Wild RV emerges from the woods

The title of Australia’s newest caravan brand and its most northern manufacturer are now both found in the same large industrial shed in Rockhampton, Far North Queensland.

Wild RV, the one-man operation of Queensland-born custom-builder Matt Zahmel, has taken inspiration from, but poses no threat to Jayco and Zone RV, among others.

With help from local tradespeople and relying on word of mouth, he has currently built two large fully Australian-made all-road, all composite caravans – a 21ft and a 19ft double bunk.

Matt told caravancampingsales he was born in Mackay of German parents and has been a keen off-road caravanner for many years, having owned both Jayco and Zone vans. But being pretty handy on the tools he thought he could do as good or a better job for less, so when prompted by friends went out on his own.

He’s currently looking for new premises where he’d like to custom-build three or four vans a year (sneaking under the new RVSA legislation), but unsurprisingly there’s a scarcity of skilled caravan builders around the Tropic of Capricorn, so his expansion is hastening slowly.

Painstakingly slow builds

While Matt admits Rockhampton is “probably not the best location” for a variety of reasons,  it certainly appears what he does, he does properly.

Starting with a Duragal chassis with rubber coating on the 1800mm long drawbar that he designed and has welded by local tradespeople, Wild RV builds totally timber-free vans using full composite 29mm thick foam panels with fibreglass skins, including a one-piece floor and a one-piece roof sourced from Noosa that he collects personally using his own custom-designed and built trailer.

Internal induction cooking and a Truma D6 combined diesel hot water and central heating unit also mean gas-free interiors, although an external gas bottle and bayonet are fitted for those who like to fire up a Weber BBQ.

The vans’ ATX airbag suspension, DO-35 coupling and central-frame jack all come from Brisbane’s Cruisemaster, while the 19-footer’s 400Ah (2x 200Ah) and the 21-footer’s 600Ah (3 x 200Ah) B-Tec lithium batteries, along with 820W/1295W flexible rooftop solar panel arrays, are sourced from another Queensland-based business, Enerdrive.

The airbag suspension is delivered at a pre-set level, but Cruisemaster self-levelling air suspension is available optionally.

One you can buy now

Currently for sale is a newly finished 21ft full off-road, off-grid double bunk van that has been designed to maximise living and storage space while keeping to a manageable length. The interior features an east-west mounted Queen bed which allows for a large internal kitchen, lounge and bathroom.

Also part of the off-road package are hydraulic disc brakes, and a high clearance fully galvanised chassis with quality CSA Hawk 17in alloy wheels in a LandCruiser 200 Series stud pattern fitted with Toyo AT3 all-terrain tyres.

Inside, each van is set up for extended off-grid living, including a Thetford 274L compressor fridge and dual induction cooktop, a Panasonic 31L convection microwave oven with steamer, and a Truma Aventa reverse-cycle air conditioner.

The extra-large ensuite houses an OGO composting toilet and a large moulded shower, while in the galley there’s a full-height pantry, separated from the bedroom by a L-shaped lounge with drop-down table and cushion to convert to another bed.

For the kids there are double bunk beds next to an NCE 3kg wall-mount washing machine, while a Thule double pull-out step and Aussie Traveller windows and hatches are also part of the package.

Relatively lightweight package

The locally-made one-piece composite roof, walls and floor, and composite internal construction help keep weight down, with the 21ft Wild RV weighing in at a Tare of 2775kg, with an ATM of 3500kg and an unloaded towball load of 205kg, meaning it can be towed comfortably by any of the 'heavyweights' like a LandCruiser 200 or 300 series or a V8-engined Nissan Patrol.

Despite their bespoke construction, Matt has tried to keep prices in the ballpark for off-road caravans of this size, with the 19ft selling (depending on equipment fitted) for $145,000 and the 21-footer for $157,000.

If you're interested in caravanning on the wild side, check out the Wild RV caravan for sale here.