Tried & Tested - Camec Compact Washing Machine

When preparing for a long trip in your caravan or motorhome, understanding your laundry needs can be tricky. In case you didn’t know ‘vanlife’ can be messy at times. Tight spaces, uneven surfaces and wild weather are a recipe for spilling your morning coffee on a favourite shirt. We asked around and the general opinion from people hitting the road around Australia is that a Camec Compact RV washing machine is invaluable. The convenience of being able to avoid a run into town just to do laundry can sometimes mean the difference of half a tank of fuel in some parts of Australia.  

So, with this in mind you might be asking yourself, how often will I use it? Will it use lots of water? These are important questions, so we’ve decided to make it easy for you. We’ve unpacked and set up the Camec Compact washing machine to help answer these questions for you. 

When setting up the Camec Compact washing machine it’s important to read the instruction manual thoroughly. When you take it out of the box, you’ll see that it comes with a base cover that can be secured to the bottom which acts as a condensation barrier and won’t scratch your cabinetry. It also comes with a mounting bracket and securing strap which can be fixed behind the Camec to reduce vibration and sliding. Also included is a tub stabiliser to reduce movement from the inner wash drum when traveling.  

We found that it will do smaller loads comfortably with a mixture of the following: 

• Union Coat around 800g 

• Jacket (Cotton) around 800g 

• Jeans around 800g 

• Cotton Bed Sheet around 600g  

• Short Sleeve Cotton Shirt around 180g 

• Pyjamas around 200g 

• Jocks and Socks around 60g pair 

• Long Sleeve Cotton Shirt around 300g 

• Cotton Bath Towel around 300g 

Tip: Avoid washing heavier coats or overloading. Refer to the below chart for water consumption.  

If you want to get the most out of the Camec, getting into a routine of storing your dirty garments inside the washing machine when it’s not in use is a great way of keeping track of when you might need to put on a load on, as we all know laundry can pile up quite quickly. That way it doubles as a space saver and with just one click of a button you can avoid those age-old arguments over whose turn it is to laundry. We enjoyed quite a few of the features that came with this particular washing machine: 

• Economical cold water washing with the option of hot washing. The hot option does take longer but is better for bed sheets and harder stains like dirt and grass.  

• Compatible with half inch BSP connections, the inlet can be connected to most kitchen taps or if you want to set up a permanent connection to save yourself the time and trouble, you might want to opt for separate connection the pulls straight from your 12v pump  

• We’ve also seen caravan set ups where the drainage hose feeds through the shower wall and straight into the grey water tank. This set up helps to contain contaminated and soapy water run-off into drains, better for the environment and a massive time saver.  

• 6 wash program combinations with sound and lights that let you know when it’s done 

• High and low water level adjustment for large and small loads which is a great water saving feature 

• Blue LED display with wash time remaining function  

• Precision stainless steel wash tub 

• Clothes basket doubles as a tub stabiliser 

• LED drum light really makes a difference when looking for odd socks or a wallet you forgot to take out of your jeans 

• Dimensions are 415mm (w) x 755mm (h) x 430mm (d) which make it quite a nice fit for a cupboard or storage compartment.    

This product is ideal for long trips with families or a couple traveling in a caravan or motorhome. It does require getting into a habit of washing smaller loads but the benefits in the long run far out way having to wait around at a laundromat or someone’s house. We don’t recommend leaving it to run whilst driving, as bumpy roads might cause it to leak. As it is a 240v appliance we highly recommend unplugging and switching off from the power source to avoid unnecessary power use. All in all, we found it extremely user friendly. It’s a great mid-range appliance for someone looking to get long term use out of it and totally worth it when looking to save money on laundry.  

Some cheaper alternatives are the manually operated Ecospin portable washer or a Companion Ezywash washing machine.