Mistakes to avoid when buying your first caravan

As soon as people hear that you review caravans for a living, the questions come thick and fast. But the main one is: ‘What is the best caravan?’

We all have our favourites, for different reasons, but what works for one traveller may not work for you, or yours truly. So, I usually reply with four questions:

Where do you want to travel to? For how long? How often? And with whom?

Below are some common ‘mistakes’ to avoid when shopping for a new caravan...

Not allowing for cabin fever

If you're planning a one-off lap of Australia lasting several months or more, then you’ll need a caravan large enough to avoid tripping over yourselves.

It’s amazing how many people retire from their away-from-home jobs, never having spent 24/7 with their partner, and expect to co-exist happily away from family and friends in a shoebox for months at a time, while facing all the decisions and stresses that travel can bring.

If that’s what your planning, you’ll also need a well-built caravan that can take what the road conditions, weather and inexperienced hands can dish up to it.

While it’s true that a strong caravan with good ground clearance and single or tandem leaf-spring and shock absorber suspension can go just about anywhere if you adjust your speed to the surface, a caravan with independent trailing arm suspension will handle corrugations better, faster and give your caravan and everything in it an easier time.

You may intend to limit your travels to bitumen – a practical decision that will allow you to access 85 per cent of Australian’s major tourist attractions – but short cuts, deviations because of weather, friends you meet, or just plain curiosity may temp you to travel on unsealed surfaces.

To do this, you don’t need a full-on, off-road set-up like Cruisemaster ATX or XT. A lighter ‘all-road’ independent set-up, like Cruisemaster’s CRS (Country Road Suspension), AL-KO’s Enduro Cross Country and Jayco’s J-Tech all meet this criterion.

Going too big for off-road travel

But if your answer is ‘Serious off-road’, I would say ‘Seriously?’.

You’re not going to get a big, heavy caravan along many of Australia’s major Outback highways after a good sprinkle of rain, let alone down overgrown bush tracks. And real adventure treks, like Cape York’s Telegraph Track? Forget it!

In the first case, a heavy van can slip off the crown of the road and get bogged; in the latter cases, you’re going to do a lot of body damage trying.

So, don’t worry about trying to impress your friends with all the things you’re going to do in your macho monster; they won’t be there to see it and won’t understand anyway! Just spray it with mud and tell them what you like!

Paying for things you don't need

Like buying the latest smartphone with hundreds of features you don’t need and only a three-year-old child can fathom, be realistic about what you, and your partner (very important here), really want to do.

Many people purchase a caravan that’s ready for anything, but realise once they're on the road that their pre-trip plans are more ambitious than their budget or talent.

Have a look at those derring-do Gall Boys videos again; going ‘off-road’ can result in a fair bit of damage that can be costly to repair and cut short your precious travels. It may also break up a beautiful friendship with your travelling companion, or companions...

Not opting for the Adventure pack

Your choice here also responds to the questions of ‘How long?’ and ‘How often?’

If you're planning a one-off trip, then you’ll probably want to ensure that your caravan stays sound and saleable when it’s finished, while if it’s for regular holidays, you’ll also want to ensure it doesn’t break and leave you stranded.

In summary, an ‘Outback’ or ‘Adventure’ pack or similar is generally a good idea, as even if you don’t plan to leave the blacktop, you will have the peace of mind in knowing that your investment is better protected against stone damage and better able to survive continued use of poor surfaces, many of which can be sealed roads in remote areas.

Not catering to growing children

The final question ‘With whom?’ to a large degree determines the size and features you’ll need.

If you're travelling with children or grandchildren, they’ll need their own permanent sleeping quarters, ideally at the other end of the van to yours and close to the toilet and shower. A washing machine ceases to become a luxury when you have dirty kids and their friends on board.

There are small family caravans, but generally you should be looking at something around 20-22ft long to co-exist happily on a long trip. If it's just you and your partner, you can lop off a little length and settle for something from 18ft 6in to 21ft 6in.

Not choosing a big enough tow vehicle

What you end up with then needs to be related to your tow car.

While the majority of dual-cab utes are rated to tow 3000-3500kg, the reality is somewhat less if you have a portable fridge, generator, spare fuel, table, chairs, BBQ, kids’ toys, etc in your load bay.

It’s also a mistake to tow a loaded caravan that weighs close to the limit of your tow car’s capability, or to tow a caravan that actually weighs more than the tow vehicle ahead of it.

Sensibly in Britain, it’s illegal for your caravan to weigh more than your tow car and in the annual judging for the UK's ‘Tow Car of the Year’, the award’s rules require that the laden caravan must weigh no more than 80 per cent of the mass of the tow vehicle.

So, you’re better off investing in a RAM, Chevrolet Silverado or Ford F-Series truck to haul a big off-road caravan with an ATM of close to 3500kg than employ a 3500kg-braked trailer-capable Toyota LandCruiser, Land Rover Discovery, or Jeep Grand Cherokee.

And you know what? You’ll probably get better fuel economy with a big, less-stressed engine, with the only major penalty being a barge-like turning circle.

Not doing your own research

Having decided the sort of caravan you need for your travels, travelling companions and tow car, the next question that people ask is ‘What’s the best caravan to buy?’

Before undertaking your own research and due diligence, it's worth keeping these final three common buying ‘mistakes’ in mind as you embark on your shopping journey, whether it’s for a new or used van...

Going on price rather than reputation

While it’s not always foolproof advice, we’d generally recommend buying from a well-established brand that has been built by the same owners/founders for many years, as they have more ‘skin in the game’.

In other words, they know that they have more to lose by trashing their reputation on you than they will make from short-changing you with bad sales and service. In these days of militant social media, bad news travels like wildfire!

Not buying from an established dealer

Use the same criterion when choosing which dealer to buy from. There are some really good, professional people out there if you look for them.

I’m reminded of the story I heard about the salesman at a Melbourne Jayco dealer who signed up a man in his mid-seventies for the Outback version of a large camper trailer – the sort where the beds pull out from both ends.

When the Dealer Principal heard about it, he instructed the salesman to tear up the contract on the basis that erecting the camper was too ‘physical’ for the customer. He did and the buyer left very happy with a more compact version of the same camper with an electric lifter and much less work to do.

You’ll get that sort of care from an established dealer for one good reason: they want you back to buy another!

Not talking to other caravan owners

Finally, take the time to check out all the different on-line caravan forums, reading about the good and bad choices that other travellers like you have made. It’s free and in most cases there’s no secret agenda.

Further reading:

Do you really need a caravan with the lot?

Ultimate caravan buying guide

Dummies' guide to caravan buying

How to choose a tow vehicle