Adventure advice

Experiencing the bush and beach lifestyle of Australia in all its glory – free range and off grid – is tremendous fun and a right – nay, an obligation – for any self-respecting Aussie.

A campervan could be your ideal gateway to a world of outdoors fun and adventure travel. Surely, the millions of people around the world who reckon #vanlife is the ultimate way to travel can’t be wrong.

Say you've got about $70,000 and you want a new ute to tow a caravan. Which is best? Well, we've put two impressive offerings up against each other in this comparison review - the Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 and the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain.

The act of keeping your food and beverages cold while on road trips and/or camping out of your vehicle has come a long way from “the olden days” (i.e. the ’70s and ’80s) of relying on the melted soggy debris of an ice-packed esky.That was pretty much the standard of portable camping-related refrigeration when I was a kid. (Ah, those were the days…)Now, a car fridge, car fridge freezer, or portable camping fridge, is a sophisticated but user-friendly contraption with an internal thermometer, internal lighting, multiple programmable settings, and more.They run off power from your car’s battery or, better yet, off your car’s dual-battery system. Car fridges come in a huge range of sizes (small, not so small, large, and huge), styles, and prices (from dirt cheap to bloody expensive).A portable fridge for car is an invaluable addition to your car-camping set-up because it provides a comprehensive and flexible solution to the problem of maintaining fresh and refrigerated food and drinks while away from a household power source.The car fridge market in Australia is huge and full of every portable fridge, and portable fridge freezer for sale you could ever imagine, and at various price points and, as with all products, of varying degrees of quality. There's something for everyone, whether you’re keen for a mini car fridge that might sit between driver and front passenger, or some other kind of bigger 12V car fridge, perhaps mounted on a car fridge slide* in the rear cargo area of your SUV or in the tub of your ute. (*Scroll down to “What is a Car Fridge Slide?” for more details on those.)Most popular portable fridge compressors run on electricity by way of a 12V supply (from your car battery or caravan set-up for your caravan fridge, or solar panels) or 230V mains power, and those 12V car fridges are the ones we’ll focus on in this yarn. The best car fridge or portable car fridge for you depends on several crucial factors (including what size of a portable fridge or fridge freezer you need, what power source you will mostly use etc) so, in an effort to take the confusion out of finding your own ultimate portable fridge, here’s our guide to car fridges.Small will suit some campers, while big, bigger and biggest will suit others.Director of Melbourne-based Aussie company Bushman Fridges, Gary Kottmann, told CarsGuide: “We always recommend getting the smallest fridge you can get away with, rather than the biggest fridge you can fit in the car. “For most campers, something between a 40L and 60L fridge is a good size to start with. This makes the fridge big enough to hold plenty of goods, but not too heavy to carry, and it won’t take up too much precious space in the car or use a lot of power.”According to Gary, anything in range of a 15L–25L small chest fridge “is considered small and is best suited for day-to-day use or up to a weekend for one person.”A 40–60L (medium chest fridge) is the most popular size for camping for a young family or couple. “You can live out of a fridge this size for two or three days so it's perfect for a long weekend,” he said.An 80L+ (large chest fridge) “is designed for longer term camping or larger families”.“Anything over 80 litres is great for lots of storage, but keep in mind the extra weight when deciding where the fridge will be placed,” he said.Now, what internal configuration will suit your lifestyle needs? Single zone (one section which can be used as a fridge or freezer only) or dual-zone (two sections which can be used as a fridge or freezer).Single-zone fridges – which have one main compartment and can be used as a fridge or as a freezer – are the most popular type and are usually set at 4˚C as a large fridge. “If you cryovac your meat - removing the oxygen from the packaging to extend the shelf life - you can keep this in the fridge section,” Gary said.“However, if you decide that you want to have access to a fridge and a freezer at the same time - rather than one or the other - a dual-zone fridge is for you. A dual-zone fridge is usually divided into two separate sections. Each section can be used as a fridge or freezer."If you run your fridge off your vehicle’s starter battery, you run the risk of draining that main battery. To avoid that – and for a better 12V fridge arrangement – you’ll need at least one auxiliary battery, which will run your fridge and any other 12v accessories, which is why many campers have a dual-battery set-up in their vehicle. Also, to keep everything charged and operating it’s a good idea to have a battery charger as well or battery pack, so read our battery-related yarns in Adventure for guidance on those subjects. So, what’s the best battery for a car fridge?Gary, of Bushman Fridges, said campers need a deep-cycle battery. “These kinds of batteries are specifically designed to run appliances such as fridges."“Batteries are rated in Amp hours (Ah). It is important for you to know that a deep cycle battery should only be drained up to a maximum of 60% of its rated output. “For this reason we generally recommend a 120Ah battery for a medium-size camping fridge that has a rated usage of 1Ah per hour. This will get you three days of running time without flattening the battery completely (1Ah per hour x three days = 72Ah).”ARB offers a fridge freezer power pack which features a 15Ah lithium battery for up to a claimed 18 hours runtime.When you’re out and about your camping fridge relies on 12-volt power, from a dual battery set-up in your vehicle (again, to avoid draining your vehicle’s starter battery), as well as power from a solar panel if you’re on a longer-distance and -duration trip, so you’ll effectively have a solar fridge or solar-powered fridge.Your choice of solar panel is important if you’re looking to pursue a bit of solar powered fridge camping.“For a 120Ah battery, we recommend around 200 to 250 Watts (W) of solar panels,” Gary said. “This will easily keep your battery charged even on partly cloudy days. The other option for charging your second battery is using a small petrol generator with a battery charger, although this is a more expensive option than solar. “That’s why many savvy campers who are looking to keep their costs down now choose to go down the solar power route.”For more on the right solar panels for camping fridges, check out this guide. Gary said campers should seek out an efficiently designed fridge. “Look for a lot of air vents! The key to an efficient fridge is getting out the heat, so the more ventilation around the compressor area the better. “It’s also a good idea to check the manufacturer’s specifications for average power usage. This is measured in Amp Hours (Ah) and is usually averaged over a 24-hour period. “Ideally, a good 40L to 60L camping fridge will use less than 1.5 Ah per hour, averaged over 24 hours at 25˚ ambient temperature.”A 12V fridge doesn’t need to run all day long, so switch it off during the cool of the night to conserve power and if you’re camping at a powered campsite, plug your fridge into a mains power outlet.Take your car fridge game to the next level with a fridge slide. Systems may differ but the principle remains the same: the fridge slide is bolted into your vehicle and provides a secure and stable base on which the fridge can be slid backwards (towards the rear of the vehicle, so you can access food and drinks) and forwards (locked back into place for travel).High-quality examples have a flat mounting base and roll fore and aft on sealed roller bearings, aimed at smooth operation and preventing dust ingress. They have locking mechanisms so the fridge can be locked into place.There are even examples, such as the MSA 4x4 fridge drop slide, which can be slid out from its secure locked position, and lowered 30cm in one motion, enabling full access to your food and beverages.The good news is that there is also a stack of fridge-related accessories, including canvas transit bags, fridge barriers (strong steel mesh cages in which to house car fridges), full extension fridge slides (designed to carry 120kg of load – 80kg on the front tray and 40kg on the rear tray), and more.Car fridges range in price from $200 or so for a basic, no-frills 20-litre fridge freezer, to just under $900 for a 15-litre Bushman Roadie portable fridge freezer and through to a 60-litre stainless-steel weatherproof ARB Elements fridge/freezer, “the ultimate 4WDer’s fridge”, according to ARB, which has a $1600-plus price-tag, and upwards to $2500 for an 85-litre fibreglass Evakool Infinity fridge/freezer.Portable fridge freezer brands include ARB, Bushman Fridges, Dometic/Waeco, Engel, Luna, XTM Kings, and more.Where to buyBeyond the usual suspects – Aldi, BCF, Bunnings and Anaconda – it’s well worth checking out mobs such as Bushman Fridges, ARB, Ironman 4x4 and others for top-quality products.Maintenance/repairsYour portable camping fridge will cop a real hiding during its ‘life’ but specific warranty and maintenance terms and conditions will depend on your fridge maker and supplier.We recommend that car fridge repairs be undertaken by authorised and specialised personnel.Gary said a long warranty is a clear sign of a manufacturer’s confidence in a product. “It also means you’ll have peace of mind should something go wrong on your trip. While no one wants that, it pays to be prepared for any possible situation when camping. We would recommend a three-year warranty as a minimum. Anything less than this could be a risk.”Reputable businesses and brands have well-established processes and sales and service networks in place, so that should make your decision about which brand to buy a bit easier.There are plenty of portable, camping or car fridges for sale online but remember cheap does not mean cheerful, so do your research, read a car fridge review (or 100 of them) from reputable sources, ask advice from those who know (i.e. mates who camp a lot) … and you should be right.Note: Thanks to the staff at Bushman Fridges for their assistance with this yarn.

Caravans have always held a special place in the hearts of many Australians. These moveable accommodations on wheels have been mainstays of the Great Aussie Holiday for many decades.But nowadays caravans cost a lot of money – they are a huge investment – and even if you did want one they’ve been hard to come by over the past few years due to skyrocketing Covid-related demand and delays in supply.What’s the next best thing to owning your own caravan? Borrowing one from a mate and returning it grotty and banged up? Wrong! The next best thing to owning a caravan is hiring one for however long a period of time you want. Now you can even hire a caravan directly from its owner via what have been dubbed peer-to-peer van sharing services.So, how does that work? Is it easy to do? Is it becoming more popular? How has Covid impacted the popularity of caravan hire? We’ll answer those questions and many more in this yarn.Read on.A caravan is essentially a self-contained house on wheels, replete with kitchen facilities, beds, seating, storage and some even have toilets and showers. In those ways it is similar to a motorhome, but the difference is a motorhome is an all-in-one vehicle-and-accommodation package that is driven as one mobile unit, while a caravan has to be towed behind a separate vehicle.A campervan is also a vehicle-and-accommodation package and it’s driven but it generally has fewer amenities than a caravan – no toilet and shower – and is not as big as a caravan.Camper-trailers are similar to caravans in that they have to be towed, but they do have fewer amenities than a caravan, such as a toilet and shower.Different strokes for different folks.What type of caravan you decide to hire will largely depend on what you want to use it for, where you’re going to take it, the duration of your trip and – gulp – your budget.How many people are you taking on your trip? Will your trip involve off-roading? Are you going off-grid? Are you taking pets? Do you like a bit, or a lot, of luxury?Caravans of all types and sizes are available – everything from two-bed caravans through to 4 berth caravan hire and 8 berth caravan hire – so all you have to do is figure out the logistics of your trip, and hire a caravan to suit your plans.You’ll also have to decide whether you’ll hire a caravan from a commercial operator, or opt for a peer-to-peer van sharing service, such as SHAREaCamper, Camplify, or Camptoo.Camplify, the self-proclaimed “largest and most trusted van sharing platform” in Australia, states that it has “thousands of unique vans available for hire across Australia and a community of over 50,000 holidaymakers”.Same goes for mobs like SHAREaCamper and Camptoo – they all reckon they have plenty of caravans, so sourcing a suitable caravan shouldn’t be a problem.Your caravan options range from pop-top caravans (use your imagination) to static caravans (already on location so you just arrive and use it) to touring caravans, which you’ll tow to your desired location with your vehicle. You can even hire a tow vehicle and the caravan to go with it. There is a caravan for hire to match everyone’s needs.You will no doubt find a caravan seemingly purpose-built precisely for your travels, whether you require off road caravan hire, off the grid caravan hire, pet friendly caravan hire, luxury caravan hire, or your budget only stretches to cheap caravan hire.Most caravan hire companies and peer-to-peer collectives have caravans in pretty much all of the popular locations, so expect to find caravan hire in Perth, caravan hire in Brisbane, caravan hire in Melbourne, caravan hire in Adelaide, caravan hire in Sydney, caravan hire in Tasmania, and caravan hire on the Gold Coast.The duration of the loan may have a minimum period – for instance, two days – but long term rentals can be discussed with the company or the caravan’s individual owner or agent.Working out how to hire a caravan is easy. Commercial operators or peer-to-peer van sharing services have comprehensive online booking systems and it’s simply a case of picking your caravan, selecting your dates, thoroughly reading the terms and conditions of the caravan loan before you pay any money, make sure you’re fully aware of all of the fees involved (more about that in the ‘How much does it cost?’ Section below), and then laying down your cold hard cash – well, punching in your credit card details etc.When you go to collect the caravan, you should run through a thorough caravan checklist with the owner/agent, take photos of the whole unit (inside and out), and make sure the owner gives you the lowdown on any quirks or peculiarities in the operation of the caravan that you need to know about it. Prices vary widely, depending on location and the type of van. Just to give you an idea, we had a look at Camplify and that search indicated that it’s possible to hire a caravan that sleeps six people for from $100 a day in Byron Bay, though average pricing for caravans that sleep five it seemed was around the $150/day mark (at time of writing) in other areas; we saw a two-bedder for $250 a day; and there was a caravan that sleeps six people listed for $500 a day.The age, size and condition of their caravan will determine how much you’ll be charged per day.Also, be aware that peer-to-peer van sharing services tend to charge fees other than the rental cost you will be anticipating. For instance, there may be booking fees (often non-refundable); a security deposit (taken from your credit card prior to the hire period, then released back to you when the van is returned in an owner-approved condition); credit card fees; insurance (as always, the more you pay at the start, the less excess you’re liable for if there’s a claim); and other fees, such as cleaning, any extra kilometres travelled above expected, late fees, and cancellation fees.Yep – on the flip-side of the massive growth in caravan popularity, there is the option for caravan owners to lease their vans out via peer-to-peer van sharing sites, such as Camplify.All you need to do is register an account and your van on any of the reputable websites, upload photos and info about your van (including a description, details of onboard facilities and any restrictions you want imposed on the caravan loan) … and then away you go.Be warned: there are numerous terms and conditions and a stack of contract-related stuff you must read through and understand before you hire your caravan, so you know where you stand in regards to loans, payment and how damage claims or disputes are dealt with by the company involved.

The D-Max LS-U crew-cab-chassis 4x4 automatic is a new mid-spec variant in Isuzu's ute range. Cab-chassis utes offer owners a different level of flexibility in terms of load-carrying and this ute has an automatic transmission, a part-time 4WD system, and it certainly looks built for purpose - so, does it tick all of your boxes for a work-and-play ute?

What is the most fuel-efficient 4x4 Australia offers at the time of publication? The answer may surprise you.

A V6 engine in the Ford Ranger? Sounds like something we need to do some fun stuff with! So, in this review, we test the 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 by doing the stuff you'd want to do if you owned one - off-road, towing and plenty more!

If your only experience of trailers is a battered, abused hire trailer or a rusty box trailer borrowed from a neighbour, then you may have a coloured view of the whole trailer industry. 

When you think about it, using a car or four-wheel drive to tow a trailer much bigger than a standard box trailer is really asking a lot of the car’s design and engineering.