Kimberly Caravan

[honda03842]

We were in a DE state park last night and a Kimberly Caravan was parked there. Unfortunately we did not get to meet the owners.

Kimberley Karavans - Best Australian Off-road Caravans

If you look through their web site you'll be surprised, large solar panels, lithium batteries, ..... It is like the Hi-Lo trailer, it's expands up and out. A very interesting design configured for the outback.

[honda03842]

The link is really worth going to particularly if you're interested in boondocking. They have 8 books that can be downloaded for free with all kinds of information. I've downloaded the first, it's 72 pages long. One section compares lithium and AGM batteries, like a four to 1 weight savings....

It's a totally different view of selling trailers. None of the fiberglass trailer manufacturers provide this much information.

I'm certain to download and read all 8 books. I just finished Essential guide for off road design..

[honda03842]

Just down loaded Design guide for Deserts and Sandy areas with an off road caravan. They have 15 different books. There is something to be learned here. Obviously this company really iuses their products.

[GRC]

They also make a hard sided fiberglass trailer in double and single axle (Kimberley Kruiser). Everything from the ground up to the roof is quite surprising.

Even looking at how they handle what they use for a refrigerator and freezer is way different. They don't just buy a refrigerator and install it, they buy and then perform a whole list of modifications to make it better, more efficient.

Kimberleykruiser - Efficient Refrigeration that works: Separate Freezer and Fridge so ice can be made in Darwin, yet you will be using free power from the sun!

[honda03842]

Thanks for linking the information on the fridge. When we had a dorm compressor fridge we added insulation, heat sinks to the compressor and an additional cooling fan though we did not have a high quality compressor system like they use.Thanks again

[honda03842]

I'm on book 3. There's a fair amount of redundancy between the books but it's worth it. There's always a little nugget I hadn't considered.

[GRC]

You wrote "Obviously this company really uses their products." I'd expand that to Australians use their trailers differently than people in the US. It seems to be because of what they do and where they go. That explains why their trailers have evolved so differently from what we find in North America. Just like car racing helped improve the automobile, they push the limit of what their trailers can sustain. That Kimberley Kruiser is water resistant (water proof with right operation) to about 4ft (1.2m) for water crossings.

Really the only unknown would be how they perform in cold weather.

[honda03842]

I know they have substantial roof insulation.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by GRC

You wrote "Obviously this company really uses their products." I'd expand that to Australians use their trailers differently than people in the US. It seems to be because of what they do and where they go. That explains why their trailers have evolved so differently from what we find in North America. Just like car racing helped improve the automobile, they push the limit of what their trailers can sustain. That Kimberley Kruiser is water resistant (water proof with right operation) to about 4ft (1.2m) for water crossings.

Really the only unknown would be how they perform in cold weather.

I haven't found anything about the wall insulation but I did find info on the roof. They have a 9 layer roof with an air gap in the middle. Unfortunately I can't copy from PDF.

They mention availability of 12 volt air conditioning

[GRC]

The safari roof design to me is a term associated with the old Land Rovers. The vehicle roof had spacers mounted on top of the roof and a secondary sheet metal roof attached to the spacers. The sun beat down on the secondary roof but the air gap kept the vehicle roof cooler.

As far as the Kimberley Kruiser usage in cold weather I was mainly thinking about the large square footage in windows even though those are not cheap windows. For cold weather comfort it would probably be in the same ball park as other trailers available here in North America.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by GRC

You wrote "Obviously this company really uses their products." I'd expand that to Australians use their trailers differently than people in the US. It seems to be because of what they do and where they go. That explains why their trailers have evolved so differently from what we find in North America. Just like car racing helped improve the automobile, they push the limit of what their trailers can sustain. That Kimberley Kruiser is water resistant (water proof with right operation) to about 4ft (1.2m) for water crossings.

Really the only unknown would be how they perform in cold weather.

Over the millennia everything in Australia evolved differently from the rest of the world!

Now I want to find the statistics on miles of road per square miles of territory for different countries. And, more specifically, paved vs. "unimproved" per sq. mile.

[Paul O.]

Here is something interesting already:
List of OECD countries by road network size - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

...and Australia is right at the top (or bottom), as expected, in meters per sq. kilometer. Lots of room to roam the outback.

[honda03842]

They even have a section on keeping fine dust and small bugs out. Interesting reading. It shows consideration for the task.

[Brad Garland]

Hi, I just joined this forum because a friend pointed me to this thread about the Kimberley Karavan off road trailer from Australia.

I imported the first one to the US back in 2011 and love it. There are currently 4 Kimberley Karavans in the US.

I love mine and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you browse the Camping Trips photo galleries on my website you will see all the wonderful places I take mine.

http://bgarland.smugmug.com/


Thanks,
Brad

[honda03842]

[QUOTE=Brad Garland;517963]Hi, I just joined this forum because a friend pointed me to this thread about the Kimberley Karavan off road trailer from Australia.

I imported the first one to the US back in 2011 and love it. There are currently 4 Kimberley Karavans in the US.

I love mine and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you browse the Camping Trips photo galleries on my website you will see all the wonderful places I take mine.

Brad Garland Photography

Brad,

Absolutely great pictures. These pictures should make everyone want to hit the road, probably with you and see what you see. Fortunately we've been to some of those places. It would be nice if there was a location on each picture.

I would love to see some shots of your rig and tow vehicle and thank you ever so much for providing a look into your world.

I'm working my way thru Kimberley's books. They have a fresh perspective on possibilities.

The rig I saw was brought to the USA from the Netherlands for their travels. They were towing with a Land Rover.

I don't need to wish you joyous travels, you have them.

[honda03842]

I need to say something about Brad's pictures at Brad Garland Photography.

They are wonderful and make my heart jump with joy. They are really worth looking at and should make everyone wish they could be with him.

[Brad Garland]

[QUOTE=honda03842;517989]

Originally Posted by Brad Garland

Hi, I just joined this forum because a friend pointed me to this thread about the Kimberley Karavan off road trailer from Australia.

I imported the first one to the US back in 2011 and love it. There are currently 4 Kimberley Karavans in the US.

I love mine and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you browse the Camping Trips photo galleries on my website you will see all the wonderful places I take mine.

Brad Garland Photography

Brad,

Absolutely great pictures. These pictures should make everyone want to hit the road, probably with you and see what you see. Fortunately we've been to some of those places. It would be nice if there was a location on each picture.

I would love to see some shots of your rig and tow vehicle and thank you ever so much for providing a look into your world.

I'm working my way thru Kimberley's books. They have a fresh perspective on possibilities.

The rig I saw was brought to the USA from the Netherlands for their travels. They were towing with a Land Rover.

I don't need to wish you joyous travels, you have them.

Yes, I had heard the 4th Karavan was brought in by the couple on their world travels. Nice way to see the world.

Here is a link to my Karavan thread on the Expedition Portal Forum:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...Karavan/page40

There are several photos of my 4Runner tow rig and trailer scattered around my website. Here are a few of them.






Coming out of Lead King Basin in Colorado.





Just relaxing.


Thanks,
Brad

[Brad Garland]

Originally Posted by honda03842

I need to say something about Brad's pictures at Brad Garland Photography.

They are wonderful and make my heart jump with joy. They are really worth looking at and should make everyone wish they could be with him.

Thank you for the kudos on my photography. I has become a bit of a passion for me.

Hopefully it will pay for my travels once I retire from my day job next year.

Brad

[Brad Garland]

Here are few more pics from a trip to Alstrom Point on the North side of Lake Powell.










The view from Alstrom Point with my crazy son's tent on the edge.

[Brad Garland]

Originally Posted by GRC

You wrote "Obviously this company really uses their products." I'd expand that to Australians use their trailers differently than people in the US. It seems to be because of what they do and where they go. That explains why their trailers have evolved so differently from what we find in North America. Just like car racing helped improve the automobile, they push the limit of what their trailers can sustain. That Kimberley Kruiser is water resistant (water proof with right operation) to about 4ft (1.2m) for water crossings.

Really the only unknown would be how they perform in cold weather.

I have camped with my Karavan down into the low teens with no problems. For the ones they import to the US they insulate all the exterior water lines and even have membrane heater between the skid plate and rear water tank to keep it from freezing.

I have learned that I need to close up my outside kitchen at night or the water faucet will freeze up but that is no big deal and probably a good idea anyway due to critters that may be attracted to the kitchen.

Brad