Nomads hardware review

‘The Rig’ is as important as the map in deciding on the Big Lap itinerary.

Eecreational vehicle with caravan in Rainbow Valley Central Australia. Picture: Alamy

BACK at work after the holiday break? Got a serious case of grey nomad envy? How do those lucky types turn one summer into an endless road trip?

Should you decide to adjust your work-life balance in the right direction and try the no fixed address lifestyle, or simply make more of your Fridays and Mondays into long weekends, you’ll need a home on wheels, known to seasoned road warriors as “The Rig.”

Car yards and caravan dealers around Australia are full of expensive mistakes made by people who fell for wanderlust, splurged on the biggest, fanciest rig they could afford, then realised that a) it was too much hassle to drive the bloody thing and the fuel bills were killing them; b) they really missed the kids, the dog and the 70-inch smart TV, or; c) even on the Road to Paradise, divorce was on the cards if they spent much more 24/7 time together.

So before you put your money down on hardware, grab a map of Australia and ask yourself a few important questions, including where you want to go and how you want to live on the road, be it for a few weeks each year, or years on end.

Then, in the light of your answers and your budget, consider your options ...

CAMPER TRAILERS

Basic camper trailers can now be had from just a few thousand dollars but you get what you pay for. Good quality Australian made campers start at about $15,000. At the top end, about $50,000 buys a premium off-road model with independent suspension, worksburger kitchen and enough water storage and power capacity to keep you off the grid for as long as you like.

Hard floor campers, with a flip over lid on the top, are the quickest and easiest to set up and the floor is off the ground.

Soft floors, with the tent on top, give the most space under canvas, more storage and are ideal if you’re camping with kids.

Jayco’s camper trailers, with a pop-up roof and slide-out beds, are a brilliant design and great value for money.

CARAVANS

What’s more your style: camping deep in the bush or by the ocean, with no neighbours — or site 35C in Row 8 in some caravan park on Highway One?

Do you enjoy the company of others, especially “sundowners” with your fellow vanners?

Most mid-size caravans, which start at about $30,000, now pack all the comforts of home, including airconditioning and ensuite bathrooms.

However, if you leave the bitumen on a regular basis they will begin to disintegrate in front of your eyes.

Purpose-built off-road vans can take serious punishment, but the good ones — again, made in Australia — are expensive, kicking off from $50,000 for a small model. Several manufacturers fit a more robust chassis/suspension/wheel and tyre package on standard vans for a relatively modest extra outlay. For example, Jayco’s Outback option on its caravans and campers usually carries a premium of $3500-$4000.

It’s enough to get you off the blacktop, away from the crowd and easily and safely to into all but the most remote national parks. Given the decrepit state of many bitumen roads around the country, it’s money well spent anyway.

Remember too that, the bigger and heavier your van, the more grunt upfront you need to pull it, and the more fuel you will use. Both cost big money.

FIFTH-WHEELERS AND MOTORHOMES

If you want Starship Enterprise on wheels, that’s doable — but you won’t see much except bitumen, diesel pumps and roadhouse parking bays.

Six-figure pricetags are the norm but the sticker can nudge the million-dollar mark at the top end, where 10 metre-long motorhomes require a heavy vehicle licence to drive and you get an interior that makes Las Vegas look like a slum.

You also have to drag a small car around so you’ve got transport when you berth the mothership.

Fifth-wheelers are similarly luxurious and pricey. They’re also extremely heavy, often exceeding the 3.5-tonne maximum trailer weight that heavy-duty 4WDs such as the Toyota LandCruiser and Ford Ranger can legally tow. This can require expensive engineering modifications to your vehicle, or spending $100,000-plus on a converted US truck such as a Dodge Ram, which can pull nearly seven tonnes.

It would be a lot cheaper and infinitely less stressful to fly everywhere you want to go, stay in five-star hotels and hire a car to see the sights.

 

SMALL CAMPERVANS AND MOTORHOMES

It’s hard to beat a small campervan for convenience, low running costs and versatility. They’re easy to drive and you don’t have to worry about towing, either.

Most are based on the Toyota HiAce or VW Transporter, fitted out with a stove, fridge, seats that fold into a bed and a pop top so you can stand up inside.

Sure, it’s a confined space, but with a rollout awning, a couple of extra chairs and a table you can spend most of your time outside, watching other couples swear at each other while they try, for the 34th time, to park the caravan.

ADVENTURE TRUCKS

If you want to go feral in the bush or the desert, start with a fair dinkum 4WD wagon or one-tonner ute, priced from about $35,000.

Make it outback fit with all-terrain tyres, off-road suspension, bull bar, roof racks and snorkel. Put a canopy on the ute or a cargo barrier in the wagon.

Install a deep cycle battery set up to run your fridge and lights. Fit an awning for shelter. Budget about $20,000 for the fit-out. Buy quality gear from ARB or another reputable brand. The cheap stuff will break.

Complete your adventure truck with a few jerry cans, gas stove, comfortable folding chairs, table, tent, swag and camp stretcher to keep you off the ground, dry and safe from the snakes.

BUCKET LIST LOCATIONS

DON’T MISS …

VICTORIA

Little Desert NP, Cape Conran, Great Ocean Road, Grampians NP

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Coffin Bay NP, Lincoln NP, Cooper Creek

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Cape Arid NP, Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP, Kalbarri NP, Woolleen Station, Millstream-Chichester NP, Karijini NP, Kimberley (Charnley River and Mt Elizabeth Station), Wyndham

NORTHERN TERRITORY

West MacDonnell NP, Finke Gorge NP, Uluru-Kata Tjuta NP, Keep River NP, Umbrawarra Gorge NP, Litchfield NP, Kakadu NP, Mary River NP, Lorella Springs Station

QUEENSLAND

Birdsville, Burketown, Cape York, Lakefield NP, Cooktown, Cape Trib Camping, South Mission Beach, Conondale NP

NSW

Border Ranges NP, New England NP, Tom Groggin (Snowy Mountains NP)