Remember when you headed for your summer break in a metal box that had no heating or hot water, still less a shower? The new Wayfarer Quad from Freedom Caravans harks back to those times a little.

The Staffordshire firm reckons that plenty of caravanners tour only in the summer, happy to do without the mod cons that have added hugely to both the weight and the cost of today’s tourers. Instead, if they do want some of those mod cons, they can have them as cost options.

This range is imported from the same Polish manufacturer as its other models, but rather than being monocoque, it uses sandwich construction, with aluminium sides. I checked out the four-berth Quad, which comes fitted with bunk beds, an option we shortlisted at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025 for being one of the standout budget caravans.

Pitch and set-up

For a supposedly back-to-basics type of caravan, the Quad has upmarket decals. The chassis is made in-house, but you get Al-Ko brakes and cabling, as well as an AKS caravan stabiliser.

Although the A-frame probably isn’t stripped back or large enough to house a bike rack, the gas bottle locker behind it is huge and its door swings up high, so tall people don’t have to stoop down low to remove the gas bottles.

I was also pleased to see it has enough room for a spare wheel to be fitted as standard, and two 6 or 7kg bottles, while the door also has a solid metal handle.

The rear of the tourer has plastic grab handles
Black plastic grab handles help to make this lightweight caravan easy to manoeuvre

Black plastic grab handles make moving the caravan easy, and as the van is so light, I reckon you could possibly do so by yourself. Its MTPLM of 850kg should also make it suitable for pulling with a small tow car too.

Unusually, the door is at the back, so you could take this van to the Continent and not worry about having to step out into the traffic. I liked that you still get a light beside it, and a services light on the offside – something you don’t see on more expensive caravans. There is an awning rail on either side. However, I noted that the door is not that tall and anyone over 6ft would need to mind their head as they step in.

Lounge in the Freedom Wayfarer Quad

The lounge is probably just big enough for four in my opinion, as the front panel is at quite a slant, meaning more than that on the U-shaped settee would be a bit of a squeeze.

The lounge area
All windows have blinds, flyscreens and curtains

The folding table only has three legs, but I found it sturdy. However, there is no storage slot for it, so you would have to leave it on the floor or a bunk. There is plenty of light coming in through both the side windows and the big single window. All windows come with cassette blinds, flyscreens and curtains. Striplights underneath the lockers keep things illuminated at night. You also get a mains socket and two USB ports here.

Kitchen in the Freedom Wayfarer Quad

The side kitchen is well lit by striplighting and the nearby windows, but doesn’t have a huge amount of workspace. There’s room for a pull-out flap, but I wonder if the designers thought that would limit the seating. The sink and the two-burner hob only have one cover – I reckon a split cover might have offered more space.

The sink and two-burner hob
Limited worktop in kitchen, where sink and two-burner hob share a single cover

The half-height fridge is adequate for a family of four. There is a mains socket here, and two more USBs.

Washroom in the Freedom Wayfarer Quad

The basin folds for access to the bench toilet below. There is a large mirror above, with a striplight. A shower and hot water are available as options. If you do go for the shower, I should highlight that the room is not fully lined – you order lining from the factory.

Sleeping in the Freedom Wayfarer Quad

When you’re buying a caravan, the sleeping setup is always going to be an important consideration. Here, you can make up the double bed in the lounge by pulling out slats from below the central part of the U-shaped settee and place the side backrests over them. To make it full size, you have to remove the backrests that run along the front as well. It is easy to store them, and the table, in the gap under the slats. The resulting bed is comfortable.

The comfortable double bed
Pull out slats below settee and use backrests to make up comfortable double bed

The permanent bunks are well specified for what is supposed to be a budget van. Each has its own window, with a curtain, and there’s a curtain to separate each bunk from the rest of the interior. They also each have their own swan-neck light.

Storage in the Freedom Wayfarer Quad

Storage is always going to be an important factor in a tourer, giving you room to pack all of your essential and luxury caravan accessories. The large gas bottle locker is great, but the interior storage is disappointing. You have to remove the seat base cushions to get to the areas below. You lift boards with holes in, rather than slats, and in our test model, all had to be held in one place while they were up, otherwise they swung down again. This also applied to the area under the lower bunk. It’s a double pity, because if you go without heating and so don’t have any ducts, the areas here are mostly clear.

There is one long overhead locker in the lounge, but it is very shallow, and the single door is quite tricky to use.

The kitchen has a narrow cupboard by the fridge, and a pan locker. But the locker above is shallow. In the washroom, there’s a cupboard behind the mirror.

Alternatives to consider

The Capsule Mini R is another budget-friendly tourer which offers a well-finished design and is also light in weight. Alternatively, how about the 2024 Xplore 554? It provides caravanners with an airy and spacious interior, as well as offering some great food storage.

Technical specification of the Freedom Wayfarer Quad

  • Price: £14,995
  • Berths: 4
  • MTPLM: 850kg
  • MiRO: 700kg
  • Payload: 150kg
  • Interior length: 3.36m
  • Shipping length: 4.50m
  • Overall width: 2.05m
  • Web: freedomcaravans.com

Spec list

  • AKS stabiliser
  • Spare wheel
  • Services and entry door lights
  • Double awning rail
  • Two-burner gas hob
  • Stainless-steel sink
  • 57-litre fridge
  • Bench cassette toilet
  • Cassette blinds with flyscreens
  • LED lighting throughout
  • Front double bed: 1.90 x 1.18m
  • Rear bunks: 1.70 x 0.65m

If you’re still not quite sure on which tourer is the right one for you, take a look at our guide to how to choose a caravan, where we talk you through the considerations that will help you find the one that suits you.

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