Elddis Crusader Shamal

The Elddis Crusader Shamal is a twin-bed-layout caravan with a a strong identity created by a long list of features

The Shamal name is a long-established component of the Elddis range. For 2014 this twin-bed caravan gets a bright new look (literally) with a panoramic skylight. Elddis calls it a “sky scape”; whatever you like to call it, this feature floods light into the Shamal. The tinted windows are gone for 2014, so this is the lightest, brightest Shamal ever. If you haven’t been enamoured with a Shamal before, 2014 is a good year to get acquainted with them.
New woodwork has been introduced for 2014; another noticeable and appealing feature.
There’s a new feature that’s less obvious. And one that you can’t see at all. The less obvious feature is something that enhances the appeal of the Shamal to potential buyers who intend to use it on a four-season basis. It’s a 40-litre inboard water tank, with the added bonus of the Whale IC controller that cuts off the pump if you run out of water while filling it. The feature you can’t see is the method of construction. As with all Explorer Group caravans, Crusaders are made using the SoLiD system of bonding. This eliminates 90% of screws and also eliminates risk of water ingress. Explorer says: “Our philosophy is: Stop the water getting in!” SoLiD stands for Strong, Light and Dry, and there’s a decade of water ingress warranty to back it up.
The Shamal’s layout is one that has sped up the popularity ladder at lightning speed over the last two or three years. It has twin beds and a rear shower room. Its chief appeal is to couples, of course, but you can make a double bed in the lounge, or two singles for little caravanners.
 

Showering

The shower is on the nearside, the toilet is on the offside and the washbasin is in the centre of the little room. It's a washroom layout that we see often. So what distinguishes the one in the Shamal?
The basin is large, and so is the cabinet beneath it. There’s a second cabinet on the offside wall, above the window, which is dressed with a deep fabric pelmet with four chunky metal eyelets. It serves no purpose other than being stylish, but that’s fine. Also fine are the large size of the mirror above the basin, and the proximity of a mains socket, at the pillow end of the nearside bed, for hairdryer use.
 

Sleeping

Both beds are 1.95m long, and 84cm wide. The bedroom is totally symmetrical, with three lockers above each bed and two corner shelves which giving just enough space for your wristwatch and phone, by each bed.
Lockers have cream base sections. This is a style feature that continues forward to the lounge and contributes to the light, bright appeal of the Shamal.
Cosiness in the bedroom is guaranteed; the radiators that carry heat generated by the Alde central heating system run down each wall under the beds, so warm air rises alongside each bed.
 

Storage

Any caravan with a fixed bed layout has an advantage when it comes to where to put stuff. In the Shamal, the beds are supported by gas-filled struts; they hold up on their own even when duvets and pillows are on the beds. Both bed storage areas have exterior hatches.
The lockers above the beds have positive catches, as have those above the lounge too.
The wardrobe is forward of the nearside bed. Its rail is 63cm wide and the wardrobe is deep enough to create just over a metre of hanging depth. Three large drawers are under the wardrobe. When you consider that you can also store stuff under the settees if you need to, the Shamal’s storage capability is generous for its modest size.
 

Dining

Two can dine at the pull-out top of the front central chest of drawers; the four-seater table lives in a cabinet forward of the wardrobe.
 

Lounging

The settees are 1.48m long, creating good, comfortable seating space for four. Armrests are at both ends, making these settees look much like ones you’d buy for a house.
The predominant lounge fabric shades are pale fawn (for the upholstery) and pale cream (for the curtains). All the upholstery sections including the armrests have lime green piping edging, in a tactile, slightly ridged fabric. The same colour, in a flatter fabric, appears on the edges of the four scatter cushions, the curtain tie-backs and panels down one side of each curtain.
The cushions give you a choice of image. Turn them one way and you give the Shamal a slightly traditional look, with a bold flower and leaf design. Turn them over and the pattern is much more modern; simple lines of a geometric leaf design in shades of mauve, pale green and a browny green. All these colours combine with the cream lower edges to the lockers, and the amount of daylight coming in through the sunroof, to create an exceptional light look. And the more you scrutinise the Shamal’s lounge, the more detail you notice. The surround of the ‘Sky scape” extends to also surround the roof light, further back along the caravan; it's a white glossy acrylic, into which two LED clusters are set. When you see a Shamal (and indeed any other Crusader), take a close look at the wallboarding. It’s new, and it contributes to the modern, bright look of the marque. It's pure white, with a slightly ridged texture that catches the light.
 

Kitchen

The hob has a mains hotplate and three burners, each of which has a separate trivet which can be easily removed for cleaning; you simply twist the trivets until a gap in the base ring reaches the clip that holds it in position, twist again and you can remove the trivets. The base of the hob is smooth black enamel. This has to be the easiest hob to clean we have yet seen. Well done, Elddis!
The sink is also black, and looks like sparkly granite. There’s a removable drainer for washing-up time.
The microwave, a black-fronted Daewoo model with programmable functions specifically for pasta, pizza, baked potatoes, soup and more, is set into the top cabinet run. White fronts make the kitchen cabinets stand out from the rest of the caravan in style terms.
There’s surface space to the left and in front of the sink and hob, plus a section that you can pull out beneath the level of the kitchen top, to give you a little extra space.
If there’s one criticism of the Shamal it's that it has only one lower kitchen cabinet. At 25cm wide it’s not especially large. But the cook can claim one, or all, of the drawers in the dresser opposite; it's just a question of organisation!
 

Towing

Our test Shamal was the first 2014 version to be built and it hadn’t been released from the factory for sale at the time of our test, which is why we went there to carry out this review. It's also why we couldn’t take it out on the road for a test tow, so our remarks under the “Towing” heading have to be confined to theory. With the extra security of BPW chassis-maker’s stability system, iDC (Intelligent Drive Control, in place, we’d be confident that the Shamal would prove to have fine handling characteristics. When we get the chance to tow one, we’ll let you know how well it behaves!

The twin-bed Elddis Crusader Shamal is bright, modern and with lots of style features and equipment including Alde heating. This single-axle model in the Crusader range has strong appeal in its sector.