Travel rigs
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We started caravanning when our children were small and we took them to the beach during the January holiday period. The crop harvest on the farm was finished and everyone looked forward to a relaxing time.
As time went by we changed our ‘rig’ to suit the circumstances. A caravan and annex provided good accommodation for the family. We also had a tent that was easy to erect and this was ideal for extended trips not suitable for a caravan. When the kids left home, K&G continued with the tent and also briefly tried a camper trailer. Both of these mean a lot of unpacking and setting up and were tolerable provided the weather was fine.
We returned to a buying a full sized van, a second hand one, as new vans drop dramatically in value soon after purchase. We don’t like pop tops and vans with canvas fold outs for various reasons such as not really being easier to tow, extra work to set up, require cupboards etc. to be lower in height and they allow noise in and out.
When we finally fitted ourselves out for comfortable touring, our van had the following features.
1 Full sized van 8 metres long fitted with hot water system, shower and toilet, door at the front (less dust in van).
2 Roll out awning, air conditioning, central kitchen, full sized fridge (240v, 12v and gas), gas stove, 240v and 12v lighting.
3 Good sized single beds allowing more floor space, plenty of cupboard space, TV with antenna suitable for UHF digital.
4 Carry on equipment includes a portable WiFi modem on the Telstra network (best coverage in rural areas) for internet for a computer, iPad & iPhone, an essential item these days.
Of course a van this size requires a suitable vehicle to tow it and we settled on a twin cab diesel utility.
As time went by we changed our ‘rig’ to suit the circumstances. A caravan and annex provided good accommodation for the family. We also had a tent that was easy to erect and this was ideal for extended trips not suitable for a caravan. When the kids left home, K&G continued with the tent and also briefly tried a camper trailer. Both of these mean a lot of unpacking and setting up and were tolerable provided the weather was fine.
We returned to a buying a full sized van, a second hand one, as new vans drop dramatically in value soon after purchase. We don’t like pop tops and vans with canvas fold outs for various reasons such as not really being easier to tow, extra work to set up, require cupboards etc. to be lower in height and they allow noise in and out.
When we finally fitted ourselves out for comfortable touring, our van had the following features.
1 Full sized van 8 metres long fitted with hot water system, shower and toilet, door at the front (less dust in van).
2 Roll out awning, air conditioning, central kitchen, full sized fridge (240v, 12v and gas), gas stove, 240v and 12v lighting.
3 Good sized single beds allowing more floor space, plenty of cupboard space, TV with antenna suitable for UHF digital.
4 Carry on equipment includes a portable WiFi modem on the Telstra network (best coverage in rural areas) for internet for a computer, iPad & iPhone, an essential item these days.
Of course a van this size requires a suitable vehicle to tow it and we settled on a twin cab diesel utility.