Hobby Caravan For Those Weekend Getaways

Hobby caravan for those weekend getaways at your favourite camping grounds. The amenities are available there that can take care of the things that you need to get rid of. The reason is the  black and grey water tanks are not large enough on the Hobby caravan. You simply cannot stay away for any length of time beyond a couple of days.

They are fairly basic due to the fact that things that other manufactures think are standard are an extra on a Hobby . The Hobby caravan is made in Germany and are one of the biggest selling vans in Europe.

The Hobby caravan is in the middle of the range of caravans built in Europe and is a popular van among those who own one due to the fact that they give very few problems.

This caravan is made by Hobby-Wohnwagenwerk, Ing. Harald Striewski Company which was founded in 1967 and is a subsidiary of Fendt Caravan another German manufacturer. Hobby though is the parent company for the Fendt Company.

Hobby control the direction of the company. The two companies operate separately producing their own separate products which are quite different from each other. Both style and appearance are quite different with one the Fendt caravan being more square than the Hobby caravan.

How Good is a Hobby Caravan

Honestly when looking around for the truth on Hobby caravans all I could find was people saying how great they are. This is no surprise due to the fact that when you look at a Hobby caravan you are looking at a German made product.

The Germans are well known for producing good middle of the road products that are usually superior to the competition from other countries. Simply because they have a lot of pride in what they do. So a Hobby caravan is no different.

Customers who have one are extremely happy which in this industry is surprising. These caravans are so good that others boycott them and do not want to do anything about them especially in Great Britain where the manufacturers are not up to the Hobby caravan standard.

These companies maybe hurt by any information and publication who would heavily endorse anything German. There maybe a reason for this that is not just the economic effects on British companies that are in the same industry. There is not a lot of advertising about them other than when you may visit a dealer that sells them. 

If this is not an official licensed dealer but one which deals in second hand units then you have to ask yourself why are they stocking them. The reason is probably because they don't give much trouble if any like some of the other makes of caravans do. So they continue to sell them because it is good for their reputation, brand and business.   

Is a Hobby Caravan a Quality Product

A Hobby caravan is a fly in the ointment especially in the UK because they are seen by some publications as a threat to the British market. Why is this, it is because for a middle of the road product the Hobby caravan is better quality than the British made caravans. So no reviews are published in the large newspapers or magazines.

The reason is that customers might abandon British made for foreign made. They may realize that a Hobby caravan is a better quality product and buy that which would put more people out of work. So what would be good for Hobby would be bad for the UK.

Everything about a Hobby caravan is superior to British made and this is why the fear. To me this would make the British made vans pickup there game so that they can at least match the Hobby caravan in quality and longevity. This would also do well in other nations where the quality are not as good as a Hobby caravan.

The finish is well done with rounded edges which adds to longevity and a stylish look which is a step up from the sharp corners in other designs which cause problems. Interior decor is also superior and appealing to the eye so much so that a wow factor is usually included when looking inside a Hobby caravan.  

Hobby Caravan Range

What does Hobby caravan have to offer in the range of caravans that they have in their list of caravans available? You will find that they have tried to put together the best available choice for you. But this may not be what you are looking for or it might be exactly what you are looking for.

This of course all depends on whether you are wowed by what is presented to you when looking at the Hobby caravan. In saying that Hobby is sticking with the six existing models they have which extends out to 58 different layouts for you to choose from. 

A change has come for the 2020 range in that they have completely revamped the rear of the caravan to make it more appealing to you the customer with a stylish new rear light design. 

This is expressed on four models The Contour, De Luxe, De Luxe Edition, Excellent models. This may have been caused by increased demand for the other models which may already have the change.

You will also find that the designers at Hobby have also made provisions for what they call intelligent space design to make ample room for a cosy atmosphere within the layout for your lifestyle.

Their Range is: 

• Hobby Ontour 

  4 layouts 1 child's bed layout and no more than 2.20m in width

• Hobby De Luxe 

  18 layouts including 6 children’s bed layouts 2 drop-down bed layouts 1 layout with large rear washroom and 2 vehicles with queen-size bed 

  New layouts:  440 SF, 460 SFf, 540 FU, 540 UFf, 650 KFU 

• Hobby De Luxe Edition

 6 layouts including  4 children’s bed layouts

• Hobby Excellent

13 layouts 3 layouts with large rear washroom 2 vehicles with queen-size bed New layouts: 650 UMFe 

• Hobby Prestige

11 layouts including 2 children’s bed layouts 5 layouts with large rear washroom 1 queen-size bed layout New layouts: 560 FC 720 WQC 

• Hobby Premium

6 layouts including 1 children’s bed layout 1 queen-size bed layout 1 layout with large rear washroom 

Any Concerns about a Hobby Caravan?

Concerns you might like to know about are minor only and can be fixed under warranty. They are annoying to those it effects but are not serious and hardly worth the mention.

The main thing is that the Hobby caravan is relatively fault free with no major issues to worry about as far as can be  attained. There is one thing though that needs to be mentioned and that is the cassette toilet which is not that big and will need emptying quite frequently.

This takes away your ability to stay in one place in a freedom camping situation for  long. This cramps your ability slightly but if you are willing to put up with the inconvenience then it is still a good buy for weekend getaways.

Another concern is the on board capacity for grey and fresh water which is relatively small at 47 litres for fresh water. But this is perfectly fine if you are only going to camping grounds only or only short stays. Any longer you are best to stay where you can empty your black and grey water fairly easily.

Because the fresh water tank is so small at 47 litres it is best to hook up to town supply water. if Hobby would make corrections with these then freedom camping would be a reality. This could mean though by doing this you get this extra ability to go freedom camping but at a cost to the overall carrying capacity of the Hobby caravan.  

Hobby Caravan Final Thoughts on Specifications

The Hobby caravan comes in 6 models where the length starts at 5,780mm with the Ontour all the way up to 8,865mm with Premium which is at the top of the line. All other models fall within this range.

The next measurement is total Gross Weight which is 1,200kgs for the Ontour all the way up to 2,000kgs for the Premium top model. All other models fit within this weight range.

Most models have a single axles all except the two top of the line premiums and 4 Prestige models which have double axles too. You will find these measurements important to give you an idea how small or large the Hobby caravan is.

The next measurement you would need to know is how wide the hobby caravan is. The Ontour is 2,200mm wide all the way up to the Premium which is 2,500mm wide.

The wider and longer the Hobby caravan the more room there is inside to put more extras than in the the smaller models. The maximum carrying capacity for most caravans is 3 or 4 people and this is because of the carrying capacity for black, grey and fresh water which is small unfortunately. 

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