MDC Forbes 12+ review: Part 1

Honest review of the MDC Forbes 12+. The first of a two-part series.

Choosing a travel trailer is a difficult task as there’s so much ever-changing choice and it’s hard to figure out your own tradeoffs. 

For me, a hybrid caravan was the best option and I’ve described my personal decision process in this story. This piece is a review of the 12+, and it’s from an ownership perspective, not a loan-review.  I don’t normally do caravan reviews. As all you’re usually allowed to do is tow the thing somewhere scenic for an hour or so. Then gush about what the press release says and I think that’s pointless!

Instead, I’ve owned this van for two years (no mate’s rates either) and towed it on and off-road around four states. So I’m now at the point I can deliver a review.

So let’s start with the size

Size is inevitably a compromise. Ideally caravans should shrink as soon as they’re hitched up, and expand when unhitched. And the 12+ kind of does, being a pop-top and rear expander. It is 2100mm wide which is wider than the Ranger I tow it with, necessitating towing mirrors which is irritating, and while I’ve taken it down some narrow-ish tracks I wish it was 2000mm wide to pretty much match the Ranger. But, once inside, I’d miss the extra 100mm width. Even so, I think I’d go for the narrower option as that would also mean the track (distance between the wheels) width could be the same as the towcar. So it’d be easier to pull in sand and in ruts. I have appreciated the lower roof line of the pop-top when amongst trees, and the shorter length when three-point-turning.

Setting up

The setup of popping the roof and extending the back isn’t too hard and takes maybe three minutes. But sometimes lifting or raising is an effort, and cannot be done by my daughters. It also helps to be tall to reach the roof clips. As ever with any camping gear, make sure you’re strong and tall enough to operate it if you’re not an adult male in good health. I’ve arranged the mattress so I can get inside and work on the table without needing to raise the roof or extend the back, handy for quick stops.

What’s included?

There are four stabiliser legs which I deploy when unhitched from the towcar. There’s no spirit level provided to check for being level, but that’s an easy addition. The parkbrake is, as usual with trailers, near useless so you need a set of four chocks.

The tow hitch is the well-proven D035 off-road coupling about which I have mixed feelings. It is prone to getting sand and debris in the mechanism, and isn’t intuitive to operate for people who don’t know.  It requires the trailer hitch to be raised quite high to couple up. Although you could always just connect the tongue to the trailer, and then reverse the towcar onto the tongue.

There is an electrically operated awning which I rarely use as I really don’t like them flapping in the wind. But it is well-designed and spacious with a mechanical override in case of electrical failure. Also outside is a shower, which I tend not to use but I suppose it’s nice. Cooking is also outside, gas powered; two 8kg bottles standard but I’d prefer two 4kg and more storage space. Don’t go messing with any gas fitting unless you’re a licensed fitter.

The stove is a bit anemic, and it’s quicker to boil water on my hiking stove which I keep in the van for cuppas. There are silly polystyrene inserts to stop the stove rails bouncing around. Later MDC models have a much better stove design that does away with the rails. The kitchen area to my mind is quite workable with decent space and wind protection. But to be honest this is neither my expertise or interest so look elsewhere for a view on anything culinary.

I can say one thing I like is the pull-out extension table to the kitchen unit, very handy, and the stabilizer leg is welcome too. One thing I don’t like is the odd placement of the exterior lights which don’t cover the stove/sink, but again that’s fairly easily fixed. What I do like is the slide in/out pantry accessible from inside or outside the van. It’s a superb idea which makes life so much easier.

Storage

Exterior storage starts with a fridge compartment and slide, which I never use for a fridge on the basis the car fridge is all I need. And that space is for Starlink or my hiking backpack. I also don’t like weight that far forward. We’ll get to towing in the next update. Also at the front is a wide but shallow compartment to which I’ve bolted four MAXTRAX. Inside are stored things like the chocks, stabiliser leg winders, electrical cables and so on. But not the jack. The standard jack is useless. It wouldn’t raise the van wheel off the ground, and failed when I tried to lower it. Binned it and bought a 8-tonne bottle jack instead!

Caravans need a lot of accessories such as cables, hoses, air compressor extensions, various arms and levers so it’s good to have somewhere to put all that gear.

There’s another storage compartment at the front which usually houses a generator but for me it takes camp chairs and a small table. All compartments are lockable, and here I need to note that virtually every lock takes a different key and that’s not counting those for which you need to buy padlocks. Annoying, but you get used to it.

Okay, time to step inside. Oh wait, word count is up. That’ll be Part 2…