Okto gets another dirt-road model

Okto, having sold more than 70 caravans in the two years since its inception, has just introduced a new model: the Okto Villa En-Suite Gravellor. Yes, it’s a mouthful, but is actually simply an Okto Villa En-Suite adapted for towing on gravel roads. Okto started out as a road caravan manufacturer with two models: the Villa and the Cabana, for four and three people respectively, then their first dirt-road caravan, the Cabana Gravellor, launched earlier this year. In addition, the Villa En-Suite got a built-in bathroom. The next logical step was therefore a Gravellor version. The layout of the En-Suite is the same as that of the original model, but it’s adapted for tougher road conditions. The Gravellor’s reinforcements start at the Al-Ko chassis. These are specially manufactured in Germany and include a sturdier axle. The En-Suite Gravellor gets a 1,8 t axle, unlike the regular 1,5 t version. The 14” wheels give way for 15” tyres, and a bullbar runs along the lower corner around the caravan. The fibreglass cover over the A-frame is replaced with a flat steel shelf and you now have storage space for a bag of braai wood. The hinges of the cupboard doors are fixed even more securely for the bumps and grinds of a dirt road. The Gravellor is 170 kg heavier than the standard Villa En-Suite. Its tare weight is 1 370 kg and gross vehicle mass (GVM) 1 700 kg. The length and width of the caravan are identical, but the Gravellor is 11 cm higher. Because the bathroom is in the rear, two beds had to be sacrificed. The En-Suite Gravellor can therefore only accommodate two people instead of four – on an island bed close to the nose. This Gravellor model is equipped with, among other items, a 192 ℓ Defy fridge (12 V), a Dometic two-plate gas stove, a microwave oven, sink and hand basin, a 220 V gas/electric geyser and a cassette toilet. Then there’s also a built-in 75 ℓ water tank with a gauge, gas cylinder,