“ We are quite heavy on power , running a business and obviously school work . These were the priorities to work around , plus increasing the bunk space for the kids .”
So what worked on the old van , and what didn ' t work in the overall scheme of things ? For Martene what worked was the drop-down bed ( which could be lowered electrically from the ceiling when needed and retracted again during the day ), the huge club lounge and the overall spaciousness of the van .
Nathan said the amount of useable space in the new van was a big positive . “ Every day is not a perfect day when you are caravanning and camping . Yes , you can have some bad days with weather conditions , flies , mosquitoes , and you just want to be inside with as much room as possible so everyone can sit in there and not be on top of each other .”
They loved the Control Rider air suspension on the old van and opted for the same system on the new van .
Thanks to the impressive 12V system , all cooking appliances are electric .
Note the smart angular shape of the kids ' beds .
“ We absolutely love the air suspension ,” Nathan said . “ It means we can pull up on uneven campsites and set the van up perfectly within minutes .”
The air suspension controls are located in the entertainment box on the nearside of the van .
THEIR NEW ECOMATE
The new Royal Flair EcoMate was a ground-up custom build overseen by Royal Flair Caravans owner Bill Deralas . It features an aluminium chassis with Control Rider airbag suspension rated to 4000kg , disc brakes , AL-KO ESC and more .
A one-piece floor and fibreglass composite bodywork is used . The one-piece roof was fully wired before being lifted into place and the wrapped body finish with checkerplate skirts all round gives it a rugged look . NCE doubleglazed windows , a new style of stoneguard , storage boxes , and so much more makes it a fantastic bit of kit weighing in at 3181kg Tare .
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