Harvok wins Best New RV award

An RV industry-first ‘full metal jacket’ caravan, has won a major prize in the 2022 caravancampingsales Innovation Awards.

The Harvok Suit of Armour picks up the Best New RV trophy in the 2022 Innovation Awards, which are designed to recognize and reward advancements in the areas of technology, design, quality and safety throughout the Australian RV industry.

Dubbed the "world's first robot built, monocoque caravan", the unique all-steel Harvok Suit of Armour 'vans were designed by Harvok's Melbourne-based team led by CEO Ben Liu, and built at an automotive factory in China before final fit-out in Australia.

“The Harvok Suit of Armour's production method is a real point of difference in a market still dominated by old-school ‘stick ’n’ tin’ caravan construction,” said caravancampingsales’ editor and Innovation Awards judge Chris Fincham.

“Bringing new innovations to the caravan industry, it has the potential to eliminate build quality errors and water leaks through robotic welding as well as reduce the overall costs of production, with the savings passed on to buyers,” he said.

“Other features like the smooth, anti-corrosion finish and expansion foam insulation, also bode well for long-term durability and re-sale value.

“The sharply priced Harvok Suit of Armour also stands out from other large luxury Aussie caravans by bringing full off-grid, 48V lithium caravan technology to the masses.”

Runner-up in the 2022 Best New RV category is the Bruder EXP-8 extreme off-road hybrid caravan, with the Masterpiece Optimum CRZR off-road caravan in third place, according to judges’ votes.

“With COVID city shutdowns and adventurous travellers champing at the bit, the Brisbane-built Bruder EXP-8 off-grid couple's caravan knows few boundaries when it comes to off-grid travel and living, making it appealing to a growing world market of independent explorers,” Innovation Awards judge Michael Browning commented.

Innovation Awards judge Rod Chapman described the feature-packed Masterpiece Optimum CRZR Edition as a "very innovative high-end off-road caravan from a builder that continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in this highly competitive space”.

The ‘Best New RV’ innovation award is the second trophy in 2022 for the tough-as-nails Harvok Suit of Armour, after it was recognised at this year’s Good Design Australia Awards.

Other finalists in the 2022 Best New RV category included the cleverly designed Offline Ryder compact toy hauler camper, Trailblazers’ radical Combat Wombat hybrid camper and the super-lightweight Road Warrior Adventurer camping trailer.

Other category winners in the 2022 caravancampingsales Innovation Awards include the Laveo Dry Flush (Best New Technology), the Dunny Buddy (Best New Product/Accessory), and RV Safe (Best New Safety Feature).