PARAMOUNT DUET TESTED THE DUET’S LOOKING BETTER THAN EVER
WORDS & IMAGES: MAX TAYLOR
The Paramount Duet has been on the scene for donkey’s years. It was, in fact, one of the earliest caravans to incorporate fold-out bed-ends. Sure, retractable beds had been fitted to campers going back to the 1970s, but caravans? If I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that this design made its way to the big brothers of the RV world, courtesy of a WA-based manufacturer.
SETTING IT UP Our review Duet, supplied to us by Canterbury Caravans in Bayswater, Vic, is a single-axle pop-top known as the 18ft Long Lounge. It has a 4in drawbar and chassis with 2in raiser, independent Dexter Torflex suspension rated to 2.4 tonnes, a ball coupling, and dual gas cylinders. Oh, and a long lounge inside. There was a range of options added to our review Duet by Canterbury Caravans, the dealership I borrowed it from. A 100Ah deep-cycle battery and an external ‘entertainment hatch’ lined with marine carpet are among them. The entertainment hatch comprises 12V and 240V points and an antenna point, but a TV mount isn’t included – you’d want to rest your telly on the nearby fold-out picnic table. The dealer-added options were included at the factory, when the van was built, rather than afterwards. Therefore, the weight of these options are factored into the Tare of the pop-top. On the offside, you’ll find a hatch to access the Projecta battery charger and 12V fuses, as well as a hatch for front tunnel storage that can be accessed from under the bed. The nearside also has front tunnel storage access, as does the rear nearside. These tunnels are somewhat narrow, though. Having said that, there is some storage space behind the beds when they’re packed away. A brass tap is fitted to the offside of the drawbar, but I reckon it would benefit from a stoneguard. A curved piece of checkerplate would do the job.
INNER BEAUTY Without question, the Duet has a lot of wow factor. I couldn’t help but be impressed by the inner workings of this van. The quality of finish to Paramount vans seems to have come a long way in recent times, and it was on show here. Don’t get me wrong: there was nothing inherently wrong with previous Paramounts, but the company has lifted the fit and finish, and seems to be paying more attention to the details. The offside dinette transforms quickly into an extra bed by removing the table’s pole and resting the tabletop onto timber edges that are fixed to the dinette’s seat bases. Squeeze the included foam infill into place and, presto, a place for your unexpected guest to sleep. Opposite the dinette is the van’s namesake ‘long lounge’, a two-seater to the left of the entry where you’d spend lazy, sunny afternoons reading your favourite book. There’s heaps of storage underneath, too, but no drawer to access it. Fortunately, because there’s no table in the way, it’s not awkward to remove the cushion to get your gear. Behind the dinette, you’ll find a Thetford fridge-freezer, and behind that a suite of storage options, including a full-height pantry, wardrobe, a few drawers and other storage options. The kitchen is similarly well endowed with storage. Cupboards, drawers, overhead lockers. I could go on.
SUMMING UP Weighing a shade over two tonnes fully loaded, with a payload capacity of 300kg, this Duet has it pretty much figured out. Are there things I’d change or include? Well, I’d look into fitting a hot water service, even though it would slightly erode the onboard storage options, as well as an external shower. When free camping, the 95L of onboard water wouldn’t last long if you were to use the shower, but when hooked up to town water and conserving every last drop wasn’t such an imperative, the ability to wash sand off your feet without trudging to the amenities makes all the difference. In the Duet 18ft Long Lounge, Paramount Caravans has built an attractive, practical van for long-term adventures around Australia.
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE? Overall length: 7.4m External cabin length: 5.58m External cabin width: 2.44m Travel height: 2.5m (including optional ‘medium ranger’ hatch; 2.35m without hatch) Internal height: 1.98m
INTERNAL Cooking: Thetford Mini Grill MkIII four-burner cooktop and griller Refrigeration: Thetford 128L three-way fridge/freezer Microwave: Yes Toilet: No Shower: No Washing machine: No Lighting: 12V LED Hot water: Optional
OPTIONS FITTED TO THIS VAN Full-height pantry; 100Ah deep-cycle battery; Winegard antenna; ‘medium ranger’ hatch (clear hatch in the roof); acrylic splashbacks; external entertainment locker; external speakers
HITS & MISSES
HITS Attractive interior Attention to detail throughout Internal storage options
MISSES Stonguard needed for A-frame tap I’d option in a hot water service and external shower The narrow tunnel boots don’t appeal to me
RATINGS FIT AND FINISH 3.5 LAYOUT: 3.5 INNOVATION: 3