Caravan layouts

Bridgee · Senior Member

Caravan layouts

dave06 · Guru

you will know what "layout" suits you when you see it, as far as weight on tow vehicle goes, check the allowable "ball weight" of the tow vehicle, even with the front kitchen setup you must not exceed the allowable "ball weight", if you stay within this minor restriction then any van will suit you

it's all a matter of choice, when I was vanning, I looked at the most "recreational" room it gave me, we did, and still do, most of our cooking outside, the ammount of storage was a factor, but the biggest factor of all was THE BED, it must be full size and easy to climb in and out of, no sleep, no enjoyment, no enjoyment makes for very grumpy HOBBITT!!!

ask ten people about what van and you will get twenty different answers, just a little bit of advice, DONT LISTEN to them, go take a look and when you see YOUR VAN it will "speak" to you. it will say "take me for a trip, you will like me, honest you will!!!

Bridgee · Senior Member

Hi Dave........tis the boss here............good to see the HOBBIT knows his place!! yes I think you are right I mentioned before we had a business which attracted a lot of tourist from all over Australia, and if I'd of written down all their 'tips' I could have filled an excercise book! having said that we did pick up a few useful hints. Having travelled before in a mazda (see pic), which was our bed, dining table, kitchen etc todays caravans are an absolute dream! But no doubt we will be posting more requests for travelling tips as we seriously plan our trip.

dave06 · Guru

the trouble with getting tips from people is that there is gold to be found, as we get older we learn the secret of how to sort out that gold and to spot the b/s

fully agree with you about the vans, did you see Basils "gin palace" , the modern van is a wonder to behold and I often wonder how people can afford the things

we spent a bit of time "living" out of a vehicle and it is surprisingly good once it is sorted out, I know people who base everything around a vehicle and sleep in a tent, very happy doing so, and I know others who have a $200,000 motorhome, they are as happy as each other and wouldnt swap for quids. I keep on saying that it doesnt matter how you go, just as long as you go

mate, post as much as you want, always good info and just yakkability in here, we've tried to make it a freindly place to just drop in and have a yak

Wombat 280 · Guru

I have a Millard with front kitchen and single beds tows very nicely without anti sway bars . Talking with a van repair agent awhile back and he mentioned that rear kitchens tend to have a lot of weight on the arse end and get the wobbles up more readily than front or side kitchen units.

Getting the balance right is the import thing to prevent them getting hard to handle. Spend the time getting the balance and ride height right for your particular tow vehicle and it's easy sailing from there on.

As said by others there are many opinions on this subject as there are RV's to choose from

Bridgee · Senior Member

So where do we find Basils Gin Palace??, you mentioned in an earlier post about havng a good bed, bad nights sleep grumpy Hobbit! you mean the vans have beds you just climb into not where you put the table down you've just eaten off and the cushions off the seats to make a bed? we did this for 9 months............ahh.....luxury!!

dave06 · Guru

yeah look we were just as surprised as you to find out that a bed in a moving vehicle (1) had a base (2) had a mattress (3) didnt have to made up every night and returned to the boot every morning, and you didnt necesarily have to use it as your table and chairs, certainly amazing stuff, dont know what the world is coming to

just as a mindless bit of trivia, my father hated barbecues, he used to say "why ruin a damn good peice of meat by burning it to a crisp and then having to share it with 1,000 filthy bloody flies" when we had the inside toilet fitted ( before then it was long drop 20 yards away from the house) I still remember what he said as we were having a family gathering for a barbecue, he said to me and I will never forget it " so it's come to this now has it boy" I said " come to what pop" he said "bloody ****tin inside and eatin outside, never thought I'd see the day"

now "Basils gin palace" can be found by scrolling up to the top of the page, you will find "main page", "list all users", "search", "user details"

poke "search" and a letter box will magically arise, in there place "the gin palace" and just take a look at how the other half live, mind you he deserves it and I wouldnt begrudge him and people like him one iota less, up to me they would all be millionaires!!! salt of the earth. dont tell him I said that though or I will never talk to you again!!!

Bridgee · Senior Member

the gin palace" and just take a look at how the other half live, mind you he deserves it and I wouldnt begrudge him and people like him one iota less, up to me they would all be millionaires!!! salt of the earth. dont tell him I said that though or I will never talk to you again!!!

I would hate to think you are never going to speak to me again so rest assured your secret is safe with me, of course we all know that he will never be able to read your post, it is for my eyes only!!!

Love the bit about your dad and the inside loo, hobbit grew up with outside toilet.....mum, dad and four kids, the good old days !

dave06 · Guru

yep know all about the big families, there was mum and dad and the seven of us, but we were overtaken by a family in huddleston, the liddles family, lovelier people you would never meet, jack and doris and thirteen kids

I asked old jack one day, "how the hell do you cope with all these kids", how do you keep up with all the work that needs doing, and his simple answer was "every liddle helps"

fantastic character, he ran a blacksmith shop out of his huge shed, old blaxland single cylinder engine thumping away in a seperate section and all these belts flying around through the roof to various pulleys and down to all manner of machines, fantastic setup and all ran by a brilliant man

and thanks for keeping my secret, wouldnt want that to get out about Basil, he'd get too big a head!!!

Bridgee · Senior Member

Oh No !! yawn I thought this site was my escape from 'every liddle helps' humour. I live with this 24/7 so forgive me if I do not LOL but I have learnt that when you give a little encouragement their head gets a bit like Basil's ! Not that I am saying Basil has got a big head, but it was mentioned that his head MIGHT go in that direction...........me thinks I had beter changed the subject before I put my foot in it!

But agree with you re the kids today, mums managed with ten or more kids, they just got on with it, it was me who stayed with my children and brought them up wheras today's children will be saying 'so what daycare brought you up"

As for Basils Gin Palace - thats what I mean about todays caravans, pure luxury, no pumping the water from a tap to a tiny sink, then the sink water goes into a bucket, think the water in todays new beaut vans goes in a holding tank? The more we talk about the vans of today and traveling...........roll on next year ...........CAN'T WAIT !

dave06 · Guru

Ohh!!! O.K. so do you have the last name of Liddle!! sorry didnt know, this was one of my very dim and distant memories, Jack was a dear freind, and that is my only brush with the liddle surname, you may say that I know very LIDDLE!!! about LIDDLES!!!! LOL!!! O.K. O.K. had to say it, it would be too LIDDLE of me to let it go HAH!!! HAH!! sorry again didnt mean to BELIDDLE you HAH!!! HAH!!! I really am sorry, it's a long day!!

yeah you are right, wouldnt want all that luxury, far better to stay in a swag, indoor toilets and running water and hot showers, yuk!!!! who needs it, well maybe just a LIDDLE!!! damn did it again didnt I LOL!!!

roll on next year indeed, as is my wish, next year and then the year after that

Cruising Granny · Guru

Hi fellow nomads. Think about what you want and what you want the van to do, and what you want to do with the van, and how much you want to spend. I live and travel with a 20 footer towed by an 80 Series Cruiser. Dual axles give you a bit more flexibility with weight and its distribution. I really love my rear kitchen with bedroom in front, storage under the bed, plus a boot and a locker under the boot. To each his own I say, but think it through, and look around.
It took 18 months on the internet and heaps of van yards to find the layout I wanted for the price I wanted to pay. I have a shower and loo in the corner as well. Some even have washing machines and lots of trinkets and toys.
Safe and happy travels.
Cheers
Cruising Granny

Bridgee · Senior Member

NO NO NO NO NO !!! stop it I can't take any more!! No our name is not liddle but PLEEEEEEEEESE don't get together with hobbit - talk about play on words you two would have a ball! no one in our immediate family find him that funny but outside the family, well thats a different story, they think he's hilarious.............take today for instance - just got back from walking the dog along the river and he asks "was it a RIVERting walk"...........Dave do not even SMILE no encouragement is required!.......pathetic hey.............sorry guys but it has to be said............

Bridgee · Senior Member

Hi Cruisin Granny - yes you are right - it all depends on what you want in a van, I have been blown away with what the vans have in them these days!

We have recently sold our business and during the last 5 years we had it we met a lot of tourists and I was constantly amazed at how long some people had been on the road, some had been traveling for years, but as they said their van is their home they want for nothing, even down to the washing machine! I am not sure if we would go that far, a lot of people said they put the washing in a bucket and while they are travllling along the vibrations wash the clothes! So it seems there are ways of doing things and I am looking forward to asking questions on this site as the replies are from people who are out there now seeing this wonderful country, and I have no doubt we will get some useful tips before we set off.

We have been looking at vans and been to the caravan show which was held in March and will go again next year, thats if we haven't bought our 'perfect' van by then!

dave06 · Guru

yep washing in a bucket, heard of that one, the actual "washing" part of it is the easy part, the problem comes when you have to squeeze the water out, and rinse and squeeze and rinse and squeeze, now I dont know about you fellers but my wrists are buggered and this action is almost impossible due to arthritis

the answer is to go to a secondhand shop (and get some more wrists HAH!!! HAH!!!) no you fool, you buy an old mangel, this you attach to the back of the van or the A frame temporarily when you are washing, you wash your clothes and put them through the mangel and rinse and mangel and dry, much easier

as for all the stuff in a van that is and is not worth taking, until you put laughter and memories in that van it is just a hollow shell and not worth a dime!!!

Basil Faulty · Guru

Fair go guys.....All this humour at my expense.....
Let me give you youngsters some good advice.... IGNORE all the hubris re kitchens, placement of sinks, ad nauseum. Modern caravan manufacturers build the chassis with the wheel placement to suit what is going on top of it eg for a rear kitchen the wheels are futher to the back than on a front kitchen van.
Your car towing capacity will detirmine the GVM of what you can tow so you have to look at Vans well under the GVM to give you some leeway to stow your food, clothes etc...And when you look at vans make sure you DO NOT BUY one from a pretty drawing, always insist on looking at the van layout, in the flesh so to speak, you are interested in.
So the first thing to do is to check out the weight of the vans you are interested in to make sure you can tow them ( unless you are going to buy a vehicle especially for the purpose) this will eliminate a lot of vans of your wish list.
Then make absolutley certain that the bed is cumfortable and that the matress that you lay on is the one that comes with the van, less credible people may tend to replace the innerspring matress with a $20 foam cheapy once they know you are going to buy....
Then make sure that the layout suits you and you are not buying because it "looks nice", walk around with you and your close friend, partner, lover and mate, try everything from "can you see the TV from here" to "can 2 people actually live in this space" ie does one person have to get up so the other can go outside?
Personal choices; I would never ever again tow a van that did not have independant suspension and 4 wheels, they just tow so superbly and believe it or not are so much easier to back that a singe axle it mayes it SWMBO's play to do it....
Yeah it's easy for me to give advice, I wish someone had told me but I fell for the hype of many caravan salesmen over the years. My new Gin Palace is my 6th van and will be my last, yes it is quite luxurious and there is a premium to pay for luxury but as you get more advanced in years you tend to find cumfort uppermost in your requirements.
Any one got any more snyde gybes at my expense?LOL!~!!!

Basil Faulty · Guru

dave06 wrote:

yep washing in a bucket, heard of that one, the actual "washing" part of it is the easy part, the problem comes when you have to squeeze the water out, and rinse and squeeze and rinse and squeeze, now I dont know about you fellers but my wrists are buggered and this action is almost impossible due to arthritis

the answer is to go to a secondhand shop (and get some more wrists HAH!!! HAH!!!) no you fool, you buy an old mangel, this you attach to the back of the van or the A frame temporarily when you are washing, you wash your clothes and put them through the mangel and rinse and mangel and dry, much easier

as for all the stuff in a van that is and is not worth taking, until you put laughter and memories in that van it is just a hollow shell and not worth a dime!!!

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez Dave you have some stupid ideas..... Look the simple thing to do is to go to the Good Guys or Hardly Normal and buy one of those Lemair XQMB 20 washing machines Like I have, problem solved.....

Basil Faulty · Guru

Cruising Granny wrote:

Hi fellow nomads. Think about what you want and what you want the van to do, and what you want to do with the van, and how much you want to spend. I live and travel with a 20 footer towed by an 80 Series Cruiser. Dual axles give you a bit more flexibility with weight and its distribution. I really love my rear kitchen with bedroom in front, storage under the bed, plus a boot and a locker under the boot. To each his own I say, but think it through, and look around.
It took 18 months on the internet and heaps of van yards to find the layout I wanted for the price I wanted to pay. I have a shower and loo in the corner as well. Some even have washing machines and lots of trinkets and toys.
Safe and happy travels.
Cheers
Cruising Granny

Yep a washing machine is absolutlery essential....... unless you camp along the banks of the Ganges of course......
OK HANDS UP ALL YOU GREY NOMADS WHO DO NOT WASH THEIR CLOTHES!!!

dave06 · Guru

jeezz!!! didnt we get out on the grumpy side of the bed this morning!!!

I only talk about what I know and have had experience with, when we travel, we only "free camp" when one free camps three things are essential, food, water and power, to stay out longer these "must" be conserved, washing in a machine eats up too much water and power, so I dont use it, I wash in a bucket using my hands, i use a little mangel, the idea of which I got off numerous other "full time travellers" who are doing exactly this "all the time" as for "stupid" posts I talk about what I do, I live what I write about, I free camp, if you stay in a park then all essentials are open and readily available to you, you may use as much as you like, I cannot, they are not available to me, where i choose to go, if you have a big van with heaps of room great, I dont, space is at a premium and it is what I choose at the moment, it lets me get in to places you would not get anywhere near, and conserving energy and water lets me stay there a little longer, my choice, AT THE MOMENT!!!!!

anyway I'm OUTA HERE, reapings finished, grains in the silo, last patch is bloody bare, Kenworth is in the shed, harvester on its way in to the shed, moneys in my pocket and I'm going out to practice a bit more of what I preach, in short I'm gone for a week!!!

I'm gonna find me a creek and a gum tree and a good mate to share a beer with for a week!!! and just sit!!!

-- Edited by dave06 at 10:52, 2008-11-28

Valderi · Veteran Member

Hi everyone.

I agree Dave free camping it's the the way for me, now whats all this caper about washing clothes I have no time for these frivolous activity, I have a top secret plan, I will buy my clothes from Opp Shops when dirty and stinky..... just throw away we live in a disposable age, just think saving water, not contaminating our land with detergents, LOL.

Cheers Frank.

dave06 · Guru

when you get out there and free camping frank you will see the "mangel" being used everywhere, they are so popular amongst free campers now that they are becoming rare in secondhand shops, and consequently they are now about the $80 mark when you can find one, any one who knows anything about free camping knows this, as you will find out, you will often see them mounted securely to the back of motorhomes and bus conversions. but that doesnt seem to make any difference here because all suggestions are scrutinised and dismissed by people who dont know what they are talking about, anyway "little blue" is packed and we are off, through the adelaide hills to the south east and into victoria for a while, free camping all the way, enough of work, bit more play for me

Basil Faulty · Guru

OH Dave don't go.... I'm off for a week as from next wednesday and there will be no one to keep these people on their toes....
Na, ENJOY your break....

dave06 · Guru

further to the Washing debarcle, please disregard "mangle" and substitute "hand wringer" these consist of two rubber covered rollers of about a foot long and operated by a handle, with a clamp assembly on the base for attaching to various fitments (normally the dividing wall between the old concrete wash tubs, I apoligise for the confusion but I really wanted to get away and placed the wrong wording in there

the system that I and many, many other campers use is a large bucket, I got mine from a pub, they are two coleslaw buckets about 18" - 2' tall and about a foot round, these come with a good tight fitting lid, the publicans are only too glad to give them away and they have a thousand uses, add a tablespoon of washing powder and half fill with water if you are going for a drive great, just place it somewhere where it wont tip over and it will wash itself whilst you are driving, if not driving I use a broomhandle to which is attached an inverted funnel which has four holes drilled in to it (to allow water circulation) the broom handle (shortened to about 18" long) has a hole in the end to allow for the insertion and gluing of the inverted funnel

if you agitate the water for about ten minutes with the agitator in right hand and beer in left the clothes come out really clean, I find one beer to one load of washing works out about right, just dont have too big a load or you wont make it through, damn lot of fun trying though

the hand wringer is then deployed to wring the washing out in to another bucket containing rinse water, to be rinsed and then rewringed again to be hung out and dried, I use this method when I wont be visiting a town soon, then I use the laundromat

I am working on another "high tech" agitator which I may or may not release to the general public as westinghouse are VERY interested and their spys are everywhere, cant trust anyone nowadays, especially you with the shifty eyes

Bridgee · Senior Member

WELCOME BACK DAVO biggrin

Now the 'hand wringer' you talk about sounds very much like my mum had many years ago and she called it a mangle, of course after years of wringing clothes out with her hands the mangle was like winning lotto! I think they are one of the same. The bucket you talk about yes we have got one of those but if I use that to wash clothes in where would I put the dog biscuits!?? Also not a huge fan of beer would it wash just as well with a glass of wine in the left hand?? Or do you find the beer gives a brighter, fresher wash ? Oh yes, good to hear that Davo is doing the washing...... the dragon has trained you well !!!..........onya!!!

dave06 · Guru

thanks for the big ole welcome, its good to get away but sometimes good to get back home again!!!

you are dead right, the dragon has me exactly where she wants me, she's always been able to wrap me around her little finger, even though I used to be 6' and she's about 4'6",

the difference between a "mangle" and a hand "wringer" is not much basically they are the same except the mangel is a huge peice of kit standing some 3 - 4 feet off the ground with rollers of about 3' long and 6" round and a huge spring at the top a lot like a car spring and the hand wringer is a lot smaller, the most obviuously recognised one is the one that is on the top of the old simpson washing machines, you remember the ones that you always got your hand caught in, and a gigantic gear lever on the front

ah!!! now washing wiuth a glass of wine in hand wine is a far more sophisticated affair, much more upmarket, dont know much about that one, I have tried it with whiskey but I find after a couple of loads the whole affair gets a bit out of focus and it makes me very tired

my hands are almost knackered as are most of my bones from years of heavy machinery, so hand wringing is not one of my favorite pastimes