Build your own caravan from $17,000

UPDATE

As of November 11, 2015 Zone RV no longer produces the flat-pack range, the company still exists but have moved their focus onto other products.

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A Queensland composites manufacturer is pioneering a range of flat pack, do-it-yourself caravans.

Based in Queensland’s Coolum Beach, Zone RV is an off-shoot of Cure Composites, which specialises in the manufacture of composite panels for trucks bodies and trailers. The company also produces a range of fittings and features for domestic and commercial applications, as well as building the odd hi-tech catamaran.

But now it’s turned its expertise to designing and building a range of RV models, including on- and off-road caravans, toy haulers and ute back campers, that you can piece together in your own garage.

Depending on your skill level, time and budget, Zone RV offers a range of options for the home handyman. The cheapest is the pre-built base (rolling chassis) where you assemble the body, followed by a ‘pre-built shell’ option where the caravan, minus interior fit-out, comes already assembled.

Despite the DIY tag, there appears to be nothing amateurish or cheap about the caravan’s design or engineering, or the quality of materials used. For example, the one-piece, white gloss composite body panels are laminated and cut in-house using the latest CNC machinery.  

They’re then slotted together using aluminium panel clip extrusions and supplied bonding compounds to create a fully waterproof and dustproof body, Zone RV claims.

The walls use conventional caravan insulation, whereas the one-piece composite floor features a polypropylene honeycomb core for “impact resistance and longevity”.

While the interior fit-out including electrical and plumbing work is left to the owner (or tradesmen of their choice), Zone RV makes it easier by incorporating electrical conduits in the sidewall panels for when the time comes to hook up appliances.

Owners also get a head start on the bathroom fit-out with a rear bulkhead bathroom wall and moulded shower base included in the package.

Also included are pre-cut 'holes' in the walls and roof for windows, hatches, air-conditioning units and the like, allowing for further customisation of the van.

Zone RV even throws in a printed instructional manual and step-by-step video to prevent mid-build tantrums!

The Zone RV caravan is available in single and tandem axle configurations and seven internal body lengths, ranging from 14ft (4.27m) to 30ft (9.14m). And due to the lightweight construction, Tare weights (shell only) range from as little as 900kg up to 1700kg.