hi everyone
our names are karen & greg. we are doing a trip planing to leave 1st july, no time limits , no itinery as yet, just going. we are seeking advice on a caravan to see us thru. do any members have any knowledge of smartvan humpbacks, we are looking at a 21ft. any feedback will be welcome.
regards
Karo & Greg

take care and we will be out there soon

thank you

take care and we will be out there soon

G'day K&G,

In March 2008 I passed through Port Wakefield and met Ian Dutschke the ex-farmer owner/designer of the Humpback business. I spent an hour chatting about his history, discussing good and bad van brands and he explained how he was avoiding the design failures of others. Ian seemed to be an honest, fair-dinkum no-nonsense type that you would expect from a farming background. His vans looked impressive and fully appointed. I was quite interested in a 20 footer but the compliance plate revealed it was heavier than the value suggested on a spec sheet handout. By the time it was fully loaded it would have exceeded my Prado 2500 kg limit. I was discussing my van spare tyres and Ian said his tandem van really didn't need any because a single axle/tyre would carry the entire load should one of a pair fail.

I don't have any other experience with these vans and don't know anybody with one. Personally I don't like the humpback look and I would need to convinced that the hump actually achieves something. Today I found this item on the web and it seems consistent with what I learned from Ian himself.

http://www.rvpoint.com.au/portal/tabID__204868/ArticleID__3022411/DesktopDefault.aspx

At the end of the day you have to make your own judgement but they are really worth a look.

thanks Old Techo for the input. We were in sth aus for christmas and went to port wakefield to look at these vans. we thought the list of inclusions was far better than any other manufacturer. being honest , we have zero van experience, it is our love of australia that is getting us out there. could it be that the included items are not what we need or maybe not worth the cost from manufacturer. our aim is to get a van that will get us around oz and into a few of the out of the way places. we have set up the tow vehicle to do all the "rough" camping and leave the van parked up somewhere. ANY HELP from anyone will be greatly appreciated.
kind regards
karen & greg
we will be out there soon

Hi Karen & Greg.........I on the other hand like the look of the ''streamlined'' rear-end,,, (sounds nicer than humpback...lol).....and can see the sense when towing.
If you haven't had a lot of experience towing a van this will certainly be a help for the driver keeping it straight (can be frightening the first few times when a huge semi flies past)......and to aid keeping the rear window clean and probably dry will certainly be a benefit.
Good luck with your plans ...don't be afraid to ask questions on this site,,,heaps here to help with different suggestions.

Hi Karen and Greg, welcome to the family. Hope all goes well with looking for a van, there are so many brands it can be hard to choose. For travelling around, I would recomend getting a caravan with an ensuite if you can rather than one with a combo shower/toilet.

Also Cathy & I have a washing machine in our van, and now we wouldn't be without one. It is a Lemair 2 Kg automatic machine. When on the road we wash every 2-3 days. Saves heaps on laundry costs (some laundries we have seen are a bit yuk.)

It sounds like you'll be on the road for a while so look for a 2 door fridge/freezer, it will give you some extra freezer room. We have a single door fridge with the little pull down freezer door inside and we tend to find it a bit small.

Because we are all a bit different !? We all like different things so at the end of the day there can usually be something that you thought of after your purchase.

Enjoy the excitement of looking.

Cheers,

Jeff