Hey everyone,

We're a family of 3 (2 adults, 1 baby) looking to buy a camper trailer or caravan for an extended 4-month trip around Australia. Before bub we used a swag for short trips, so we don't know much about caravanning.

We'll be towing with a Pajero Sport and aren't looking for anything heavy. We like the idea of having rear vision, which a trailer would afford. We'll mostly be staying at places for 4+ nights at a time, to avoid too much setup and pack-down.

I've read a few threads suggesting caravans over camper trailers — is the main reason for that the setup? To clarify, I'm not looking at trailers that are basically tents with soft tops; I'm more interested in hard-top options like the Jayco Hawk/Dove.

Our budget is under $15k.

Any advice would be appreciated!

For anyone planning to or on a lap around Australia this could be a really resource for all the events going on.
It’s got country shows, races, 4WD events, music festivals and heaps of other events all across australia, all in the one place for the next year.
Definitely worth checking out, has helped us plan our travel around these events and also see what’s happening in the areas we’re travelling through!

I’m interested to know what people do when they aren’t using their van when they have solar and batteries? Do you unplug it or just keep it on?

I hate camping in the cold. My wife loves it. So, we compromised and are doing what she wanted to do by camping in one of QLDs coldest spots in July.

We haven't got a diesel heater in the van yet so I wanted to buy a 12v heated blanket.

Are any of them worthwhile?

G’day guys,
I attended the caravan show in Wollongong on the weekend with the missus and we were really impressed by the Mars elite caravan with two bunkbeds.

Is there anyone on this Reddit that owns one and has any tips tricks pros and cons that they would like to share with me dumping $60,000 on a caravan is a big move financially thanks in advance

EDIT: thanks everyone. Based in the comments, we'll probably stay away from the Expanda for 2 reasons: 1. The possibility of leaks 2. The pack up effort.

Thanks!

We're looking to buy a caravan and we need at least 3 (preferably 4) berth plus a toilet.

I keep seeing Jayco Expanda caravans, where a double bed is in sort of a tent thing out the front or back of the van.

Has anyone had one?

Would you buy one again?

Do they leak or have issues?

Where does the mattress go when you're moving?

Anything else about these vans I should know?

Any alternatives you can suggest? We're looking under $40k.

Thanks

Looking to see if anyone here has or has owned a jayco swan outback? Have a few questions. Also keen to here in comparable trailers to jayco swan. Cheets

If I was to get starlink for my van, is there a good reason why I wouldn’t cancel my nbn at home and use the starlink there as well?

Looking to upgrade from our softfloor camper, dont want a giant van.

Looking for reccomendations for smallish van that has the following.

Outdoor/pullout kitchen

Awning

1x double (or queen)

3x bunks that will fit decent size kids

Minimalist interiour kitchen maybe seating space inside for 3 or 4?

No ensuite or TV or A/C

We essentially want what our camper provides without the canvas and poles.

We want to keep out setup light and manouverabke and able to maintain speed on the freeway, able to do light offroad stuff.

we are planning our first proper caravan trip later this year with the family. it will be a 2-week coastal run with a mix of national parks and beach stops. i have been looking at options and ended up going with a caravan from harbour caravans because they build them specifically for australian conditions and have good support options.

i am excited but also a bit nervous since i have never towed or set up a caravan before. i am worried about things like finding good caravan parks, what to pack, and how to handle basic setup on the road.

has anyone here done their first trip recently? what surprised you the most or what do you wish you knew before starting? any tips for beginners would be really helpful.

A bit of a different question, but how does everyone else manage intimacy while they’re away?

We have triple bunks at the rear and a master bed at the front. No curtains or anything.

Three kids aged 7,8 and 10.

For my husband a week or two off is not an option. He insists the kids have iPad time in the car while we hang out in the caravan.

Interested in others thoughts or routines?

So hey everyone, due to some shitty circumstances I'm currently looking to get a cheapish caravan and live in it full time on my future MIL's property.

I'm not going to be travelling in it, I'm blind and can't legally drive so it wouldn't end well if I tried lol.

Would it be ethical to live in it with my cat? I know it's not much space so I'm also looking into outdoor enclosure options. She's never really been outside before and is generally a pretty clingy cat.

Would I need to make any modifications to make it more suitable for her? Could I attach some floating shelf type things to the walls for her to climb/lay on?

I'd love to know how effective they are in charging - primarily charging speed

My wife & I are about to head off for our first extended holiday (2 & half) months.

I will be turning off house electricity/ hot water system etc.

Just wondering what people do about their NBN, do you cancel account & on return fine another provider?

Thanks S.

Looking to buy a van, I’ve found a pretty good deal & I have the capacity/capability to modify it myself in just about all aspects.

We have a camper trailer currently but due to young family hasn’t been used much. I feel a caravan would be an easier setup & help us get back out more often. Partner isn’t entirely sold on the idea

Anyone regret buying a van too early in life with a young family (6month old)??

Plan is to start small with weekend trips, leading into longer trips & eventually I would like to do a lap in a Few years before kid(s) start school

Long post, sorry, but I wanted to actually explain where this came from rather than just drop a link and ask for feedback.

A few months ago we went away to Canowindra with some friends. Good trip, but the planning was a bit of a circus. We had Wikicamps and Airbnb open in different tabs trying to find somewhere to stay, Splitwise for who paid for what, a WhatsApp group that was 90% logistics and 10% someone sending a meme, TripAdvisor for food, and then Instagram afterwards to actually show everyone what we got up to. At one point two different people rang the same winery to book without realising, and our "bring food and drinks" plan turned into enough alcohol for a wedding because everyone made their own list and nobody compared notes. It was fine in the end, it always is, but it was way more work than it should have been for a few days away.

That trip is honestly the reason Ready to Roam exists. Not because I sat down and thought "I'm going to build an app," more because I got home and thought there has to be a less chaotic way to do this with other people.

Since then we've started planning our own Big Lap, leaving in October, and that's brought a whole different set of problems. What car do we even need for this. Which caravan, and what accessories are actually worth the money versus stuff that just sits unused. Where can we actually take the dog, because she's coming with us and a lot of the info on that is just scattered across old forum posts or whatever someone mentioned once in a Facebook group.

So that's what I'm trying to build, somewhere a group of friends, a family, or even just one person travelling solo, can plan a trip, sort out costs without anyone having to chase anyone else for money, find places to stay including dog friendly ones, and keep some kind of record of the trip that isn't just buried in someone's camera roll.

I want to be upfront, it's early and rough around the edges, I'm not pretending otherwise. I'm not trying to make money off anyone here either, I just want travelling around this country to be a bit less of a logistical headache for whoever's doing it, solo or in a group.

So genuinely, not as a sales pitch, I'd love to hear from people who actually do this:

What's the part of planning a trip with other people that always turns into a mess for you
If you've done a Big Lap or something similar, is there anything about the car or caravan or gear you wish someone had told you before you started
How do you actually find dog friendly spots at the moment
Has anything actually worked well for you, app or spreadsheet or otherwise, that I should just steal the idea from instead of reinventing it

However blunt, I'd rather hear it now than after we've built more on top of the wrong assumptions. Happy to share what we've built so far if anyone's curious, just ask.

trying to sell my Jayco, it’s well priced for this market and in immaculate condition but I have had next to no enquiries. Is this due to the current economic conditions?

Hi All,

Looking to buy either of these for the van and was wondering what everyone else uses or recommends? Theres some pretty good deals for the Ziggy's at the moment with bbq's galore closing down sales but Webbers have the reputation....

Which popup caravan is best in Australia?

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So I own a 2012 Prado GXL. I never owned a caravan or such before and have only used tents, swags, rooftop tents.

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I have already decided that amongst a camper trailer , popup caravan and a full caravan , popup caravan suits best for me as we are a small family , 2 toddlers. I dont want athe hassle of setting up every time but need the comfort of indoors as well when needed and also dont want to tow a full weight caravan.

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Just want to know your choices , which pop up caravan is the best in my case?

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Cooking outdoors preffered.

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Budget for 2nd hand - 40000 -50000$.

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Thanks guys