Caravans sheesh.

Started looking at small basic vans about 6 months ago. I had no idea they were so overpriced and so full of unnecessary bits & pieces.

I can't believe how often they are advertised as having USB power outlets and LED lighting. So! As if they are magnificient things that no one could put in themselves.

I'm thinking of getting an old Van and giving it a body lift so I can fit Patrol size wheels & tyres on it.

Can you get a caravan without a fridge, stove, USB ports, water tank, and evrything else I carry in my Patrol already?

Does anyone else reckon caravans are way overpriced and full of crap you don't need or am I just dumb?

Your probably right but as you get older you appreciate the extra comforts ,this is the van on our Wishlist .

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f2VvmqADlrY

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Originally Posted by 10G

Started looking at small basic vans about 6 months ago. I had no idea they were so overpriced and so full of unnecessary bits & pieces.

I can't believe how often they are advertised as having USB power outlets and LED lighting. So! As if they are magnificient things that no one could put in themselves.

I'm thinking of getting an old Van and giving it a body lift so I can fit Patrol size wheels & tyres on it.

Can you get a caravan without a fridge, stove, USB ports, water tank, and evrything else I carry in my Patrol already?

Does anyone else reckon caravans are way overpriced and full of crap you don't need or am I just dumb?

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Yep. Also the vast majority a very poorly built. You'd be hard pressed to find one that an actual tradesman has laid hand upon. Just do your best and silicon the rest. This also goes for camp trailers too.

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Originally Posted by GQtdauto

Your probably right but as you get older you appreciate the extra comforts ,this is the van on our Wishlist .

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f2VvmqADlrY

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Geez I'd hate to know how much those things cost, great looking unto though.

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Originally Posted by Ben-e-boy

Yep. Also the vast majority a very poorly built. You'd be hard pressed to find one that an actual tradesman has laid hand upon. Just do your best and silicon the rest. This also goes for camp trailers too.

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Yep I agree with that Ben-e-boy. We almost bought a 1980 something Millard pop up for $3500. Neither of us cared that it was 20000000 years old and had lace curtains, we were just going to rip this n that out, fix up the suspension and apply silicon & expanding foam as needed.

We're just looking for something to get out of the wind & rain in, like a solid tent on wheels if you like. Don't need a shower or toilet or led lights or an oven or 100 litres of water or flat screen TV or AC.

Have to agree with you 10G but as you get older these unnecessary bits & pieces become necessities.

I started with a small tent, did the centre with the kids then upgraded to a larger one. About thirty years ago bought a cheap second hand caravan which served us well for about 10 years, the kids grew up and moved out so we sold the van and started staying in motels etc.
Six years ago we bought a Jayco Offroad Eagle. The Patrol wheels bolted straight on and we also did quite a few modifications, like adding USB power outlets and LED lighting. We were pretty much self sufficient with solar and gas cooking etc. This went where-ever we pointed it and was trouble free but became more tedious to setup and pack up as I got older.
Since I retired it was just to big for the two of us as the grandkids went with their parents during school holidays and we avoided these times for travelling like the plague. A couple of years ago started looking for something with all the bits and pieces for just the two of us and last year we sold the van .

We looked at heaps of different vans, campers etc. and visited heaps of shows and dealers and spoke with owners. Amazing what you find out when speaking with the actual owners. We looked at the Echo Kavango, Coromol Offroad and heaps of other 'so called' off road models.

A few months ago we took delivery of a new Jayco Adventurer, it's got all the bells and whistles and more. In my opinion (and others) it's well built and robust and I'd have no hesitation in taking it well off the beaten track. It certainly gets a lot of looks and comments at a camp ground and so far everyone who's checked it out has been impressed.

How it performs/holds up in the future we can only wait and see. It keeps my wife comfortable and happy and gives me the opportunity to get off the beaten track.

Attachment 75340

@bigguwesty built up an old Jayco Dove to what he wanted. http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...yco-Dove-Build.

I have been looking at all sorts of vans to get an idea of what we need. Sir Roofy's Penguin is the basic van design I am looking at getting, although his is a lot later model than our budget will stretch too.

I also liked the basic model Avan, as it has a solid roof which will withstand a lot worse weather.

Bruder caravans are cheap as chips just $80k for the base model up to over $120k for the worksburger .
Might have to wait for a lotto win .
As for camper trailers we too did a bit of searching at various shows and expos and discounted everyone we seen for one reason or another then settled on Opus but we have been disappointed with a few flaws in the design and construction on our model but some waterproofing and a bit cosmetic fixes have helped .

There's a lot of churn and burn manufacturers coming out of the woodwork with unskilled workers putting out crap in recent years.

Nothing wrong with an older van and keep looking until you find your gem. It took me a year to find mine and it was a huge winner!

Agreed about prices but look at that as a positive thing being they hold their prices ridiculously, find a bargain, put a bit of love in it and you'll get your money back if not more in years to come.

We recently sold our camper and are looking for a Jayco. Not sure on what size, Swan? Eagle? Dunno. Im over the camper trailer thing. Way too much bloody work. So we are looking for something a little older and then I will give it some love and make it ours.

I'm actually looking at camper at the moment. Once the ute is running again and the falcon is sold I'll take some leave and f#ck off somewhere

All depends on traveling pace/comforts/distance/terrain/pups/speed of setup wanted! KISS theory wins every time, enjoy:-)



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Still going to sell our Jayco Swan @mudski , bring up a bottle of something & let’s talk about a deal 🤣

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Originally Posted by Sprock

Still going to sell our Jayco Swan @mudski , bring up a bottle of something & let’s talk about a deal 🤣

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Are you buying something else Adam? We are not sure if we want to spend a little extra and get an off road model or not though...

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Originally Posted by jack

Have to agree with you 10G but as you get older these unnecessary bits & pieces become necessities.

I started with a small tent, did the centre with the kids then upgraded to a larger one. About thirty years ago bought a cheap second hand caravan which served us well for about 10 years, the kids grew up and moved out so we sold the van and started staying in motels etc.
Six years ago we bought a Jayco Offroad Eagle. The Patrol wheels bolted straight on and we also did quite a few modifications, like adding USB power outlets and LED lighting. We were pretty much self sufficient with solar and gas cooking etc. This went where-ever we pointed it and was trouble free but became more tedious to setup and pack up as I got older.
Since I retired it was just to big for the two of us as the grandkids went with their parents during school holidays and we avoided these times for travelling like the plague. A couple of years ago started looking for something with all the bits and pieces for just the two of us and last year we sold the van .

We looked at heaps of different vans, campers etc. and visited heaps of shows and dealers and spoke with owners. Amazing what you find out when speaking with the actual owners. We looked at the Echo Kavango, Coromol Offroad and heaps of other 'so called' off road models.

A few months ago we took delivery of a new Jayco Adventurer, it's got all the bells and whistles and more. In my opinion (and others) it's well built and robust and I'd have no hesitation in taking it well off the beaten track. It certainly gets a lot of looks and comments at a camp ground and so far everyone who's checked it out has been impressed.

How it performs/holds up in the future we can only wait and see. It keeps my wife comfortable and happy and gives me the opportunity to get off the beaten track.

Attachment 75340

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Not a bad looking little outfit in the background there jack! ;)

I have a '73 16' Millard and still a good van though we now use a teardrop van, light comfortable and perfect for two old foggies like us and our little sausage dog. Prices vary as do all things but a good one is around $6-10K mostly wood and a few fibreglass versions to cater to most tastes. Kitchen in the back sleeper in the front and 12v power only.
Pete

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Originally Posted by mudnut

@bigguwesty built up an old Jayco Dove to what he wanted. http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...yco-Dove-Build.

I have been looking at all sorts of vans to get an idea of what we need. Sir Roofy's Penguin is the basic van design I am looking at getting, although his is a lot later model than our budget will stretch too.

I also liked the basic model Avan, as it has a solid roof which will withstand a lot worse weather.

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Yep I've been over and seen Kallen's camper, he's done a bloody good job of it.

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Originally Posted by AB

There's a lot of churn and burn manufacturers coming out of the woodwork with unskilled workers putting out crap in recent years.

Nothing wrong with an older van and keep looking until you find your gem. It took me a year to find mine and it was a huge winner!

Agreed about prices but look at that as a positive thing being they hold their prices ridiculously, find a bargain, put a bit of love in it and you'll get your money back if not more in years to come.

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Now that's one thing I've noticed, 20 year old caravans get a better ROI (return on investment) than cars, so I reckon you're probably right AB.

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Originally Posted by mudski

We recently sold our camper and are looking for a Jayco. Not sure on what size, Swan? Eagle? Dunno. Im over the camper trailer thing. Way too much bloody work. So we are looking for something a little older and then I will give it some love and make it ours.

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I have no experience with camper trailers. You never see them pack them up in their display videoa, only ever open them. I reckon there's a good reason for that and I reckon it's coz it's a bastard of a job, am I right?

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Originally Posted by Pete49

I have a '73 16' Millard and still a good van though we now use a teardrop van, light comfortable and perfect for two old foggies like us and our little sausage dog. Prices vary as do all things but a good one is around $6-10K mostly wood and a few fibreglass versions to cater to most tastes. Kitchen in the back sleeper in the front and 12v power only.
Pete

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This ^^^ is what I'm thinking about, something in the $5 - $10K range pre USB and LED lighting. Rip out the old stuff like gas ovens and inefficient fridge and put in new stuff. Toughen up the chassis, replace the suspension etc etc.

It can double as a spare room when the kids home from the city as well.

Thinking of getting a small van my self. after all its onty to sleep in and maybe
get out of the rain and make coffee and cook a bit if no fire. Dad had a ripper
12ft job rear door but sold it due to poor health. was going to buy Simons 4wd tv Jayco dove
but as you know things happen, Simon still emails me and Ill very gratefull for that.
Must email him and see what he has now

We've got a kanga camper. Looked, bought,sold many until we found 'the one' . It's gas struts so push on the bar, up it pops. Couple of poles and youre done. Not much weight to tow, so it can go on our 2wd as well. Love the fact it's a hard roof. All the basics, what it doesn't have the Patrol does. Perfect for our needs.
http://www.kangacampertrailers.com.au/bigred.htm


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Nah @mudski - we don’t use it , anytime we go away we swag it - now that I’ve FINALLY converted Moodz to swag life 👍🏻 Just for the record - not all caravans are slow - the night we bought it in Melb I was coming home on the freeway late at night at about 140 - moodz said “ why are you going so fast ?! “ I replied “ 2 reasons - 1 because I want to see if it’ll handle it & 2nd because I want to see people’s faces as I split them then realise there’s a caravan on the back “ 🤣

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Originally Posted by Sprock

Nah @mudski - we don’t use it , anytime we go away we swag it - now that I’ve FINALLY converted Moodz to swag life 👍🏻 Just for the record - not all caravans are slow - the night we bought it in Melb I was coming home on the freeway late at night at about 140 - moodz said “ why are you going so fast ?! “ I replied “ 2 reasons - 1 because I want to see if it’ll handle it & 2nd because I want to see people’s faces as I split them then realise there’s a caravan on the back “ 🤣

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We didnt use ours much but need one for our annual Merimbula trip. I had even thought to just hire one for that time up there...

G`day 10g.
I`ve done the lot from swag to caravan, way back in 2001 we decided to forkout for an off road smallish van, did alot of research and were in negations for a new unit to be built to our specks. But while this was happening I was browsing the second hand market and there it was, a unit that I was investigating, only problem was the lay out was not quite what we wanted but as it had only done 350klms and me saving around $9000 over the new price the deal was done. I still have it and since 2001 it has most probably clocked up some 300-350 thousand Ks with well over half on dirt and tracks. since buying it , Yes I have done a couple of mods , removed things that we did not want and added a couple of things we needed. Point being. We bought what we thought would suit our needs then did a few mods, but I knew what I basically,wanted and then did the mods.Personally I would not by a new van, but would look at some thing around late 90`s and early 2000, vans don`t do many k`s ,well not many and there are a lot of older, much better built units that you can do a few mods to out there at very good dollars. My unit is a 2001 Supreme Get Away(pop top) , internal length 4mts external width is 2mts and weights in at 1800 kgs Pluses, Full steel tub, independent suspension, 3ton rated axle and bearings ,12inch brakes, easy set up, most times I don`t disconnect(for one night stop overs) no wet pack ups. Easy hitch up and go as the only thing I load at home is food and beer, every thing else is ready to go. Best of luck with your decision.

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Originally Posted by pearcey

G`day 10g.
I`ve done the lot from swag to caravan, way back in 2001 we decided to forkout for an off road smallish van, did alot of research and were in negations for a new unit to be built to our specks. But while this was happening I was browsing the second hand market and there it was, a unit that I was investigating, only problem was the lay out was not quite what we wanted but as it had only done 350klms and me saving around $9000 over the new price the deal was done. I still have it and since 2001 it has most probably clocked up some 300-350 thousand Ks with well over half on dirt and tracks. since buying it , Yes I have done a couple of mods , removed things that we did not want and added a couple of things we needed. Point being. We bought what we thought would suit our needs then did a few mods, but I knew what I basically,wanted and then did the mods.Personally I would not by a new van, but would look at some thing around late 90`s and early 2000, vans don`t do many k`s ,well not many and there are a lot of older, much better built units that you can do a few mods to out there at very good dollars. My unit is a 2001 Supreme Get Away(pop top) , internal length 4mts external width is 2mts and weights in at 1800 kgs Pluses, Full steel tub, independent suspension, 3ton rated axle and bearings ,12inch brakes, easy set up, most times I don`t disconnect(for one night stop overs) no wet pack ups. Easy hitch up and go as the only thing I load at home is food and beer, every thing else is ready to go. Best of luck with your decision.

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Thanks pearcey. Sounds like you've done what I plan on doing, getting an older van and putting in it what we need & want & ditch the other stuff.

What do I need to put om the Patrol?

So far I have the factory tow bar and bolt on rear coil support brackets. I guess I need van brakes and mirrors. Anything else?

Do these 3L CRD Patrols pull vans OK? I probably wouldn't look at anything larger than 16'.

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Originally Posted by 10G

What do I need to put om the Patrol?

So far I have the factory tow bar and bolt on rear coil support brackets. I guess I need van brakes and mirrors. Anything else?

Do these 3L CRD Patrols pull vans OK? I probably wouldn't look at anything larger than 16'.

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You'll need extension mirrors to stay legal (I have them but don't fit them as I have a rear-view camera), also a brake controller and possibly an upgraded trailer plug. My van has ESC so needed a bit of extra wiring. Highly recommend a stone guard to save your rear window.
As for towing power, you'll know it's behind you when you get around the 2000kg mark, my Eagle was around 1400kg fully loaded and was breeze. With the Eagle I averaged about 16.5 litres per 100 Km on our big trip, the new van has increased that to about 17.5L/100km.
Don't expect to be passing anything going up hills, but hey you're on a holiday so enjoy the scenery,

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Originally Posted by 10G

What do I need to put om the Patrol?

So far I have the factory tow bar and bolt on rear coil support brackets. I guess I need van brakes and mirrors. Anything else?

Do these 3L CRD Patrols pull vans OK? I probably wouldn't look at anything larger than 16'.

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Sorry mate don`t know much about the 3lt patrols but towed mine with a n old 93 petrol for the first13 years with no troubles (only fuel but hey it use to get 23lt per 100 either flat out , standing at the lights or towing)Now I tow it with a youbeaut 2.5 Triton MN , with no problems. (35,000 around WA and some 20,000around Tas) so if sensible no reason the patrol wouldn`t tow something around the 14-16ft under 2,000kg van anywhere.

Nothing wrong with doing a old van , all up cost me $ 6000 when finished , put in new suspension and re wired it , took it on the Birdsville trk , Strezz, and cordillo downs, plus dozens of beach runs . Only updated ( well 2003 Supreme Territory ) to get a few more comforts ( shower /toilet ) http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...018/05/137.jpg

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@10G
Have a Jayco Pop Top which I am thinking of selling
$7,000 mark
If you are at all interested PM me and I will give you further details & Pics

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...018/05/138.jpg
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...018/05/139.jpg

Parking fees unpaid on the later ‘right’ side pic top van @Bob mate!
Much better view forward outa your actual windows;-)



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Thanks everyone for the great advice and tips.