Crusader The Inspiration

WE LIKED:

- Swivelling leather armchairs
- Shelf alongside dinette
- Good external storage
- Interior location of 12V fuses

NOT SO MUCH:

- 12V fuses not marked
- No footrests for chairs (very decadent, I know)
- Doors and windows don't match

Although much of Australia's early settler history centred around Sydney Harbour, the colony quickly expanded. One of the first areas to be developed was what became Windsor, a town north-west of Sydney.

Initially difficult to get to overland, the fertile area was easily accessible by the Hawkesbury River.

Many of those early settler relics have disappeared under the weight of modern civilisation, but the discerning traveller cruising on the quieter back roads can still find a surprising amount of early Australian history, and even cross the river several times on the still-operating vehicle ferries.

That's exactly what I did when I borrowed a Crusader tandem axle caravan from Windsor's Parravans Caravan World.

INSPIRED DESIGN

Named The Inspiration, this Crusader features a contemporary front bedroom and full-width rear bathroom layout, but with a difference in the middle (more on that later).

With a body length of nearly 7m (23ft) and ATM of 2540kg, it does require a large tow vehicle, along the line of the Toyota LandCruiser I was using.

The Inspiration is built on DuraGal chassis with drawbar rails running back to the front suspension mounts. Greasable shackle load sharing suspension is fitted to the tandem axles. A pair of gas cylinders sits at the front, with a mounted spare wheel at the rear.

Above the chassis, the insulated timber frame is covered by aluminium cladding, along with tinted acrylic hopper windows and a triple-locking security door.

Given their close proximity, the door and front nearside window can not be open at the same time. 

For the al fresco lifestyle lovers, there's a picnic table and a slide-out barbecue under the rear window. Along with a 240V socket, 12V outlet and TV antenna connection, there are two discretely mounted (and easily missed) LED strip lights.

To keep all of the essentials, such as hoses, power leads and camping chairs securely stored, there are front and tunnel boots. So much storage might be a temptation to overload, so the ball weight should be kept mind.

The house battery and charger take up a little bit of space in the front boot. And while this compartment does have a light, the tunnel boot doesn't.

TIMBER LOOK

The interior’s contemporary burnt orange hue may be somewhat conventional, but that isn't to say it doesn't look good: it works very well with the rest of the interior.

What isn't conventional, however, is the offside dining/lounge setup, which catches the eye as soon as you enter. Instead of a café-style dinette, there are two swivelling black leather lounge seats.

Inviting immediate seating, they aren’t fixed to the floor and have a tri-fold multi-use table between them. Although these 'captain's chairs' are quite relaxing to sit in, I did feel the need for footrests.

A group of overhead lockers sitting above the chairs come complete with lead-lined windows, and a very welcome shelf sits under the window – good for books and the like when the folding table is, well, folded.

A 175 litre three-way fridge, with cupboards above, sits between the rear seat and bathroom wall.

On the opposite side, the angled kitchen bench gives a bit more storage space underneath the stainless steel sink. Bench space isn't as plentiful as you might think, but the flush-fitting lid above the cooktop does help.

There are a grill and oven under the cooktop, plus a microwave in the lockers above the sink.

General storage is very reasonable, with a good selection of cupboards and drawers, plus a wire basket slide-out pantry. Like the rest of the van, all the doors have piano hinges.

Above the fume extractor, the overhead locker houses the electrics, with the radio/CD player and the main 12V switch (a very useful item) on the outside and the 12V fuses within. While this is a nice change from the usual front boot location, circuit markings on the fuses would be helpful.

STAYING FRESH

No surprises in the bathroom: nearside shower cubicle; offside Thetford cassette toilet; and a rear wall cabinet that includes a sink, wall mirror and cupboards all-round.

These cupboards, however, are not as spacious as one might think – the door beside the sink hides an increasingly common washing machine. The bathroom and shower cubicle are vented by a fan hatch.

Up front, an innerspring mattress measuring 1.85 x 1.52m (6ft 1in x 5ft) fills most of the bedroom. Windows on three sides and a mid-sized roof hatch give good light and ventilation. A shelf under the window adds to bedside storage.

Although there's the usual side wardrobes and overhead lockers, the foot-of-bed corner cupboards aren't included – a good idea in this case due to relatively limited space.

In addition to adding some privacy from outside, the small partition between the entry door and bedroom acts as a mounting point for the flatscreen TV.
 
VERDICT

One of the little surprises on this trip was to find myself driving down a Windsor back lane, almost through an early settler cemetery. I wonder what those same settlers would have thought of travelling around the country in what is essentially a totally weatherproof stagecoach, fitted with every modern convenience. 

I reckon they might have been very impressed. And although the difference between a café-style dinette and captain’s chairs might have escaped them, it seems like a winner to me.

While I was looking over The Inspiration, a couple of experienced caravanners, Jeff and Margaret, turned up looking for a new van. What immediately interested them about The Inspiration were the swivelling chairs in place of the normal café-style dinette. 

"We like the idea of a couple of comfortable lounge chairs," Margaret said. "And we also like the front door entry. Having it near the bedroom doesn’t worry us at all."

Jeff commented that while the seating arrangement was great, he needed to make sure the van hadn't lost too much storage and the folding table remained at a comfortable height.

Interestingly, while talking to me Jeff and Margaret opened all the cupboards – to check not only storage space, but also the 'out of sight' build quality.

CRUSADER THE INSPIRATION

Overall length: 8.79m (28ft 10in)
External length: 6.96m (22ft 10in)
External width (inc awning): 2.44m (8ft)  
Interior height: 1.98m (6ft 6in)
Travel height: 2.83m (9ft 3in)
Tare: 2140kg
ATM: 2540kg
Ball weight (advised): 200kg
Frame: Timber
Chassis: DuraGal
Suspension: Tandem axle load sharing
Cooktop: Swift four-burner/grill/oven
Fridge: Dometic RM7851 175L
Microwave: Samsung
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Lighting: 12V fluorescent/halogen
Gas: 2x9kg
Fresh water: 2 x 95 litre
Price $65,485 (on road, NSW)  
Supplied by: Parravans Caravan World, Windsor, NSW
More info: Crusader Caravans