...or a camper, or a mobile home, or a pop-up tent, or....
you just want something, but what?
So here I hope I can help you come to the right decision.
How to choose a "mobile" home.
By "mobile" I mean anything you travel with and sleep in -
tent
campervan
campertrailer
mobile home
caravan
pop-up
slide-on
roof-top tent
etc....
The choices out there are mind-boggling!
And you can ask as many people as you know and they will all give you different answers.
Our needs and preferences are as different as we are!
It's a good idea to look over your friends "mobi-home" of choice.
And to visit some camping and caravan shows, or camping and caravan shops
But there are some questions you should ask yourself before you go shopping.
1. Budget. *
How much money have you got to spend on it?
2. How often will you use it?
It is for a once a year holiday at the beach, say in a caravan park?
Are you going to become nomads and take to the road for a long time....for ever?
Are you going to use it for lots on mini-breaks, weekends away?
Is it going to be a temporary home? a permanent home?
3. How long do you intend to keep it?
Forever?
Use it and sell it?
Update it regularly?
4. What sort of place will you stay in?
Caravan parks only?
Free camps?
National parks and informal campsites?
5. Will you be moving on every day? Or will you base yourself somewhere?
6. How many people need to fit in?
7. Are you travelling with pets?
8. What will you be towing with?
Or are you dead against towing something?
9. Will you need another vehicle apart from the tow vehicle, or motorhome?
10. Think about your own personal style.
Do you like luxurious, plush interiors? Or are you a "woody" person?
How about the modern black and white look?
11. What facilities do you need?
Ensuite bathroom?
Kitchen appliances? Fridge, cooker, oven, microwave?
Water heater? Solar panel?
TV?
Air conditioner?
Heater?
Washing machine?
12. Where will you store your mobi-home when you're not away?
13. Do you want to buy a new or used one?
OK?
Got thesee questions all answered?
...then off you go!!
If you are thinking of a caravan, there a million other questions...
What size caravan do you need?
Single of double axle?
Insulated or not?
Will you need anti-sway bars or load distribution hitch?
Do you want a full annex to go with that?
Do you want an off-road version?
It is soooo confusing, there are sooooo many choices.
Here is how we came to our decision.
We have been campers and bushwalkers for years, and have had 2-man tents, 4 man tents and a huge family tent that took one hour+ to erect.
So when we decided to take to the road for a while and especially when we realised it would be our home while we built a house (which turned out to be a year), we chose a caravan.
Also because we are campers, anything was an up-grade for us!
And because we love camping in natural places, national parks and such, an on-board toilet and shower seemed useful. We have a combo-style bathroom, which doesn't seem popular any more. But it is perfect for us.
We didn't want a pop-top van as I like the solidity of walls. And we didn't have to worry about storing it in a low carport or garage.
I wanted an oven as well as cooktop, a fridge, and comfortable seating.
Our caravan also came with a microwave which you need 240 volts to use, so we use it as storage.
Also it came with a great little TV/media player which we didn't think we wanted but have used a lot.
We forewent the airconditioner (not going to be pluggin in much) but got solar panels, which have been great.
Our hot water, the cooker and the fridge run on gas.
We didn't want a huge van, as I said any size was an improvement on camping!
So we got an 18 footer, which was the smallest one with the bathroom thingy.
It is a Coromal Elite 550, which is made in Western Australia.
Although we like getting off the beaten path we didn't go for the total off-road thing.
We got a slight up-grade, to a rural terrain package, which has slightly bigger wheels and a more solid frame.
We reasoned that if we wanted to go off-track, we'd un-hitch and take a tent for a few days.
Having a mobi-home is a good chance to down-size your life, de-clutter, and take only the important things with you.
It's tempting to buy a bigger rig than you actually need.
Our smaller van is more manouverable and will fit into a lot of camping spots.
It comes with an awning which is great in hot or wet weather. But we never felt the need for an annex, although it might have been useful the first Christmas we moved when we had 3 extra bodies and it poured with rain!
Times we have really appreciated having a caravan to shelter in -
when it's wet.
when it's windy.
when there are mozzies/flies.
Other pluses are -
caravan is easy to set up. Just park it and level it and if you are moving on the next day, you don't even need to unhitch.
Also easy to pack up and get on the road. No wet or dusty canvas to wrestle.
Minuses.
Towing.
We always travel more slowly, about 80 - 90 kph.
Fuel costs increase....a lot!
The caravan we chose has worked really well for us.
We travelled for 3 months and then lived on the land for another 9 months while the house was built.
We have been to Western Australia, up to Cairns, and roamed around Victoria for 2 months.
And we are still not sick of it!
* consider if you spend $50,000 on a caravan, say you could stay for 250 to 500 nights in cabin/hotel/motel
accommodation for that amount of money.
You would need to use your mobi-home for many years to get it to pay or itself, and that doesn't take into account
increased fuel costs!
