
By Malcolm Street
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Most caravans built in Australia have a separate steel chassis, either hot dipped galvanised or DuraGal, and a timber or aluminium frame to support the van body.
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So when one comes along that uses a different support structure, it tends to make news. 
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Knudsen Caravans, based in Nowra on the south coast of NSW, is better known for its fifth wheeler rigs but it has been diversifying and producing both a camping trailer and caravan.
And it’s the caravan that’s the subject of this CW review – the 17ft (5.2m) Illaroo. 
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What makes it different is the steel frame. According to Kevin Knudsen: “The construction is something new as the entire frame is made of DuraGal steel tube. The structure is built around an integral chassis frame (we call it an ‘Integra-Frame’) which provides not only great strength but also light weight.
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“To our knowledge, the Illaroo is the only steel-framed van in Australia and the lightest in its class.”
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A touch over 17ft (5.2m), the Illaroo has a Tare weight of just 1060kg and an all up weight of 1350kg – making it a good towing prospect for many tow vehicles.
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Although the Illaroo is something new for Knudsen, the company has been building fifth wheelers for a long time using the same steel frame construction, so it has plenty of experience with its product. 
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The Illaroo rides on independent suspension with coil springs and trailing arms. The wheels are positioned about threequarters of the way along the van and when CW asked Kevin about this, he said “We put the wheels towards the rear of the van to increase the road stability”.
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“The relatively low Tare of the van means that it doesn’t have too great an effect on the ball weight.” 
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Around the steel frame, polyester-coated aluminium cladding is used on the outside and vinyl-clad plywood is used on the inside.
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Between the two is expanded styrofoam insulation. The windows are tinted acrylic hoppers and it has a Camec triple lock security door. 
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One of the slight disadvantages of the steel frame design is that it has to be in a square shape to retain maximum strength, and the Illaroo does have a slightly boxy look about it.
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There are two external storage bins – a small lower ‘boot’ at the front and a locker door at the nearside rear which gives access to the under-seat area.
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On the opposite side is the gas compartment for a 9kg gas cylinder. Our review van didn’t have an awning but a Fiamma F45 will be a standard item on future models. 
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Being a centre-door-van the Illaroo has a layout that is constructed around the entry. Towards the back is the living area with a corner L-shaped lounge running along the nearside and rear, with the kitchen positioned on the offside.
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The bedroom area, which can be closed off by a concertina curtain, has an east-west bed across the front, a small bathroom on the offside and a wardrobe opposite. Our review van came with a bathroom but that is one of the few extra options, and can be replaced with a cupboard. 
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A common interior lining used in the caravan industry is 2.8mm paper-lined plywood but Knudsen has opted to use 3.6mm ply that is covered by Nylex Flexiclad vinyl. All the windows have timber pelmets and all the doors have timber frames.
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The larger locker and cupboard doors do have a slightly flimsy feel about them but that is probably a perception created by the flexible nature of the ply timber. All the doors open and shut quite easily, although the bed is a little awkward to lift. 
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With the bed at the front of the Illaroo the rear has an open feel about it. Windows on three sides give plenty of natural light and ventilation – there is also a roof hatch as well. The corner lounge is contoured heavy duty foam and will seat five people comfortably.
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Being a rather interesting shape, the single pole-mounted table is designed for ease of getting around the corners resulting in a relatively small table, but it’s large enough for three people to use comfortably.
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Lighting is courtesy of an overhead and two halogen reading lights. The external Fiamma light provides a bit of back light as well. Large locker doors line the seat base so there is no problem with access, and additional storage is available along the wall above the seat.
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A fair bit of space has been given to the catering department. CW’s van came with a four-burner cooktop, grill/oven, stainless steel sink/drainer and a 110L three-way fridge. The sink is tucked into the rear corner, making it awkward to wash and dry up at the same time.
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Later models will have a microwave and smoked glass-lid units for the cooktop and sink. Storage space is plentiful with under-bench cupboards, overhead lockers and two large cupboards above the fridge.
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Bench lighting comes from both a fluorescent fitting and a halogen in the recessed fume extractor. There’s one powerpoint on the right-hand end of the bench. 
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Unusually the shower/toilet cubicle has a semi-transparent brown tinted door. This does take away the somewhat closed-in feel of a small bathroom and if privacy is a problem there is a concertina curtain that closes off the bedroom area.
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Bathroom fittings include a Thetford cassette toilet and a flexible hose shower with a roof hatch to provide ventilation. Curiously there is no light. Opposite the shower/toilet cubicle is a large wardrobe with a separate storage compartment underneath which has the 14L Truma hot-water heater in residence.
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Up front the innerspring mattress 6ft 2in (1.9m) x 4ft 6in (1.4m) bed occupies most of the front part of the van. There is a narrow walkway at the base of the bed, meaning the inside person can get out of bed without clambering over the person beside them.
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In the front nearside corner there’s a little shelf with a powerpoint above it. The shelf probably would be more useful at the bedhead end.
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There is another small shelf above the windows, complete with reading lights underneath. However a shelf this low may be impractical because the bed lifts up to access the storage area underneath. That area is compartmented to keep the front ‘boot’ area separate from the rest. 
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On either side of the van is a window but there isn’t one in the front wall, a feature CW would have liked to see. The wall is a large expanse of nothing and a window adds not only light but night-time ventilation as well. 
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The Bottom Line
It’s not hard to figure out who is going to be interested in the Illaroo caravan.
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Just about anyone who wants to tow a lightweight caravan and to keep the fuel bill down, and certainly anyone with a sedan vehicle. Its ATM of 1350kg puts the Illaroo on the towing list of many vehicles and that shouldn’t be sneezed at.
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CW cannot claim to be able to do any engineering tests on the van’s structure but Knudsen certainly has plenty of design experience with its fifth wheelers and has used the same design ideas on the Illaroo.
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It’s also CW’s opinion that occasionally the engineering that goes into some van designs becomes a weight factor in itself. The Illaroo won’t win too many prizes for its boxy appearance, but the main idea inside and out focuses on practicality rather than decorous looks. Inside it is quite spacious, and that space is effectively used.
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For two people who own a medium to large tow vehicle, and who really aren’t planning too much offroad travel, the Illaroo is certainly a good consideration. 
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For more information contact Knudsen Caravans, 8 Tom Thumb Avenue, Nowra, NSW 2541, 
(02) 4422 7999, email: knudo@fastrac.net.au
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We liked:
• Lightweight caravan which would be great to tow
• Relatively spacious living area with room to sit around on the corner lounge
• Good kitchen work space&nbsp;&nbsp; 
• General storage space is good although there might be a temptation to overload
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We would have liked:
• Window in the front wall
• Larger front ‘boot’ door – it is on the small side



Knudsen Illaroo

External length: 17ft 4in (5.24m)

External width: 21ft 7in (2.24m)

Nameplate ATM: 1350kg

Nameplate Tare 1060kg

Advised Ball weight: 155kg

Frame: DuraGal steel

Chassis: DuraGal steel 

Suspension: Independent coil spring

Cooktop: Smev four-burner, grill and oven

Fridge: Dometic RM2453 110L

Shower: Yes 

Toilet: Thetford cassette

Lighting: 12V fluorescent, halogen

Power: 12V 600cc a marine battery

Gas supply: One x 9kg

Hot water: Truma 14L 240V 

Fresh water tank: 172L

Price as reviewed: $39,925 

Knudsen Illaroo

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