by Holly Tribe
Until quite recently, caravans with a slide out section were relatively unheard of in the UK. Yet within the space of a month, we’ve come across two new ranges that feature this innovative design.
Both were unveiled at Boat & Caravan 2011; the first came in the shape of Inos, built by the Welsh Fifth Wheel Co., and the second hails from the other side of the pond. The name of the range is EDGE, built by US specialists Heartlands RV and sold by Exeter based 1-RV (the UK’s sole importers).
Heartland RV is an American company who specialise in building big, full fat caravans for big American tastes. Like the Fifth Wheel Company, its forte is fifth wheelers, but the firm has also diversified into the touring caravan market. Interestingly, the Edge is marketed as an ‘ultra lightweight trailer’ in the US – despite having an MTPLM of well in excess of 1,900kgs.
Full fat caravans
What’s clear from the outset is that these caravans come from an American stable – they’re loaded with kit and share similar design elements with larger recreational vehicles (pictured). For instance there are onboard fresh and waste water tanks, an electrically operated awning, air conditioning and exterior speakers. Though you may run the risk of infuriating park wardens if you crank these up full blast!
The UK imports have been made fully EU compliant by replacing the electric brakes with the European cable system, modifying the front and rear lights and converting the electrics to run on the domestic 12v system.
The three models currently available include the M18, M21 and M22.
