Travelander goes true blue

While some Australian RV brands are looking to reduce costs by manufacturing off-shore, particularly in China, some are doing the exact opposite.

Joining fellow Queensland manufacturer Gidget Campers, which recently moved production from Asia to a new factory north of Brisbane,  off-road camper and slide-on specialist Travelander has relocated most of its manufacturing and assembly from China to the Sunshine Coast.

“It made better business sense,” said Travelander boss Darren Hoger. “It gives us more control over the manufacturing process and I don’t have to go to China three to four times a year.

“Plus we want our customers to have an Aussie-made product and it gives us the opportunity to provide more local jobs.”

Darren and his wife Julia Hoger, launched Travelander 13 years ago from a farm shed with a dirt floor on the Sunshine Coast and have gone from building four units a year to over 120, and from a staff of two to around 15.

They also sell the SwagIt range of canvas swags which continue to be manufactured in China.

As well as making campers the Hogers are also now involved in transporting them, having recently bought transportation business Utrans which specializes in interstate transport of a range of vehicles including camper trailers, caravans, motorhomes and cars.

The move to local production coincides with the launch of Travelander’s new 2015 range of ‘gas free’ models including tray-back fibreglass campers for single and dual cab utes and a premium hard-floor camper trailer, which were previewed in prototype form in Melbourne earlier this year.

Major changes across the new range include a new step-out shower cubical with hot water shower positioned on the passenger side so bathers can walk straight inside the camper; a revamped kitchen with external and internal access to cooking and the pantry, and all ‘gas free’ appliances including a larger fridge and heater that runs on diesel and a metho-burning portable stovetop.

“We decided that gas bottles were not only dangerous and heavy, but by using diesel and metho to heat and cook, it was also a lot less of a hassle,” Hoger said.

Other changes include lighter fibreglass internal and external drawers, which provide more storage space, a repositioned and larger water tank, while the standard electrical system has been upgraded to a Redarc battery management system, with more 12V outlets, a 600-watt inverter and an independent deep cycle battery.

Prices have increased slightly, with the range now kicking off at $33,800 for the Evron DC4 dual cab tray-back camper. The Evron SC4 single cab tray-back camper is $34,300, while the Geo Convert 4 hard floor off-road camper trailer costs $50,200.