Hi Everyone,
There is a heap of knowledge on here so hoping I can pick people's brains. The wife and I are seriously looking at buying a van with an external shower and no toilet. We have portaloo already and are quite familiar with it. My dad thinks we are crazy for getting a van with no internal sh/toilet since we have kids (one 2YO and one due in May). Is it really that bad not having an internal ensuite? This van has a queen bed and two bunks. We have done a fair bit of travelling with the camper and have never found the shower/toilet thing an issue. My dad thinks its an issue in some free camps and also just having kids going too and fro from the shower block etc. For the next few years, I see small trips away to bush camps/national parks/van parks and maybe one week away trips with some overnight stops to get a bit further away but most of us know what its like with small kids!
The van we are looking at is a Tango Family Diamond (pictured). I like it because it has a 6" chassis, single axle, good storage, its full height and also only weighs 1750kg unloaded. My 2012 lux can only tow 2500kg, so buying anything too big will mean more money spent in the not too distant future on a new car. I am hoping we can get another 5-10 years out of the lux before needing to move it on. This van is $39990 on road. Any advice appreciated!
We (wife and I) have a van with toilet and shower, it was a must on the tick off list when looking for one. We tend to avoid caravan parks, crowds and the likes. After 5 years heres my thoughts.
Firstly, everything is a compromise when it comes to van selection.
Want everything in a van? Its gonna be bigger and heavier. Then the extra size and weight causes problems when you want to get into some bush camps.
If you have been camping using portaloo and bush shower, having the van will be miles in front of the camper in terms of ease of set up/packing away, storage etc.
We have travelled heaps, and the grey water issue is bit overblown.
Even though we have ensuite in van, we take bush dunny to most places where we can, or use long drop dunnies if provided.
We try to avoid camping in rainy weather, we head where its good, so getting up and going to dunny in rain is not really an issue. It may have happened once. The Mrs will use the dunny for #1 at night sometimes, so yes she loves that feature if its needed.
The inside shower is great. Im lazy, so the no set up and ease of use if fantastic.
In the end you have to be happy with your selection, not anyone else.
Yes after a few years maybe you will wish you had internal ensuite.
Now to confuse you, why buy a new van? Look for a good used one. You will save heaps, then if you do want to upgrade as the kids get bigger and you get older, then your not out of pocket too much. Let someone else take the hit on depreciation. I saved about 40k on mine compared to what I was about to buy, and couldnt be happier with it.
Cheers Glen
