Caravanning and Camping by Doug and Denise McIvor

Lemming couple Phil and Julie Clarke had no trouble meeting people during an eight week trip up north last year.  Everywhere they went, from Perth to Kununurra and return, interested onlookers wanted to know more about their Nomad caravan.

Despite recently ending a technically based career in cartography, Phil is quite a handyman, with a particular interest in furniture making.  "I built my first van 28 years ago and I'm told it is still being used," the 67 year old said.  "When I retired I decided to build another unit similar to an A'van but my design meant the roof was too heavy, so I inserted a "floating" panel which did away with the high peak.  I built it from the ground up taking about two years and spending $12,000 on materials.  The body and frame are aluminium with 25 mm foam insulation, and it has a woodgrain ply interior.  It contains two single beds, one at each end, a sink, a 140 litre fridge, a cooker/oven, plenty of drawers and cupboards - not to mention the roll out porta-potti".

The Nomad ("we had to call it something") has no gas fittings - everything is electric.  All lighting is 12 volt and the other power needs are 240 volt.  When travelling the fridge is powered through a 600 watt inverter from a 12 volt deep cycle battery.  The body (including a boot) is 4.15 metres long and 2.1 metres wide.  It has a travel height of 1.54 m, is 2.7 m high when erected, weighs 900 kg and has a tow ball weight of 90 kg.

It can be put up in less than a minute and once set up, an enclosed annexe adds to the comforts of home.  Despite its ingenuity, offering the towability of a camper with the spaciousness and headroom of a full sized caravan, Phil has no great desire to see his design mass produced.

"I didn't set out to make money out of it", he said.  "It was a project for my retirement, but if caravan enthusiasts or one of the manufacturers wants to discuss my design, then I'd be happy to talk to them."