Hands down the best video I’ve seen on this subject!! If you were to follow this procedure to a tee you would end up with as close as you could get to the perfect van! Cheers guys 🍻🍻
This was a comprehensive coverage at all levels. Very well thought out and for people thinking about buying is very helpful to hear the voices of experience. 👍
Thanks, Team. Some really good advice there. It really is "horses for courses". Ive met people over here in NZ with totally over speced vans & they've spent heaps on them. By the same token, I have met people with under speced vans who end up very disappointed. Yep. Do the research Cheers team. 😊
Cannot wait to see Simon with less hair shortly, have updated our van from alloy to wood frame but it has no leaks,old one always out with the silicone. It’s also 11 years younger and bigger road van.
Great info guys! Power was one thing we weren’t informed about properly before we left. It’s ended up costing a packet more to sort on the road and also our roof wasn’t played out right to get a decent amount of panels on. Super important to sort it at purchase.
My thoughts are, not all Aussie-built caravans are good and not all imported ones are bad. It really comes down to the overall quality of the build. The advantage in general to imported is they are cheaper, but they also tend to be heavier. We don't have any personal experience with any of the imported vans.
Hi Simon & Liz, Congrats on articulating such a practical & logical selection process. There would be nothing worse than realizing you’ve just purchased the wrong van or even worse… a lemon of a van and we read about these sad situations too often. We are glad we bought a Titanium and there are some other good manufacturers also, and I’m sure your video will help others work out what best suits their situation and budget. Well done…
Great video, A little too late for us as we purchased last November, upgrading from the Opus 4 camper trailer to the Jawa Lowdown Hybrid. The good thing is that we did most things in accordance with your suggestions and are very happy with our selection.
We used your wise counsel when selecting our van. It was a great help. I re-watched your video and will upgrade the charging controller to optimise the solar and batteries we upgraded on our van and will also change our toilet to a composting toilet when we do our colour selection next week. It was a far more involved process than I realised when we started looking into buying a caravan. I spent a lot of time looking at the weight limits of the tow vehicles and vans I was considering. When I look at the size of many vans on the road today and the vehicles towing them I don’t know how they fall within all the legal load limits. It will be interesting getting our van and car weighed after we take delivery. Maybe I’ve been overly conservative as a newby. You can definitely cut a deal at the caravan shows and take advantage of the additional inclusions that tend to be offered as well. Im looking forward to watching more of your videos.
Very good show. I have sent you 2 comments over the last 2 weeks and they have dropped off the list. What has happened. the filters are set too strong. Thanks Jono.P
We will be starting this process soon and your video was not only timely but very educational, lots of great advice and appreciated your opinions. Thank you for sharing. Have a great week. Cheers & safe travels
Yes I second your comment. You look like that you are from New Zealand if so what part of NZ are you from, I am from Hastings. We also might be buying a caravan later in the year. Probably a good second hand one. All the best. Thanks Jono P
I wonder which powered hatch you recommend to exhaust heat from our van. Also, Sue says you can get “The Gums” brand drip filter bags at some camping shops whilst you wait to get coffee machine sorted BTW a great episode which I have shared with several almost caravan owners.
Thanks again for that invaluable information! Great advice! I had heard that caravan shows are not a good time to buy as it costs the company to get the vans there and to pay staff for the time it is on so they add that onto the price of the caravan. Unless you know the price of the caravan beforehand - it might not be the best time to buy. Cheers!
That's not our experience. There might be some brands doing that, but we haven't heard of it happening. Generally, the best deals are at the shows as they are trying to get a high volume of sales.
Great video I almost never see anyone recommend Load sharing independent suspension as the Bush Tracker vans and the Australian military use. I looked into suspension types etc and while load sharing is not legally required where the axles are less than 100cm apart the benefit is the impact on any one axle as in the type you have is not shared and so the wear and tear is greater. I do like your new van just don't like the $$$.
They aren't very common and I've never had any experience with them. There's a lot of options out there but the vast majority these days are independent arms.
Yep, certainly are the most common but that is largely due to advertising I hold a lot of faith in the military's choice and have been very impressed with the simplicity axles.@@TheLifestylePioneers
Great video, very well thought out. It might be controversial, but we find the black chequer plate gets very hot in the sun and radiates it in the frame. Given the option, we would choose a lighter colour.
@@TheLifestylePioneers we measured black chequer plate in the sun at over 60C, in the shade at under 40C. The white walls at 40C in the sun. On our van.
Great video. It's definitely a big decision, like buying a new home. Dishwasher, WOW, where did you get it from & how have you mounted it? I just found your video on the dishwasher mod. Cheers 🥰
Awesome video, one of the best I’ve watched on things to consider!!! I’m reasonably new to discover your channel but already I’ve shared links with others. Why? Your combined personable styles (complementary) the well delivered messages (clear, concise easy to understand). Integrity of your approach. Topics you choose to share. Have you considered providing a link to a document with the tips you shared in this video? Please keep up these high quality, informative videos. I’m beginning to think of you both as legends. Thank you for sharing
Love this! Thanks so much mate. Really appreciate it, and so glad you found our videos and are enjoying them so much. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our upcoming vids!
Really enjoyed your very informative videos. Considering buying Zone Peregrine van for my wife and I. We are in our 60s. We like separate shower and toilet and I particularly like the composting toilet. We have a 2023 V6 Everest. Not sure if it has the capacity to tow this van fully loaded. I like the composite panel design and the Cruisemaster suspension. Does this suspension make a big difference when driving on lumpy sealed roads? Do you think it better to buy new rather than 2nd hand? Do you think the Zone vans retain their value? Thanks in advance. Wayne & Ari.
Thanks so much, guys. We love Cruisemaster suspension, we think it makes a huge difference, both on and off road. You will have to be careful with weights towing with an Everest. Take a look at the new Hybrid series from Titanium. They will be coming out in a full-height version we beleive. They have a 17ft and 19ft version and will be light-weight with full composite panel construction and 100% aussie made. We've had a much better experince with Titanium than we did with Zone. Zone isn't the company it used to be unfortunately.
Great vid. Thx for the great advice. I don’t remember you mentioning a ladder for the rear of the van. Need or don’t need? I think would help considerably when cleaning the van and panels.
We've never had it, and been fine. It might come in handy, but our roof is almost 100% covered in solar, so there's no room to walk up there anyway. You wouldn't be able to reach the whole area form the back, a compact, light-weight telescopic ladder might be more useful.
Thanks, very informative video. We're looking at getting a rig for travelling around Australia whilst also working remotely in our day jobs for limited hours if needed. We have two large dogs and no kids, and so I guess we have slightly different focus on some things. I enjoyed your video on cowfish and starlink integration too. One thing of interest is the washing machine machine, but then, given we won't be needing as many clothes as one uses during normal life, I guess it makes sense. I just have to convince my wife, ha ha. Look forward to seeing more videos on your latest setup. As we are just starting our research, after having made the decision to embark on this lifestyle for a year, we are at ground zero and so no limits except for budget and time. Is your current setup equally as comfortable in colder seasons as warmer seasons? We have two large Bernese Mountain dogs, and they love the cold. We're also a bit sick of tropical Queensland humidity and want a break and so are thinking about following the colder temperatures around Australia to make it more comfortable for all.
Thanks, that's great to hear. Yes, there's certianly a lot to consider and everyone's priorities are different. We haven't done much extreme cold with our current van, but it seems to handle it pretty well. We'd highly recommend a diesel heater, they're great. Best bit about travelling in the cooler temps is you can escape the crowds! There's more vids coming on our caravan soon.
Road holding performance centre of gravity ?? Height from road to floor and height of weight such as rooftop solar. Have you given consideration to these issue. Good info in your vid .
It's an interesting one, Ian. Like anything I think there is a trade-off there. You do definitely notice the higher van overall gets knocked around by the wind a little more, but that's about it.
Hi you two, just a few of ?s for you 1 what make of caravan did you settle on, 2 what wheel size are you using and 3 what tyres have you got on the wheels. I'm thinking 17 inch rims and Toyo 275/70R17 eeenz . I'm chasing as many tips as possible 'cos i'm down to 1 van after 18 months or so of internet research. Any help / advise appreciated with thanks
Hey, mate. We're in a Titanium now, and love it. We're on 16" rims with Toyo tyres. They're currently mud-terrains but that's overkill, a good set of AT's would do the job better.
Great video, so after watching this video I've determined that poor man pays twice. Spend that little bit extra upfront, you'll make more money on resell I've researched all of he google reviews and FB groups, Titanium & Zone are by far the better options, any other van you may have issues with service or warranty.
Thanks, great to hear. The AC is pretty good, you do need to make sure you get the vents up as high as possible though. It also depends on how big your van is, ours (19ft) is already close to it's limit.
I'm not sure how a composite toilet gives you off grid capability and a Cassette doesn't. Composite toilets have only been available for about 3 years or so, how do you actually think people did it in 2007 when I had my first van, let alone before that ? Funny thing is, it was never called off grid, it was bush camping. That's youtube for yah, bit like Game changer 😅 Nothing has really changed in this regard, its a personal choice, that's it
Composting (not composite) toilets have been around a lot longer than 3 years. They've gained popularity in the Australian caravan industry the past few years for sure though. It allows much longer periods (weeks or months rather than days) between emptying which means we can leave no trace when off grid, something that is becoming more and more importand with the increased popularity of off grid, or bush camping.
@TheLifestylePioneers never had an issue in remote WA, must be an East coast thing, bit like the grey water crap.. I did say, About 3 years, lets call it About 4 years, doesn't equate to over 20 years of Cassette style. In regards to not leaving a trace, wait to you get to remote WA, all the rubbish gets thrown in a hole and burnt, plastic and all Lollll They are not worried about of a bit of toilet water Lolll It's definitely a TH-cam thing Lollll, bit like Game changer, Epic, Next level, Off grid Lolllll. Anyway all good, we are thinking of changing over only because it's less work, each to their own and you can bush camp either way for as long as you want in most places. How is your desalination water solution going, still haven't seen an update. More importantly, you have a cruiser !
Hands down the best video I’ve seen on this subject!! If you were to follow this procedure to a tee you would end up with as close as you could get to the perfect van! Cheers guys 🍻🍻
Thanks guys, great to hear.
Dishwasher is brilliant!!! It's my number 1 thing I miss when I'm out of the house!
It's bloody brilliant mate. Hard to imagine life without it now!
@@TheLifestylePioneersSimon do Titanium can put in a dishwasher? Great episode so much invaluable information. Appreciate all you guys do 🙏
I cannot remember but did you mention for those who are not living in the van whether the van will fit on their property when not in use?
We didn't! We talked about it when planning the video, and then forgot to include it. Thanks though, it's an important consideration.
Great video… super informative! Yep…good tip on anti flap kit at purchase as now paying $250 freight charges to Exmouth
That's a bummer about the freight costs!
This was a comprehensive coverage at all levels. Very well thought out and for people thinking about buying is very helpful to hear the voices of experience. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks, Team. Some really good advice there.
It really is "horses for courses". Ive met people over here in NZ with totally over speced vans & they've spent heaps on them. By the same token, I have met people with under speced vans who end up very disappointed.
Yep. Do the research
Cheers team. 😊
Cheers, glad to hear it!
Thanks Guys!
You're welcome!
Cannot wait to see Simon with less hair shortly, have updated our van from alloy to wood frame but it has no leaks,old one always out with the silicone. It’s also 11 years younger and bigger road van.
Yeah, and also time to get a new hat 👍
This hat's just getting good!
We LOVE our airbag suspension on the van.
Same, hard to imagine life without it!
Great info guys! Power was one thing we weren’t informed about properly before we left. It’s ended up costing a packet more to sort on the road and also our roof wasn’t played out right to get a decent amount of panels on. Super important to sort it at purchase.
Yeah, it's common unfortunately. Glad to hear you got it sorted.
Your thoughts on the Chinese imports, that are "assembled" in Aust? Any you would recommend?
My thoughts are, not all Aussie-built caravans are good and not all imported ones are bad. It really comes down to the overall quality of the build. The advantage in general to imported is they are cheaper, but they also tend to be heavier. We don't have any personal experience with any of the imported vans.
Hi Simon & Liz,
Congrats on articulating such a practical & logical selection process. There would be nothing worse than realizing you’ve just purchased the wrong van or even worse… a lemon of a van and we read about these sad situations too often.
We are glad we bought a Titanium and there are some other good manufacturers also, and I’m sure your video will help others work out what best suits their situation and budget.
Well done…
Thanks, Graeme. That's great to hear.
👍👍❤️🇦🇺 rear view camera, safety Dave, I’ve had a few different ones and it’s the best by far.
Cheers, good to know!
Great video. Heading from Tassie to Sydney caravan show. Narrowed down our first choice to Titanium Unbound 15’. Can’t wait to get there 😊
Nice work, say g'day to the team for us!
Great video, A little too late for us as we purchased last November, upgrading from the Opus 4 camper trailer to the Jawa Lowdown Hybrid. The good thing is that we did most things in accordance with your suggestions and are very happy with our selection.
Sounds great!
We used your wise counsel when selecting our van. It was a great help. I re-watched your video and will upgrade the charging controller to optimise the solar and batteries we upgraded on our van and will also change our toilet to a composting toilet when we do our colour selection next week. It was a far more involved process than I realised when we started looking into buying a caravan. I spent a lot of time looking at the weight limits of the tow vehicles and vans I was considering. When I look at the size of many vans on the road today and the vehicles towing them I don’t know how they fall within all the legal load limits. It will be interesting getting our van and car weighed after we take delivery. Maybe I’ve been overly conservative as a newby. You can definitely cut a deal at the caravan shows and take advantage of the additional inclusions that tend to be offered as well. Im looking forward to watching more of your videos.
Cheers, Pete. That's great to hear. Glad it's been helpful.
Gday guys - what do you know about slimicity load sharing independant coil suspension? Heard any stories on the road?
Never heard of it 🤔
Typo: simplicity load sharing suspension. Aussie invention.
Very good show. I have sent you 2 comments over the last 2 weeks and they have dropped off the list. What has happened. the filters are set too strong. Thanks Jono.P
Thanks Jono. Sorry to hear that mate, not too sure why? Were you trying to share a link or anything like that?
We will be starting this process soon and your video was not only timely but very educational, lots of great advice and appreciated your opinions. Thank you for sharing. Have a great week. Cheers & safe travels
Yes I second your comment. You look like that you are from New Zealand if so what part of NZ are you from, I am from Hastings. We also might be buying a caravan later in the year. Probably a good second hand one. All the best. Thanks Jono P
@@JonoPaynter-l2v Dunedin, might see you on the road somewhere, cheers Mark
Thanks, Mark. Great to hear!
Excellent tips- many thanks and have a great day!
Thanks! You too
I wonder which powered hatch you recommend to exhaust heat from our van.
Also, Sue says you can get “The Gums” brand drip filter bags at some camping shops whilst you wait to get coffee machine sorted
BTW a great episode which I have shared with several almost caravan owners.
Cheers, Peter. We have the Ranger hatches, which seem to be good. It's not something we've given much consideration to.
Thanks again for that invaluable information! Great advice! I had heard that caravan shows are not a good time to buy as it costs the company to get the vans there and to pay staff for the time it is on so they add that onto the price of the caravan. Unless you know the price of the caravan beforehand - it might not be the best time to buy. Cheers!
That's not our experience. There might be some brands doing that, but we haven't heard of it happening. Generally, the best deals are at the shows as they are trying to get a high volume of sales.
Great video I almost never see anyone recommend Load sharing independent suspension as the Bush Tracker vans and the Australian military use. I looked into suspension types etc and while load sharing is not legally required where the axles are less than 100cm apart the benefit is the impact on any one axle as in the type you have is not shared and so the wear and tear is greater.
I do like your new van just don't like the $$$.
They aren't very common and I've never had any experience with them. There's a lot of options out there but the vast majority these days are independent arms.
Yep, certainly are the most common but that is largely due to advertising I hold a lot of faith in the military's choice and have been very impressed with the simplicity axles.@@TheLifestylePioneers
Great video, very well thought out. It might be controversial, but we find the black chequer plate gets very hot in the sun and radiates it in the frame. Given the option, we would choose a lighter colour.
Cheers. I think you might be right. The darker colours look great, but to heat up more.
@@TheLifestylePioneers we measured black chequer plate in the sun at over 60C, in the shade at under 40C. The white walls at 40C in the sun. On our van.
Great video. It's definitely a big decision, like buying a new home. Dishwasher, WOW, where did you get it from & how have you mounted it? I just found your video on the dishwasher mod. Cheers 🥰
For sure, there's a lot to think about.
Thx. Good info 🙃
No problem!
Awesome video, one of the best I’ve watched on things to consider!!!
I’m reasonably new to discover your channel but already I’ve shared links with others. Why?
Your combined personable styles (complementary) the well delivered messages (clear, concise easy to understand).
Integrity of your approach.
Topics you choose to share.
Have you considered providing a link to a document with the tips you shared in this video?
Please keep up these high quality, informative videos.
I’m beginning to think of you both as legends.
Thank you for sharing
Love this! Thanks so much mate. Really appreciate it, and so glad you found our videos and are enjoying them so much. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our upcoming vids!
Really enjoyed your very informative videos. Considering buying Zone Peregrine van for my wife and I. We are in our 60s. We like separate shower and toilet and I particularly like the composting toilet. We have a 2023 V6 Everest. Not sure if it has the capacity to tow this van fully loaded. I like the composite panel design and the Cruisemaster suspension. Does this suspension make a big difference when driving on lumpy sealed roads? Do you think it better to buy new rather than 2nd hand? Do you think the Zone vans retain their value?
Thanks in advance.
Wayne & Ari.
Thanks so much, guys. We love Cruisemaster suspension, we think it makes a huge difference, both on and off road. You will have to be careful with weights towing with an Everest. Take a look at the new Hybrid series from Titanium. They will be coming out in a full-height version we beleive. They have a 17ft and 19ft version and will be light-weight with full composite panel construction and 100% aussie made. We've had a much better experince with Titanium than we did with Zone. Zone isn't the company it used to be unfortunately.
Great vid. Thx for the great advice. I don’t remember you mentioning a ladder for the rear of the van. Need or don’t need? I think would help considerably when cleaning the van and panels.
We've never had it, and been fine. It might come in handy, but our roof is almost 100% covered in solar, so there's no room to walk up there anyway. You wouldn't be able to reach the whole area form the back, a compact, light-weight telescopic ladder might be more useful.
Thanks, very informative video. We're looking at getting a rig for travelling around Australia whilst also working remotely in our day jobs for limited hours if needed. We have two large dogs and no kids, and so I guess we have slightly different focus on some things. I enjoyed your video on cowfish and starlink integration too. One thing of interest is the washing machine machine, but then, given we won't be needing as many clothes as one uses during normal life, I guess it makes sense. I just have to convince my wife, ha ha. Look forward to seeing more videos on your latest setup. As we are just starting our research, after having made the decision to embark on this lifestyle for a year, we are at ground zero and so no limits except for budget and time. Is your current setup equally as comfortable in colder seasons as warmer seasons? We have two large Bernese Mountain dogs, and they love the cold. We're also a bit sick of tropical Queensland humidity and want a break and so are thinking about following the colder temperatures around Australia to make it more comfortable for all.
Thanks, that's great to hear. Yes, there's certianly a lot to consider and everyone's priorities are different. We haven't done much extreme cold with our current van, but it seems to handle it pretty well. We'd highly recommend a diesel heater, they're great. Best bit about travelling in the cooler temps is you can escape the crowds! There's more vids coming on our caravan soon.
Awesome episode, great advice.
Thanks
Road holding performance centre of gravity ?? Height from road to floor and height of weight such as rooftop solar. Have you given consideration to these issue. Good info in your vid .
It's an interesting one, Ian. Like anything I think there is a trade-off there. You do definitely notice the higher van overall gets knocked around by the wind a little more, but that's about it.
Hi you two, just a few of ?s for you 1 what make of caravan did you settle on, 2 what wheel size are you using and 3 what tyres have you got on the wheels. I'm thinking 17 inch rims and Toyo 275/70R17 eeenz . I'm chasing as many tips as possible 'cos i'm down to 1 van after 18 months or so of internet research. Any help / advise appreciated with thanks
Hey, mate. We're in a Titanium now, and love it. We're on 16" rims with Toyo tyres. They're currently mud-terrains but that's overkill, a good set of AT's would do the job better.
I looked into starling alternative after your video, but what you didn't mention is the price for hardware compared to starling...
It depends on your setup and what hardware you need. All the prices and a lot more information are on the Cowfish website.
Great rundown, thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Thx. What is your battery / solar set up ? Size etc.
We have 1600w of rooftop solar and 600Ah of battery storage.
Thx@@TheLifestylePioneers
Great video, so after watching this video I've determined that poor man pays twice. Spend that little bit extra upfront, you'll make more money on resell
I've researched all of he google reviews and FB groups, Titanium & Zone are by far the better options, any other van you may have issues with service or warranty.
Titanium everyday of the week
Loving your informative videos. Would like to know if your Saphir aircon cools your van effectively. Thanks
Thanks, great to hear. The AC is pretty good, you do need to make sure you get the vents up as high as possible though. It also depends on how big your van is, ours (19ft) is already close to it's limit.
👌🏼
Most vans now built in China.
Many are, yeah. But there's still plenty built in Australia if that's what you prefer.
Mate I bet your van you have now would have cost a fair amount..😉
Yes, they're certainly not cheap, but best suited to our needs.
Skip the dishwasher and would go the washing machine any day
Each to their own. Our dishwasher gets used daily, sometimes multiple times a day, the washing machine every few days at the most.
I'm not sure how a composite toilet gives you off grid capability and a Cassette doesn't.
Composite toilets have only been available for about 3 years or so, how do you actually think people did it in 2007 when I had my first van, let alone before that ?
Funny thing is, it was never called off grid, it was bush camping. That's youtube for yah, bit like Game changer 😅
Nothing has really changed in this regard, its a personal choice, that's it
Composting (not composite) toilets have been around a lot longer than 3 years. They've gained popularity in the Australian caravan industry the past few years for sure though. It allows much longer periods (weeks or months rather than days) between emptying which means we can leave no trace when off grid, something that is becoming more and more importand with the increased popularity of off grid, or bush camping.
@TheLifestylePioneers never had an issue in remote WA, must be an East coast thing, bit like the grey water crap.. I did say, About 3 years, lets call it About 4 years, doesn't equate to over 20 years of Cassette style.
In regards to not leaving a trace, wait to you get to remote WA, all the rubbish gets thrown in a hole and burnt, plastic and all Lollll
They are not worried about of a bit of toilet water Lolll
It's definitely a TH-cam thing Lollll, bit like Game changer, Epic, Next level, Off grid Lolllll.
Anyway all good, we are thinking of changing over only because it's less work, each to their own and you can bush camp either way for as long as you want in most places.
How is your desalination water solution going, still haven't seen an update.
More importantly, you have a cruiser !
Excellent info ! Thanks for sharing !
Glad it was helpful!