Designing a caravan for off-the-beaten path adventures is a structured science. You must achieve the most amount of functionality with the least amount of weight PLUS make it compact & agile. The lower the weight:

• the lower fuel consumption
• the better the hill climbing ability
• less of a feeling of “being pushed” down hills
• smoother travel over corrugations
• better overall speed and off-road safety

Some vans start as an ‘On-Road’ specification, then optional extras are added, plus some other minor items to create an ‘Outback’ model. When you start adding “optional extras” the weights blow up significantly. The weight impact of these extras are generally not listed. There are plenty of stories in on-line forums of couples taking delivery of a new caravan only to find the “all up weight” is beyond the capacity of the vehicle because of the extras they chose. You can always tell the difference between them and caravans that are actually built from the ground up as genuine ‘Off-Road’ Caravans. The weights and capability are significantly different

Regardless of the length of the off-road caravan, the lighter the better!

Kimberley Karavans are designed to ‘Go Anywhere’ – and are considered to be VERY LIGHT units according to industry standards. BUT you also want the shortest length possible. The shorter the length:

• the more flexible to tow
• the lower the wind resistance and so lower fuel consumption
• less buffeting by side winds and road trains
• easier to corner and reverse
• overall improvement in off-road safety

Caravans are generally built at maximum permissible width to increase the room inside. But, building a wider caravan can give a greater feeling of space but it is so much more difficult to manoeuvre. The benefit from a narrower width:

• less wind resistance than wider caravan
• more flexible to turn when towing
• closer tracking of the wheels in the caravan to the vehicle for lower
• fuel consumption and less tyre damage
• smaller mirror extensions
• easier to reverse

At the end of the day, you need to understand how you want to see Australia. If you truly want to explore off-the-beaten track, making sure your caravan is lightweight and compact will give the confidence to tackle any track, anywhere in any condition.