Caravans explained

[Jimyoda]

This is the page pretty much as is from the wiki, but wanted to post it here for quick easy access.
Accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed and this posting will not be updated. If you have anything to add or correct, you can edit the wiki page directly, or feel free to comment here.
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A caravan is a group of one or more colonists and their supplies, animals, and prisoners. It provides a way to move pawns and supplies from place to place. You can have multiple caravans and each one is represented on the world map by a yellow icon or dot. A caravan under attack will be a red dot.

Creation
While in the World map, select the colony icon and click 'Form caravan'. You can create multiple caravans.

People and Animals
Choose the colonists, prisoners, and animals you wish to include in the caravan. At least one colonist must be chosen. Each colonist, prisoner, and pack animal (dromedary or muffalo) can carry items. Most animals cannot carry anything.

Items
Use the Items tab to optionally bring supplies, especially food. The estimated days of food is listed at the top. The only pawns that can carry items are colonists, muffalos, and dromedaries.

Carrying capacity:
•   Colonists/prisoners: 35 kilograms (kg). This capacity includes clothing, gear and inventory they already have.
•   Muffalo: 70 kg
•   Dromedary: 66.5 kg

The combined carrying capacity and mass of selected items is listed at the top. Buttons are used to select items/amounts.
[>>] : Takes the full quantity of an item.
[>M] : Indicates you cannot carry the full quantity, but this button will automatically take the maximum amount.
[M<] : When over capacity, the this button will return some or all of those items so that the mass total does not exceed the caravan's carrying capacity.
[ 0 ] : Zeroes out that line item.
•   You may also type an exact quantity.

Config
Use the Config tab to choose an exit direction. It's possible to have no available exit direction, such as when on a single-tile island, thus a caravan cannot be launched.

A caravan can:
•   Move - Right-click to select destination. A line indicates the optimal route (accounting for terrain speed and elevation changes).
•   Settle - Click Settle to create a new colony. You may not settle a new colony when already at maximum. The default maximum is one. This can be set up to up to five (in Menu - Options).
•   Enter back into the colony - Right-click the colony.
•   Split - Click the Split button. Each caravan must consist of at least one colonist.
•   Merge - Select two or more caravans in the same tile and click Merge to form a single caravan.
•   Trade - When a caravan has reached a friendly faction outpost, click the trade button to open the trade dialog window.
•   Attack - A caravan can attack any faction outpost, regardless of relations status, though attacking will worsen relations.
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Gameplay Notes
- If you're not viewing the world map when a caravan has launched, a notice appears at the top of the screen. Clicking that message will take you to that caravan on the world map.
- Double-clicking a caravan will select all caravans on the screen. In this way multiple caravans can be right-click ordered to a single destination, especially if you intend to merge them.
- Colonists, prisoners, and animals in a caravan require food; automatically eating as needed. When food supplies are depleted pawns will start to starve and will die if they reach max malnutrition.
- If a member of a caravan dies, everything they were carrying is lost. If all colonists of a caravan die, then all prisoners, animals, and items are lost.
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Inspection Pane
In the World view the caravan's inspection pane displays its status.
Movement status:
•   Traveling - moving to destination.
•   Resting - caravan automatically stops between hours 22 and 6 to sleep.
•   Waiting - no destination selected.
•   Stopped - stopped moving with reason given.

>Estimated time to destination - time to destination based on the current tile movement time.

>Days of food - compare this to 'estimated time to destination' to determine if your caravan has enough food for the journey.

>Base movement time: Movement speed based on pawns' movement.
Base movement speed is affected by its members actual movement capacity, it's reduced when pawns are incapacitated, injured, slow walker, etc.

>Current tile movement time: Current movement speed based on the terrain, biome, and weather (only affected during winter).

A caravan may stop for various reasons.
A caravan will automatically stop:
• between hours 22 and 6 while the members sleep.
• if all colonists are downed.
• if any member is having a mental break.
• if overburdened with weight - you must lighten the load to continue.

Tabs
The inspection pane has tabs to manage the caravan and view details.
By clicking the red X you can drop items or abandon members - and be lost forever. Items carried by a dismissed pawn will be lost. Dropping items may be necessary if the caravan becomes overburdened and unable to move.
In the gear tab you can equip or swap weapons or clothing amongst colonists.
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Events

Caravan Encounter
Occasionally another caravan may cross your path giving you an opportunity to trade; or attack them if you wish. If you attack them you'll damage relations. Your pawns may exit the map.

Ambush
Your caravan has been ambushed by an enemy faction. Colonists cannot exit the map until the attackers are defeated (killed, downed, or fled).

Manhunter Ambush
Your caravan has been ambushed by pack of manhunter animals. Colonists cannot exit the map until the attackers are defeated.

http://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Caravan

[DariusWolfe]

So, what happens if the caravan runs out of food? Do they automatically stop, or do they continue as far as they can, but start getting starvation modifiers?

I ask because I have a caravan that's 1 day, 20 hours out, and has 1.1 days of food left.

[Zhentar]

You should get a notification, but they'll just keep going, start starving, and eventually die from malnutrition.

[Headshotkill]

Maybe a starving caravan could automatically try to forage their surroundings?

[DariusWolfe]

Can confirm. Caravan made it back safely.

I dunno about auto-forage, but I did leave a small string of abandoned "colonies" along the way. I'd made a mistake thinking that I could trade with a settlement because its icon was green, but it turned out to be hostile. I hadn't brought nearly enough people to try to assault another base, so it was time to just head back, with or without the resupply I was expecting. still, a few stops where I built a campfire and a butcher station, did some hunting and foraging and I was able to get back on the trail.

[coolflash]

What if your caravan are resettling across different zones and have to change their clothes/apparel along the way? I dont see an option to camp or to change/equip/drop clothing.

I'm asking since one of my caravan settler died of heatstroke on the way to the destination.

[ITypedThis]

A useful trick I've learned is to send out another caravan to meet a first if reinforcements or supplies are needed.

I had a caravan get ambushed by raiders, and they had to spend a day tending to a prisoner whom they brought back to the colony with them. The time lost in addition to the slower movement speed and extra mouth to feed caused them to run out of food way before I had initially planned. I simply sent another few colonist out to meet them carrying a large amount of extra food.

The result: A bunch of healthy colonists, a pile of silver, and a free prisoner.

What if your caravan are resettling across different zones and have to change their clothes/apparel along the way? I dont see an option to camp or to change/equip/drop clothing.

I'm asking since one of my caravan settler died of heatstroke on the way to the destination.

You can swap out weapons and clothing in the Gear tab. This can be done to anyone from anyone instantly, and can even access any clothing not currently equipped.

[kenmtraveller]

Alpacas can haul, 35Kg I think.

[Listen1]

Can confirm, Alpacas can haul 35kg each.

Best animal in the game

[NeverPire]

Three animal species can haul items in caravans : muffaloes, dromedaries and alpacas.
Muffaloes can haul the most but are the slowest of these three.

Be careful with pregnant or injured animal which can considerably slow your caravan, especially by taking birth a baby.

[DariusWolfe]

Definitely a fan of alpacas. They don't eat a noticeable amount compared to muffalo, and provide perfectly adequate carrying capacity. I can't say how their wool compares to muffalo, but it's definitely good and it's faster, to boot.

[NeverPire]

Clothes made in alpaca wool are the third most expensive, behind devilstrand and thrumbo wool.

That's why alpacaes are the best, and especially easily tamed.

[Rimrue]

Alpacas are now even more OP than they were before. Alpacas are not the same as llamas. They are barely bigger than sheep. They just aren't bred to be pack animals. At most they should be able to carry 15 kg. And packing would reset their wool growth to 0.