Over 30 years ago, I borrowed Dad’s 1964 Olympic van to camp at Evans Head each Christmas for four weeks. I never gave that van back. Instead, I grew my love of camping by tweaking it — adding a 100mm lift, a new kitchen, redoing the electronics with a 200amp lithium system, and repainting it in classic Kombi cream and blue. It became a home for Michelle and me, and I fantasised about towing it around Australia. The van was often the star of the campsites we visited, always an easy conversation starter. But as our travel ambitions grew, we realised the trusty caravan might not handle the places and roads we wanted to explore. So, the search began.
When we finally allowed ourselves to dream seriously about doing the Big Lap, the first question was obvious: What are we going to travel in? After thirty years of caravans, kombis, tents, and everything in between, you’d think we’d know exactly what we wanted. Turns out, we didn’t. Not even close.
What started as a fun idea quickly became a full‑time research project.
Caravan Shows, Showrooms & the Spreadsheet Era
I believe like everyone else starting this journey, we headed straight to the caravan shows. Rows and rows of shiny new vans, salespeople with rehearsed pitches, and layouts that all started to blur together after a few weekends.
At first, it was exciting. Then it became overwhelming.
So we did what we always do when things get complicated: we built a spreadsheet (thanks Telecom for sending me on all those Excel courses back in the 90’s).
Weight, layout, build quality, off‑grid capability, resale value, price — if it could be measured, we measured it. If it could be compared, we compared it. And slowly, patterns started to emerge.
The Hybrid Temptation: TRex & Cub
Two hybrids stood out immediately: the TRex and the Cub.
Both were:
- well‑designed
- smartly engineered
- built with care
- genuinely capable
They weren’t gimmicks — they were thoughtful solutions. For a while, we could really see ourselves in one of them.
But the more we looked around the broader market, the more we realised how rare that level of quality actually was.
The Build Quality Reality Check
This was the shock.
Outside of the TRex and Cub, we kept running into vans and motorhomes that looked great from a distance… but up close told a different story.
We saw:
- flimsy cabinetry
- staples where screws should be
- wiring that looked rushed
- drawers that didn’t close properly
- heavy builds with poor weight distribution
- big price tags attached to questionable workmanship
It became clear that quality wasn’t the norm — it was the exception. And the exceptions came with a steep price.
We weren’t looking for luxury. We were looking for something that would last.
The Slide‑On Detour (and a Few Head Bumps)
Somewhere in the middle of all this, we even explored slide‑on campers. The idea was appealing: compact, flexible, and perfect for off‑grid travel.
But there was one problem. A 6ft3 problem.
I bonked my head in almost every single one. Some were close… but none were quite right. And if you can’t stand up straight in your own home-on-wheels, it’s not the right home.
So slide‑ons were crossed off the list.
The Three Serious Contenders
After months of research, we narrowed it down to three real options:
1. Two caravans that actually met our standards
Good build quality, sensible layouts, and reasonable pricing. They were rare finds — the exception, not the rule.
2. A Mercedes van we’d fit out ourselves
This idea had real appeal. We could build exactly what we wanted, with the materials we trusted, and the layout that suited us. The rebuild of the kitchen, beds and clothes cupboards in the Olympic gave me the confidence that I had the skills set to do this, but once we costed it properly — insulation, cabinetry, electrics, plumbing, windows, labour — the numbers came in at $150K.
That was a sobering moment.
We realised we were on the verge of spending a small fortune, and still not feeling confident about the outcome.
The Turning Point
It was during this period — tired, overloaded with information, and knee‑deep in spreadsheets — that the Ultimate Caravan first appeared on our radar.
At the time, it was just another option to investigate. We had no idea it would end up changing everything.
But that’s a story for the next post.
