Kimberley Karavan

WHAT WE LIKED

• Extensive touring comforts
• Amount of storage space
• Internal and external showers

NOT SO MUCH

• Optioned up, costs more than many tow vehicles
• There isn’t one in my driveway!

I never thought I’d be reviewing a camper trailer worth close to $90,000. Sounds like a lot of money, right? It is camping, after all, and you can do that just fine in a $5000 camper trailer. Just as you can tour around Australia in a GQ Patrol, although most people do it in something a bit nicer, like a $70,000-plus LandCruiser or Pajero.

The real question is, if you’re willing to spend that kind of money on a tow vehicle, why wouldn’t you spend it on something with similar engineering that will have you camping almost anywhere in Australia with more than a little decorum?

The Kimberley Karavan is a true hybrid. It combines apartment-style living with the same attention to offroad ability and outback living that Kimberley affords its better known camper trailer range.

While I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to offroad touring – I believe everyone should get out there regardless of their budget – it’s hard not to fall in love with something like the Kimberley Karavan.

The list of inclusions including little things that make life easier is ridiculously long, and you can tell a lot of thought has gone into every little aspect.

OUTER STRENGTH

At slightly more than 17ft (5.0m), the hard-top Karavan isn’t any longer than walk-in camper trailers. And with a travelling height of 7ft 5in (2.28m), it sits almost as high as the top of the roof rack on a LandCruiser, and is actually 20mm narrower.

Despite the ostentatious living space when set up, it travels well. Our Karavan weighed 1580kg unloaded and has an ATM of 2000kg.

The laser-cut, hot-dipped galvanised chassis sits on a Kimberley Kamper independent suspension system. Over-ride disc brakes are standard, as are Fox shocks.

There’s no timber used in the construction of the Karavan; rather, the floor is a one-piece marine high-density plastic panel, with internal alloy frames and furniture throughout. It runs on 15in steel rims with an $850 allowance for Goodyear Wrangler tyres to match your vehicle.

The A-frame houses a Gullwing toolbox, Rhino-coated to protect it from stone chips, plus two 4kg gas bottle and twin jerry can holders.

Our review unit had the optional outdoor hot/cold shower on the back of the trailer – great for a quick rinse in the bush, or if you just like to get a little closer to nature.

Next to the nearside door is the outside kitchen. Our trailer had the optional stainless steel barbecue, stainless sink and a massive wok burner. There could be a bit more pantry storage here, but you can get in and out via the dinette.

The 12V system on the Karavan is impressive. Our trailer had the optional solar upgrade, with 160W worth of panels mounted on the roof. There’s a standard 20W panel for trickle charging the battery system, which includes 160Ah AGM deep-cycles with an intelligent 10A charger. You can jack that right up to more than 300Ah of onboard batteries, though.

There are lights everywhere, courtesy of liberal use of Kimberley’s eco range of high-powered, high-efficiency LEDs.

INNER PEACE

Setting up the Karavan takes a few minutes, and we packed up on the beach in about five. That was after a wet and woolly night, but we didn’t have to worry about sand in the bed or wet canvas.

After climbing up the cantilevered moon-lander steps, the space-age feeling continues through the interior, with its perfect combination of form and function. The Dutch doors keep out the weather and mozzies, and you can roll down a flyscreen window.

On the right is a dinette and table leading up to the queen-size bed. The dinette seats up to five, and the table extends to three optional lengths – for drinks, lunch and dinner. New for 2011, the table and benchtops are solid acrylic, which means they’ll wear better and are easily reparable. There’s extra storage under the seats.

The mattress is Kimberley’s Platinum innerspring nine-layer design with 100 per cent cotton outer layers. Individual pocket springs mean you can drop a bowling ball on one side of the bed without knocking over the stack of wine glasses on the other side, although we didn’t actually try this!

Under the mattress are two storage drawers perfect for clothing or smaller odds and ends. This is also where the (optional) Webasto ducted heating outlet lives, alongside a couple of 240V outlets and some 12V outlets.

Directly ahead of the nearside door is the inside kitchen, and there’s plenty of room here to spread out on the benchtops. There’s also a 12V hot/cold stainless sink and 133 litre Vitrifrigo fridge, which has a remote fan-cooled compressor.

There are three water tanks onboard: 120 litre rear; 70 litre front; and 60 litre grey. Hot water is provided via the Webasto system, and there’s a separate Webasto diesel cooktop for inside. This way, you don’t have to worry about fumes in the trailer while cooking.

There’s plenty of storage built into the kitchen including drawers and cupboards, most of which you can get to even when the Karavan is stowed for travel.

Under the bench is where you’ll find the control panel, and that NASA-type feel again comes through. You can monitor your water tanks and batteries via the Victron meter, which gives everything from amps out to percentages of use, toilet cassette, hot water system and diesel cooktop. There are also switches and fuses for the entire 12V system here. 

The remote-control DVD/radio is also up front, with speakers in the ceiling. The optional 17in LCD TV is weatherproof, so you can leave it out in the dew after the big game.

There’s also an inside toilet and shower next to the door. The vacuum cassette toilet ensures no odours emanate when guests pop around for happy hour. And having a shower inside as well as out is great when you’re camping at the beach and want to clean off before bed, or if you’re staying somewhere crowded.

With four skylights and five windows around the ‘apartment’, it’s definitely bright and airflow is good. You don’t need a wall-length flyscreen when the walls and ceiling are insulated.

VERDICT

If I had the money for one of these things, I’d be in my own right now, instead of reviewing someone else’s. It’s a great machine that takes the traditional camper trailer design and takes it a little bit further on almost every front.

When you compare the Karavan to most of the touring campers on the road, it doesn’t slip on performance, style or liveability.

If your new LandCruiser was worth every penny, this thing is too. Maybe it’s the 200 Series of the camper trailer world.

WORKING HOLIDAY

When Michael Bock and Beate Haunstrup Thomsen were looking for a way to travel while still looking after their software business based in the south of France, they quickly settled on the Karavan as the perfect solution.

Their Karavan is equipped with all the fixings for camping, but the couple added a 3G mobile broadband modem and wireless router, so they can use their Macbooks anywhere around the camper when there is a phone signal. That’s why the van has all of those stickers on it: RapidiOnline provides data integration solutions to mid-to-large companies.

Michael and Beate were working for Kimberley when they discovered the brand – and the lifestyle they could have on the road.

"We were thinking about travelling around Australia in a 4WD, but we wanted to be able to work at the same time, to have a travelling office," Michael said on the beach, his tan belying any work being done lately.

"When Kimberley sent through information on the Karavan, we thought that would be perfect for what we want to do. It’s a great mobile office/apartment that can follow us anywhere in Australia."

KIMBERLEY KARAVAN

Overall length: 21ft 4in (6.51m)
External length: 17ft (5.18m)
External width: 6ft 3in (1.91m)
Internal walk-through height: 6ft 10in (2.1m)
External height (set up): 10ft 1in (3.09m)
Travel height: 7ft 5in (2.28m)
Advised Tare: 1580kg
Advised ATM: 2000kg
Advised ball weight: 160-180kg
Chassis: Laser-cut, hot-dipped galvanised
Suspension: Kimberley independent
Brakes: Over-ride disc
Coupling: Treg
Cooktop: Diesel ceramic
Shower/toilet: Combo (cassette)
Lighting: LED
Fresh water: 180 litre (1 x 110 litre, 1 x 70 litre)
Grey water: 60 litre
Gas: 2 x 4kg
Price: from $74,950 (tow-away, NSW)
As tested: $87,490
More info: Kimberly Kampers