Ensuite in Carvan - YES or NO?

A toilet in the caravan, yay or nay?

What do you think? Long-term travel planned with a then three year old and a brand new baby. Can only tow 2.5 tonnes. I am currently looking at Jayco Expanda 16.49.1 or similar, which has no toilet, or alternatively, I am looking at lightweight caravans (ADRIA) Which have one.

What are your thoughts? Do you have an ensuite and does it annoy you? Do you wish you had one?

I would love to hear opinions from all of you who are already out on the road.

Comments for Ensuite in Carvan - YES or NO?

Click here to add your own comments

Oct 12, 2018
 We get around it like this
by: P J

We have the 16.5 expanda outback with no loo/shower. We didn’t want a huge heavy van to tow. We got a chem toilet but been on the road 1 month and not used it yet. Wiki camps shows the free camps with loo’s.

Have a Glind hot water exchange and pump under the bonnet so just pop up the shower tent, click on the shower with the engine running. Hot shower! Allows us to do overnighter just with the 4wd awning tent and swags in rougher track areas. We are only doing a 4 month trip though. If I was going for a year, I’d go with a shower loo but would need another 4wd with higher towing capacity. Our Pajero is 2.5 and we have done s lot to it so didn’t want to change. We love our Pajero.
Oct 12, 2018
 We didn't
by: Anonymous

We just finished 5 months and had a portaloo in a pullout cupboard... or would set up the shower tent... worked great... but we got our boys to pee outside all the time😂 and our loo was tiny...
Saying that it's so nice to come home to toilets and showers😉😉😉

We also had a 12v shower that worked well we could shower all 5 in 20L
Oct 12, 2018
 Portaloo?
by: Sam

Don't need an ensuite but I'd try and find space for a portaloo. We have a portaloo that we set up in our camper trailer and even use it in caravan parks when we're close to amenities because it means no night time walks and the kids can get up and go and I don't have to get out of bed at stupid-o'clock...and using a tree isn't fun when its blowing 25 knots and raining.
Oct 12, 2018
 Wet Room
by: Karen

My dad made a good point to me when I said we didn’t need it in our planned van. He said "you need a wet room, whether you use the loo or shower is your choice but when it rains where do you put your wet stuff? Where do you hang your clothes to dry if your moving?"
Oct 12, 2018
 Options
by: Ella F

With a child around toilet training age give or take a bit I would highly recommend having somewhere in your van or on your site where they can go to the toilet as independently as possible.

Possible options are a built in toilet, porta potty that resides somewhere inside the van, or porta potty in a privacy tent outside the van. If you choose the privacy tent option I would highly recommend setting it up every time even if only stopping for the night to provide your toddler with consistency. If one of you will be the only adult at the van with the children with any regularity, a toilet on your site will generally be much more convenient than dragging two little ones off to the amenities block every time the adult needs to go. We lived in a caravan With a 2 to 4 year old and this is based on my personal experience. We had an older van with no toilet or space for one but quickly added a porta potty to our kit.
Oct 12, 2018
 Yes
by: Mel

We have been travelling for 2.5 years full time with a now 7 year old and toddler and we wouldn’t be without ours. But at the end of the day it comes down to what’s important to you as a family.

We really didn’t want our daughter to have to get out of a warm bed a go to a outside toilet block during the night. But know other families this doesn’t bother.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ask your Question about Travelling Australia With Kids.