Melbourne-built hybrid caravans join elite off-road brigade

Most premium off-road hybrid caravans are built in NSW or Queensland, but a new Melbourne-based RV manufacturer is bucking the trend with the release of a new range of $100,000-plus, full composite hybrid off-road pop-top and full-height caravans.

Taking on the likes of Mountain Trail, Rhinomax, Exodus, AOR and Vision RV, the family-run Lyfe RV is targeting the growing number of buyers seeking an off-road, off-grid hard-wall model suitable for extended remote camping trips.

Lyfe RV started out as a traditional 'stick and tin' caravan manufacturer before a recent change of ownership saw the fledlging manufacturer head down the locally-built upmarket, full composite hybrid camper path.

"We work a little different to the others, where our vans are fully optioned with lithium batteries, diesel heater and hot water, air conditioning etc rather than a 'plus, plus' quote," explained Lyfe RV's Danni Tedesco.

"In saying that, we are flexible to work in with suiting a customer’s budget and could downgrade on the fully optioned specifications," she said.

Headed by a team of experienced designers and engineers, Lyfe RV has so far rolled out two models at its Epping, Victoria factory: the 15ft 6in Hybrid Trakka Exp 15 Pop-Top and 19ft Supa Trakka Exp 19 full height caravan.

Both are constructed with full composite fibreglass sandwich panels for the walls, floor and roof, on a custom-built hot dipped galvanised chassis, with either coil or airbag independent trailing arm suspension, 12in electric brakes, Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling, a heavy-duty jockey wheel and alloy wheels with off-road tyres.

Both are set up for extended off-road, off-grid camping trips with high-capacity Enerdrive lithium battery set-ups including an inverter, rooftop solar panels and Simarine monitoring system, plus large-capacity fresh and grey water tanks and a custom positive air system to keep dust out of the luxury-lined interior when travelling on dirt roads.

They also come standard with Sirocco fans, a Truma Aventa rooftop air-conditioner and diesel hot water and space heater, along with an internal combination shower/toilet, queen size bed, internal lounge/dining and basic internal kitchen, with outside cooking on a custom stainless slide-out kitchen with an additional slide-out for a dual-zone fridge/freezer.

Other standard items fitted include twin gas bottles and gas bayonet, jerry holders, double glazed windows, an external shower and wind-out awning, LED lighting, an electric entry step and TV and audio entertainment, while the 19ft caravan also gets an internal fridge, microwave and washing machine to go with the inside sink.

Both models promise plenty of storage options with a front alloy toolbox and wood box, external lockers and a range of cupboards and drawers inside.

They're also built for narrower bush tracks with the Trakka Exp 15 Pop Top just 1948mm wide overall while the Supa Trakka Exp 19 measures in at 2170mm wide. They'll carry plenty of gear too, with hefty payloads of between 850-900kg for the 1900kg Tare weight Trakka Exp 15 and 2580kg Tare, Supa Trakka Exp 19.

Both models are also available with family bunk as well as couple's layouts, while Lyfe RV plans to introduce other pop-top and full height versions.

While prices will vary due to the custom builds, buyers can expect to pay around $105,000 for the Hybrid Trakka Exp 15, while the higher-specced Supa Trakka Exp 19 starts around $135,000.

Check out the website for full details.