2022 Best New RV finalists announced

Meet the shortlist contenders for the 2022 caravancampingsales Innovation Awards' Best New RV category

The aim of the 2022 caravancampingsales Innovation Awards is to recognize and reward advancements in the areas of technology, design, quality and safety throughout the Australian RV industry over the past 12 months.

Judged by an expert panel, trophies will be awarded to the winner in each of the following categories: Best New RV, Best New Product/Accessory, Best New Technology, and Best New Safety Feature.

Six finalists are vying for this year's Best New RV trophy

Below you'll find our shortlist of the six contenders for this year's Best New RV award. It's an eclectic mix, from a super-lightweight aluminium travel trailer and hardcore compact hybrid camper to the world's first full steel monocoque caravan and Australia's most expensive, full off-grid van.

They all have a few things in common though, including clever thinking behind them and a fit-for-purpose design that makes them stand out from the pack...

You can read about the nuts and bolts of the 2022 Innovation Awards here, and we'll announce the other category finalists in coming weeks. The four category winners will be announced in early December...

Bruder EXP-8

While it's hard to see past the eye-watering pricetag (the limited edition EXP-8 Stealth goes to another price level again), the range-topping 19ft 6in extreme off-grid caravan from Brisbane's BruderX is loaded up with enough innovative features to justify the spend, starting with a two-pac painted, fully sealed chassis with disc brakes, rear-mounted winch and Bruder's unique multi-link independent air suspension with eight vertically mounted shock absorbers delivering up to 300mm wheel travel.

Designed for all-temperature camping, the full climate-controlled, epoxy-bonded, closed-cell insulated composite body incorporates a hi-tech 'dust buster' air filtration system, while its 350-litre freshwater tanks and waterlines are located internally to prevent over-heating or freezing.

Not to mention an on-board tyre inflation kit and massive 12V/48V power system including 1000Ah lithium battery pack, 5000W inverter and 1600W rooftop solar bank, while the luxury-lined interior is built to last with its marine-grade stain- and water-resistant flooring.

Harvok Suit of Armour

Moving beyond the still popular 'stick and tin' construction and latest sandwich panel caravan bodies, the Australian designed, Chinese-built Harvok Suit of Armour is designed to shake up the industry with its world-first 'one-piece' monocoque construction.

Basically built like a car or commercial van, the eye-catching Harvok vans utilise robotically welded unitary steel construction for the chassis and body to deliver a smooth, 'join-free' and auto-like finish.

The advantages are a less labour intensive and ultimately lower production cost, more consistent build quality, increased torsional rigidity and fewer warranty claims from common problems like leaky body joins.

As well as ticking the 'Good Design' box, the ground-breaking Harvok vans also come fitted out with Harvok's full off-grid lithium battery system that delivers 48V hybrid power at a more affordable price for consumers.

Trailblazers Combat Wombat

Trailblazers Combat Womat is unlike any other Aussie-built off-road hybrid camper

Trailblazers RV boss Phillip Richardson is well known for 'thinking outside the box', whether it's building unique off-road fifth-wheel caravans, creating compact truck campers or adopting the latest spray-on coating for all-body protection for his go-anywhere hybrids.

For his latest party trick, he's combined many innovative features of previous Trailblazers' models into an all-terrain hybrid teardrop camper called the Combat Wombat, unleashed at this year's Queensland Supershow.

The Combat Wombat is basically a hard-roofed version of earlier Trailblazer micro-poptops, incorporating the latest iteration of the novel kitchen/pantry that slides out from the nose-cone.

Showering is in an external tent but the portable cassette toilet lives inside under a removable seat at the foot of the double bed. There's also an external steel roll-over cage with front and rear rooftop light bars and sand tracks, while the monster 37-inch tyres and off-road suspension underneath help deliver more ground clearance than a Unimog!

Masterpiece Optimum CRZR Edition

Masterpiece has gone all out with its range-topping CRZR Optimum caravan

The CRZR live-axle airbag suspension was a finalist in the 2021 Innovation Awards, and the unique, ground-thumping chassis designed and manufactured in Shepparton, Victoria gets another guernsey in this year's Awards, thanks to the arrival of the Masterpiece Optimum CRZR (Cruiser) Edition caravan.

Described as a "game changer", the 4500kg ATM-rated Optimum CRZR Edition 'van also features Masterpiece's latest rot-free 'R-Tech' body construction, comprising a German one-piece composite floor, 'Fibroplast' wall framing, 'Aircell' insulation and aluminium composite cladding, that helps reduce weight and provides improved insulation and water resistance.

Not to mention its impressive off-grid capability courtesy of a monster 630Ah lithium battery system with 3000W inverter, 1000W rooftop solar and Victron Energy battery management system, together with smart touchscreen panel.

Offline Ryder

It hasn't taken long for Adelaide mechanical engineer, Sam Reynolds to develop a reputation as a serious player in the premium off-road hybrid camper market.

Released earlier this year as the third Offline-branded model, Reynolds has thoughtfully blended aspects of the other two Offline models including chassis and lower body components together with a distinct rear 'garage' design to deliver the Ryder 'toy camper' for dirt-loving revheads.

It's all neatly packaged in a self-contained camper set-up, with enough room on the rear tray to secure up to three motorised dirt bikes or mountain bikes, plus frame supports for mounting a rooftop tent.

Add in lots of storage compartments and a one-tonne-plus payload, a pull-out kitchen, off-road suspension and plenty of water and battery capacity and you can drag this 1100kg Tare and 4.7m long by 1.8m wide toy-hauler camper trailer, just about anywhere...

Road Warrior Adventurer

This is another eye-catching, homegrown RV product that is the result of clever thinking, smart design and extensive testing.

In a market dominated by big heavyweight rigs, the all-aluminium Road Warrior Adventurer arrives as a breath of fresh air for those who like to travel light.

The base trailer weighs just 230kg unloaded, and with a 45kg towball mass and a rated ATM of 600kg, it can be towed behind just about any four-wheel vehicle, as well as some motorcycles and trikes.

The Adventurer base trailer was designed, engineered and tested over a number of years, and is built to last with its purpose-built aluminum chassis fitted with AL-KO independent rubber suspension (IRS) axle, and powdercoated aluminium body incorporating lots of easily accessible storage compartments for all your camping gear.

There's also a sturdy 'roof rack' with four adjustable corner supports, designed to carry a rooftop tent or other larger recreational gear like a mountain bike or kayak.