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There is a myriad of choice for caravans in Australia offering everything you can imagine. There is also no shortage of negative press about the caravan industry and endless reviews citing lemons and and horror stories. With this in mind we set out to find our caravan choice by going to a number of caravan and camping shows for a few years before we intended to purchase and set off on the Grand Tour.
For the first few caravan shows we resisted the polite approaches of sales people and just looked looked at as many vans as we could to decide for ourselves what we liked, what we wanted and how we felt about the various travelling options.
Being at retirement age we ruled out getting a top spec camper van because we wanted minimal setup and tear-down time as well as a solid roof and space to move around in. This also dropped pop-tops off the list. Similarly, decided against a camper van / RV. We have done camper vans, large and small, in New Zealand and whilst we thoroughly enjoyed those trips we did not want a large vehicle that can’t be easily driven and parked in towns. Nor did we want to tow a second vehicle behind.
This narrowed us down to the traditional caravan. Initially I was drawn to 5th wheelers but we ultimately decided against these due to the ‘loft’ style beds over the tow hitch, even though it provides a bit of extra living space for the same length.
Having decided that it was going to be ‘normal’ caravan we set about determining the list of attributes that we desired. Again we looked at as many brands, style and layouts as we could and asked as many questions as we could, not just to sales people but to accessory vendors and ‘caravan people’ as well.
We decided that 21″ was the sweet spot for us and that anything 24″ or above was not viable. We settled on the final list of attributes for our caravan:
- Less than 24″ with a preference for 21″;
- A bedroom separated from the kitchen/living area by a wall and door with a full length queen size bed ;
- An ensuite area with shower large enough to accommodate a 6″ adult and toilet with decent leg room;
- A full wrap-around eating area with collapsible swivel table;
- Semi-off road, capable of handling corrugated unsealed roads; and
- A good reputation in the marketplace.
At this point we discovered that very few manufacturers were building vans with a separate bedroom and most were opting for the fully open floor plan. After checking and re-checking the remaining vendors we settled on a Supreme Executive.
Why Supreme? Firstly the layout options for the Supreme Executive matched or requirements, the build quality appeared to be good, plenty of positive reviews (as well as some poor ones), the size of the company and most importantly the quality of the salesperson during the sales process. At no stage did we feel pressured to commit and we felt that we were listened to and our wishes accommodated.
Our van was ordered eighteen months in advance (something that Supreme were happy to do for us) and will be delivered an March/April 2020. The full specifications of our van are:
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Make | Supreme |
| Model | Executive |
| Chassis | 150mm (6") Permagal |
| A Frame | 300mm Front Ext.(Extend to Spring Hangers) |
| Suspension Rating | Roller Rocker 3500KG (tandem axle) |
| Brakes | 12" |
| Wheels | 16" alloy 6 STUD |
| Coupling | Vehicle Components DO-35 |
| Bumper Bar Arms | 4 arm (standard) |
| Spare Wheel | 1 bolted on bumper bar |
| Jerry Can Holders | 2 Included with Toolbox |
| Water Tanks | 2 x 95 litres |
| Grey Water Tank | 1 x 110 litres Greywater |
| Gas Bottles | 2 x 9kg in Toolbox |
| Pull Out Step | Aluminium Single with Light (Manual Operation) |
| Mesh Tray | Under A-frame |
| Toolbox | TB7G (Black) Generator Slide Out & Gas Bottles & Jerry Cans |
| Battery Pack | 2 in metal box on chassis |
| Stability Control | AL-KO ESC |
| Side Windows | Double Glazed (Ranger) |
| Rear Windows | Black frame with shade |
| Main Door | ODY AERO SQ BLACK 1822x622 RHH |
| Pebble Guard | Black Checkerplate |
| Side Checkerplate | Black 800mm high |
| Rear Checkerplate | Black 1500mm off ground |
| Insulation | Full |
| Front / Rear / Side Aluminium | Smooth CP10 - CRISTAL SILVER (high profile) |
| Roof Aluminium | White - Aluminium Composite Panel |
| Roof Hatches | 2 x Ranger RSL 450x400 |
| Power Hatches | 2 x 12V (360x360) |
| Picnic Table | 800 x 450 |
| Awning | Dometic 8300 Granite 18' + support |
| Tunnel Boot | Full (2 x Access Doors) |
| Hot Water System | Swift Gas & Electric |
| Shower | Rectangular |
| Toilet | Thetford Swivel China Bowl |
| Sink Tap | Mixer |
| Sink | Ultimate Stainless Steel |
| En-suite Basin | Counter Top (JX-900) |
| Water Pump | 12V |
| Water Gauge | For 3 tanks (LED Level Indicator) |
| External Tap | On A-Frame |
| BBQ Gas Point | Yes |
| Under Protection | Sheathing to all PVC pipes |
| Wall Fans | 2 x Sirocco |
| Stove | Swift Holiday oven 3 gas \ 1 electric burner & grill (laminex lid) |
| Rangehood | Swift 12V - Flush Mount |
| Microwave | Yes |
| Fridge | Dometic RM4606 UES (185 Litre) |
| Audio / Video | DVD/CD/Radio player & 2 internal speakers |
| External Speakers | YES (2 speakers - fit low) |
| Air Conditioner | Air Command IBIS |
| Washing Machine | Dometic front loader (3kg capacity) |
| Heater | Diesel (1 Outlet) |
| Annexe Light | 5 - Black 250mm |
| Roof Antenna | Winegard (Sensar HV) freeview digital |
| Explorer TV Point | Yes |
| Internal Lights | LED Small Down Lights |
| Solar Power | 1 x 150W panel |
| Reversing Camera | Wired camera |
| Electric Breakaway System | Breaksafe Model BS6000 (WITH RM6000 FOR CAR - NSW ONLY) |
| Bed | Queen sized Innerspring mattress (1500x1980mm) |
| Wall Ply | White |
| En-suite Wall Ply | White |
| Furniture Carcass | White (Grey Edging) |
| Benchtop Laminex | Motivi Cemento (5099) (Grey Edging) |
| Splashback Laminex | Mitchell Plastics Vanilla 9638 Perspex |
| Vinyl Floor | Swan Dark Grey |
| Uphostery Back & Base | Safari Volcanic Rock |
| Bed Head | Match Back - Small & Large |
| Doona Cover | Cambridge Storm - Comforter |
| Curtains | Cambridge Storm (all windows & door) |
| Terylenes (Sheers) | Pearl (all windows) |
| Pelmets | All Windows (Match Carcass Colour) |
| Overhead Cupboards | NX-520 Brushed Aluminium |
| Lower Cupboards | NX-340 Metallic Grey |
| Door Handles | Dorset Pull Handle V1295 |