GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #29 | Page 36

THE F WORD! WORDS AND IMAGES: MARTY LEDWICH, WWW.RVEETHEREYET.COM HOW MUCH FUEL WILL YOU REALLY USE FOR YOUR BIG LAP? There are not too many happy hour topics more polarising than fuel economy, especially when towing a caravan.  Fuel is one of the biggest expenses of caravanning holidays and, if you’re thinking about doing the Big Lap, the price of fuel is a huge consideration when trying to figure out the affordability of such a trip.   But if you ask a question about fuel economy, the range of answers is likely to send you into a tailspin.  Some people seem to achieve amazing fuel economy, while others chew through it at frightening rates. We've learnt not to put too much faith in what many owners tell us about their fuel economy, as most people either have no real idea of how to calculate fuel consumption, or they are overly optimistic about it. 36 \ Some fuel-use figures we’ve been told simply could not possibly be real or achieved consistently. So how can you make a reasonable estimate of your fuel costs while travelling and what can you do to maximise fuel economy? In this article, we will share with you our personal experience after 12 months of travelling around Australia across a variety of terrains and conditions. Plus, we’ll give you our top 10 fuel saving tips. OUR RIG First, let's check out our rig.  We have a 2015 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series turbodiesel V8 and we tow a Roadstar Safari Tamer 20ft offroad caravan.  We live in our rig full-time so, weight