Free Spirit 17ft Single Axle

WE LIKED:
>> Single bed layout
>> Breakfast bar instead of conventional dinette
>> Fully engineered and certified chassis

NOT SO MUCH
>> Cooktop/sink location
>> No grill for my cheese on toast – an old favourite
>> No radio/iPod/Mp3 unit

True offroad caravans, by their nature, have to be built with some very good engineering and that engineering is often a weight factor in itself, particularly in the chassis.

Free Spirit, an aptly named south-east Queensland-based offroad caravan manufacturer, has looked at this problem and taken a different approach in its design.

This approach is evident on its single-axle, 5.18m (17ft) rig, which is designed for a customer who travels on their own. That said, it could easily be used by a couple, and has quite a few interesting features both inside and out.

One of the attention-getters with this van is the weight factor or, should I say lack thereof. Being a 5.18m van and having a tare weight of 1980kg makes it towable by a Ford Falcon, yet this is an offroad van.

It does have a generous load capacity of 600kg and is certainly towable by something like a Toyota Prado, as long as the van isn’t fully loaded.

ALLOY BASE BUILT TO LAST

So where is the weight reduction? Undoubtedly, the almost unique feature of Free Spirit caravan is the aluminium chassis.

Unique in a number of ways – it’s made of aluminium and the drawbar and chassis rails are full-length, one-piece items. And just for the aluminium chassis doubters – it has a 25 year warranty.

Above the chassis rails, the floor frame is built in the more traditional box section style, as is the body and internal cabinetry framework.

All are made from aluminium and, according to the Free Spirit team, both strong and lightweight; just like the composite fibreglass used for the roof and walls and the one piece honeycomb section used for the floor.

A look under the Free Spirit chassis reveals single-axle independent coil spring suspension fitted with trailing arms and twin shock absorbers and bolted to the main chassis rails and cross members. It also reveals a very clean looking under chassis area and good ground clearance.

Up front, the drawbar looks a busy place. The pointy end comes with a Hitch Ezy coupling which is designed for use in seriously undulating terrain but does require a non-standard towball on the tow vehicle.

In addition to the standard handbrake and jockey wheel, there’s also a mesh stone guard, two 4.5kg gas cylinders, two jerry can holders and a large alloy checkerplate storage bin with a separate top storage.

External storage isn’t a problem because there’s also a front tunnel boot, where incidentally, the internal aluminium framing can be seen. Mid nearside, there’s another bin but that’s used mostly for the slide-out barbecue.

The rear of the Free Spirit is a little less busy with just a spare wheel mounted on the bumper bar. Fitted into the rear wall are an external shower compartment and a rear vision camera – something still not common on caravans.

INTRIGUING LAYOUT

Stepping inside the Free Spirit through the standard Camec security door reveals an interesting layout.

In keeping with the single-axle theme are single beds up front. That leaves room for a nearside kitchen bench and a very imaginative breakfast bar-style dinette on the opposite side, along with a 150 litre fridge, microwave oven and a full-height slide-out pantry.

Instead of the usual full-width rear bathroom, it only occupies the rear offside corner, leaving the rest of the space for a large wardrobe.

With all the bulky cabinetry work in the rear of the van, the front has a very open feel, with both the light hued Tasmanian Oak timber and multiple Seitz hopper windows contributing to this effect.

Overhead lockers are fitted all round the Free Spirit, except directly above the beds. For warmer times, a roof mounted Air Command Ibis air-conditioner delivers cooling air but a generator will be needed if camping in remote places.

Starting with the dining area, the breakfast bar idea with matching high seats and foot stands is certainly different. There isn’t a great deal of leg room because there are four (recessed) storage cupboards underneath the benchtop.

Not that it’s really going to be a place for relaxing and stretching out, which is why the single beds make a complementary match for this concept – they’re the place to kick back and relax, because the flatscreen TV is mounted on the pantry wall and best seen from the beds.

One feature I noted was that while the TV is swivel arm mounted, it comes with the facility to be fully strapped against the wall for travelling. Also of interest is that the breakfast bar can be used as a small work station.

PERFECT FOR SINGLES

Not everyone likes them, but the single beds offer very comfortable and practical sleeping accommodation.

Windows all ‘round give plenty of fresh air and both beds have reading lights, plus a large central bedside cabinet, which has one large drawer and both 240V and 12V power sockets.

In addition, the top can be extended to act as a table between the beds which is very versatile.

Both beds offer storage underneath the ply and aluminium framed bed base – accessed by lifting the gas strut fitted hatches. The nearside bed area is half taken by two (standard) 120 AH house batteries and an 1800W inverter.

The kitchen bench is quite simply fitted out with a combo three-burner cooktop and stainless steel sink.

A slight problem with this arrangement is that the sink is right next to the bed and there’s no splash panel at the end of the bench. It might be more practical to have the sink/cooktop combo at the other end of the bench.

Under bench storage consists of three cupboards and four drawers. As noted previously, the rest of the kitchen facilities are located on the opposite side.
I’ve seen Free Spirit bathrooms before and they’re not just a white cubicle with Thetford cassette toilet and flexible hose shower.

This one also has a moulded vanity extension which makes good use of space by having a wash basin, wall mirror, soap dispenser and two waterproof storage cupboards.

Both a Fiamma ceiling fan and a large-ish window supply the necessary ventilation.

All that bathroom area still leaves space in the nearside corner for a wardrobe with hanging space, four drawers and a hatchway that gives access to the space behind the drawers.

VERDICT

The design approach taken by Free Spirit is a little different to other manufacturers. It’s one where weight is removed in such a way that that the actual engineering required for van design isn’t a weight factor in itself.

An interesting, practical and slightly different layout has been fitted into this 5.18m (17ft) van.

Although it doesn’t have features such as a full-width rear bathroom, it’s still very liveable and perhaps best of all, doesn’t require an overly large tow vehicle.

FREE SPIRIT 17ft SINGLE-AXLE

Overall length: 7.42m (24ft 4in)
External body length: 5.18m (17ft)
External width: 2.03m (6ft 8in)
Travel height: 3.06m (10ft)
Interior height: 1.95m (6ft 5in)
Nameplate ATM: 2600kg
Nameplate Tare: 1980kg
Ball weight: 185kg
Frame: Aluminium
Chassis: Aluminium
Suspension: Independent Coil
Cooktop: Domestic three burner/sink combo
Fridge: Vitrifrigo 150 litre 12V compressor
Microwave oven: Panasonic
Shower: Fixed height, flex hose
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Lighting: 12V LED
Solar panels: 2 x 135W
Batteries: 2 x 120ah    
Gas supply: 2 x 4.5kg
Fresh water: 2 x 95L
Price: $101,000 (on road, Qld)
Supplied by: Free Spirit Caravans, Caloundra, Queensland