Caravan World Caravan World Best Aussie Vans

Some people take a very shallow view of Best Aussie Vans. They assume that advertising spend is related to the outcomes. This is plainly not true. There is a cost to enter the event, we do not hide from that. This helps offset the mammoth cost to get 13 vans, 15 staff and twice as many entrants again to pristine locations like we had for over 10 days. The cost is astronomical and is easily the most expensive execution Caravan World undertakes annually. The fee for the entrants is the same for all, there is no discounting, there is no favouritism. We assemble a range of judges (who you can read about from page 10) with strong ethics and and pride in their work. They represent decades of travel in…

PICS GRAEME NEANDER AND CAM INNISS. Best Aussie Vans 2017 was a stretch in many ways. We pushed the limits of what we could do in an effort to make the event and its outcomes the best they could be. We travelled more kilometres, we stayed at more parks and we shot at more locations than any year before. With 13 caravans to film, photograph and importantly assess, it would push the limits of ability but again, like years been we bandied together to pull it off. THE LOCATIONS We did things different this year staying at multiple parks across the gorgeous Grampians region around three and a half hours west of Melbourne. Our first base was to the northwest in the capital of the Wimmera region, Horsham. Here we stayed at Wimmera…

MICHAEL BORG As the Field Editor for Caravan World’s sister publication Camper, Michael ‘Borgy’ Borg has lived and breathed the camping lifestyle for decades. In a previous life, he earned a quid spinning spanners, which comes in handy out on the tracks. A DIY tragic with five acres of projects on the go, including a decadeepic 40ft conversion with his old man, on-going repairs to his heartbreaker ‘Cruiser Aunt Tilly, and continual upgrades to his Jurgens’ hybrid, Borgy’s takes five by gifting bait to fish in bush streams or cooking up a storm in his camp oven. RON MOON Ron Moon and his wife Viv have been 4WDing and touring remote Australia for more than 40 years. After eloping in the 70s, they wrote their first guidebook in 1984, and from 1988 Ron was editor…

Some people take a very shallow view of Best Aussie Vans. They assume that advertising spend is related to the outcomes. This is plainly not true. There is a cost to enter the event, we do not hide from that. This helps offset the mammoth cost to get 13 vans, 15 staff and twice as many entrants again to pristine locations like we had for over 10 days. The cost is astronomical and is easily the most expensive execution Caravan World undertakes annually. The fee for the entrants is the same for all, there is no discounting, there is no favouritism. We assemble a range of judges (who you can read about from page 10) with strong ethics and and pride in their work. They represent decades of travel in…

1. Value for money Does this van offer good value for money? How many features are included, and what are its the dimensions? And does it give buyers what they’re paying for? 2. Self-sufficiency Is this van suitable for extended periods of remote touring, or a couple of days of free camping? 3. Liveability This is all about the small touches, where a manufacturer’s love of camping is seen. Could you call this van home? Is it intuitive to use? 4. Suitability for intended touring How does the van perform in its intended purpose, and is it adequately fitted out and built for the purpose? 5. Layout Is the van visually appealing inside, and has enough thought gone into the layout for easy, convenient touring? Is there enough storage, and is it designed sensibly? 6. Quality of finish Whether the van…

PICS GRAEME NEANDER AND CAM INNISS. Best Aussie Vans 2017 was a stretch in many ways. We pushed the limits of what we could do in an effort to make the event and its outcomes the best they could be. We travelled more kilometres, we stayed at more parks and we shot at more locations than any year before. With 13 caravans to film, photograph and importantly assess, it would push the limits of ability but again, like years been we bandied together to pull it off. THE LOCATIONS We did things different this year staying at multiple parks across the gorgeous Grampians region around three and a half hours west of Melbourne. Our first base was to the northwest in the capital of the Wimmera region, Horsham. Here we…