VACATIONER Caravan 1 Year Review

[@WadeBishop-b3u]

Hi guys, we've had a custom made bike rack for back of our caravan, done by RV Services Taupo. They have a qualified welder who nutted out the plan and weights etc and we have a detachable rack so it can be transferred onto the ute for trails and adventures that start away from the caravan. Id suggest getting something that fits 3 bikes so you have extra room as the size and weight of the kids bikes grow. Good luck, happy adventuring.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Oh that might just be what we are after and we are Taupo based too! Thanks for that, appreciate it 👍

[@DW-10]

If you have the towball download capacity, I can recommend the ISI Racks. They are drawbar mounted, can hold 4 bikes (ebikes are no problem) and as an added bonus, they can be swapped onto the tow vehicle via a 50mm hitch adapter. The design means the bikes are held up above any drawbar mounted gas bottles or tool boxes.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Ah that might be a good idea! We have a lot going on around that drawbar area but might be a good idea. Wonder if that is a better spot for the weight too 🤔

[@DW-10]

@@AdventuresWithRosy They are great racks. All the weight will effectively go onto your towball so if you are already close to max in that regard it would be something to be mindful of. The bikes + rack could easily end up adding over 80kg.

[@CaravanVlogger]

I'm always being told to put my camera gear away :-) We have the spare wheel under the fixed bed, with limits storage, but does allow a bike rack on the rear of the caravan

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Hmm that’s not a bad idea actually! Wonder if it would fit in the external storage locker 🤔

[@ac-xz6bf]

You are very fortunate with warranty support. I've had 36 faults including a catastrophically failed suspension, and Vacationer wants no bar in fixing our van. This includes a cracked shower base, bowed chassis, and delaminating external walls. From my view, Vacationer are a brand to give a wide berth, you are very fortunate..

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Oh no that sounds horrible 😢 is it under warranty still? Surely they have to fix it? I wonder what further action you can take?

[@ac-xz6bf]

@@AdventuresWithRosy because I am in NSW we are stuck, as the VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) cannot be used. The only avenue left is to take Vacationer to the Magistrates Court of Victoria, but that is unaffordable for us. I even asked for them to nominate a local repaier and Vacationer declined. So we have a LEMON CARAVAN and there is not a thing we can do about it!!

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

@@ac-xz6bf oh that’s horrible, sorry to hear that! Sounds like they should replace the whole caravan!!!! 😡

[@mika1084]

Hi Guys I am aware you tow with an Isuzu Mu-x. Did you get a transmission cooler fitted. We have just bought a similar size and weight van and will be towing with a D-Max. You certainly have done some great mileage in your wagon. Keep up the good life.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Hi! No we don’t actually have one fitted, it’s bone stock 😊 a few people have mentioned it though and I think we will look into it next year. Sounds like it might prolong the life of the transmission?

[@michaelconnell8624]

Glad the caravan is living up to expectations and meeting all your requirements 👍 😀 Your cons sound like they could all be remedied relatively easily by getting the table trimmed down to the size you want, your one lid converted into two, may need an extra hinge fitted or two depending on hinges fitted, depending on door coverage under the bench could get the hole cut slightly higher for the bin and the tyre could well be moved underneath depending on your tank placement. Maybe Inside Out could do those wee things for you with the table amd lid being the easiest during your next service 👍😀 Or Bronson could put those handyman tools to use 😉👍

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Haha get the handsaw out and cut the table? The only downside with the table is it has a trim around it that matches the top… so I’m not sure if it’s as simple as just cutting a bit off. Guess it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we had a different trim around the edge anyway? I’ve been searching for brackets to mount the wheel underneath but so far no luck, I might see if I can buy one direct from vacationer 😁👍

[@RadRoadAdventures]

Glad your caravan suits you well. Would this van had made living full time easier? I know the BBQ slide is a win for you Bronson, and the bunks look more practical with built-in ladders. Lots of cool features for summer like the outdoor shower.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Yeh I reckon this van would have been great to live in! If only we had it a few years earlier 😁 the lithium batteries would have been great too especially when we were down south in Dunedin in the winter that time haha

[@Bazdavies1]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. How did the water pipe lagging work out, any problems with freezing? Cheers.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

We had no problems with freezing in that van actually! It was well worth the effort of crawling around underneath it. In winter it got so cold our door froze shut but the pipes still worked haha

[@matthewnoy3418]

Hey guys love the update and great review. Just wondering if you’d be able to advise the tare weight of the van? Thanks. Matt.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Hay Matt, empty the van is 2460kg, can be loaded up to 3500kg so it’s got a payload weight of just over 1000kg 👍

[@Mark-wc9pp]

Thanks guys. You’ve made me want one. I’ve seen inside out is closing down.. another centre you’d recommend? Thanks Mark

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Hi Mark. Yeh im wondering if the Vacationer franchise will be sold off to another company here in NZ. That seems to be the way the caravan brands work. I’ll try and find out for you this week and let you know 👍

[@Mark-wc9pp]

@@AdventuresWithRosy thanks so much for that. Appreciated

[@liketoparty85]

I reckon for ya bike rack you need to look at a vertical bike rack that way you would be able to leave the spare tyre where it is

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Yeh good point! But do you need to anchor them up the top of the caravan? Or do they just bolt to the bumper?

[@liketoparty85]

@@AdventuresWithRosy most look like they just mount from the bottom

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

@liketoparty85 ah interesting thanks! I’ll start having a look at them 👍

[@LittleCamperNZ]

Hi Guys have you thought about fixing the bin to the door and as it closes the lid can be under the shelf which you could also remove?

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

That’s not a bad idea! Apparently Kmart have good bins for that. I guess as long as I use the right length screws I’ll be alright? 🫣

[@changinglifeforthebetterjo8997]

Hay guys just wondering can you get another table that's smaller made for you guys

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Yeh could do aye, not sure if we could get one to match the bench top unless we asked Vacationer maybe 🤔

[@brianseager6388]

i am sure someone in taupo could cut the table down @@AdventuresWithRosy

[@JonoPaynter-l2v]

Hi from Hastings. I have watched lots of your shows and really enjoyed looking at them. It would be good to see you in person 1 day. We are considering buying our first caravan we would like a twin axel island bed 21foot aprox for the 2 of us. We want to spend aprox $40000. As you Know in NZ there is a lot of English caravans for sale, are they any good. I am 57 so we are not into rough adventures and we are only wanting to use it for weekends and holidays. Do you have any other advice for us. Thanks Jono P

[@DW-10]

There can be a few issues with "english" caravans compared to Aussie style vans. Firstly they often don't have allot of water, waste or battery capacity. They are generally quite low to the ground, when you are talking about a 21ft van, they can have really long rear overhangs making driveways (even in places like petrol stations) a challenge. They often have rubber torsion type suspension, light weight chassis and very limited load capacity. Some models with large front windows can suffer from water ingress or even window warping /cracking due to heat. On the plus side, they can be better insulated, are lighter and have much lower towball downloads.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

Hi Jono. English caravans can be good, usually cheaper and lighter to two which is nice. I’m not sure about taking them on gravel roads though?. The other think about English vans is the payload weight which is the weight of the stuff you can load in (gear, food, beer etc 😁) some vans don’t have much payload weight so they might be something to look out for? English vans often have external water tanks too so depends on your preference there…

[@craignelson-swiftyenzed7578]

..."If you put your camera gear away"... Myeeerow!

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

😂🫣

[@MrShaundarch]

Bike rack: design the f@&% out of it.

[@AdventuresWithRosy]

I might speak to a local engineer I reckon, get something custom done!