Just lift up and pull out the sofa base, then pull on the mattress to extend it – and there’s your tremendous proper, Duvalay-mattress-topped double bed. This may well turn out to be the 3’s biggest selling point: the permanent double bed that’s only ‘permanent’ some of the time (if you see what I mean). Outside you’ll find a gas barbecue and mains sockets, and a shower attachment – perfect for attending to mucky pups, sandy feet or filthy mountain bikes.
In addition, the Basecamp features plenty of mains and USB sockets, dual-fuel heating (courtesy of a Whale heater that delivers its blown air from a space-saving underfloor mounting) and posh pleated blinds.
It’s coolly attractive, and a couple of fluffy rugs and the aforementioned throw for the sofa would instantly make it more homely.Įquipment is decent, headed up by a standard 100W solar panel on the roof. The overall décor could almost be described as ‘industrial chic’. They have zipped fronts, so they’re just as easily accessed on site as lockers – and, of course, they’re a very obvious design feature. You can take them all home with you at the end of your trip, and then load them up when you’re packing for the next one – this cuts down on the number of bags you need to take, and saves on unpacking time when you arrive. Are they a bit gimmicky? I don’t think so. This year, these are the only orange fitments on display – a nod to what has been something of a trademark Basecamp colour since its inception. Most caravans offer the capacity to take stuff with you that would be difficult to accommodate otherwise – but the Basecamp takes that to extremes.Ī signature feature that continues into 2023 is the bank of removable soft storage bags along the nearside, where you’d usually expect to find ‘normal’ overhead lockers. Stow the table top/leg away and, as with the bed/seating at the front, everything folds up out of the way, giving you somewhere else to secure unwieldy kit in transit (or, indeed, you could bring it all in for secure, weatherproofed overnight storage). With the floor-mounted table in place, this area is perfect as a breakfast bar or lunch station. What gives the 3 its third berth are the two facing single seats along the nearside wall. The enormous panoramic window floods the entire area with light, and opens so wide that you can almost think of it as a sunroof.Īt night-time the sofa becomes a bed (more on that later…) and, being a Basecamp, the whole structure also folds flat and secures against the front wall so you can accommodate your bikes, etc.
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It’s ideally located for watching telly too – all the TV connections are on the shelf directly facing it.
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All it needs is a big, woolly throw to chuck over it, plus a couple of fat cushions to lean into, and two of you can wallow in luxury with your feet up. Oddly, there’s no mention I can find in any brochure of its daytime use as an exceptionally comfortable and huge sofa. Here, you’ll find what Swift modestly describes as a ‘folding Duvalay mattress’. Walk in through the extra-wide rear door and look to the very front. So, now we come to that eye-opening surprise. The same company’s celebrated ATC trailer control system is available as a £475 factory-fit option. The MTPLM figure of 1,146kg is considerably less than that of even the lightest Sprite, and the ability to be towed easily by a vast variety of vehicles undoubtedly plays a part in attracting caravanning newcomers.įor 2023, the Al-Ko chassis has been adorned with shock absorbers to give a more settled ride. The piano black alloy wheels are new this year – and they’re absolutely stunning. The removable table that slots into place in the side seating area keeps up the over-engineered theme.Īll this is all the more admirable considering the 3’s relative lack of weight. The smooth, impact-resistant GRP body panels feel thumpingly hefty and, inside, there’s a pleasing robustness to all the fixtures and fittings, exemplified by the metal frames and sprung-slat bases on the furniture. One word you’d use to describe the Basecamp’s unique design is ‘chunky’ – and it’s a good word to use to describe the caravan more generally. Its place in the three-model line-up has been taken by the new Basecamp 3, which joins the 4 (with which it shares a bodyshell) and the smaller 2.Īll Basecamps have interesting layouts, but this new three-berther has a particularly eye-catching surprise in store. I’ve started to see more and more of them on sites and out on the road, which isn’t a coincidence – Basecamps have proved to be a sales success story for Swift, even though the short-lived Basecamp 6 has been dropped for 2023. Thee Swift Basecamp can surely lay claim to being the most instantly recognisable British-built caravan. Rob McCabe shares his observations on a rugged three-berth from Swift
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