off road caravans

Gone Bush Augustus,
Guess with your van you could set up for weeks at a time in the same hidey hole and watch the world go by.
Cheers and don't let it get you down .

tick....tick....tick.........

Duncan,
My ever patient wife Susie came to my rescue, (again) and found your van. Yes naturally over the years we have looked at the Kimberley Karavan having such a good run with our Kamper. Have you had any suspension issues, other than normal wear and tear? How do you get on around Broome / in the summer for shade?? We do not recall the Karavan having much shade shelter.(correct me if I'm wrong )
Also have you a figure in mind? Or is that taboo?
Thanks

Try this link instead of the incomplete one above.

Frank P,
Wow that's interesting because we have been to all but Gunbarrel Hwy . In fact some of the places you spoke of we need to carry out roadside repairs on our Kimberley Kamper. So from our perspective that's a great rap.Susie (that's my boss) asked do you run out of storage when your at say one arm point for a week or so? Also any battery issues??The owners club sounds interesting. We did not have that when we bought our first KK .
Looking forward to any further info you may be relevant to our research.

Phil,

Just to fill out the list a bit, a couple I forgot.Oodnadatta, Birdsville and Strzelecki tracks, Inamincka, SW Qld, NW NSW, Broken Hill-Mutawintjee-WhiteCliffs, Darling River Run. So much more to see and only one lifetime.

Storage:
Our Prado has the third row seats permanently out and a fridge/drawer unit installed. On tour we remove the second row as well and have a system of storage boxes for a fair bit of gear. Most of that is hardware and heavy stuff - spares, toolkits, the cellar, recovery gear. On the roof, just a second spare for the car. We use a 55 litre car fridge as a freezer.

So in the van it's just stuff you need for day to day living - clothes, a substantial pantry (navigator is a keen cook), kitchen stuff, dirty campfire cookware in its own box, BBQ. It looks small, but there is a deceptive amount of storage space if used wisely.

In the rear boot we carry a full awning and walls, ground mat, campfire grill and hotplate, 4 x 60watt solar panels, axe, entrenching tool, ramps and chocks, .

We have no problems staying in remote campsites for as long as we want - 2 to 3 weeks. Only limitations are food and water. Food is easy to manage. Water - we can carry 200L in standard tanks, all of it potable. We may carry an extra 40L in jerries if needed. There are 2 separate water systems, one drinking (70L), the other non-drinking (130L) but we keep all ours to drinking standard. Water management is the same as for any self-sufficient camping - use what's available with appropriate precautions and conserve drinking water.

In the front box, apart from its standard contents, the batteries and the poo box, is a 2 kVA generator.

Battery issues? None other than the factory AGM pack must be well cared for to get a decent calendar life out of it. Same as any other. For 5 years we got on fine with a bit of care with 240 watts of solar and the generator. Since I added 200 watts of solar to the roof and upgraded to lithium batteries we simply do not worry about it. Ever. See my blog.

Dust: None, or in severe conditions, minor dust entry.

Hope this helps

Frank

Frank,
Sounds like you live most of your life outdoors.Lucky man!!!!! The big problem here is there just doesn't seem to be any off road caravans for hire. At best part of $100k you need to be 100% sure. (Or I do)
Guess will keep researching at this stage.
Thank you for your positive unbiased opinion Phil

Phil,
Agreed, you need to be sure.

There will be bugs ex factory so I would do a couple of shorter runs to identify them and get them sorted before disappearing into the never-never.

Dunno where you are in NSW, but the Wollongong dealer, Express Tools, is excellent.

Cheers

Frank P,

I apologise for being a little 'off topic', but my wife and I are looking at upgrading from an on-road van to an off-road model.

We would like it to be small enough to be able to go off-road but still be large enough to have all the creature, meaning an internal kitchen, double bed and shower/toilet.

We have looked at the Karavan but were put off by (what appears to us) having the bed slide over the dinette in road ready mode.

We enjoy often having our lunch, and other roadside snacks, in the comfort of the van (due to climate, bugs, flies etc) and do not want to extend the bed each time we feel like a cuppa.

Do you find this an issue or have I missed something?

Thanks,

Peter F.

Hi Peter,

No, you haven't missed anything. To get to the inside kitchen you have to lift the top anyway. From there it's 10 seconds or less to slide the bed out. If you're happy to open it up the bed is not an issue.

However, it is a bit of a pain having to open it right up for a cuppa.

Ours is an early model without the full outside kitchen. However we can lift the top partway to access a couple of hatches and one of the hatch doors acts as a small table. We use a butane canister stove on that to boil the water. On all models you can access the fridge and pantry with a lowered or partly raised top, so you can make do.

If bugs are a problem and you want to dodge them, you have to open it right up.

A little inconvenient, but it takes just a few minutes - I mean that, just a few minutes - to open it fully.

While not as convenient as just opening a door and walking in, we find it to be just a minor inconvenience, willingly traded for its compact size, go-anywhere capability and self-sufficiency.

Cheers

Thanks Frank, maybe we are just a little bit 'spoilt'.

I will certainly think about the Karavan in a new light.

Peter.

Peter and others wondering about the Kimberley Karavan.

It is very much a hybrid.

People leaning toward conventional caravan comforts will see it as more camper.

Die-hard CT and tent people will see it as a caravan.

It's in the middle somewhere, with compromises in either direction. Where "the middle" is depends on your preferences.

If it hits your sweet spot it is a fantastic product. Ours did.

Cheers

Hi Bernie,
Just love the fuel consumption figures. They trump my 100series with the Kimberley Kamper following close behind. The 200 series is only a few weeks old so not too sure about fuel consumption yet.Have had issues with Kimberley but eventually sorted them out.
Many thanks sharing your Kimberley experience.
Phil Hincks

Or indeed AOR's newest offering - the Aurora as above - LOL!

As a long time charter boat operator I researched a camper for my Kimberley travels upon retirement and being very particular in my choice of remote camping re solar power, toilet,shower,A/C, etc., I was taken by the Kimberley Karavan that I saw frequently travelling through my home town and was set to buy one when I was advised by a member on this site to have a look at the AOR Quantum.I flew over to the Brisbane Caravan Show in July to compare the two side by side and it was a no brainer the Quantum was streets ahead mainly to the ease of use of the toilet and bed for a nanny nap without popping the top. I picked up my new Quantum 5 weeks ago and all I can say is that it has exceeded my all my expectations. It has a diesel heater as standard which is lucky because I would not have ticked it as an option however since travelling thru Mansfield, Vic and other areas I have found it to be extremely efficient as I now sit here on Phillip Island with it ticking over. I recently attended an AOR Rally with over twenty Quantums and many were ex Kimberley Karavan owners. I have no affiliation with AOR just a fussy person who appreciates quality. Cheers hope this is of some help.

Sorry, that should have 25 degrees or whatever you set - not 5 degrees.
John