I am a 2nd year university student studying transport design. My current project involves working in a team to investigate the ergonomic and inclusive design issues of camper vans, caravans and tents and then later in the semester I will be designing and making an ergonomic rig with the rest of my team.
For us to make the best design/most user-friendly design possible, I need to know what you like and dislike and what you would like to be improved on to make living with and living inside your camper van/caravan/tent more user friendly.
For those interested in this, could you post your experiences with these vehicles/tents (what you like, don’t like, would improve on) along with the make and model/brand of the product and possibly, if you are ok with it, an image or two of the interior of the vehicle/tent.
I would suggest you look at self build sites and camper blogs this kind of request is constant across all camping forums and the answers are already out there with a bit of research many show the mods they have done to improve their campers and why
Manufacturers are focussed on showroom appeal, so change graphics, internal colour schemes, handles, etc each year, adding in dubious quality tech.
What's really needed is improvements in usability, and there are lots:
With relatively few super pitches, caravanners carry fresh and waste water containers - where to put these? They ought to have dedicated external storage, but we finish up with having to dry/clean them to store inside the van, as many front lockers are now too small or been done away with...
Same with Electric hook up cable that we have to wind onto reels or stuff in carrier bags. These should be capable of being pulled out vacuum cleaner style with a retractable system...
Locking: usually 2 keys, one for the main door, one for all outside lockers. In my case I have 10 separate locks to the latter, to be checked. Surely given the existence of the 12v system, central locking would be a lot more convenient, since the technology is already proven in cars.
Window catches: similar issue to locking. Windows each have between 2 and 5 plastic catches each. I think I have 24 of these. This is a real pain having to operate all these if abroad and plenty of windows open when you want to go out. A single catch is required to give multipoint locking, perhaps using the principal from domestic front doors. Caravanners are a pretty decent bunch, but thefts do occur..
As already mentioned we need units that are built and remain waterproof, using better quality materials and fittings that don't fall off
We've had a few caravans over the years. The thing I disliked about all but one was the sofa arrangement. Our sofas at home are deep and comfortable but those in most vans are upright, shallow bench-like things.
The last van we had was a 2-berth, Hymer Nova 470. The two front sofas could be used as two (narrow) single beds, configured to make a large double or, by adding two foam infills and only partially extending the pull-out slatted bedframe, 2 wider singles. We found this wider single facility also provided the perfect sofa depth, so always left one made up in sofa mode.
We sold the caravan because, ultimately, we prefer a fixed bed model. The perfect van for us would be a Hymer (we prefer the German construction and insulation to UK vans) with a rear fixed bed and these adjustable bench seats at the front. We've never seen such a model.
For a caravan I would like it to fold down to reduce wind resistance. Fuel consumption when towing a caravan is approx. double that for the car solo.
On a level motorway, virtually all the power required is to overcome the wind resistance of a full height caravan which is basically a nearly empty box.
This will help with global warming and especially so if the tow car is battery powered with limited range as they are likely to be in the future.
hi,
1:hob and grill and no oven option as I use a microwave not a gas oven waste of space
2:thicker lino on floor so no carpets needed
3:colour options for out side, hate white always dirty looking
4:armchairs sound a good idea if recliners
5:a shower as an option not standard especially as more sites have excellent shower facilities
6:one way window glass for more privacy
7:identification on roof so easy to see from drones or bridges to help police recover if stolen
just a few ideas I love my caravaning but tiny improvements would make so much difference
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Topic: What would you like to be improved?
via mobile 17/1/2020 at 7:57am
