Meet Casper, the Compass Casita 586, or our Little Home on Wheels

So it's been a few months since we started the 5CChallenge with the Camping and Caravanning Club and Compass Caravans. How are we are we getting on? Here's a quick tour of our caravan, and how we've it found so far.

Well, as die-hard tent campers, we knew that getting a caravan would be very different.

What we didn't know was if we would like it. After all, towing a big caravan around differs considerably from towing a camping trailer.

However, after a few trips, 'Casper', as our caravan is called, has almost become part of the family. Enough for the kids to even bake Casper a cake!

It's become our little home from home.

It's become our little home from home.

Casper, the Compass Casita 586 Caravan

Casper was named by our youngest. He is a Compass Casita 586, and for us, the perfect family layout.

Watch our video for a quick tour around Casper.

Sleeping Arrangements

At the back of the caravan are two built-in kids' bunk beds, which the kids love.

They both have a window each and, with the curtains pulled, their own little dens, complete with their own lighting.

Having these beds permanently fixed means we don't need to keep putting them away and setting them up.

There's also a good amount of storage under the second bunk.

At the front of the caravan are two settees. You can optionally fix a table between them. However, they also convert to a double bed, where Shell and I sleep. Plus, these seats also have storage underneath.

In the middle of the caravan is a smaller set of seats with a table. This can either convert to a single bed, or to a further bunk bed.

 ...set of seats with a table...can either convert to a single bed, or to a further bunk bed

Our eldest daughter likes this area. We tend to set-up the bunk bed for her, leaving the seats as they are below for additional storage.

Finally, we also have a Vango Karali Awning with an extension, which can be used as a double bedroom. When we've set that up, our daughter has been using it instead, making a little bit more room in the caravan.

We will cover this awning in more detail in a future article.

Space inside the caravan

We wondered whether we would have enough space for two adults, three kids, and a dog.

When we are camping for many nights and pitching a large tent, we have lots of space. The caravan is smaller but not as bad as we were thinking.

Certainly, the addition of the awning makes a huge difference, but we've also used the caravan without it, and although it can get a little crowded, we've still found plenty of room.

Toilets and Facilities

Hooking up the caravan and connecting up to the water...and disposing of the water is quite a simple job once you've done it once or twice.

Hooking up...is quite a simple job once you've done it once or twice

If you want to know what's involved, stay tuned for a future post on that.

The bathroom in the Compass Casita 586 is quite roomy.

There's a full-size walk-in shower, a sink, and a toilet.

Most of the time we have been staying with excellent facilities at the Camping and Caravanning Club campsites, so we haven't had to put the caravan's facilities under too much use, but that changed on a recent visit where there were no toilets.

The caravan's toilet works well and doesn't leave a smell in the van.

It also lets you know when it needs changing.

It has certainly been nice not having to walk to the toilet block in the middle of the night 😉

been nice not having to walk to the toilet block in the middle of the night

I was surprised at the water pressure in the shower. However, I haven't managed to get it to stay hot for long. More practice is required.

I would only add a few more hooks to the bathroom. We have a pre-production model, so the 2017 Compass Casita 586 might be slightly different.

Cooking in the Caravan

There is a microwave, power points to plug in low-wattage camping toasters and kettle, a gas oven, grill, and a hob. So you have a lot of options for cooking.

The fridge can work off the leisure battery, the campsite's electric hook-up, or the gas.

There's not much space in the kitchen, but the sink comes with a cover to make a little more work surface.

Well, that's Casper

So that's a quick little tour of Casper the Caravan, the Compass Casita 586 that we're looking after during the 5CChallege.

We're just first-time caravanners, so not experts on the different types of caravans. But from our experience so far, we think this is a great family caravan and definitely a model you should consider if you are thinking about starting caravanning with your family.

It gets the Thumbs Up from us.