Avan camper goes feral

Avan has unveiled perhaps the ultimate off-road version of its popular A-shaped folding compact caravan.

The Pakenham, Victoria-based manufacturer has come up with a new ‘Adventure Plus’ pack for the original, canvas-free, 30 second camper, to turn it from a lightweight, bitumen tourer into a rugged, bush-basher suitable for extended outback trips.

As well as more road clearance the Adventure Plus option adds beefier underpinning including a thicker 5in chassis, independent trailing arm coil suspension, and 15in wheels with all-terrain rubber. ??Upgraded wall hinges, draw runners and increased internal framing in the walls also make the little hard-top camper better suited to tackling rugged terrain.

The Adventure Plus pack also adds an extra 63 litre freshwater tank, for 126 litres in total, as well as an external shower connected to a gas/electric hot water service.

Also thrown in is a Hyland off-road hitch, roof-mounted 80 watt solar panel, 20 amp 12V battery charger, and an external gas bayonet that runs off two, 4.5kg gas bottles on the A-frame.

The 14ft 7in Avan Cruiseliner 1D Adventure Plus on display at the 2014 Queensland Caravan & Camping Supershow, also came with an awning and three extra external lockers to go with the front storage boot on the standard Cruiseliner model. ??

Inside ‘luxuries’ extended to a double bed with innerspring mattress, three-person dinette, and small kitchen with gas cooktop, sink, fridge, and microwave, as well as an air-conditioner and radio/CD player with internal and external speakers.

The ‘Adventure Plus’ display model had a ‘show special’ price of $42,990, which is around $13,000 more than a basic Cruiseliner 1D on which it is based.

The Adventure Plus pack also adds around 200kg to overall weight, giving the display model a Tare of 1110kg and ATM of 1410kg.