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‘MAG’ INSIDE

45 PAGES OF EXPERT BUYING & PRACTICAL ADVICE

BUYER

UYEUYE Our test & tech ‘mag in a mag’

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45 PAGES OF BUYING

ADVICE

COMPASS CAMINO 660 PAGE106 COACHMAN VISION 630 PAGE124

IN THIS SECTION 102 Kit & Caboodle 105 My Caravanning Essentials 106 TEST Compass Camino 660 110 Dash Cameras reviewed 114 USED VANS Raymond James 120 Outdoor lighting inspiration 124 TEST Coachman Vision 630 130 DIY. How to fit an extractor fan 138 AWARDS Best couples’ caravan on a twin axle 141 Top 10 single-axle, island-bed vans 146 Q&A – Your problems solved 149 Next Month – Coming in May 150 Caravans For Sale

KIT&CABOODLE

This month's

KIT&CABOODLE

Thelatest andgreatestoutdoorleisure gearrevealed andreviewed

FOLDABLESUNHAT Get ready for a scorching summer (we’re eternal optimists) by bagging one of these high-quality, panama-style Emthunzini Oscar sun hats. This traditional South African wide-brimmed hat offers 50+ UPF protection and features internal adjustment for a comfy fit. Best of all for caravanners, these hats are completely crushable, yet spring straight back into shape, so they’re perfect for packing away. They’re spot-washable, too. The man from Caravan, he say “Yes!” PRICE £42

All prices are suggested RRPs.

You may find significantly better

prices online or

elsewhere.

WIN

W kendrickimports.com

WIN

HOMEMONITORVIDEOCAMERAThis neat, self-contained and weatherproof video camera is a great choice as additional security if you store your caravan (or anything valuable) at home. Every movement recorded within the last seven days is securely stored on the ‘cloud’, ie: it’s stored remotely, not on your computer’s hard drive memory. Extended 30-day storage is a paid-for option.

The absolutely crucial thing here is WiFi (or hardwired) internet access, as the system will not work without it. Check where your camera will be located and ensure it can link to the web. Likewise, you’ll need a power source. If all that is in place, self-installation is easy and you can view live camera footage on your digital device (iOS 7.0 and Android 4.0 or above) at any time. The unit has night vision up to 10m and delivers a wide- angle 720p HD image. PRICE £180 W y-cam.com

COLEMANPACKAWAYTABLE This four-seater unit folds down into a compact and lightweight portable unit. It’s one of the smartest bit of designs in the outdoor leisure world as the benches store within the folded table, creating a slim ‘suitcase’ weighing just 9kg and measuring 12cm x 93cm x 33cm. Both table and benches have rigid aluminium frames and the pair of two-seater benches feature comfy padding. PRICE from £95 W coleman.eu/uk

102 | April 2017

WIN

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KOMPERDELLCAMERA STAFFWALKINGPOLEIf you love rambling and photography, this super-light (269g) carbon walking pole could be the perfect accessory for you. Made of quality, lightweight carbon fibre, this three-section pole quickly expands from 73cm to 150cm. On one end is a tough Tungsten Carbine tip, while at the other is a cork grip, which detaches to reveal a standard-sized camera-mount bolt. This fits all cameras and telephoto/zoom lenses, giving you support to minimise camera shake. The upshot is that you’ll get sharper pictures in low-light conditions and when using long lenses. As a rule of thumb, when using any lens, you should select a shutter speed that matches the focal length of the optic, eg: a 200mm lens should not be hand- held below 1/200sec. However, with a 200mm lens, using this monopod, a good stance and careful shooting should get you sharp images at 1/100 or 1/80 sec.

PRICE £48.60 W komperdell.com

DIMPLEXAIRPURIFIER

This Dimplex Air Purifier is an essential gadget for caravanners with allergies or bronchial issues. The compact and lightweight unit tackles dust, odours, pollen, allergens and pet dander using an integral Carbon+ HEPA filter system with Viro3 plasma generator. No, we have no idea, either! However, we’re assured the stylish-looking item purifies the air in rooms measuring up to 28m2 which means it’s spot on for small or large caravans, especially when pets travel with you. It features two speed settings and replaceable air filters. PRICE £50 W dimplex.co.uk (Argos or Amazon)

COLEMANSUNDOMESundome offers versatile protection from intense sunshine and the other elements on the beach, campsite or anywhere outdoors. It takes just a minute to erect, yet features proper tent technology so it’s less likely to bend and collapse in stronger winds. It’s made from tough polyester with a fixed PE ground sheet, the front section of which doubles as a zip-up door.

Inside, there’s headroom of 118cm, and the dome offers factor 50 SPF protection from harmful UV rays. PRICE from £40 W coleman.eu/uk

Facebook /caravanmag Twitter @caravanmagazine Web caravanmagazine.co.uk

›› CARAVAN BUYER

ALCOSENSEEXCELBREATHALYSER

Minimise the risk of ‘morning-after’ drink driving by not drinking at all, or testing yourself with this clever gadget, just to be sure. It uses the same technology as many police breathalysers and claims twice the accuracy of other consumer products. Excel has a colour screen, is simple to use and features a ‘Don’t Drive’ alert, if you’re close to or over your pre-set alcohol limit.

PRICE £100 W alcosense.co.uk

WIN

WIN IN 2017 Caravan Lottery Enter once to be in with a chance of winning all the prizes in Kit & Caboodle each month.

To enter, go online to caravan.ma/caracomps pop in your details, and, if you like, sign up for our useful and informative Caravan e-newsletter. Each month we publish the winner in Caravan and online. If it's you, call us on 01778 392450 or email johns@warnersgroup.co.uk to claim your prizes.

LAST MONTH’S CARAVAN LOTTERY WINNER IS Mr Roy Bannister Arnold, Nottingham (Claim your prize by 30 April 2017)

WIN

April 2017 | 103

QUATTRODDQUATTRODDSPRITE

OUTDOORLIGHTING

CARAVANLIFE Light up your

LIGHTSFORFUN.CO.UK

There are a number of specialist lighting retailers online – we like lights4fun.co.uk. Whether you prefer plain white light, warm amber ambience or a multicoloured effect, it boasts a brilliant range of outdoor lights that are perfect for caravanners.

Check out the Casablanca Battery Candle Stake Lantern at £12.99; Oslo Battery Candle Lanterns, £9.99;

Polzeath Fisherman’s Lantern Fairy Lights, £9.99, the Warm White Connectable LED Fairy Lights, £12.99 and, the daddy of them all, the Warm White Festoons, £31.99.

L4F fairy lights can be linked. We joined four strings, that’s 40m and 400 fairy lights! The lights will all run from one battery pack, which is included, along with batteries. They are ideal for indoor or outdoor use.

There'snotmuchtobeatthealfrescocaravanlifestyle,soextendyour outdoorenjoymentafterdarkwithsomeatmosphericillumination

Words ClareKelly

120 | April 2017

STAKEITOUT If you’re staying at a site that’s quite dark or you’ve got little ones, then a handful of stake lights can be used to mark out your pitch – and even provide a way to illustrate your boundary in case you have any of those people next to you who like to spread out. And we’ve all had them. You can pick up stake lights from pound shops for... well, a pound. Or the 99p store for... 99p. Given that you often get what you pay for, while these won’t stand the test of time, they do provide a great boost of light, and will help you identify your caravan… at night… on a crowded campsite… while merry!

After something a little more

rugged? Outwell’s lighting is primarily aimed at tent campers (yet to upgrade to a caravan!) but offer some funky products for the caravanner who thinks he’s Bear Grylls. The Polaris collapsible LED lamp comes in white, green and blue and can be suspended from a branch, outside the caravan door, or used in an awning, and is battery operated. Find your nearest stockist at outwell.com.

No one is suggesting you need to go totally off-grid (unless you want to) but with easy ways to light up the night for very little cash, solar and battery lights are an attractive option for caravanners and, as we head into the warmer months, make sitting outside the caravan even more inviting.

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››Weather permitting, we like to spend as much time outside our caravans as possible, so, isn’t it time you invested in some exterior lighting? There’s tons of choice and modern LED lights are super bright, but use very little power. Have a think about your power source. If your van has an external power point, you can use mains lighting. If not, short of leaving a door or window ajar, your choices are solar or battery power. Whatever power source you use, there's a lot of choice.

REPURPOSEYOUROUTDOOR CHRISTMASLIGHTSPacking up the lights from outside the house in January is quite a depressing affair so here’s one way to avoid it. Instead of putting them back in the loft, pack them into the caravan and you can use them to pimp the outside of your van. It goes without saying that you might want to keep the grotto feel to a minimum and, while an inflatable festive Homer Simpson might be fun for the kids where you live, that’s one Christmas decoration that should be placed out of sight until December. If you want to keep the look understated, pop handfuls of fairy lights in glass jars and use them as table decorations. It doesn’t matter how cheap they are, these little twinkling lights always provide a touch of magic.

GOWITHTHEGLOWFestoon lights are having quite a moment and there’s no reason why you can’t adorn your van with them. Festoon lights come in a range of colours and lights4fun.co.uk have a great range. We love the white ones as they blend in perfectly with a van. Starting at £30 for five metres, they are connectable, so you can easily add another set to them if you wish and use just one battery box to power them. For more typical fairy lights, you might like its white LED lights which are also connectable (under £10 for 60) and, again, run off battery or power supply and can be hooked up to a solar panel. There’s even a range of solar panel lanterns (3 for £9.99) for creating a little bit of dinner party magic when you’re entertaining your neighbours. Better still, they come with a timer that automatically gives you six hours of power before coming on again at the same time the next day. Your guests should work out if they’ve outstayed their welcome!

Facebook /caravanmag Twitter @caravanmagazine Web caravanmagazine.co.uk

April 2017 | 121

OUR NEW CARAVAN TEST SCORES We rate key aspects of each test caravan and award them a grade. Like GCSEs, only harder! *

🅰 🅰 🅱

Exceptional Very Good Good

Average Below Average

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TOURING › CAMPSITES › TESTS › EVENTS › TECHNICAL

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CORNWALL’S SPECTACULAR BEACHES & COVES BRIGHTON – THE PERFECT WEEKEND BREAK EXPLORE THE ENCHANTING EMERALD ISLE NORTHUMBERLAND’S COAST & CASTLES

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REVIEWED

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DASHBOARD CAMERAS TESTED BIG-VALUE PEUGEOT 308 TOWCAR BEST TWIN-AXLE VANS FOR COUPLES USED CARAVAN BARGAINS FROM £6482

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FAMILY 6-BERTH Sprite Quattro DD LUXURIOUS 4-BERTH Compass Camino 660 VERSATILE 4-BERTH Coachman Vision 630

DASH CAMS REVIEWED WIN £500 OF FREE CARAVAN INSURANCE CARAVANS FOR SALE Q&A NEWS & VIEWS