Considering a Tvan

[drewdavis]

Hi Guys
We are considering changing our present camper and thinking about  a Tvan .
What are the general thoughts on these campers ?
I'm looking for the negatives as well. They are costly but seem good quality.
Thanks

[Ray]

We have had our Tvan for 14 years, well over 130,000 km's and it still looks good.

The main problem we have is when thinking about what comes next we can't find anything that does  everything as well. Light to tow and goes anywhere, annexe provides snug protection in cold wet or windy weather. Looks we will have to keep it. It suits our fairly mild climate with the addition of a diesel heater. It does have canvas which needs to be dried well and doesn't provide a secure locked up sleeping space when setup. Not perfect for all situations but is very good.

Ray

[robstevens]

We've owned a Tvan Firetail mk4 from new, since 2017. Done lots of trips.

Pros:

Nothing gone wrong, and really easy to tow on or off road. 
If you are after a "Bed in a box" then this is the camper for you.
Can be customised as required quite easily. I've both added and removed a large number of items over time (See Cons)
"Premium" kitchen is very well set out.

Cons:

Getting into bed is not as easy as with a caravan - some sliding/squirming is needed to get into and out of bed. But not an issue if you are at all physically active. Headroom when in bed is quite limited if you are 6 feet or more.
Had to both add and remove many items on the Tvan to improve the camping experience (see Pros)

Upgrades/Changes:

Replaced the two AGM batteries with Lithium Iron Phosphate 100Ah 
Replaced the 240/12v charger with Victron Bluesmart Lithium charger
Replaced DC-DC charger with Redarc 40Amp DC-DC charger
Added external solar input Anderson plug
Replaced jockey wheel with Ark XO 750 adjustable wheel
Added Truma Vario Gas heater
Replaced water pump with higher quality Seaflo Diaphragm pump.
Removed hand pump as it barely worked. Now always rely on electric pump.
Added Plumbed inlet for town water to Tvan (when staying at campground)
Added stand-alone pump with fittings to pump in water from another source, for shower
Added Joolica hot water shower externally, using extra pump (above)
Added bike racks to front box and to rear hatch. Can carry 4 bikes.
Added front stone deflector mesh.
Added roll-out tent canopy over kitchen, attached to roof.
Added light on hatch over tent entry door.
Added pantry slide drawer above fridge.
 
Might look a long list, but that's the fun of it all!

Cheers

Rob