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Caravans for Couples

When it comes to purchasing a caravan, finding the best caravan for couples is tough! We’re in the “tell him he’s dreaming” stage at the moment. And while we’re in that stage, the world of caravans for couples is totally open to us, and nothing is off limits!

But finding ‘the perfect’ caravan for us is a little bit harder than I had thought. Yes, I’ve written about a fantastic little caravan that I think would be perfect for us, however, there are a few other features that I’d now like (i.e. I changed my mind) so I thought I’d go on the hunt for caravans for couples, and see exactly what is out there.

As you can imagine, there are gazillions of caravans to choose from, so I’m going to narrow the criteria down to the things that are important to us; and list out all the caravans I find that suit the criteria with the pros, cons and price.

If you’re in the market for the best caravan for couples, maybe this list will help broaden (or narrow!) your search.

The criteria

Size and weight
  • To be as small as possible – both size and weight
  • Single axle – don’t really have a reason for this, just that single axle seems to be used for small caravans
  • Can be pop-top
Bed configuration
  • Double bed minimum – not single beds
  • Ideally north/south facing – so I don’t have to climb over Ben to get in or out of bed (but will certainly consider east/west as it saves a tonne of room)
Bathroom
  • Toilet and bathroom – don’t have to be seperate but that would be nice
Kitchen
  • Inside kitchen
  • At least 95L fridge
  • Gas cooker
Other
  • Able to have solar panels
  • Air con
  • Awning on the side
What we don’t need

(but is cool if it comes with these)

  • Off-road
  • Any other beds – e.g. don’t need the dinnette to convert to bed
  • Washing machine
  • BBQ
  • Oven or Grill
  • Wardrobe

We use the Australian RV Directory to find all the caravan makes and models that fit our criteria.

Best Caravan for Couples

So in no particular order, let’s look at some of the caravans I’ve found that fulfil the criteria I’ve listed:

Coromal – Thrillseeker 16ft Couples

We start with a bang!

The Coromal Thrillseeker series includes 6 different layouts, the smallest of which is this 16ft couples caravan.

It’s semi off-road, has a ATM of just 2,390kg and has all the bells and whistles like air conditioner, solar panels and a washing machine.

coromal.com.au
coromal.com.au

 

Coromal Thrillseeker 16ft Couples

Overall Length: 7.218m
Tare: 2,050kg
ATM: 2,390kg
Features: Semi off-road, solar panel, washing machine
URL: coromal.com.au

You’ll see as we look through the different caravans, that the layouts are all pretty much the same. I suppose it’s a layout that works, so why change if if it ain’t broke, huh.

Aussie Five Star Caravans – Joey 17’6

Another ‘cute’ van that has everything I want in a home on wheels, and fits it all into a compact 17’6 and is a fully off-road caravan.

aussiefivestarcaravans.com.au

 

aussiefivestarcaravans.com.au

Aussie Five Star Caravans – Joey 17’6

Body Length: 5.03m
Tare: 1,900kg
ATM: 2,700kg
Features: Full off-road, lightweight, large fridge
URL: aussiefivestarcaravans.com.au

Market Direct Campers – XT12HR MKII

MDC really have managed to fit A LOT into such a small camper. Having the bed positioned east/west saves so much room and it’s clear the layout is designed for maximum comfort and functionality in minimum space.

In a small space there has to be some compromises, of course. It appears that there is no fridge inside, which seems somewhat counter-intuitive when you’ve got a sink and cooker inside?

marketdirect.com.au

Market Direct Campers – XT12HR MKII

Overall Length: 5.58m
Tare: 1,940kg
ATM: 2,800kg
Features: very compact
URL: marketdirect.com.au

Jayco Starcraft – 16.67-5 Pop-top

Jayco are big players in this market, and it’s reflected in the huge range of caravans they have on offer. And when you’re working with such big economies of scale, it’s easier to be really competitive on pricing too.

Even if you were to take the pricing out of the equation (but who would, right!?) the Starcraft has all the features that we want, and in a pretty light package.

jayco.com.au
jayco.com.au
jayco.com.au

Jayco Starcraft – 16.67-5 Pop-top

Overall Length: 6.832m
Tare: 1,630kg
Features: Semi off-road, solar panel, washing machine
Price: $45,993
URL: jayco.com.au

The Little Caravan Company – X-Scape 13ft Hard Top

It may only be 13ft, but with the clever design of the sleeping section sliding out, this little van extends out to 15ft and manages to fit everything you need inside.

thelittlecaravancompany.com.au
thelittlecaravancompany.com.au
thelittlecaravancompany.com.au

The Little Caravan Company – X-Scape 13ft Hard Top

Travel Length: 6.62m
Tare: 2,220kg
ATM: 2,800kg
Features: Air-conditioner, solar panel, compact
URL: thelittlecaravancompany.com.au

Crusader Caravans – Lifechanger Pathway

With a name like ‘Lifechanger’ you could be forgiven for having very high expectations about this caravan! But I think any caravan would be a life changer, and this one does what most of them do, give you access to life of more freedom, new experiences and enjoying the world around us.

crusadercaravans.com.au
crusadercaravans.com.au
crusadercaravans.com.au

Crusader Caravans – Lifechanger Pathway

Overall Length: 7.6m
Tare: 1,977kg
ATM: 2,500kg
Features: Air-con, solar panel, washing machine
URL: crusadercaravans.com.au

That’s just a small selection of the hundreds of couples caravans that are available.

Don’t forget, if you want to do your own search of all the (new) caravans in Australia, you can purchase the Australian RV Directory below.

What other factors do you need to consider in caravans for couples?

In this post I’ve just talked about the features of the caravan that I’d like. But we (and also, you) need to consider other things such as:

  • Capabilities of your tow vehicle – this is a big one!
  • What type of travel you like to do – will you stick mostly to the black top with the occasional gravel road; or will you be doing lots of 4WD or lengthy corrugated roads?
  • Do you prefer to stay in a caravan park / campground, or do you like to get away from it all and stay in National Parks or other places that will require you to be self-sufficient?
  • Will you be moving frequently, or settling in for a bit in each location?
  • Money – yes, I know this will be at the top of the list for most people (including us), but I like to dream for a little while that it’s not actually THE most important factor.

After doing all this research, I gotta tell ya, I’m no closer to deciding which caravan we’ll buy. But when we’re ready to buy, I know this will give us a good grounding in what is available on the market at the moment and what features are important to us.

I hope you’ve found this list helpful!

I LOVE little RVs, and if you’re in the market for something small, but not sure if it should be a motorhome, a fifth wheel or a camper van…  I’ve written about small fifth wheels here, and small camper vans here

And if you want to go really small (and are not fussed about having a bathroom) I’ve compiled a list of Aussie made tear drop campers and Aussie made camper trailers as well!

Hopefully they’ll help you to find what is gonna work best for you.

Let us know in the comments if there are any other caravans for couples (that fit the criteria I stated at the start) that you think we should consider.

Which caravan for couples would suit you and your partner the best?

Shez

Thursday 26th of November 2020

Need more vans 1200 ATM or less. Lots of small cars can only tow that. There are older vans out there but hard to get. They are snapped up in no time.

Darren

Wednesday 27th of May 2020

That's a great round-up. Although we already have our van, I am always interested to see what features people are interested in or recommend. I'm mostly on the same page except that I prefer tandem axle caravans and that leads me to make some points about weight.

At 3000 kg, that MDC is very heavy when fully loaded for a single axle van. My tandem has an ATM of 2950, and that is after I had 500 kg of additional payload optioned in when it was built.

None of the other vans quoted their ATM and I suggest that the payload is an important consideration. Unless you intend to only stay in fully serviced stops, the chances are that your limiting factor will be how much water you can carry - and water is heavy.

And finally, tow ball weights are normally quoted by the manufacturer at tare. That is, the loaded tow ball weight can be a problem for a number of potential tow vehicles, even though the van itself seems light.

Anyway, technical specifications are a bit of an obsession with me so don't take this as a criticism; I really enjoyed reading your article and looking at the layouts.

Michelle

Wednesday 27th of May 2020

Thanks for your input, Darren! And especially for giving some insight into the 'weights' dilemma. It's the most important factor IMO and yet, the one that is most 'brushed over' by manufacturers and dealers. (I'm talking about online, I don't know if they're more informative about weights when you're actually in the process of buying).

Brock

Wednesday 12th of December 2018

Great article. I know the feeling. We spent years looking for the right caravan set up after owning a number of camper trailers. In the end just bought a new car and now go on our road trips and stay in caravan parks. Surprisingly works out cheaper than a new van and tow vehicle. Regards Brock

Michelle

Wednesday 12th of December 2018

Do you mean you stay in the cabins in caravan parks Brock, or in the camper trailer? We'd love to do a trip just staying the cabins (and let's be real... fancy hotels too!) but that will have to wait until we win the lottery. We've now bought a little pop-top caravan (definitely not our dream caravan, but still totally happy with it) and we live in it full-time. With no bathroom on board, we're definitely sticking to the caravan park for now! :-) (P.S. Your site is looking great, lots of road trip'n info!)