Caravan buyers seek bathroom bliss
Separate shower and toilet on the must-have list of many caravan buyersWhat's the most important feature for today's caravan buyers? Off-road ability? Off-grid capability? A big kitchen? Spacious bathroom?
Well, according to a recent snapshot of the search behaviour of visitors to the caravancampingsales website it's a conveniently located interior shower and toilet, with 'ensuite' among the most popular search terms used by potential buyers.
In fact, 'ensuite', along with ' shower' and 'toilet' were among the top-5 search terms used by those browsing the thousands of classifieds on caravancampingsales.
'Offroad' and 'outback' also featured highly, along with 'bunk' or 'bunks' among those looking to buy a new or used caravan or RV.
The results confirm recent industry and consumer trends that see more caravanners spending time out of caravan parks, driving on dirt roads and free camping in self-contained RVs in remote areas.
Buyers are also increasingly prepared to spend big bucks on a caravan that delivers a home-away-from-home experience, while younger families are bypassing the traditional entry-level tent trailer and opting for a big family van with double or triple bunks.
Buyers want caravans with the lot
Joshua Carnavos, the managing director of one of Jayco's biggest dealers, Brisbane Camperland, said bunk beds for the kids, a large bathroom with separate shower and toilet and a van that can handle rougher roads are "all common requests from the modern caravanning customer".
"As there are more families in the market, bunks are very sought after, and most families like the idea of being able to hit a dirt road or beach and be fully equipped with an ensuite," he said.
"Almost very Jayco model is available in an Outback model, and we sell more than 60 per cent of our products this way."
Buyers are also seeking more comfort and luxury features, which has seen the size and weight of new caravans steadily rise, along with the popularity of 3500kg tow rated dual-cab utes.
"Larger fridges and air-conditioners are pretty much a standard requirement and we’re now seeing increased demand for off-grid set-ups, so grey water tanks and solar/battery upgrades as well as lithium battery options are becoming more popular requests," he said.
Spacious and better equipped bathrooms
Glen Gall from Queensland's Kedron, which sells some of the most expensive and heaviest caravans on the market, has seen demand for interior bathrooms not only increase, but also the amount of space in the caravan dedicated to an ensuite.
"There has certainly been a shift in bathroom space over the years... 10 to 15 years ago a major percentage of our builds had a combined shower toilet, but that has certainly shifted to 90 to 95 per cent of builds featuring a full ensuite with the separate shower and toilet, including the (smaller) single axle Compacts," Gall said.
Full-width rear ensuites in custom-built Kedron caravans regularly feature wall mounted washing machines, heated towel racks, central heating ducts, ceramic bowl toilets, a twin basin vanity, and extra-large shower recesses.
The ensuite's layout position is also changing, with many Australian caravan manufacturers now offering Euro-style centralised bathrooms, often with separate shower and toilet/vanity 'rooms' running off the master bedroom and split by a central walkway.
Related reading:
Rise of the off-grid, off-road caravan
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