Steve, Shaun, Russell, and the Goldstream RV team have done a truly great job building our Caravan.

About our "Home away from Home":-

It has a rear island double bed, centre kitchen, and front dinning area. There is more than ample storage area, including a slide out pantry and pot drawer. Two 60 litre water tanks are forward of the wheels and 2x 9kg-gas bottles on the A-frame behind the stone deflector. A Dometic A&E Sunchaser Awning covers our drop down table and BBQ in the outdoor living area.

Electric’s:-
Because we prefer to bush camp we have opted for a Solar System. There are 3x Unisolar 64w panels on the roof connected to a Fullriver HGL200-12 (200AH) AGM battery via a Plasmatronics PL20 Controller and Shunt adaptor. When connected to 240v there is a CTEK Multi XS 25000 battery charger. There is also an Anderson fitting to connect to the vehicle but as yet I have not wired the vehicle for this as I will establish whether the solar system alone is adequate. When travelling the fridge is "hotwired" directly to the vehicle through pin 2 of the trailer plug which is connected to the second battery in the vehicle.

All lighting is 12v with 6 downlights and a single fluoro (over the table) on the ceiling. Each overhead cupboard has a downlight underneath and there are reading lights on each side of the bed and one in the dining area. There is an external light each side of the Caravan.

There are only a few 240v power points but many 12v power outlets (Narva bayonet type) both inside and out, plus we also carry a 300w pure sinewave inverter from Jaycar (model No. MI-5082) and a Honda EU20i generator for if we get really desperate.

Comforts:-
For cooking we have a SMEV 4x burner and grill under a 12v Dometic 20w-exhaust fan/light inside. However all of our "cooking" will be on our outside Weber Baby Q BBQ (if no campfire) that connects by a bayonet fitting to the van’s gas supply and sits on a custom frame next to the dropdown table.

The fridge is a 12v 118L Vitrifrigo Danfoss compressor fridge, model C115 NPF 06.

Water is drawn into the van from the tanks by a Flojet "Quad II diaphragm" 4405 series pump. The water tanks can be bypassed if there is a suitable water supply. Some water is pumped to the Truma Hot water service, which supplies both the sink and the external Phoenix Shower system. There is a shower/toilet tent that clips onto the side of the van which will also house our Potta Pottie (365 model) when in camp.

Our one concession to 240v is the under seat Truma Climaster Comfort Air Conditioner, LOL.

Entertainment:-
There is a 12v DNA CD/Radio and a 12v Palsonic LCD/DVD combo (TFTV1720D) and we are still using our old Foldaway TV Antenna coupled to a GME Kingray masthead amplifier. A Sat TV system heads our current wish list.

On the road:-
Mid September 2006 was our shakedown trip and there is nothing we have been able to fault with the Caravan. Fully loaded vehicle & Caravan (to the hilt I might add, deliberate overkill) was taken to the weighbridge. The van weighed 2400kg with a Towball weight of 220kg.  The Patrol, with both of us in it plus all our 4WD recovery gear, including Drag Chain, Chain saw and fuel, plus a couple of slabs of beer, weighed in at 3000kg.

In anticipation of the Caravan sometime in 2006 we had the suspension of the Patrol beefed up and air bags inserted in the rear springs in December 2005. The front of the Patrol, as measured at the centre of the front wheel arches, altered only 5mm when our Caravan was hooked up (air bag pressure 20psi).

We are a couple of very Happy Campers.

Below are some photos taken at home and on the shakedown trip.