Bushtracker 20ft

A Bushtracker caravan owner I once met at remote Arkaroola in the northern Flinders Ranges told me the only time he and his wife ever saw bitumen was when they crossed it.

While not all owners are that intrepid, that’s indicative of the reverence in which the Sunshine Coast, Queensland brand is held in the hearts of serious, long-term travellers.

So, is it hype or a true snapshot of the custom-built caravans that have emerged from Kunda Park over the past 20-odd years?

The real deal

Like its outspoken and slightly eccentric director Steven Gibbs, Bushtrackers are not victims of fads or fashions and for most of their owners we have spoken to, truly live up to the brand’s promise of ‘Real caravans for the Outback’.

The ‘Rolls-Royce of caravans’ is also an apt description. Like the British luxury car maker, Bushtrackers are not known to be technology leaders, but instead are built along proven, mainly conservative lines for an established group of usually well-heeled customers.

Their few custom-built off-road rivals are sometimes built smarter and have more features, but BT customers, like their RR luxury car equivalents, don’t care. For them the brand and all it stands for are a statement of their style and status in itself.

Because they are truly customer built, with no such thing as a fixed model range with annual changes, reviewing a specific van is difficult. So, when we were offered a 20ft demonstrator that incorporated many of the most-ordered layout, features and options, it gave us the opportunity to behind the legend.

Heavy and costly

Let’s start with two truths: Bushtrackers are generally heavy and costly. Both these are relative terms, as both are related to overall size and the number of option boxes you tick.

You don’t get a lightweight caravan when you sit it on hot-dipped galvanised 150mm x 50mm, and a 300mm extended A-frame that connects to a laminated double chassis.

Also bumping up weight are two full-size 16-inch spare off-road wheels and tyres (matched to your tow vehicle), three separate 90 litre water tanks (two for drinking and one for grey water), tandem load sharing suspension with 12-inch off-road brakes and 60-tonne tensile axles, three 150W roof-mounted solar panels, a 300Ah Enerdrive lithium battery system with 60amp solar regulator and 60amp battery charger, a 220 litre compressor fridge/freezer, 4kg front-loading washing machine and electric bi-fold step and electric awning.

Despite all this, the review van’s tare weight of 2820kg was no more than some of the big off-roaders of similar size we have reviewed in recent times and I know which one I’d back to do a few laps of Australia!

Ticking the option boxes

The review van’s full option-included price of $150,820 (discounted to $146,020 as a show van) might seem high on first glance, but a basic 20ft Bushtracker with a similar layout, deep cycle batteries and a few less options has a recommended retail price of $112,500, which is about the same as a much smaller, top-end hybrid off-road caravan.

However, talking to Bushtracker sales team, most customers either tick the option boxes when ordering a new van and wait patiently for six to eight months for delivery, or purchase a second-hand or BT show van, save a little money and take immediate delivery.

And, believe it or not, but one third of them will go on to order one or more new Bushtrackers during their travelling lifetime.

Built to last

Looking at the 20ft review van in detail, it’s easy to appreciate why.

Bushtrackers employ a welded 2mm and 3mm aluminium box section body frame lapped over 5mm angle for their walls and roof, to which either Stucco-coated ribbed aluminium or fibreglass is attached.

Cooler board insulation is used in the 25mm and 75mm cavities between the inner and outer wall and roof linings, respectively, while the flooring is one-piece, rot and crush-proof composite.

The ribbed aluminium cladding produces a lighter van that's easier to repair in the case of a small scrape. However, Bushtracker concede they're getting more and more demand for smooth fibreglass cladding, because customers think it looks smarter and more modern. So, they offer that too.

The ribbed cladding on the review van, combined with the brand’s traditional ‘under-bite’ nose, with its twin spares mounted below, behind its twin 9kg gas bottles and truck-mesh stone shield, is a timeless design that never goes out of fashion, but there’s a reason.

Putting the spares ahead of the axle line ensures that there is always sufficient weight for towing stability on the sturdy five-tonne-rated off-road Hitch-Ezy pillar coupling that is now fitted as standard to all Bushtrackers, while the 45-degree rake on the van’s rear bodywork ensures that it won’t drag its tail on rural service station forecourts or on steep creek-crossings.

Other external BT features that are universally popular with customers are the full-tunnel boot that sits up front beneath the elevated island, north-south queen bed and the hand-built aluminium door that can be pressure tightened externally over the entry door to ensure that the caravan remains water-tight up to 1.2 metres, while also enhancing its dust protection.

Aluminium checker-plate down the van’s flanks minimise scratching in the bush and enhance its rugged, ‘go-anywhere’ look.

10,000 interior decor combinations

Inside, each Bushtracker is a clean slate for buyers, with a vast range of possible layouts, equipment and décor on offer, or you can also design your own, cutting and pasting modules found on their website.

The review van represented what many people want, which is a north-south bed up front, a café dinette lounge and big fridge opposite the galley in the middle and a full width shower, toilet and vanity across the rear. However, Bushtracker does each of these things differently.

For example, raising the height of the bed creates an exceptionally large storage area beneath. In this case, there's enough room for three good-sized drawers and a shelf for the removable dinette table. In some layouts, a front-loading washing machine can also be installed here.

The dinette is larger than usual; the table can easily be removed after dinner and the seat cushions are deeper than most meaning that you can slouch comfortably to chat or watch TV if you want to, rather than sit bolt-upright as most dinette lounges demand.

And the 220 litre Danfoss 12v compressor fridge/freezer alongside it is large enough to keep you fed away from home for many weeks.

Plenty of kitchen bench space

Many quite large caravans have relatively little kitchen bench space, but the 20ft Bushtracker isn’t one of them. A four-burner cooktop/grill/oven and stainless-steel sink/drainer are flanked on the right by truly generous bench space, with the serving area topped by a scratch and scuff-resistant board.

There are multiple drawers with positive catches to keep them closed off-road, while all are made from marine ply and the drawers have strong metal runners for strength and longevity.

The rear bathroom also looks fairly conventional at first glance, but again the difference is in the detail.

For example, the shower cubicle is made from hand-formed fibreglass and incorporates two water-tight storage lockers, while the central vanity mirror opens to reveal a medicine cabinet.

While its rivals crow about their vacuum or marine toilet systems, Bushtracker keeps it simple with a conventional cassette toilet that can easily be emptied without the need of special hoses.

Verdict

The result of all this attention to detail is a caravan that's more than the sum of its parts – large and strong enough for comfortable long-term off-the-grid living for two; compact enough to go to many places off the beaten track and relatively easy and comfortable to haul there behind the right tow vehicle.

The Bushtracker hype is not over-blown.

Bushtracker 20ft

Travel length: 8230mm
External body length: 6100mm
External body width: 2400mm                                                                                      Travel height: 2950mm                                                                                                Tare: 2820kg
ATM: 3500kg
Payload: 680kg
Ball weight: 280kg                                                                                                        Body: Ribbed aluminium walls over welded aluminium frame with foam insulation
Chassis: 150mm x 50mm hot-dipped galvanised steel chassis and A-frame
Suspension: Independent trailing arms with load-sharing leaf springs
Brakes: Off-road 12in electric drums
Wheels: 16in Speedy alloy with 285/75-16 tyres
Water: 2 x 90L fresh, plus 90L grey water tanks
Battery: 1 x 300Ah Enerdrive lithium
Solar: 3 x 150W roof-mounted panels with 60Ah solar regulator.
Gas: 2 x 9kg                                                                                                           Cooking: Four burner cooktop, grill and microwave
Fridge: 220L Danfoss compressor
Bathroom: Full separate shower, toilet and vanity
Lighting: LED throughout
Price: From $112,500; as reviewed with options, $146,020
Supplied by: Bushtracker, Kunda Park, Qld