WTB - Family Aussie Style Caravan

[dnicholson]

Hello,

We are planning an Americas trip with our 3 kids and trying to decide on the ideal vehicle. We LOVE the offroad caravans from Australia, but can't seem to really find anything similar in North America. Ideally we would like something about 16-20 ft, off-road, family set up with triple bunks. We love these brands: Lotus, Kakadu, Trekmaster, On the Move caravans and quite a few more.

The only one we can find in North America is the Black Series, but I have heard mixed reviews about it. Any feedback on Black Series? Or have you seen Aus style caravans for sale in N America?

Is it possible to import a caravan from Aus into Canada? Anyone been through that before? I can find lots of info on importing RVs, but not caravans.

We have lived in Australia, so are quite familiar with Aussie style camping. Do we just need to give up on the idea of a caravan like those or is it possible in N America?

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[rebar]

Agreed, big loop hole in the market for base camp campers.. Good luck.

 

[Pax2525]

When is your trip? Into the Wild Overland out of Denver will have a camper close to what you're looking for come Jan 2020. You can see posts about it on their social media..

Boreas Off-Road Trailers | Built For Adventure

Boreas off-road trailers are built for adventure and built to last. Made in the USA with cutting-edge technology, they're a perfect home-base for your next trip.

itwoverland.com

 

[PSea]

There was a thread here about Black Series. An over hyping dealer (shocker) jumped on the thread and started over-selling imo. The thread was removed because according to Expedition Portal moderators a lawsuit was initiated by Black Series. If you read some threads on the internet, you'll see this isn't the first time BS has done this. They are trolling forums and then attacking people who speak out about their products. I can now confirm the same has happened to me. Although there's been no suit against me, they openly stated to my dealer they wouldn't support my purchase because of my comments on "social media." I almost dropped the phone when the dealer stated it so candidly. They don't respond to my questions. They provide no details and deny knowledge of any problems (wheels coming off in transit, knockoff wheel bearings for example). They certainly won't allow me to join their facebook group. However, there's an Austrailian focused FB group that has a ton of details. All I was doing was researching OTHER'S claims. ...and I had a deposit down to buy a Dominator. I openly stated this in the forums as well. DO YOUR RESEARCH.

I started a forum for Black Series here. http://blackseries.freeforums.net/

I did it so people can speak openly and honestly about their experiences. I sure as hell won't be removing any threads over there. I intended it to be a place to share ideas. I'm guessing my experience won't be the last experience of this nature. This company lacks leadership and doesn't deserve people's hard earned money. In short, check out my experience as I detailed in the new forum. At least you'll know what you're dealing with. As for my purchase, I cancelled it. I refuse to deal w/ a bunch of idiots who don't know what their selling and act like a bunch of children. They could have easily reached out to me and addressed my concerns.....and we could have moved on. When people have a good experience they'll tell a few people. When people have a bad experience you tend to hear A LOT more about it. Apparently, the idiots at the top have zero understanding of customer service. Have to laugh at the idea of being "black" balled by black series. And btw, this behavior started right from my very first contact when they had no idea why I was reaching out to them. I received no response and after days (possibly a week+), I emailed them to tell them I'd look elsewhere.

If I buy one, it won't be retail. I will wait to purchase something used, and use the extreme savings to make everything the way it should be. This was the worst (almost) purchasing experience I've ever had. Glad it happened before I purchased. They have a lot to learn...

Good luck.

 

[The Artisan]

OP is this something you would be willing to build yourself. If so contact me I have components to help you do that.
Kevin

 

[dnicholson]

Thanks for the responses guys. There certainly does seem to be a big gap in the North American market. I love the looks of Boreas trailers, but we will need something bigger for 5 of us on 1 year long trip. We are going to seriously look into if we can import a trailer from Aus.

Have heard some of the negative talk about Black Series, which is unfortunate because their caravans are the closest we can find to matching what we want. Thanks for the link to the forum - will check it out.

 

[Romer]

Kimberley is back in Business. They probably don't have the import license anymore, but worth discussing. I love my Karavan. You can see mine and Bobs in the trailer section searching on Karvan

 

[slindn]

It might not be big enough for a family of 5, but you may want to take a look at the Zone RV Expedition series. From what I've heard, these are very well-built Australian camper trailers. I'm part of the facebook group for owner's of these trailers (almost all in Australia), and it seems like people are really happy with the build quality.

https://www.zonerv.com.au/expedition-series/

I am looking at one of these myself. They have two queen-size beds. Maybe that's enough for your family.

According the Zone RV, they are 90% complete meeting USA regulations and plan to begin selling in the USA early next year. Unfortunately, they aren't ready to sell their larger trailers here yet, but if the Expedition series (10, 12, and 15-foot models) work for you, it would be worth considering.

 

[Tazman]

My Kimberley S3 is treating me and my wife quite well. We have traveled all over the west and have marveled at how well the S3 works for the two of us. I wish it was better in snow but it has survived a couple of snowey trips. Just got back from a month in Idaho. Liked Idaho so much, we bought a home and are retiring there. Lots more adventures coming.

 

[dnicholson]

The Zone Expedition caravans look pretty amazing and again reinforce our wanting an Aussie style caravan. Do you happen to know how much they cost and the likelihood of them being able to sell in the US early next year?

 

[al_burpe]

Here are a couple more sold in the US.

https://www.cruxexpeditiontrailers.com/

OPUS Camper USA - The Revolutionary Folding Camper

The Revolutionary Folding Camper

www.opuscamper.us

 

[slindn]

The Zone Expedition caravans look pretty amazing and again reinforce our wanting an Aussie style caravan. Do you happen to know how much they cost and the likelihood of them being able to sell in the US early next year?

I don't know the exact USA pricing yet (including shipping), but if you convert the Australian prices to US dollars, it looks like prices start at $31k (10-foot model), $44k (12-foot model), and $60k (15-foot model). From what I can tell, most folks in Australia add some upgrades (bigger lithium batteries, more solar panels, diesel heater, etc.), which push these base prices up by $5k or so.

As to the likelihood of them being available early next year, I think it is looking very good. What I heard from the owner of Zone RV was that they already had their first order leaving Australia for the USA in January 2020. He also said they were about 90% done with with regulatory compliance stuff, and that they would be taking orders beginning in January. If you PM me, I can give you the email info.

 

[dnicholson]

Thanks for the info. We are looking at a full caravan about 18 ft (I guess they are called travel trailers here), not a pop up style trailer since we are planning a one-year trip in it for our family of 5.

We are really not impressed with the travel trailers on the North American market in terms of quality. Problem is we have lived in Australian and are used to seeing Aussie quality caravans that are much more rugged.

The Zone RV

 

[Outside somewhere]

I don't know the exact USA pricing yet (including shipping), but if you convert the Australian prices to US dollars, it looks like prices start at $31k (10-foot model), $44k (12-foot model), and $60k (15-foot model). From what I can tell, most folks in Australia add some upgrades (bigger lithium batteries, more solar panels, diesel heater, etc.), which push these base prices up by $5k or so.

As to the likelihood of them being available early next year, I think it is looking very good. What I heard from the owner of Zone RV was that they already had their first order leaving Australia for the USA in January 2020. He also said they were about 90% done with with regulatory compliance stuff, and that they would be taking orders beginning in January. If you PM me, I can give you the email info.

So what, are you the "zone" camper guy? You have popped up in 5 of these threads now about how your looking at them but really you are just pimping them. Just be honest. One post in 2017 then nothing until now and they are all the same thing.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Maybe look at motorhomes instead?
Cheers,
Peter
OK196 motorhome