CaravanAnd4WD.com

Hi, Iam after some info on vans that I have looked at and am considering witch to buy.I have no experiance with vans at all I have allways hired a campertrailer .
The vans I have looked at are the windsor rapid/paramount duet and the jayco expanda allthough the jayco looked to be the poorest quality and I think would be to hot/cold because of the type of pull out beds but as i say I have no real knowledge.
I have a navara diesal turbo D22 that should tow most vans. I am thinking of a 17ft offroad van and would like to know if there is a differance between a van or poptop I allways thought a poptop would be more fuel effeciant to tow but I have heard some people say there is no differants what do you recon.
I have spoken to all the salesmen who represant these companys and as you would know they allsay theres is the best and to watch out for the others.
Some of the info I have got allthough from mostly non van owners are that there is little diferance between an offroad and a on road except the hight and price is this right?
There is no doubt a lot I have left out so if anyone could help with any info at all I would be gratefull.

Thanks Pughole

Well I'm no expert but I'll try and offer some guidelines ... pretty much how we went about locating our van.

Onroad/ Offroad ... Where do you want to go with it? If it's mainly black top work then there's not much point spending the extra $$$ on an offroad van. Even on a gravel road most of the 'onroad' vans will handle it ok so long as you take it easy (which you have to even in an offroad van). We have an 18ft Jayco Heritage and it handles most gravel roads well. I'd have no probs taking it on the Ayres Rock/ Wiluna road but maybe not Poepple's corner due to the sand dunes.

We recently went to a beach camp spot here in QLD (we had our CT) and becuase of the overhanging trees a friends Rapid sustained a bit of rooftop damage. I've seen some vans on Rainbow beach and they inevitably become bogged and to be honest I'd rather recover a 4wd instead of a van.

Size ... do you have a family or is it just for you and your wife/ girlfriend/ mistress? Are you going to do long trips (several months or more) or just short trips (up to a month)? For us, we went with an 18ft rig simply because it had tandem wheels which sits better on the road and is much more stable if you have a blow out. Also, what is the tow rating of your car? even if it's say 2500kg's (like mine) then you really don't want to get anything over 2000kg TARE as you will add heaps of stuff for your trip ... eg. food, water, clothing, chairs, tables etc. I allow 200kg per person so for us with a van of TARE weight at 1700kg's that gives us a gross weight of 2100kg's. So it's well within the vehicle's limits. The other issue with size is where do you want to keep it? Will it fit in your yard or will you have to store it elsewhere?

Pop top vs Standard van. Not sure where you live but we find the pop top a must. Here in QLD it can get very muggy so with a pop top the interior is much more 'breezy'. A pop top is just as strong as a normal van (the sides are reinforced) but generally a pop top is the same price as a standard van. Also, if you want a toilet / shower set up then a standard van maybe the way to go, but you can get small cubicle shower/toilet set ups in pop tops. SO far as fuel economy is cocnerned I've heard alot of ppl say a lot of thngs. I've only had the pop top but prior to that I had a Jayco wind-up (Eagle outback) and to be honest I don't notice a great deal of difference in fuel economy when towing. I'm trying to find out more info by finding someone who has had a poptop and then bought a normal van but so far no luck.

The other thing is interior. We didn't want the standard 'L' shaped lounge which made things slightly harder but what we ended up with is great for us. It's a large dinette lounge that converts into a bed and as we just have the one son with us it's great for 3 ppl but if you are a family of four then you might want a van with bunk beds. Ensuite is up to you but it does add $10k to a new van price ... ensuite sites at van parks vary in price but I worked out it would take 3 solid years of touring to recoup your money. Even a 2nd hand ensuite van is quite expensive.

In regard to the Expanda what I dont like about them is the canvas roof over the bed. If you're packing up and it rains your mattress will get wet. That's another thng ... it's only a foam mattress ... standard vans have innrespring mattresses. The Windsor Rapid also has foam mattress ... something to think about if you intend doing long trips.

I'd better leave it there ... hopefully this post will generate some discussion and aid you in your choice. I'd also look at caravan mags ... Caravan and Motorhome plus Caravan World are probably the main two.

Oh ... don't forget accessories such as electric brake controller (Prodigy is approx. $300 fitted), weight distribution hitch ($600 new, approx. $200-$300 2nd hand). Mirrors are good too ... approx. $150 - $400 depending on what you buy.

HTH

Good luck!



Scol.

Thanks Bevrika, Your comments are appreciated, The ute Iwill be towing with is a 06 d22 navara that has a 3000kg tow cappacity so should handle what Iam looking for.
The van only has to be big enough for my wife and me but I prefer not to be woken at night when she gets up hence the fold out bed at each end preferance.
The roads we will travel will be mostley blacktop but a lot of dirt/corrigated roads aswell (gibbriver road ) and a lot of the roads here are graded dirt but mostley ok. I dont want to be in a position where I wished I had spent the extra, but allso kicking myself for wasting money so I will have to look into that some more.
I dont think I will be getting a shower/toilet to expensive .
As for van or poptop I would be happy with either I have been told the pros and cons of both but only by salesmen who were trying to sell me a particular van so I am hopeing on as much feedback from experianced vaners as possible.
I havent fogotten the add ons I have allowed for them
You comments on the expanda are the same as mine wettop in winter and no protection in summer but there seems to be a lot around so Iam hopeing an expanda owner will enlighten me. Thanks for taking the time to reply Regards Pughole

Pughole wrote:The van only has to be big enough for my wife and me but I prefer not to be woken at night when she gets up hence the fold out bed at each end preferance.
Pughole

Are you aware that a lot of vans (pop tops and standard vans) have single beds? This way you could have a decent off roader and not have to be bothered about a van with opening ends. Also, the mattresses are innersprung too.



Scol.

Thanks again Bevrika I am glad some one has some info to share. I have looked at single beds and it is a consideration,because we live in the country and there are no caravan dealerships here we are gathering as much info as possible for when we hit Adelaide or the next caravan & camp show in august . your addvice/comments will be added to the list.
Thanks again

Just let us know what you end up getting ...

Scol.

hi pughole i dont know if this post is too late but was looking at the jayco site & the expanda does have the option of bag bed end flys with 3 sides, i only have a wind up jayco but if i leave the flys up when folding the beds in the beds dont get wet, also they help to keep the beds a bit cooler in summer. in saying this maybe the expanda might still be worth a look at.



ron

Hello Ron, and thaks for your reply it,s not to late iam still trying to find out witch van would be best suited for us.
I have seen the jaco site allso and hope to see the van at the Adelaide caravan/camp show.
The only reson I have shyde away from Jaco is because of the 3 differant vans I have looked at they seem to be the rougfest. Thanks for your response all the best.
Pughole

I have a poptop 17 1/2 ft van. Jayco Dual axle.
Agree about the extra cost of an ensuite. We have been able to get ensuite sites in parks for about $5 per night extra if needed.
Re the fold out ends I wonder about the structural integrity of the van in rough conditions as the front and rear walls act as bracing. Also it is nice to be able to pull up in the rain and not get wet setting up your sleeping quarters.
We bought a inner spring from Made to Measure Mattresses and they put extra springing on edge of mattress so perhaps you can sleep in the same bed and not be woken up!

Thanks for your response panuara, The issue of the structual integrety is something I have been trying to find out about.

I wondered about the no solid ends making the van weaker but I suppose it is allso true of poptops they have no solid tops,
Those are some of the answers I was hopng to get from people who have these vans are they happy with them, what problems they have but there dosent seem to be anyone so Ill have to keep looking. thanks again

look at onother forum-- 4wdriving, camping caravanning around australia---thier fairdinkum about off road travellers , have seen pics of caravans abandoned along tracks they go too, just fell apart

keviny6 wrote:look at onother forum-- 4wdriving, camping caravanning around australia---thier fairdinkum about off road travellers , have seen pics of caravans abandoned along tracks they go too, just fell apart

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