If somebody mentioned ‘ toy haulers ’, it ’ s a safe bet that dirt or quad bikes would come to mind .

But I ’ m starting to view toy haulers as being relevant to the family-caravan market . The Paramount Tuff Mudda 176 , released this year , is a case in point .

To be clear , the 176 is first and foremost a toy hauler . Witness the checkerplate-covered ramp that lowered effortlessly on the nearside . At the push of a button , the ramp gently lowered on an electric winch to whatever position I chose , unlike the ramps on some toy haulers that had to be opened and closed manually . I even found I could lower the ramp to horizontal and use it as an elevated deck / outdoor sitting area .

Inside the cargo space , Paramount included a free-standing table , as well as a lounge across the back wall . This lounge doubled as a bunk bed , with a bunk above that folded against the rear wall when not in use .

The middle of the van incorporated a small nearside kitchen and a large three-way fridge came as standard . I loved the full-height pullout pantry .

Next to the pantry , this van had been fitted with a combo fibreglass bathroom .

FOLD-OUT BED

But where does mum and dad sleep in this van ? you might be wondering . Well , Paramount has fitted a front fold-out bedend , complete with a boot storage system in the style of its very popular Duet range .

Essentially , you unlatch the fibreglass ‘ lid ’ of the bed-end , and it will rise automatically on gas struts to reveal plenty of storage space for camp chairs and the like . It ’ s then a matter of lowering the bed base . Inside , you simply need to raise a steel-tube ‘ hoop ’ to stretch the canvas walls taught , fit a couple of crossbars , tighten them up , and you ’ re done .

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