RV FEATURE
TEN WAYS CARAVANS HAVE CHANGED
One change for each year of GoRV …
1. Construction. Ten years ago, Australian caravans were still largely built using meranti timber and aluminium cladding. Polystyrene was roughly cut to shape( if you were lucky) and glued in place as insulation( and yes, that is sometimes still the case). But as manufacturers sought to balance durablity, thermal performance, water resistance and weight, fibreglass sandwich panels became more popular. An important caveat: construction quality still varies considerably and newer materials don’ t automatically guarantee a better-built caravan.
2. Though not in wide use, the tech exists to harvest water from the air, and we ' ve seen it in some vans. As this technology develops, water may no longer be such a big factor, especially in humid environments up north
XPS foam before being ' sandwiched ' by fibreglass.
3. Bigger and heavier. If you had’ ve asked me 10 years ago, I would’ ve said technology and our own touring preferences would lead to smaller, lighter caravans. It seems the opposite is true. While technology has indeed allowed for lighter construction, any weight savings in the chassis and body have been mitigated by more and more gear inside the van. That’ s not true of every caravan, of course, but it still surprises me that in this day and age, we’ re hauling vans with a Tare of 3000-plus kilograms.
4. Power. This is the biggest one. Ten years ago, most vans were still equipped with one or two AGM batteries connected to 300W of solar, if you were lucky. Lithium batteries were available, but they were the exception. Now, to carry 600Ah( or much more) of battery power connected to 1000W-plus is the norm.
5. Solar. Roof space dedicated to solar has become increasingly valuable, with multiple panels supporting longer stays away from caravan parks. Combined with lithium storage, DC-DC charing and more-capable electrical systems, energy is no longer the limiting factor in terms of how long you can stay in the one place.
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