Carrying bikes on your Caravan, Camper or RV

We purchased 2 bikes about 12 months ago.  Then were faced with the problem of how to transport them safely and securely along with everything else without compromising load limits. 
There are many types of bike racks suited for use on a caravan, camper, roof rack or tow vehicle ball and all in differing price brackets to add further confusion. 

We opted for a double rack with Velcro straps fitted to the rear bumper of the caravan.   A cheaper option we thought, till we had to have a special mount bracket manufactured to fit the bar.  To compensate for the added weight right at the exterior of the van we placed some heavier items in the front boot of the caravan.  It seemed to work and we noticed no adverse towing reactions.

This option proved time consuming loading and unloading bikes with a number of stretchy straps to hold the bikes stable while travelling.  They still touched together at times causing scratching of paint work with front wheels spinning while travelling unless they too, were secured separately.

Then one day when we had only travelled about 30ks we got out to find the bike rack had collapsed to horizontal position and the bikes where almost dragging on the road.  We were very lucky that we had stopped or we would have lost both bikes. 
We found a welder on a Saturday morning and had the bracket straightened and strengthened.  More cost but this setup was still a pain in the neck.
 
At the very next park we visited, low and behold, a van checking out at the time had 2 bikes mounted on the A Frame of their van.   The manufacturer was GripSport, a Melbourne Company that makes custom racks for caravans, campers and RV’s.  We telephoned, booked the van in, detoured to Melbourne and had one custom fitted on the A Frame above our 2 LPG bottles and storage mesh floor.  It’s the bee’s knees.  The bikes can be placed on or taken off in 30 seconds.  The rack fits on to the welded mount and can be padlocked, or removed if you are not using it.  We still have full access to the van front boot with the bikes off.  The bikes are also securely lock chained.

GripSport makes life so much more enjoyable, no arguments, not a stretchy strap in sight. You can even see the bikes in the rear view mirror when travelling.  GripSport ship Australia wide.

Let's Ask Some Questions

Pam & Alan have now been travelling Australia for almost 2 years in their home/office 21’Caravan and Ford Ranger.  We ask them some questions –
 

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CAMP CHAIRS

We hit the road nearly two years ago now, with our two existing camp chairs, both Spinnifex non padded high backed adjustable chairs.  Fine for occasional camping and sitting around the camp fire with your feet up on a milk crate, but after two years of use, working full time on the road we were developing “numb bum” syndrome.

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Cooking while on the road

Living full-time on the road in our 21ft caravan we value our eco-friendly DreamPot.  It’s easy to use, efficient and always delivers a hot meal after a long day on the road.

DreamPot is thermal cooking, a portable, easy-to-use, cooking appliance which uses only a fraction of the power or heating source to achieve magnificent meals anywhere or anytime. DreamPot is an Australian family operated company which has made meals for travelers much better since 1964. 

Here is one of our favorite recipes 

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Don't take your hoses for granted

Your good old drinking water food grade hose is more important than you actually realise.  In our case, living, working and travelling Australia full time in our caravan, the hose gets coiled up, placed in it’s bag and rattles along on the caravan A Frame when travelling.  Then at the next site, it’s thrown out onto the ground, clicked onto whatever size tap is provided and that’s it.  We just take it for granted and expect it to perform faultlessly.

Until one day ....

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Caravan Courtesy

Be Courteous when Towing a Caravan
When out and about on the road remember that you are sharing the road with lots of others.  We hope that these tips will help you and others to stay safe.

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Check your Anode Annually

If your storage hot water systems runs on electricity, gas or solar, it will contain a sacrificial anode. This is a highly reactive metal component which protects the system from corrosion. Most hot water heaters use them to protect the tank and other components which spend most of their time immersed in water. 

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Living on the road with no fixed address

A Residential Address is required for Medicare, Vic Roads, Electoral Commission, Australian Tax Office and Insurance Policies require a Situation of Risk address.  In these cases we have used a relative’s address, our Accountants office address and our Insurance Brokers office address if the computer generated ‘field” will not accept Australia Wide.  

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