Overland with Kids

The following represents the view point of Loftus at Ingonyama Rentals in SA during July 2008 who has all 3 caravan brands as part of his rental fleet (both old and new). All have been rigorously used and tested in the SA terrains that these vans were inevitably built for.  Unsure what year/model/spec of each vehicle brand that Loftus compares but should be useful information for anyone interested none the less but please assume details relate to the latest models. Information has been provided without prejudice. Loftus has advised that the manufacturers hate it when comparisons are made between them. Being in the UK, it is not possible to see these caravans in the flesh so we reckon this information will be really useful to many. If you believe any details to be incorrect, please let us know so we can rectify. Out of the 3, Loftus recommended the B’rakhah to us based on being the one requiring the least maintenance for our travel requirements. Needless to say we purchased a 2nd hand Xplorer by rare chance as it became available in the UK and are very happy with it. Loftus had provided us the following information on the basis of us purchasing from him initially. So if you are in the market for a second hand off road caravan, contact Loftus and say we recommended you! The least we can do!

Sleeping Arrangements
Mattresses on all 3 caravans are very comfortable.
Commander - has one double bed plus two single beds or a double bed inside. Double bed awkwardly shaped for linen.
Xplorer  - has a double bed inside and a small double bed on the nose section suitable only for children which Loftus believes wasted space (Anne and Andrew say - we disagree however as have children and the solution appears ideal for our purposes though we would re-think if adults expected to sleep in this area – recommend testing as unsure of length in this area).
B’rakhah  - has a double bed on fold out and a double bed inside.

Chassis, Caravan Weight and Construction
Commander – Powder coated, steel sections 970kg. Powder coated steel plates. Roof – metal. Roof covered inside with condensation sheet.
Xplorer – Galvanised – mild steel beam sections 1165kg (heaviest of the 3). Compressed wood panels covered with aluminium. Roof – fibre glass
B’rakhah – Stainless steel – ladder type 835kg (lightest of the 3). Aluminium frame covered with aluminium plates. Roof section from fibre glass

Kitchen
Commander – slide out system on rails – stove on door which is awkwardly positioned on door so cannot close at night unless folded up and disconnected from stove. Fridge slides out on same rail – useful feature. Water connected from outside. Frequent problems with stove – high pressure unit. Neat drawers for cutlery and crockery
Xplorer – Stove and pots and pan unit altogether. Stove low pressure unit – works effectively. Hot and cold water tap forms part of system. Normally works well.
B’rakhah – Slide system on rails with cutlery inside cover. Low pressure stove. Two drawers with packing space for pots and pans

Electric Supply, Batteries and Solar System
Commander – power distribution system suspect. It seems that it does not charge batteries properly. Provision for 220v supply and distributes it to internal 220v plugs. 12volt system supplies via batteries to 12v lights and fridge. 2 external hella plugs. 4 internal lights. Need extra lights for outside. Provides 12v also to geyser for start up of gas. 220v Supplies electricity to geyser when 220v is available. Batteries – 2 x 70amp deep cycle. Solar system – not supplied. Brad Harrison plugs which serve as external charging using vehicle’s alternator to charge batteries - not supplied. Wiring for 12v charging inadequate. We have modified our Commanders to accept proper 12v charge. We changed charging cables to 16sq.
Xplorer - Power charging system effective. Also have 220v system like Commander. More or less same geyser system as Commander. 3 external 12v lights – low power consumption. 4 internal lights. Batteries – 1 x 105 deep cycle. Solar system – not supplied. Brad Harrison plugs which serve as external charging using vehicle’s alternator to charge batteries - 50amp with 16sq cables supplied – standard fitment.
B’rakhah – 220v supply same as Commander. Power distribution most effective of all the caravans. Adapted to solar power unit. 2 external hella plugs. Lights inside door supply lighting for outside as well. Charging system very effective to charge two batteries. Batteries – 2 x 105 amp deep cycle. Solar system - Optional. 120 watt system available to maintain battery charge; Electrical system adapted for solar – controller fitted. Brad Harrison plugs which serve as external charging using vehicle’s alternator to charge batteries - 50amp with 16sq cables supplied – standard fitment.

Cupboards
Commander - one clothing cupboard with hanging – we find this useless as clothes fall off hangers when travelling off-road. Shelves would be better. Lots of small shelves covered with canvass. No Packing under bunkers.
Xplorer - One large clothing cupboard with two wooden doors – we changed ours to take 4 shelves. Grocery cupboard with 2 wooden doors. 4 linen cupboards – single shelf. Limited packing under bunkers.
B’rakhah - Exactly the same as Xplorer – only difference 2 single shelves for linen. Lots of packing under bunkers.

External packing
Commander - 2 drawers – limited space. Limited rack at back. Useful feature- takes spade and axe
Xplorer – Nose ample space
B’rakhah - Nose 400 litres – most of all the caravans. Rack at back with spade.

Shower Cubicle
Commander - attached to side. Needs separate pipes and to be tightened with loose ropes and pegs. Floor loose – can be muddy. No mirror or lights.
Xplorer - Supplied – loose rubber mats supplied. Loose mirror unit supplied with loose basin containing handheld shower head. Electric taps. Very useful shower awning - easy to erect no ropes or pegs necessary.
B’rakhah - Slide in system. Very well designed floor attached to unit. 5 loose pipes gives support to cubicle without extra ropes and pegs. Showerhead and mirror and wash basin in [onto] door.

Fly Sheets
Commander - Supplied = fixed unit. Protect fold out bed-tent.
Xplorer – none (Anne and Andrew say - but we got one somehow on our model to use with main awning even though no fold out bed tent on our model)
B’rakhah - Supplied – slides in. Protect fold out bed-tent

Awnings
Commander - Ripstop canvass – fixed – must use pipes and ropes and pegs to keep upright. Side walls available to for tent. Outside bags prone to UV and sunlight – they perish quickly.
Xplorer - Ripstop – uses 4 pipes in unit. No ropes or pegs necessary.  Side walls zips on, very useful feature as this becomes a tent. Bags same problem as Commander.
B’rakhah - Supplied – slide in type. Stored in nose cone. Some caravans have lightweight material [parachute material] other have ripstop. Needs pipes to erect and ropes and pegs to keep upright. Separate tent for outside available.

Wheels, Axles and Brakes
Commander – Wheels 245 x 15. Axles – independent with coil springs and Gabriel shock absorbers. Brakes – run-in brake system and hand brake and each wheel adjusted separately.
Xplorer - Wheels 245 x 15. Axles - Rubax – no shocks. Brakes – run-in brake system and hand brake and each wheel adjusted separately.
B’rakhah – Wheels 245 x 15 or 16’. Axles - Burquip with blade springs and Gabriel shock absorbers. Brakes - Run in brake system and hand brake and each wheel adjusted separately.

Trailer Plug
All use 7 pin international

Lift up roof
All gas strut assisted

Fridge
All are compressor type 12v and 220volt. Danfoss compressors.
Commander – 80L National Luna 220v/12v.
Xplorer – 80L Zero or Minus 40: we have replaced ours with 80 litres NL fridge (Anne and Andrew say – our model has a non-working 65L fridge in situ – thinking about replacing with already previously purchased brand new 40L Engel)
B’rakhah – 80L National Luna or Waeco

Geyser and Gas Supply
Commander - 220v or gas. Geyser suspect – gives us many problems. Loose coupling for shower and kitchen. Couplings for 2 x 3/4.5kg LPG gasbottles. In nose.
Xplorer - The same type as  Commander. Plumbing inside for shower or kitchen. Couplings for 2 x 3/4.5kg LPG gasbottles. In front (Anne and Andrew say – gasbottles are situated alongside 2 x 20L water bottles in nose of our version)
B’rakhah - Only gas. Junkers or Totai. Works effectively under all conditions. Shower coupled but kitchen not. Couplings for 2 x 3/4.5kg LPG gasbottles. In front.

Jerry Cans
Commander and Xplorer – 2 brackets
B’rakhah - 1-2 brackets. Ladder system supplied to climb onto back. Only caravan with this feature.

Tables
Commander - Large table for use outside plus centre piece of bed can form inside or outside table
Xplorer - Two tables. We’ve changed the clip on outside table to one standing alone on its own legs. Inside table on only some units mainly from 2007 (Anne and Andrew say – looks easy enough to fit a table if none exists which is what we plan to do
B’rakhah - Large table for use outside plus centre piece of bed can form inside or outside table.

Water Supply
Commander - 180 litres. Pressurized pump – one tap unit. One gravitation tap . no guage to tell how much water in tanks.
Xplorer - 100 litres. Pressurised pump [small unit]. Water gauge available (Anne and Andrew say – we have 2 x 20L in nose of vehicle. Loftus refers to newer models where a combined single tank is now situated at rear of vehicle)
B’rakhah - 140 litres-  Pressure pump. Two taps. One gravitation tap. Monitor tells voltage, charging system and water gauge.

Interior Design
Commander – canvas all over. Very military like. Woven carpets. Impractical in sand.
Xplorer - Best interior design and layout neat. Ethnic print. Novilon flooring – easy to clean (Anne and Andrew say – Loftus most definitely refers to later models as our 1999 model very dated units and lino flooring but still all easy to clean and usable – however nothing glamorous about our version as all and could do with an update of some kind
B’rakhah - Second best interior design. Animal print. Novilon flooring – easy to clean

If anyone has any further information, would be glad to hear from you.

Diary (Blog)
Sleeping Arrangements