Which family caravan should I buy?

Buying your first caravan or camper trailer for the family to get out on a camping holiday can be exciting but also has its pitfalls.

There are different styles of family campers and caravans to choose from, and they vary in how family-friendly they really are. You have to work out what compromises you’re prepared to make.

Different stages of family camping

But before we get into the different options available, it’s worth considering the stage your family is at. This is important, because you might find you have ‘outgrown’ your new camper or family caravan purchase in a short time.

For example, when the kids are young, they're happy to sleep near you, or with you. Privacy isn’t usually so much an issue for them, or for the parents.

As they become teenagers, the kids usually want to be sleep further away from the parents, and have more privacy.

All you might need to do is buy an extra zip-on canvas ‘room’ for your camper annexe for the teenagers to use, or they might be happiest sleeping outside in swags.

A large bunk van might also do the trick, but you're all still living in relatively close proximity of each other. It’ll work for some, not for others.

The soft floor option

Probably the cheapest way to go RV camping with the family is with a soft-floor camper trailer.

The main issue you'll find with these is not so much the tent (there are many available with enough zip-on rooms to have almost as much floor space as at home!), but packing and at-camp storage space.

As most soft-floor camper trailers are based on a small, basic box trailer, the trailer’s 'box' is all the room you have for the family’s luggage and camping gear.

Yes, you can pack stuff on top of the trailer and also in the tow vehicle, but remember you'll be taking multiples of gear such as camping chairs and so on. It all adds up.

Not only that, but what are you going to do with all that gear at camp? And how will everyone get to their clothes without them becoming a huge mound in the middle of the camper trailer floor?

There are solutions such as folding camping wardrobes, but it's another thing that has to be dragged along, set up and packed up.

Hard floor solutions

The advantage of a hard-floor camper trailer is that it adds more inside living space off the ground at camp, and usually has a little more packing space for all the family’s gear.

But if there's just one double or queen bed, in many cases you’ll have to set up portable camping beds for the kids which adds to set-up/pack-up time.

While there's usually enough floor space in either a soft or hard-floor camper to set up the beds, a hard floor camper often provides a more stable base for portable bunks because the floor is completely flat.

As hard-floor campers have a dedicated camper body (that is, not based on a box trailer) they also offer more built-in storage options. Some have a few clothes drawers in the camper, and most have an external kitchen with storage areas.

Kids close at hand

Camper trailers are great for young families as you can have the children sleeping close by, or even in the same bed if the parent's bed is big enough.

Two potential problems here: the bed can be quite high on the trailer, so if the child shifts around a lot, they may fall off the bed and hurt themselves (you might want to think about a barrier for the main bed).

Or if your young one joins you in bed and spreads out, you may end up sleeping in the child's bunk to have more room. Consider getting a larger, stronger adult-friendly design when buying the kids’ portable beds.

For camper trailers, charging up devices will become an issue, unless they are optioned up with a battery, inverter and charging ports. Cheaper, more basic campers often miss out on these features.

Wind-up campers

Wind-up campers and hybrid family campers generally offer more packing space and importantly, storage space. This means you can pack away some gear so it's still easily accessible at camp.

The wind-ups and hybrids can have slide-out or fold-down beds each end and often the dinette converts to a bed too.

While this can mean beds for up to six, internal living space can be a problem -- these campers tend to be short on central floor area. That can create traffic jams when everyone is stuck inside on a wet day!

Many wind-up and hybrid campers have on-board power and charging ports, but it pays to check this is the case.

Full-size family caravans

As long as you've got somewhere to store them and a big enough tow vehicle, bigger full height or pop-top family caravans are the easiest option for a family, and the bigger the 'van, the better for family holiday harmony.

A family caravan will have multiple drawers and cupboards so all family members can store their stuff and get to it easily at camp. You still have to be selective with the amount of gear you bring, but generally there's a lot more space to store and leave stuff.

The attraction of many family caravans is that they can comfortably accommodate young and old with both parent's and bunk beds, often at opposing ends of the 'van.

One type has the upper bunk bed either a semi-permanent fold-down or set-in-place fixture over a dinette. The other, more common design is fixed permanent bunks.

Those that you have to set in place over some seating might have to be folded or packed away when you want to sit at the dinette. There’s also the potential problem of where to conveniently store the top bunk during the day when not in use.

Bunk van checklist

Key things to check when buying a family caravan for the first time are the size of the bunks and what weight they can hold.

While the kids might be tiny now and will love that cosy top bunk, remember they’ll grow quickly. If you plan to keep the caravan for years, they might end up outgrowing the bunks.

As with a camper trailer, younger children might feel more secure sleeping in the parents’ bed sometimes. So a parent can end up in the bunk vacated by the child in order to get some sleep (speaking from experience!). So you might want to consider the 'adult-friendly' status of the bunks too.

Many bunks have a weight limit of about 80kg, so double-check this if you think it might be an issue.

Roll-over guards are also important for younger children sleeping in upper bunks, so check if they come standard or if a barrier can be set up to suit.

Privacy issues

For privacy there's often a concertina door between the bunk area and the rest of the van, but some come better equipped with a solid sliding or hinged door, which you may prefer.

Modern family caravans almost certainly have multiple USB ports fitted, and a comprehensive power system to back them up. Just check where they are though, because they might not be conveniently located for your family.

At least a couple ports should be easy to access at the bunks, and often you can order a few more USB ports to be installed in convenient spots for the kids when ordering your new van.

After all, kids fighting over who gets to use the one and only nearby charge port is not a recipe for happy holiday camping...

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Which budget caravan should I buy?