How Much Weight Can I Put In My Off-Road Caravan?
Are you concerned about the weight-carrying capacity of your off-road caravan? How much extra weight can you carry in your caravan? Most new buyers often don’t pay attention to the weight of their new off-road caravan. Instead, they’re more focused on the layout, aesthetics and specific features.
However, you should never overlook how much weight you can put in your off-road caravan. If you don’t adhere to prevailing standards and conditions for the right amount of weight to put in your off-road caravan, you could face consequences from the authorities.
In today’s blog post, we will explore how to work out the maximum weight you can carry in your off-road caravan. Keep reading to learn more!
Terms You Need to Know
Before figuring out the actual cargo capacity of your off-road caravan, there are a few terms you need to understand first. These terms and their values should be available on the VIN plate of your vehicle. These terms include:
- Tare mass: the overall weight of an empty caravan
- Aggregate tare mass: the maximum weight of the caravan
- Gross vehicle mass: the maximum weight allowed for the axle group
In order to figure out the amount of weight you can carry in your off-road caravan, you will need to subtract the empty weight of the caravan from the maximum allowed weight. It is likely to be 300 kg for a single-axle caravan and around 400 kg for a double-axle caravan. It might seem a little low, especially when you have to carry a lot of water. This is why it is important for you to understand the cargo capacity of your off-road caravan before you make the purchase.
When you take your off-road caravan out, you need to make sure it meets all the legal requirements for load capacity. If you have an accident and you are overloaded, or authorities randomly decide to weigh your off-road caravan setup, you will be heavily fined. Don’t forget that your insurance may not come to the rescue in case you are above the legal limit.
Tracking the Weight
After determining the extra weight you can carry in your off-road caravan, it’s time to prepare your off-road caravan by adding up the weight of everything you plan to carry. Here’s a quick summary of the most common items you might need or carry on your off-road caravan along with their weight:
- Water. 1 litre of water weighs 1 kilogram. Most caravans have water tanks of around 90-litre capacity.
- Cooking appliances. All cooking appliances and utensils typically account for anywhere from 40 to 50 kilograms depending on the items you plan to carry. If you plan to carry gas bottles, one gas bottle typically weighs around 15 kilograms and these bottles have around 9 kilograms of gas inside.
- Generators. Most people who have off-road caravans carry a generator. A typical generator typically weighs more than 25 kg.
- Groceries and personal items. Travelling off-road means that you need to bring as many groceries as you can get. The usual tendency is for off-roaders to carry anywhere from 80 to 100 kilograms of groceries on a big trip. There are also personal items such as bedding, clothing, towels and other items to consider. A typical suitcase people carry overseas usually weighs around 15 to 20 kg.
How To Reduce Your Caravan’s Weight
If you want to reduce the weight of things you plan to carry inside your caravan, there are a lot of strategies to do so.
For instance, a top-loading washing machine is much lighter compared to a front-loading machine. Similarly, lithium batteries are lighter compared to lead-acid batteries. You may also consider carrying only a limited number of groceries and you can restock every now and then. If you plan to carry tools, make sure to add the toolbox to the drawbar and keep very light items in the toolbox. Don’t put it at the front or back of the caravan.
In summary, try to pack as lightly as possible as you are unlikely to need everything you want to take along. You want to have a good time when you are exploring the great outdoors, which means that carrying a lot of stuff is only going to make your trip more complicated than necessary.
Final Thoughts
Overall, many new buyers of an off-road caravan often have a tendency to focus more on the looks and features of the caravan while completely ignoring weight-carrying capacity. All the information you need to figure out the extra weight you can carry in your caravan should be available on the VIN plate. Make sure you are aware of the prevailing weight limits and only buy an off-road caravan after making sure it fits your weight requirements.
If you are looking for the best caravans for sale in Australia for your next big adventure, you can’t go past Retreat Caravans. Please check our full range of caravans below, all carefully designed with you in mind:
