Off-Road 2 Sleeper Caravans

[Ricof4e]

Anything with a fibre glass shell can NEVER be an off road caravan.

[BushWacker]

… of the campsites we have been to over the last 5 years which entry road would you say was the most testing and which would, the Sherpa, not arrive unscathed ?

Ive done Eco1 and Eco2, looped on via Sendelingsdrif to Keetmanshoop, across to Mata Mata, around Kalagadi, on to Van Zyls and back to Egoli pulling the MiniMetallian without problem and I would think a Sherpa would also complete unscathed … even up to 3 Provs campsite in peak rainy season… tho it might slip & slide around a bit on the black mud…
Can probably say the same for most small caravans as campsite access roads generally cater to esp (‘lesser’)
‘average towing vehicles’ !
Even modified SlipStreams … given lift & on 15” tyres and
properly re-secured cupboards & inside furniture etc will reach near any campsite unscathed ?

[Mad Manny]

Chas, you are essentially derailing the Thread with this 'any trailer is an off road trailer' Bullsh!t.
Please start your own gravel trailer Thread.
Just now you'll be claiming a Gypsy Lite kakavaan can go off road

[BushWacker]

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[Paul#25]

Manny in standard configuration I'd say at best it can handle bad dirt road conditions. It has 13 inch wheels and doesn't have a braked axle. If I remember correctly the maximum tyre size you could fit was a 14 inch but that might have changed.
The next van up in their range was a better one to specify more off tar road specs. I don't believe they have designed them to be a hard off road van.

[Mad Manny]

Yes Paul, everybody but Chas understands.
Some of the trips I've done; Richtersveld, Carnage, Bots, the Jurgens won't survive.

[BushWacker]

… I give you The 15” TrailBlazer …

https://www.sherpaleisure.co.za/2.Sherp ... oductsWrap
…

[Mad Manny]

OK, to humour a persistent Chas, I'll add the Sherpa Rough Roader.
Chas, I need a price please...

[grips]

Something I have noticed with most of these 2 sleeper Caravans is a lack of packing space.
Most of them are fine for weekend trips but taking stuff for say a 14 day trip could be a problem.
Seems it only the Afrispoor that have decent packing space.

[WJVV]

Hi Manny. Don't under estimate the Safari products. Have owned about every model in the Safari range over the years.
My 2 c and my viewpoint of the models I owned.

Oryx: Small and quite heavy for the size. Kitchen folds out downward with the stove and washbasin in big bulky box.. lots of wasted space. The rooftop tent on the nose is a winner if you have guests or kids hoing along. CFG is too high in serious offroad conditions. Having the door at the back you need to dust it after long gravel road travel.
Taken it through botswana and skeleton coast with zero issues

Xplorer 2: Ideal for 2 people as it has a double bed in the back. Does have a fold out bed in the front making it a 4 sleeper. No second door to the external bathroom .
Lots of packing space . So easy to overload with unnecessary crap. Fridge slide is a dud . So after a few mods it worked way better. Tent was an awning that could be setup in less than 10 minutes. Had recovery points on axle .
Xplorer: This was the 4 sleeper model. 2 doors . Lots of packing space .Fridge slide was still an issue.had to do the mod on the slide.Tent too many poles so changed to an leisure awning. No recovery points on axle or rear.Overall brilliant caravan.
Did permanent mod to connect gas to stove.
Added extra hella plugs and usb chargers inside
Both were really heavy caravans. Tows really well due to heavy nose weight. Offroad capability depends on the driver. Taken it through Botswana, Namibia/Caprivi /Richtersveld/ Moz / Zambia.

XCape: Black Series:
Less space than the explorer . Double bed for 2 .
Outside Kitchen is a winner. I did a few mods to the slide out Fridge and added a dishwashing station to it same as the explorer. Water pipes exit next to left rear wheel . Design flaw so I added aliminium plate over the pipes with sikaflex to protect against stones on gravel roads.
Did a mod to permanently connect stove to gas.
Added extra hella plugs outside and usb chargers inside
Tent is easy to pitch as it is an awning .
Fridge slide is an improvement over the explorer.
Has recovery points at the rear.
Taken it through Kruger. Still a new addition to the family

All safari products have this really crappy Hercules Charging systems. I by default pull the charging fuse inside the system and just add an Victron intelligent charger .

Plus point is these vans all have steel rims . These are the things that take a beating in tough offroad conditions. I have had to hammer many bent rims due to rocks. If it was a mag I would have been stuck on an unsafe spot where you can not change a tyre.

Been stuck in deep sand many a time and you need a proper recovery point at the rear where you can either winch or pull the van backwards.

Axles are all rubax axles. Never in my 20 years of towing had an issue. Just don't tow like a idiot. If you gun for a pothole or rut something will break.

Water management on any extended overland trip is always something to be taken in consideration. It has shortened many of my trips. Thus water tank size is key

Overall these caravans are very capable offroad.

Hope this helps. Oh and a new Xcape is approx R380k

[Mad Manny]

Great post Werner, thank you.

The Xplora is just too big to qualify, but I agree with you wrt the Oryx & XCape.
The Oryx was only produces by Jurgens for a short while - there are very few out there.
The XCape is on the list.

Where a manufacturer offers more than one option (Small Offroad, 2 Sleeper) I'll only list the smaller of the two.

Christo, I agree with you wrt packing space - Andreas always points out that 'Small with the bed inside (i.e Caravan)' automatically means little packing space.

[BushWacker]

… with great trepidation …

I give you the “ Road Tripper Series “
of TearDrop type ‘Rolling Double Bed’ caravans,
with lift-up, back-hatch kitchens/storage etc …

Similar to Sherpas , Edge Outs etc …
… but…
pricing here seems much more competitive
though quoted brochure is from 2020 ? …

(… see net for other aticles/details … )

( Some of these rolling nests , like those of White Browed Sparrow Weavers, have two side entrances, which may prove useful to some (?) for fast evacuation ? )

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ ... e_List.pdf

[AndreasR]

Payload 350kg before fitting 12v system or carrying water! Leaves about enough capacity for a can of baked beans.

[BushWacker]

… yes … must be v heavy tare weight ;
payload about 1/3 to 1/4 of our metalians …

[Hedgehog]

Try this one on for size.
Although technically a trailer, but if you want to call a SHERPA a caravan...

Probably the most off-road-able
https://www.gtoffroadtrailers.co.za/