At the surface it’s pretty simple. In Australia, small travel trailers are called ‘caravans’. You can read the details on the Wikipedia page that has a little more info, but that’s the basic gist. What really sets an Aussie spec Caravan or camper trailer apart from what we commonly see in North America, is the built quality and robust capability.
Overland trailers in NA have had heavy duty trailing arm suspensions for years, and are commonly built out of lightweight steel and/or heavy duty aluminum. By comparison, NA spec Travel Trailers are usually mass produced and tend to be quite disposable. They are not built with heavy duty materials or with off-road capable features, so they usually last less than 10 years before needing to be rebuilt or replaced.
While it is possible to buy a more lightweight version of a Caravan in Australia, the vast majority are manufactured to last much longer. If you think about it, it totally makes sense.
The roads (tracks) in Australia are much longer and rougher than what most people in the US travel. While there are RV parks and campgrounds in Australia, many travelers choose to camp more off-grid, in rustic campsites with no services. Therefore their caravan must be able to support camping once there, but more importantly, it must be able to withstand harsh washboard roads for thousands of miles.
Common Camper trailer ‘Caravan’ features:
- Heavy duty trailing arm suspension
- Springs and/or Air bags
- Large water tanks
- Off-road capable tires
- Multiple spare tires
- Smaller formfactor
- Heavy duty frame, often galvanized
Beyond these features, Caravan’s are often equipped similarly to most off road trailers. Skid plates, extra batteries, kitchens, fridges, etc.
Caravan options in the US (As of 2021)
There are a few companies, most based in Australia, that sell Caravan type campers in the United States. Since they are built to last decades (for the most part), pricing for these trailers is much higher than similar sized mass-produced travel trailers.
- Black Series
- Bruder EXP
- OPUS OP-15 (based in the UK)
- Patriot Campers X3
- Conqueror Trailers USA (Based in South Africa)
Other manufacturers have been working on additional models for the North American market, so you can look forward to more coverage of these options in the future.
