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Caravans
 While motorhomes and fifth wheelers may be gaining in popularity, the grey nomad vehicle of choice in this country is – and will remain for quite some time – the humble caravan.
Actually, the caravan isn’t quite as humble as it once was. The heavy, rattly, almost Spartan vans that took us around the country a few decades ago are being replaced by high-tech, super smooth, super comfortable vehicles that sometimes make that bush walk you promised you’d take seem a bit too much like hard work. Much better to lay back on that genuine Queen-sized bed, click on the air-con, flick on a CD and click your fingers so an ice-cold beer descends from a concealed opening in the ceiling. Well, not quite.
Caravans have, however, come a long way and are certainly a lot easier to tow than they were a generation ago. Vans offer the advantage of you being able to set up a base and then head off to explore the area in the towing vehicle. They are easy to unhitch and set up, and can vary in size from 10 feet to 30 feet. Even the old relationship-wrecking manoeuvre of reversing into a caravan park site isn’t this issue it once was with many parks now offering drive-through sites or even a park-your-van service! Looks like you’ll just have to find another thing to argue about … “I thought you said to turn left at the lights!” … “Where did you put that fuel discount docket I gave you?” … “It has to be your turn to empty the Portaloo!” There you go, there’s a few ideas to get you started!
The bigger vans … over about 18 feet in length … generally come with double axles for greater towing stability. Like most things in life, caravans are not as simple as they once were. As well as the standard vans, you now have pop-tops, fold-downs, A-framers and off-roaders. The rise of the off-road caravan has been particularly spectacular and is likely to continue to be so as more grey nomads seek to find the road less travelled. Real off-road vans will have super sturdy frames, genuine off-road suspension, and the ability to allow the traveller to be independent for quite some time, with things like solar panels and a giant water carrying capacity de rigeur. Where these vehicles can go is genuinely remarkable and it is only normally restricted by their sheer bulk.
With basic maintenance and some commonsense when you are out on the dirt roads, a decent caravan should last you Big Lap after Big Lap and that’s why it remains, in all its various shapes and sizes, the undisputed king of the road.
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The Essentials
Value for money?
 Space,
comfort and a quick
set-up
 Flexible set-up, diverse range to choose from
 Saving on
space and
fuel
 Comfort
and easy towing
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