Best Hybrid Caravans: 12-15ft with excellent kitchens

[Carlisle Rogers]

Hey guys!

Been a while since I've posted on the old MySwag. Been a bit out of the loop on camper trailers in the last few years, other than noticing a lot of old brands disappearing and some new ones popping up.

I'm in the market for a hybrid. At this point, let's imagine money isn't an object. I'd like to see what's out there that suits. Perhaps I'll build one in the end.

What I like, thus far:

-Complete Campsite Exodus: big kitchen, well-built, internal mainly for sleeping (and option of bunks for my kids).
-Rhinomax: does a cool triple bunk model [Discovery]
-Life RV: Looks quality with good storage and bunks
-Swag Camper Trailers: quality doesn't appear to be the same as above (neither is price), but features list is good.

What I don't like:
Don't want 'luxury interior' or inside kitchen. I tend to follow the sun, so don't need a heater (but don't mind A/C I can run off my generator for wet season fishing trips).
Don't want involved setups including slide-out or pop-out main bed. Want to be able to sleep without popping the top too.

Keen to hear your expert opinions...

Thanks!

Carlisle

[GeoffA]

Maybe have a look at North Coast Campers/OffRoad RV's.

https://www.offroadrvs.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/offroadrvs

They will build whatever you want.

[Carlisle Rogers]

They will build whatever you want.

That's what I like to hear!
I'm really digging their little 9ft rig. It looks simple but effective. Will have to drop by to see the bigger campers, there aren't heaps of pics on his website.

Cheers mate

[edz]

G,Day Carlisle, Welcome back ..
Mate all good ones listed .. Each with some nice features
I take it since you mentiond bunks that you have a couple of sprogs in tow ..[ kids ] .
My .02c worth is all the ones listed are Heavy for a 12' type upwards of 2.1 > 2.5 ton Too heavy in my way of thinking ..Not a fan of independent suspesion as such ..
Preference would be to build one with all the bits you like out of all you listed .. 
Needs to be light weight, preferably with a Beam axle with trailing arm / coil with airshock or  airbag [ for campsite leveling ] and disc brakes , have a fold down bench inside that a portable cooker can be put on for meals etc in bad weather .. External hard roof lift up for toilet / shower [ exodus ] .
Main bed able to lift up at an angle to allow for seating [ Rhinomax ] and small portable table  [ bad weather ] or the need for an indoor work place office .
Small onboard battery solar < >50 AH  just for entertainment / lights ..

[Carlisle Rogers]

edz

May very well go down the self-build route. Where my knowledge ends, I have great contacts.

I'm trying to build something that is a hybrid in terms of use case, as well. I want something I can run my tagalong tours out of easily, where a fast, well-designed kitchen and 'fall into bed at night' useability are key, alongside storage, water tanks, good 12V system, etc. 

But I want to be able to use it when I'm not working to take the kids out into the beyond and have a touch of luxury. There are six of them, so I'm not exactly being catered to by anything mass-produced. That's the biggest issue with a lot of pop tops as well, is they preclude rooftop tents in addition to inside living, and again, might be solvable if I build my own with some high torque worm gears on the roof.

Thanks for the help with the thinking process...

[McTavish]

Carlisle - good to see your post.

Seems like the hybrid market is divided into Imported or Aussie (this can be a very loose term as you know) vans.

The quality brands I'd check would be:

- Rhinomax which you've already mentioned https://rhinomaxcampers.com.au/
- Vision (made through Sunseeker now) was Noosa Offroad I believe - https://visionrv.com.au/
- Mountain Trail https://mountaintrailrv.com.au/hybrid
- Australian Offroad Campers https://australianoffroad.com.au/models/hybrid-campers/
- Tvan https://www.tracktrailer.com.au/t4-hybrid/

All the best with your research...

McT

[glenm64]

I reckon mine is perfect (well it is for us)
Have a look through for ideas.
FWIW, we were going to buy a North Coast, which was going to be pretty much the lay out we ended up with in our van.

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=43250.msg722942#msg722942

[edz]

edz

May very well go down the self-build route. Where my knowledge ends, I have great contacts.

I'm trying to build something that is a hybrid in terms of use case, as well. I want something I can run my tagalong tours out of easily, where a fast, well-designed kitchen and 'fall into bed at night' useability are key, alongside storage, water tanks, good 12V system, etc. 

But I want to be able to use it when I'm not working to take the kids out into the beyond and have a touch of luxury. There are six of them, so I'm not exactly being catered to by anything mass-produced. That's the biggest issue with a lot of pop tops as well, is they preclude rooftop tents in addition to inside living, and again, might be solvable if I build my own with some high torque worm gears on the roof.

Thanks for the help with the thinking process...

A ToyHauler idea that might be able to be adapted to suit the family  size http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=29172.0 Six kids to bunk down is always going to be a space eater [ depending on ages ] .
Would a couple of Hard shell roof top fold down beds as in Steeples build http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=39787.0 work of the sides when family camping .. other than that its a couple of Tent Cots and set up under a 270* deg  awning .

showing the hard wall AT10 style single bed fold downs  that would be on the right hand  side and rear of the van ..Left hand side would have pantry setup with lift up  or slider door assembly .

[Steffo1]

Good idea, Edz. One thing, how high would something like that be? If it's over 2.4m-2.5m in height, that may preclude access to some camping areas. Throw a few panels on top and you're up another 100mm.
It's one of the reasons we went for a 'Loose Lid'.

[edz]

Reckon without too much trouble AdamL's trailer could be done as a pop top ..Its possible to have  the hard shell single size bed fold out and be a double bunk bed so it could still sleep 8 ..
Length could be trimmed a bit possibly too . But it would be cozy with 8 in there in bad weather . .
Nominal 500mm ground to floor height  ..1500mm sidewall ..100mm roof ..So roughly 2100 mm ground to top in travel mode .. and an internal  ceiling height of roughly 2000 mm with the top up .