Grey nomad, Tom Sjolund, analysed his lifestyle and realised that a smaller rig was all he needed.
I imagine we all have different requirements in what we choose to go caravanning in. Some things that determine what we choose are:
• Off-road, semi off-road, or road-only vans … and size of van.
• The caravan you choose will then determine what sort of tow vehicle you will need.
• You may have a tow vehicle already, so your vehicle will determine what sort of van is most suitable.
• Vehicles may be a 4X4, an SUV or just a normal car. Some may be diesel, petrol or hybrids and more recently fully battery electric.
Will higher fuel prices lead to more nomads downsizing their vans?
• There is also a new type of 4X4 that works much like a diesel-electric train. The engine drives a generator which supplies power to electric motors and a small battery. This system is very fuel efficient and generally has more torque and power compared a similar sized conventional 4X4.
Our personal experience with towing was a 21’, 2.6 tonne van with a Colorado around Australia, close to 150,000 kilometres, was great. We saw and experienced so many things. There was lots of free camping, national park stays, and the odd caravan park.
As fuel prices started to creep up, it became more and more expensive to travel. So, we had a rethink about what we actually needed and wanted, with our experience as a guide.
Firstly, our main use of the van was somewhere to sleep and watch the TV at night. Most of the days, we were out walking and we did most of our cooking outside.
So, with that in mind we opted to downsize. We sold our van and started looking around for something much smaller. We ended up with a small, full-height 13’ van, I made a few small changes to the inside and we were off to Humpty Doo.
The first thing we noticed was the ease of towing and the next was – best of all – an extra 260 kilometres of range from a full tank which made a significant difference to travelling costs. At about the same time, we installed solar panels and a small battery for the house.
A couple of years later, we upgraded to more solar and a bigger battery in anticipation for an electric vehicle (EV) I had ordered, which finally arrived in May, 2024.
I then thought if we have an EV then our van should be fully electric, as well. So, the van is now equipped with its own solar system and batteries. In an emergency, I can charge the EV from it.
And our enjoyment in caravanning has not changed one bit.
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