Everest Glider 2019 Review

You’ve got to be offering something different, or significantly better value for money, to succeed when you launch a new brand in Australia’s crowded caravan heartland of Campbellfield, Victoria.

Everest Caravans has given both a red hot go with its range-topping 22ft 8in Everest Ice Glider family bunk van that retails with loads of standard equipment – and some unique features – for a competitive $85,990.

But while the brand might be new, the team behind the Everest Ice Glider isn’t.

Director, Ljupcho Dimitrovski, has been building caravans for other well-established brands for more than 15 years, but he wanted to custom-build for the needs of specific travellers and changed course earlier this year to realise his dream.

Special touches all round

While it looks like a conventional ribbed aluminium-clad caravan from a distance, the closer you get to the Ice Glider the more distinctive it is.

First thing you notice is the smooth carbon fibre-look gloss finish on the exterior wall cladding, which gives a similar protection from hailstones and abrasions as a stucco finish, but looks a lot classier.

Beneath it, along both sides, front and rear, Everest employs distinctive dimpled X-plate instead of familiar checkerplate or propeller-plate stones shielding. Combined with the gloss carbon finish above, it gives the Everest a quality look that makes it stand out from the Campbellfield crowd.

Inside, there are more surprises. The first is its distinctive tan and black décor, with its matt-finish, wood-look table and benchtop contrasting with the matt-black lower cabinetry, cupboard catches and tapware. This is starkly different to the high gloss interiors that you’ll find in most Melbourne-built caravans.

Then at the left hand end of the kitchen, there are two surprises: a six-bottle Avanti wine cooler to keep the sav blanc or chardy chilled and above it, a small fold-out ironing board. So, if you feel the need to iron on holiday, you don't have to go far for a drink to make it bearable! As Everest says: Why leave your ‘must have' appliances at home?

Family friendly

Regardless of whether you prefer your holidays with or without creases, the Ice Glider is a very inclusive family caravan.

For a start, there’s plenty of room for everyone. The island queen bed is to the left of the front entry door, with three large cupboards above flanked by mirror-fronted half-robes, and bedside chests of drawers alongside.

Under the bed there’s a large storage area incorporating a central divider, with the left side accessible via a bottom-hinged trapdoor for storage access without needing to lift the bed.

The only problem with this popular bed layout is that you can tumble down the entry stairwell if you go wandering at night without lights.

Otherwise, the Ice Glider’s layout makes good sense for a family, with a large L-shaped lounge along the right-hand wall, fronted by a long rectangular table that can articulate closer to those seated to create extra kitchen space. It's capable of accommodating a family of five for meals, or watching TV, leaving enough room to cook up a storm in the well-equipped galley opposite.

Great kitchen

The bench-space in the galley looks impressive until you realise that it includes the solid lift-up top above the Swift 500 Series 3+1 cooktop, with its grill and full oven below.

The standard NCE microwave sits high above a large 182-litre Thetford 3-way fridge/freezer opposite – not ideal for shorter chefs with hot dishes, but at least it keeps the kitchen cupboards clear for utensils and food. There’s no slide-out pantry though – a notable omission on a big family van.

Back beyond the kitchen there are triple-stacked single bunks on the door side, opposite the combined toilet/vanity and separate shower cubicle bathroom, with a cabinet in between incorporating a 2.6kg top-loading Sphere washing machine against the back wall, plus a cupboard housing a nest of clothes-storage open shelves above.

It’s a fundamentally good and proven layout that could only be improved by adding a solid sliding door to separate the inevitable sight and sounds of three children and their mess and a bathroom with towels and clothes on the floor, from the ‘adult’ end of the caravan. Even a concertina folding door would work here.

The kids won’t care, as they will like the bunks, each of which has its own opening windows with both blackout and fly-mesh blinds, a USB charging socket incorporated into its own reading light and the privacy of a sliding curtain. Upper bunks are easily accessed by a built-in ladder.

Off-road limits

In all other respects, the Ice Glider is well set up to house a travelling family.

Everest call it an ‘off-road’ caravan and it has plenty of ground clearance and the equipment to qualify as such, but the reality is that its spec makes it more suited to major Outback highways than really gnarly tracks.

The 3.5t Oz trekker independent suspension on its separate blue-painted sub-frame underneath the Everest’s 150mm deep galvanised steel chassis looks basic but tough, and is up to the job, while the van’s two 95-litre fresh water tanks, standard 95-litre grey water tank, plumbing and under-body wiring are all shielded from stone strike.

Up front, a truck-mesh shield across the A-frame protects the twin 9kg gas bottles, while a checkerplate tool box accommodates either a portable fridge or generator on a slide on one side, while the other can house all your hoses and cables.

However, working against the Ice Glider on crowned, unsealed road are its Tare weight of 2940kg, which is a lot to recover if its slips off the crown of a muddy dirt road after rain, and the many vents in the body that look like an invitation to dust.

Some of the latter are required by our gas regulations, while others could be overcome by additional sealing to the outside.

Having said that, the Everest is well-equipped for family free-camping – certainly for a few days – with 190 litres of fresh water, twin under-slung and checkerplate protected 100Ah AGM deep cycle batteries, plus a pair of 170W solar panels on the roof feeding them, all controlled by a BMPRO 35W charger/regulator and monitored, like the water tank levels, by a Trek Digital Display.

Summing up

There's no lack of choice when it comes to Melbourne-built, traditional-style caravans, but the Everest Ice Glider from a new, small Victorian custom builder, breaks the Campbellfield mould with its unique ‘earthy’ décor and trend-setting features in a roomy, all-roads, free-camp and family-friendly caravan at a competitive price.

2019 Everest Ice Glider 

Travel length: 9660mm
External body length: 6970mm
External body width: 2470mm
Travel height: 3120mm
Internal height: 1975mm
Tare: 2940kg
ATM: 3500kg
Ball weight: 180kg
Body: Meranti timber wall and roof frame with high profile aluminium cladding and X-plate lower stone protection
Chassis: Heavy duty galvanised 150mm x 50mm steel chassis with Cruisemaster DO-35 off-road coupling.
Suspension: 3.5t Oz trekker independent suspension with twin telescopic shock absorbers per wheel
Brakes: 10-in electric drum brakes
Wheels: 16in alloy with LT265/75-16 MPC Adventure A/T tyres
Water: 2 x 95 litre fresh water, plus 1 x 95 litre grey water tanks
Battery: 2 x 100AH deep cycle AGM batteries
Solar: Roof-mounted 2 x 170W glass panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Gas HWS
Cooking: Swift 500 Series internal 3 + 1 hob cooktop, plus grill and full oven, plus NCE microwave
Fridge: Dometic 182-litre 3-way fridge-freezer.
Shower: Internal and external hot/cold
Toilet: Cassette
Lighting: LED inside, plus exterior lighting on all sides
Price: $85,990 (Victoria)
Supplied by: Everest Caravans, Campbellfield Victoria