the Colorado & 16 ft Poptop.... happy as a pig in poo until someone chooses a new van for me to tug around....

Sarge..... (with a blue and yellow surf board)

kesa32 · Senior Member

Hi David, depending on your budget and where you intend to take it , there are a lot of variables

Personally we have a 26' Bailey that we bought used , we wanted somthing that was spacious and only to be towed on sealed roads and light enough that we did,nt have to buy a large 4x4 to have to tow it as we both work and needed the vehicle as a daily driver

The tug is a diesel territory and handles the Bailey easily as the van only weighs around 1550kg .all up we spent around $75,000 on both

The Bailey has a full ensuite , surround sound , annexe, awning aircon etc.....no washing mashine though ( we stay in parks

Mate here at work has a newer version of ours and tows it with his toyota kluger no worries

Theyre a long van ( obviously) but l have no problems getting it in spots

Just throwing this in the mix for you :)

-- Edited by kesa32 on Sunday 30th of April 2017 04:36:27 PM

KJB · Guru

Sportcruiser looks pretty good for a shorter, lighter van. Various lengths available. Airbag suspension available as well.

Rip and Rosie · Guru

There are lots of reasons to base your van design on......depends on the individual situation.
We are limited by the fact that the van has to be backed in at home, up a fairly steep driveway. Too long and she will bottom out.
That's why we chose the length and also the height..... Vehicle towing capacity was not the primary issue, but secondary.

macka17 · Guru

Piece of string has nothing on that question.

FIRST thing YOU have to realise.
Is it's not so much the size of things, as the MAX COMBINED WEIGHTS.

23\25ft. realistically and safely.
Unless a lightweight UK type van.

You looking at a truck, or US UTES.

When you load your car with self.missus coupla tools and big fridge.
You restricted to around 3.2ish ton with only.
the largest sized Aust sold veh.

Patrol. Landcruiser. Troopy. That's it.
Then you go the small Isuzu type trucks or US Utes.

ALL the others, Specially Utes (ALL of them)
are restricted to around 2.5ton MAX.
Forget the paper figures that are put out.

Mostly UNrealistic, printed by sales teams to suck people in.

As people are starting to realise.
Specially now the Highways and police ARE starting to take notice
of the overweight\oversize rigs on road.

You overweight.
You WILL stay where you are (BY LAW)
until you remove enough of internal loads to make legal.
What happens to it. is totally YOUR problem.

Don't kid yourself. IT'S COMING. Sooner rather than later too.

Comfortable "cruising van" for 2 WITHOUT all the crap a lot take along.
is around 17ft 6 in to 19 ft INTERNAL figures.

Once you get over that.
They get Heavy. awkward and not so easy to get anywhere off roads.

All you modern vanners think BIG. BIG. and BIGGER.
and are now starting to face the consequences.

Our long term van which went 90% if places we did.
was a 6.5mtr Semi offroader. for nearly 14 yrs.
BUT we never loaded it more than around 50\60% of max. internally.

Off road. Tent or tarp.

Missus fav was a semi,Offr, again.
A 17ft 4in Compass. Pop Top

and currrent. (last) van.
is a 535 Tandem full height Coromal.
Ally Frame. stand up inside without up\down with the lid.
Tows beautiful behind 2010 D-Max 4 spd Auto. Economical
2 ton gross weight.
Leave your crap at home or in a container somewher.
Not just buying a BIG van to load it all.
Then a big tug to drag it, mainly illegally.
Using twice as much juice to do it with at same time.

THE............................

Most important interior fitment.

Are\is, 2 SINGLE beds.
Opens up whole van. FULL length.

and with 2 x 6x3ft. 1\2 in ply.
One under each mattress added.

Just turn them across van. Then same with mattresses.

and you have your exercise mat for the night. or arvo, or whenever.
But simple and easy.

Plus NOT having over half your van taken up by a bloody ugly bed.
Useless for anything but.
which you lie down on each night for a coupla hrs.
Real dumb.

Original vans always had double. BUT. always...
It folded up into a wall. I know
Had several.

Have fun figuring. and great experiences using.

You on way into vanning.
Me. After 50 odd yrs.
On way out. (Nov '63. first van)
Enjoy it mate.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Buy whatever you want . It's amazing the haves and have nots get cranky because they have something they wish they could have ., WEIGHTS as said come into more than anything . I must say though . If you think xx size is about right . You can bet the next size up is about right . Like the 3 bears . Lol I know some who have hired motorhome way too small, then criticised that life style .,

iana · Guru

There are many reasons why people buy different rigs, but one of the variables is whether you intend to do short trips away, or intend to do long period trips or even be full time. Other considerations are age, and do you want comforts, the convienience of towing a smaller van, pop-top or camper, do you want the hastle of "building" your rig every time you stop. Drive in, drive out and on your way like a motor home etc. We have just gone and brought a 24ft van, selling our Swan camper and our reasons were:-
We wanted recliner chairs, instead of the straight up and down lounges found in most vans, I wanted a bedroom that could be partitioned off from the rest of the van, so when we couldn't sleep one could get up and watch tele, get on the computer, or just go back to sleep in the recliner with out disturbing the other.
She wanted an ensuite and a cloths wash machine.
Well we were looking at a fifth wheeler for a time, and until the manufacturer reneged on doing extra modifications for us, we were going down that path. Then we found a van that had all of these things at half the price, so if you won't build what we want, we'll buy the van. It has everything we wanted, but its big, and we do intend to live in it full time.
In hindsight I wished we had found something a bit smaller, and we are tip toeing about the weight limits.
I think a good place to start, is to jot down on paper or screen, what you want (go for broke it won't cost anything yet) and how you intend to use it.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Exactly . Don't discount a good camper trailer either ? Especially if you intend to travel up north ? Very versatile, light and easy to tow . So many options now .

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

As the caravan gets bigger, the list of places you can take it gets smaller and the costs of having it get bigger.

Cheers,
Peter

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Then comfort goes down too . Equal and opposite reactions right here . depends how active you are etc etc . If you stay in van or out walking etc .

Radar · Guru

Hi Just thought I would throw my simple thoughts in.

Where do I park the caravan when at home. We can park our sub 20 footer in the spare drive way with out being outside our boundary inside the fence line.

19'6" caravan with full ensuite including a washing machine, lounge dinning/sitting area, roughly around 25000kg, very comfortable.

But, but not for everyone, really vry hard to answer your question.

Have fun.

Pradokakadudavid · Senior Member

Thanks everyone for taking the time to ask what were serious questions. Despite all the sarcasm, I think I have ascertained that you need to find the right formula between big is better and smaller is easier! Whilst I already knew this, I was merely asking some experienced vanners what their thougths were. Obviously I realise that bigger equals more weight, greater cost and more difficulty towing but I am trying to balance this reality with the far greater level of comfort in a larger van. The view above seem to express individual views based on what people have bought which does give good insight into their individual experiences. Sounds like 21-22 feet seems like the most popular option. And for the record, I look at the caravan compliance plates showing Tare and ATM rather than the sales literature.

Thanks.

David

boab · Senior Member

another consideration is the 650kg pay load in a 200 series land cruiser tow bar weight of 350 kg leaves 300 kg for fuel, passengers, and any other items you may take inside the car as others have stated its only time before people find themselves being weighed

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Hi Pradokakadudavid, we took delivery of our 21'6" semi off road Retreat last October and I tow it with a Pajero Sport. It has a tare of 2285kg and an ATM of 3200kg but I like to keep it below 2700kg and I don't fill my water tanks which still gives me plenty of load space. The Pajero performs reasonably well after I added some air bags to the rear coils but I believe it's pretty much on it's upper limit with that weight even though they specify a 3.1T towing capacity. Shortcomings of the Sport are the small 68ltr fuel tank and a pretty ordinary fuel consumption due the smaller 2.4ltr motor having to rev harder than the larger diesels to achieve the same power and torque. The advantage is that it's a great car around town when I am not towing which is 80% of the time. When my wife finally joins me in retirement I wiil probably replace it with a BT50 or something that has a bit bigger motor and doesn't need to work as hard. If money is no issue for you and you want an even larger van just buy the Landcruiser and you shouldn't have any of these issues with weight but personally I would begrudge paying out that much money for one.

mezza56 · Senior Member

Hi David

On a positive note , we tow a 23'6 off road van , and get it into pretty well most places. Admittedly there are some parks that cant accommodate a big van we have found a few.

Just ring ahead and ask , do your homework first , not really that much diff between 20 and 23

We have been managing parks for over 5 years ( not long ) and we get all sorts in.

Some people with big vans that can back it on a dime and others with short vans that are useless.

As for free camping most we have been in has not been any problem , once again do your research first.

As they say happy wife happy life and if you can afford the best then don't let any detractors put you off.

Alfromoz · Member

We have a JB off road 17'10 and has everything including oven, washer, ensuite, queen bed, large fridge.
We are slim though and only married last June 2016 so getting away from each other isn't an issue.

biggrin

-- Edited by Alfromoz on Monday 1st of May 2017 01:13:48 PM

macka17 · Guru

Mezza.

""As they say happy wife happy life and if you can afford the best then don't let any detractors put you off.""

The most expensive and biggest.
Is very rarely the BEST.

Trouble nowadays mainly.
Is the new vanners and others. Buy the van.
THEN look for the tug.
SOme don't even realise the van is too much for all.
Up to, and including the Landcruiser sized veh's.

You HAVE to buy your tug. THEN figure van size to get,
while keeping volume of, and weights. Within SAFE limits.
NOT the size YOU want.

My 6'5mtr Roadstar Semi Offroader. was perfect size
for long term
ange vanning with lots of comfort.and

With most conveniences.

(Wouldn't have a wash machine in a van )

Others had a lot bigger and heavier.

Without even checking of worrying

about weight etc.

THE only LEGAL tug, under US Utes and small trucks

were\are. The Landcruiser and Patrol from GU.

For OVER 2.5 ton.

And MY van was illegal with water tanks full.

The GQ and Troopie were and are. only UP TO

2.5 ton tow max.

The sooner the lawmakers plate vehicles with the True.

SAFE. towing weights

The sooner the roads will be safer.

And a lot of Utes. Jeeps and toyota\Mitzi veh's

will be on the "for sale" market.

It IS coming thank god.

-- Edited by macka17 on Monday 1st of May 2017 01:33:39 PM

-- Edited by macka17 on Monday 1st of May 2017 01:39:35 PM

PeterD · Guru

I have looked at some very long vans and the seating in them is uncomfortable. Length does not equate to comfort. There are three basic things that generally take up the same space, the bed, the dinette and the ensuite. You can get some good comfort in each of these three areas with vans under 20'. All increasing the length of vans does is provide more storage for things you don't really need. As I walk into large vans I see the same size dinette as I see in the smaller vans. There is an exception in some of the larger size vans where they provide a 2 - 3 seater lounge opposite the dinette.

As a newcomer I would suggest you keep the size down to where just before you start to cramp your dinette space. Also when looking at vans don't concentrate on the length of them. Concentrate on the ATM (aggregate trailer mass.)

AGGREGATE TRAILER MASS (ATM) - the total mass of the laden trailer when
carrying the maximum load recommended by the Manufacturer. This will
include any mass imposed onto the drawing vehicle when the Combination
Vehicle is resting on a horizontal supporting plane.

As a newcomer I would suggest that you aim for an ATM of under 2700 kg. The smaller you go the better is the chance of the tug being able to control the van when things go astray. Also consider the tare weight, the amount of loading you can have in your van is the difference between the ATM and the tare weight. Many manufacturers will only allow a 400 kg load (Jayco generally around 470 kg for a twin axle van with shower.) This definitely not enough if you when you are living in the van for a few moths or more, particularly if you are carrying water. I carry nearly 500 kg in a single axle van including 80 kg of water. I suggest you aim for 450 kg at least plus the weight of the water with full tanks.

rockylizard · Guru

macka17 wrote:
SNIP~~~
THE only LEGAL tug, under US Utes and small trucks
were\are. The Landcruiser and Patrol from GU.
For OVER 2.5 ton.
And MY van was illegal with water tanks full.
The GQ and Troopie were and are. only UP TO
2.5 ton tow max.
The sooner the lawmakers plate vehicles with the True.
SAFE. towing weights
The sooner the roads will be safer.
And a lot of Utes. Jeeps and toyota\Mitzi veh's
will be on the "for sale" market.
It IS coming thank god.

Gday...

Macka - you obviously have extensive experience and knowledge about an incredibly wide range of occupations, lifestyles, yachts, armed forces, vans AND vehicles.

You should be lauded for your willingness to share your life experiences so openly and in such detail to all and sundry.

However, sometimes you should try to be a bit more objective (not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased) rather than expressing such subjective (placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions,etc., unduly egocentric) comments.

You may not like (or wish) to acknowledge it, BUT there ARE other vehicles, apart from the Patrol GU and/or Landcruiser, genuinely capable to legally, and capably, tow a van over 2.5tonne.

Towing a 3.5tonne van .... different kettle of fish. That is where the Yankee utes and/or the small trucks are far more suitable.

It would be far more beneficial if you imparted from your broad knowledge and experience advice that is more pertinent to the OP - relating to THEIR question and/or situation.

Cheers - John

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

This all depends on your "licence" too . I've seen some nice well equiped "light trucks" with converted pantec type with van or 5th wheelers on our travels . But you just cannot walk into a showroom or caravan yard and buy one . Usually have softer front springs fitted for smoother ride etc . Talking to one guy at Mataranka he said his fuel consumption in his Isuzu is better than when he had a Cruiser . It's $$$ .. in the end . Ahhh !!

JohnLG · Veteran Member

HI David,

A lot of good advice above so i will keep my 2 bobs worth brief

After you go 20' and above its all academic as to what suites your life style.

We started with a 24' two years ago and quickly learnt that it was too claustrophobic in the confined space and that parking a bigger van was sometimes actually easier.....on the open road if your tug is adequate the extra few feet is of no concern.

We currently have a Jayco 28 ultralight 2016 model weighing in at 2.8 ton fully loaded and use a 2007 Navara 4 cl diesel to tow which is great.

The point is that our Jayco 28 is 6 months only [and for sale with a paid ad on this site] and were going for the same model Jayco but a tad bigger ...because we can, life's too short !

We have never had a problem finding a great [mailily waterfronts] in the last 400 + camping [Glamping] nights ....we only need 10 meters the same as the old Jayco 25 Silverline.

Happy to show you through anytime

Happy trails

Cheers John & Louise

Waterfront site Gold Coast