Reading a payload figure honestly

Payload is the only weight figure that tells you what you can actually put in a van. It is not published on most spec sheets. You calculate it:

Payload = ATM minus tare

ATM is the maximum legal loaded weight of the van when it is coupled to the tow vehicle. Tare is what the van weighed when it left the factory. The difference is everything you are allowed to add: water, gas, batteries, clothes, food, tools, the annexe, the second spare wheel, the kids’ bikes.

Buyers compare tare because it is printed large. Tare tells you almost nothing on its own. Two vans with the same 2,400kg tare can have 300kg or 900kg of usable capacity depending on where the ATM is set.

What payload looks like across the market

Across the 799 models that publish both numbers, the median payload is 620kg. Half the market sits between 520kg and 761kg.

Category	Models	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile	Under 400kg
Caravan	657	520kg	620kg	750kg	4%
Camper trailer	110	501kg	600kg	797kg	10%
Toy hauler	8	544kg	725kg	775kg	0%
Pod trailer	4	530kg	600kg	705kg	0%
Motorhome	20	930kg	1,104kg	1,201kg	0%

Payload does not scale with size the way people expect. As a share of ATM it is close to flat once you pass 2,500kg:

ATM band	Models	Median payload	Payload as share of ATM
Under 1,500kg	11	320kg	28%
1,500 to 2,000kg	71	436kg	26%
2,000 to 2,500kg	66	500kg	23%
2,500 to 3,000kg	240	590kg	21%
3,000 to 3,500kg	215	665kg	21%
3,500 to 4,500kg	180	750kg	21%
Over 4,500kg	16	1,204kg	23%

A bigger van gives you more payload in absolute kilograms, but it also comes with bigger tanks, a bigger fridge, more furniture and more people, so the extra capacity is usually spoken for before you load anything.

The tight tail is small but real. Of the 799 models, 40 (5.0%) publish under 400kg of payload and 4 publish under 300kg. At the other end, 170 models (21%) publish 800kg or more and 60 publish 1,000kg or more.

Where the payload goes

Water is the single largest consumer. Fresh water weighs 1kg per litre, and the median caravan in the data carries 190L. Off-road-labelled caravans run higher, with a median of 200L and a 75th percentile of 240L.

Across the 465 models where both payload and water capacity are published, the median van’s total tank capacity equals 30% of its published payload. On 20 of those models, filling the tanks alone consumes more than half the payload.

Here is a realistic load-out for two adults touring for a fortnight off grid. Nothing on this list is unusual.

Item	Weight
Fresh water, 190L	190kg
Grey water tank, 100L (median where fitted)	100kg
Hot water service, 22L	22kg
Toilet cassette, filled	20kg
Two 9kg gas cylinders, full	35kg
Clothing and bedding, two adults	60kg
Food, drinks, pantry	40kg
Crockery, pots, kitchen gear	25kg
Annexe, mats, chairs, table	55kg
Tools, recovery gear, levelling ramps	35kg
Second spare wheel and tyre	35kg
Generator or supplementary battery	25kg
Total	642kg

That is 642kg against a median caravan payload of 620kg. The list contains no bikes, no fishing gear, no jerry cans, no portable fridge and no firewood.

This is the whole point of the exercise. On a median van, a median load-out is already over. It does not mean the van is unsuitable. It means you travel with partial tanks, or you leave the annexe at home, or you buy a van with a higher ATM.

Tare is measured empty of the things you are buying

The tare figure on a spec sheet is the weight of the van as built and weighed at the factory, and manufacturers weigh it in base configuration. Depending on the builder, tare may exclude:

• Optional solar panels, extra batteries and inverters
• Air conditioning, if it is not standard
• The washing machine, dishwasher or second fridge on the options list
• Bike racks, jerry can holders, rear bars and spare wheel carriers
• Water in the tanks, gas in the bottles, and the toilet cassette
• Anything the dealer fits after the van leaves the factory

Every one of those items comes out of payload, not out of tare, unless the van is reweighed and a new compliance plate is issued. A well-optioned van can leave the dealer 150kg to 250kg heavier than the tare figure that sold it, with the payload silently reduced by the same amount.

Ask the dealer, in writing, whether the quoted tare includes the options on your order, and whether the van will be reweighed before handover.

Checking the compliance plate

Every trailer built for Australian road use carries a compliance or identification plate, usually riveted to the drawbar, inside the front boot, or on the A-frame. It carries the numbers that legally apply to your specific van, not to the model in the brochure.

Look for:

• ATM in kilograms. This is the ceiling. It is what a weighbridge must not exceed with the van coupled.
• GTM in kilograms. This is the load carried through the axles, with the ball weight taken by the tow vehicle. GTM is always lower than ATM by roughly the ball weight.
• VIN, 17 characters. It must match the van’s paperwork and the RAV entry.
• Date of manufacture, month and year.
• Axle group rating or individual axle capacity, where shown.

If the plate disagrees with the brochure, the plate wins. Photograph it, then compare it against the published figures on the model’s CampSpec page before you sign anything.

Two examples at each end

Payload is a design choice, and some builders publish a lot of it.

• Red Centre Caravans Tanami: 2,745kg tare, 4,400kg ATM, 1,655kg published payload.
• Highclere Caravans Little Casita 16’6 FT: 2,113kg tare, 3,700kg ATM, 1,587kg published payload.
• Zone RV Peregrine: 2,723kg tare, 4,000kg ATM, 1,277kg published payload.

At the compact end, payload is smaller in absolute terms because the whole van is smaller, and that is proportionate rather than a fault.

• Fantasy Caravans Nano 10: 1,247kg tare, 1,500kg ATM, 253kg published payload.
• Paramount Caravans Micro: 1,760kg tare, 2,000kg ATM, 240kg published payload.

A 253kg payload on a 1,500kg van is a genuine constraint, but it is a constraint on a van you would tow with a mid-size wagon. The mismatch to watch for is a large family van with a small payload, because the load-out scales with the family and the tanks, not with the ATM.

What to do with the number

1. Work out payload for every van on your shortlist, then rank by payload rather than by tare.
2. Weigh your intended load-out on bathroom scales at home. Most people are surprised by 60kg to 100kg.
3. Add your full water capacity in kilograms. Decide whether you will genuinely travel with empty tanks.
4. Confirm the payload survives the options list, in writing.
5. Take the loaded van over a public weighbridge before the first long trip, and again once you have settled how you pack.

If the sums do not work, the fix is a higher ATM or a lighter van. It is not travelling with a quarter tank and hoping.