A review of the Chinese MIY caravan after our round trip to Inner Mongolia from Shanghai, 7200km in total.
The price for this unit is around 130.000CNY/17.000EUR, and for this price, I see the quality is a good match with the invested money. This is our review of the Chinese MIY caravan
We rented this from Shanghai at a reasonable price of 14000CNY/1822Eur/4 weeks. The interior looked suitable and did have four beds for us. We are two adults and two kids traveling; therefore, the bed arrangement is good. I slept well in them and did not hear any complaints from others.
The caravan was a little bit too small for the four of us. We needed to make the beds each night. The cabinet space was too limited and mostly in front. Due to that, the ball weight was difficult to handle as most of the weight was in front. We conducted a test after the trip and measured it with the support wheel, and the result was 180kg (Kia Sorento ball weight maximum is about 100kg) with half a tank of water. We knew the weight should be measured from the ball, but we could only measure under the support wheel due to limited measuring equipment l. That gives you some estimate of the weight split of the caravan. Moving the water tank 50cm backward closer to the axel is recommended.
Specification of the rented caravan
- Manufacturer 三创联盟(沧州临港)科技有限公司
- AL-KO
- Dimensions 5970×2070,2160×2670(mm)
- Total mass 1500 (kg)
- Solar panels of approximately 800W. Can keep the refrigerator running without external power
- Batteries 240A
- The diesel heater did not test it as it was not needed in July.
- The A/C unit, maybe (2500W), might be under-powered in excessive heat.
- 800W electrical cooking plate
- Microwave power was enough
- Fresh water tank 145L
- Gas heater for water
- Portable generator 2kW
- Shower and toilet
- External shower
- Outside the Gas cooking station
- All electrical sockets also had double USB charging.
Read More: Road trip | inner Mongolia 2021
Final verdict about the MIY caravan
This MIY MYY9012XLJ03 caravan is relatively tiny, but it should be OK for two persons for longer trips. For four people, shorter trips are preferred. The caravan’s price directly reflects on the build quality and a couple of times needed to fix, for example, leaking pipes. The solar panels + batteries could easily keep the refrigerator running, but if AC needs to be used, the batteries will drain fast.
Next time the rental must be a bigger one and maybe better quality. It is impossible to find any rentals and even no private persons that would rent a caravan. The selection in China is minimal even though they make a lot of them for export.
Remember, new regulations for pulling a caravan in China are valid from April 2022. LINK
Last but not least, I attached some pictures with comments.
Review of Chinese MIY caravan model MYY9012XLJ03
Petri 大P
- Shanghai
- MIY
- MYY9012XLJ03
Something Good
- Solar panels are powerful on sunny days.
- Water tank size enough for four persons quick shower
- Gas outdoor cooking was good and powerful
- The bed arrangement is good, one big bed in front and two double beds at the rear. easy to set up and closed.
- The refrigerator is big enough.
- Solar panels are powerful on sunny days.
Need some improvement
- Water tank placement is not optimal. Too much load in front, moved maybe 50cm to rear direction can be a better option. As there is not so much storage space in the rear this will increase the tow ball weight a lot.
- Almost all the heavy items are in the front part of the caravan, AC and Solar inverter, etc., therefore the balance of the caravan is problematic.
- The water filling hole is at a level horizontal, this makes it difficult to fill in without spilling water around.
- One key system would be appreciated, finding the right key in a chain costs time and patience.
- Sofa textile should be dirt repellent, the design could be more friendly for the long trip instead of good-looking.
- The toilet sink should be fixed to the wall instead of hanging there. the shower hose could not be pulled in.
- Awning supports were not strong enough and were broken when we got hit by a storm. Need some weights to lock them down if windy.
- pipes under the sink need to be fixed permanently, even though we had to fixed 2 times on the trip.
- Electrical works under the "hood" should follow a good standard.
- Overall quality
Review of Chinese MIY caravan model MYY9012XLJ03
Petri 大P
- Shanghai
- MIY
- MYY9012XLJ03
Something Good
- Solar panels are powerful on sunny days.
- Water tank size enough for four persons quick shower
- Gas outdoor cooking was good and powerful
- The bed arrangement is good, one big bed in front and two double beds at the rear. easy to set up and closed.
- The refrigerator is big enough.
- Solar panels are powerful on sunny days.
Need some improvement
- Water tank placement is not optimal. Too much load in front, moved maybe 50cm to rear direction can be a better option. As there is not so much storage space in the rear this will increase the tow ball weight a lot.
- Almost all the heavy items are in the front part of the caravan, AC and Solar inverter, etc., therefore the balance of the caravan is problematic.
- The water filling hole is at a level horizontal, this makes it difficult to fill in without spilling water around.
- One key system would be appreciated, finding the right key in a chain costs time and patience.
- Sofa textile should be dirt repellent, the design could be more friendly for the long trip instead of good-looking.
- The toilet sink should be fixed to the wall instead of hanging there. the shower hose could not be pulled in.
- Awning supports were not strong enough and were broken when we got hit by a storm. Need some weights to lock them down if windy.
- pipes under the sink need to be fixed permanently, even though we had to fixed 2 times on the trip.
- Electrical works under the "hood" should follow a good standard.
- Overall quality
