Earlier this 12 months, we did a evaluate on the most recent mannequin Ezytrail Ceduna MK3, which works for just below $60,000 and round $65,990 for the following dimension up, the Ceduna 15 MK3. However for these of you with a funds that doesn’t fairly stretch to a brand-new caravan, there’s nothing flawed with on the lookout for a second-hand Ezytrail Ceduna in good nick.
Whereas filming Foodie Trails, RVDaily gave the Ezytrail 2019 mannequin Ceduna 13 (two-berth) and 15 (four-berth) an intensive discipline take a look at. The temporary was clear. Take two Ezytrail Ceduna off-road caravans on a three-week sojourn round Regional NSW and QLD, discovering probably the most lovely locations to arrange camp and probably the most scrumptious issues to eat. Doesn’t sound like your common caravan evaluate, does it? Right here’s what you’ll be able to count on from the older (and authentic) Ezytrail Cedunas.
Evaluate: 2019 Ezytrail Ceduna 13 & 15
Marking Ezytrail’s entry into the caravan market correct, the Ceduna was Ezytrail’s first hard-top off-road caravan that aimed to offer every thing you want for journey within the one package deal. Ezytrail doesn’t imagine in an choices listing so long as your arm, which is an strategy I fairly like for basic touring. You gained’t be caught out paying 1000’s of {dollars} extra in your van than you first anticipated. The Ceduna was kind of able to go, with loads of {hardware} for exploration off-road, self-sufficient touring and luxury away from dwelling.
An off-road tourer
Though compact at 13- and 15-feet respectively, the Ceduna shouldn’t be the lightest of small caravans. The Ceduna 13 weighs 2100kg Tare with a 2800kg ATM, whereas the Ceduna 15 weighs 2380kg Tare, with a 3000kg ATM. And whereas that is stretching the friendship for smaller tow autos with three-tonne towing capacities, notably in off-road environments, for the Ram 1500s with which we have been hauling them, it was a bit of cake. That stated, our off-road testing was restricted to well-graded gravel tracks right into a handful of the campsites we encountered, so we are able to’t declare to supply a complete off-road evaluate.
However, like Ezytrail’s different off-road camper trailers and hybrids, the Ceduna has all the suitable {hardware} for the job: unbiased trailing arm suspension with twin shocks; anti-chip underbody safety; an AL-KO off-road ball coupling (which we swapped for the optionally available McHitch Uniglide auto-coupling system which labored a deal with); 12-inch electrical brakes; and 265/70R17 off-road tyres, together with two rear-mounted spares.
Ezytrail put its cash the place its mouth is
And in proclaiming the Ceduna a full off-road caravan, Ezytrail put its cash the place its mouth is by offering first house owners with a lifetime guarantee on the Ceduna’s chassis and drawbar, defending towards fault demonstrated in each on- and off-road conditions. The Ceduna is fitted with Ezytrail’s ‘F5’ chassis and drawbar, which have each been engineer-certified ADR compliant for off-road use.
The F5 Chassis is comprised of 100 x 50 x 4mm Q345 galvanised metal tube whereas the F5 Drawbar is 150 x 50 x 4mm. The physique of the caravan is aluminium RHS body with composite panel cladding and has black aluminium checker plate trims.
The entrance storage field doubles as a stoneguard with anti-chip safety, and has two gasoline storage compartments plus a bigger central compartment for jerry cans and instruments.
Self-sufficient tenting
The Ezytrail Ceduna gained’t simply get you to that distant campsite, it’ll allow you to keep there tenting independently for a number of days. It has 240L of freshwater storage, cut up throughout entrance and rear tanks with 1.5mm checker plate safety and unbiased 12V pumps. There’s a 67L gray water tank to catch your used rest room water, whereas a chemical canister lavatory takes care of the gritty enterprise. There’s capability to securely stow 18kg of gasoline, with the aforementioned twin 9kg gasoline bottle holders, convertible to 4.5kg holders.
A preferred optionally available additional for this mannequin was photo voltaic, which provides 3 x 100W roof-mounted photo voltaic panels into the equation. With these on-board the Ezytrail electrics system works a deal with, offering near-constant cost into the three x 100amp deep cycle batteries. There’s a 25amp 7 stage charger, plus 240V energy enter. It’s all monitored by an efficient battery administration system. A brand new mannequin in fact, will supply extra (400W of photo voltaic on the roof and 240A from a pair of lithium batteries), however the authentic providing is definitely nonetheless usable and never slouchy by an extended shot.
Consolation on the highway
Sizzling water comes on the flick of a change, which fires up the Swift 240V/gasoline 28-litre storage boiler, plumbed to each the lavatory and kitchen sink. The on-board ensuite is surprisingly spacious for such a compact van, with bathe, sink and Thetford chemical bathroom. The Ezytrail Ceduna 13’s rest room has a helpful storage shelf for toiletries and towels (this house is taken up by the bunk beds within the Ceduna 15). The toilet has a roof hatch and exhaust fan, plus a helpful wall-mounted, mirrored self-importance cabinet.
The primary mattress is an expensive king, with innerspring mattress with pillow prime. This folds in half throughout transit. Presumably this mattress is designed for north-south sleeping, however I discovered myself sleeping east-west as a result of I don’t discover the be a part of the place the mattress folds in half snug at my hips. If I owned a Ceduna, I’d rapidly put money into a dense comforter as a fast repair to alleviate this problem.
Is it snug to sleep in?
The Ezytrail Ceduna 15’s bunk beds have a single on prime and a king single under, with combined density foam mattresses. My illustrious co-presenter on Foodie Trails, Chef Macca, slept on the underside bunk of the van he shared with RV Each day editor Tim Scott, and reported it to be snug sufficient for the 2 weeks-plus we have been on the highway.
There are studying lights at each bunks and two on the primary mattress, with sufficient inner and exterior lighting all through the remainder of the van.
The Ceduna 13 and 15 we used each had the optionally available Dometic reverse-cycle air-conditioner, which bought a glance in through the chilly September evenings after we had mains energy, sufficiently taking the sting off the chilly night time air.
For music and telly, the Ezytrail Ceduna comes customary with an leisure unit with Bluetooth connectivity and a 19-inch TV mounted close to the primary mattress.
Format
The Ceduna has a blessedly fast set-up time, with the rear mattress extension pulled out in lower than two minutes and the Dometic awning wound out and pegged down in 5 minutes extra. This comes with a light-weight annexe to surround the outside house.
Inside, there’s a central dinette and wardrobe. The Ceduna 13 has a entrance storage space with a helpful quantity of bench house, though this might profit from 240V retailers for the usage of home equipment like a espresso machine and gadget chargers. The Ceduna 13 additionally has a big 2.1m exterior tunnel boot with entry from each side – a particularly helpful, cavernous space for storing.
The Ezytrail Ceduna 15 swaps this entrance storage out for the beforehand talked about bunk beds. They each have prime and tail home windows and studying lights, and the style wherein they tuck behind the ensuite makes them cosy, non-public little nooks children would love.
The primary mattress has outsized home windows on each side, plus a big head window. And whereas these giant home windows body the view and permit nice airflow, it does imply the van isn’t as insulative towards chilly climate resembling we skilled within the Central West, Far South Coast and Yass areas. I’d want smaller home windows close to the mattress to offer better insulation and a way of privateness. And whereas the Ceduna has privateness screens on every of the home windows, there isn’t a blind for the glass panel of the door, which was a problem for me at night time.
However wait … there’s extra!
Due to its hard-top fastened roof, the Ceduna gives extra purposeful inner space for storing than any Ezytrail earlier than it. There are overhead storage compartments all spherical, plus underbed and under-seat storage.
Cooking is alfresco, with an exterior slide-out kitchen. This has a four-burner gasoline range, stainless-steel sink, two drawers, a folding dish drying rack and a small bench extension slide on the tip – plus an adjustable assist leg to maintain all of it sturdy. This works nicely, though the sink space can be extra purposeful if the sink sat a few inches out from the physique of the camper moderately than flush with it. This might make washing up bigger gadgets a lot simpler. These super-sized home windows on the mattress are a bit pesky from the kitchen, too, impeding upon one’s headspace when standing on the sink.
There’s a separate lockable pantry drawer alongside the kitchen slide. The fridge slide is positioned on the opposite facet of the van’s door, measuring 1000 x 530 x 480mm with exhaust fan and a sensor gentle, plus Anderson plug, 12V and 240V connectivity.
The absence of an indoor kitchen would possibly hassle some, however didn’t fear me. I really like cooking exterior; it brings me quiet pleasure to have grass underfoot whereas concocting some scrumptious meal, a glass of native wine in hand and the breeze in my hair. I’d a lot want that to the splattered fats of lamb chops on my bedding. However, granted, typically the breeze is a gale and the grass is a puddle and the wine comes from a field. For these unhappy instances, the choice to prepare dinner inside can be appreciated.
The decision
When you’re on the lookout for a complete, reasonably priced and compact off-road caravan that has a lot of the bins ticked for snug but easy touring, a second hand Ezytrail Ceduna is nicely price a glance. This succesful, intrepid van is a worth proposition for fuss-free caravan adventures.
Execs
Cons
Specs: Ezytrail Ceduna 13
Specs: Ezytrail Ceduna 15
Phrases by Emma Ryan & RVDaily. Photographs by Stuart Grant & RVDaily.
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