Caravan review: Bushtracker 18ft Mid Width offroad couples van

Offroad and off-grid travel are key focuses of every Bushtracker build. This new 18ft couples van is built for the rough stuff and has plenty of great inclusions for extended stays at your favourite remote camp.

In brief

• Offroad caravan with Simplicity coil spring suspension
• Body length of 5.49m (18ft)
• Good battery and water tank capacity
• Rear bathroom, island bed layout

One of the more interesting facts about the caravan manufacturing industry in this country is that although regional Melbourne is the centre of the caravan industry in Australia, south-east Queensland has a high number of specialist offroad caravan manufacturers. That’s all they do — not a road tourer van to be seen! There is a substantial number of manufacturers in Australia who do generally offer offroad caravans, but there’s much more to an offroad caravan than just a heavy-duty chassis, independent coil spring suspension and an offroad hitch.

Bushtracker, a long-established company, is one of those specialist offroad caravan manufacturers. Based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, the manufacturer has established a solid reputation, using a mixture of tried-and-true manufacturing techniques and constantly evolving innovation. Matthew Kurvink, one of the directors at Bushtracker, spends time out in the bush testing not only the Bushtracker product but also the components used in the manufacturer’s van. Well, someone has to do it, don’t they?

This Bushtracker 18ft Mid Width show van comes with all the bells and whistles

That’s mostly how one of the latest Bushtracker vans, an 18ft Mid Width, was perfected. Designed for the 2024 show season, this van comes with the best that Bushtracker can fit into its 5.49m (18ft) external body length. The ‘Mid Width’ refers to the van’s width of 2.3m (7ft 6in). Depending on customer requirements, Bushtracker makes vans in three widths: full, mid and compact.

How much power and water does it have?

The ability to go gasless is built into the design. The 18ft Mid Width is well equipped electrically with 400Ah of lithium LiFePO4 battery capacity and eight 175W solar panels. Controlling all that is an Enerdrive ePRO Combi 3000W/120A inverter/charger. That’s sufficient capacity to drive the induction hob, Dometic air-conditioner, fridge and everything else for a decent length of time. Part of the electrical package includes an 8mm cable wired Anderson plug that connects to a 40A programmable DC–DC charger. That enables the lithium batteries to be charged from the tow vehicle only when the engine is running.

The OGO composting toilet takes care of any black water tank size issues and the 270L of fresh and drinking water, with some care, will allow for days of free camping without a problem. All the water tanks are plumbed separately to allow tank isolation and individual filling. Fitted to this van is a water sterilisation unit and a water purifier — extremely useful when filling from water sources of unknown quality. The Bushtracker team has plenty of field experience when travelling off the grid and can advise on any battery, solar panel and water requirements.

This couples van is built with the capacity to go gasless

On-board comfort

The overall layout is familiar to many caravan owners. Located in the middle of the van are the offside kitchen bench and the nearside cafe dinette. There’s a full-width ensuite down the back and a north–south island bed up front. It’s a pleasure to check out the fit and finish in any Bushtracker van, and I’d be hard-pressed to find an unsanded/ill-fitting piece of timber. Everything from the soft-close drawers to the well-placed LED light fittings oozes quality. There is also a practical amount of internal storage. No space is wasted, and everything is functional.

Even with a mid-width body, the interior is still spacious

When I’m reviewing any van inside, the first port of call is the dinette, whichever style is used. Is there room to stretch out? Does the seat have footrests? Is the upholstery contoured comfortably? The cafe dinette ticked all the boxes, including drawers under the seats. I also like the big window — it gives a great view of the world going by outside. Above the table on the wall are the essential power point and charger hubs. So, too, are a couple of sound system speakers, one above each seat. The TV is located on the opposite side and it can be fairly easily seen from both dinette seats.

Dinette upholstery is well stitched togetherInternal lighting is effectively done

The kitchen bench, facing the dinette, has quite simple lines but is very functional. The induction hob and square sink take up a fair chunk of the benchtop. Under the induction hob, the Panasonic convection microwave oven is to be found. The rest of the kitchen bench is devoted to a dazzling array of drawers, plus the usual cupboard and overhead locker space. The slide-out pantry is the icing on the cake.

In the rear of the van, the bathroom is a study in white — well, almost; there are some offset colour shades. Undoubtedly, the feature item is the OGO composting toilet on a slightly raised platform, but the rest of the bathroom is well kitted out, including a wall-mounted front-loading washing machine. There’s enough room in the shower cubicle to easily turn around.

The bathroom has a high level of appointment, including the wall mounted washing machine

In the forward area, in Bushtracker fashion, the island bed sits higher than usual. There are raised platforms on both sides of the bed — a big tick for underfloor storage. The wardrobes on both sides of the bed are of a good size and shelf fitted. A little differently, the pillow cubbies are behind the wardrobes and not, more conventionally, underneath.

Shelf fitted bedside wardrobe

How is the Bushtracker 18ft Mid Width built?

For many years, Bushtracker vans had a distinctive aluminium cladding profile. That’s still available, but a more favourable option is smooth fibreglass composite for the walls and roof. The walls have 25mm of dense foam insulation, and the roof is thicker at 75mm. In a hot Australian climate, a well-insulated van is an asset.

Another distinctive feature of Bushtracker vans is the lower front wall area with a recessed lower half. It’s deep enough to neatly fit the spare wheel carriers with simple ramps — an easy way to get the spare wheels in and out. The recess is also a good place for the diesel heater fuel tanks. The larger-than-usual front tunnel boot supplies a very generous amount of external storage — it is also accessible from inside the van by lifting the bed.

Bushtracker’s characteristic front wall recess for spare wheel holders and gas cylinders (when fitted)The large front tunnel boot has external and internal access

Part of the Bushtracker build process includes using an aluminium frame. Welding aluminium isn’t for everyone — it’s different from steel and does require particular trade skills. Even today, when frameless composite build structures are becoming more common, Bushtracker still uses a fully welded box section alloy frame — one that is super strong yet allows for some flex. All the electrical wiring is run through the frame.

Like the alloy frame, the Bushtracker chassis is built in-house. The hot-dipped galvanised chassis is also built in-house, a product of plenty of experience and finished with a protective coating. The drawbar fittings include a Cruisemaster DO45 hitch, Black Jack Trailer Jack, stone protector and a mesh firewood rack. Bushtracker is confident in its chassis and framework — there’s a 10-year structural warranty on both.

Built for offroad and off-grid lifestyles

Simplicity suspension with coil springs

Simplicity suspension has always been a standard part of the Bushtracker package, and that’s the case here with the load-sharing suspension system that includes coil springs and axles that are rated at 60T. Simplicity suspension differs from most other systems on the market but combines the best of leaf spring suspension with the articulation and flexibility of trailing arms. That was amply demonstrated on the test drive — the van towed very smoothly behind the VW Amarok I was using. The van has a tare weight of 2860kg and an ATM of 3850kg, so there’s a very good payload capacity of 990kg. Just how much the van can be loaded depends on the tow vehicle you’re using.

What we thought of the Bushtracker 18ft Mid Width

Being a show van, this one has plenty of goodies fitted. It’s an interesting demonstration of what’s available for a custom van, when budget is less of a consideration. Bushtracker’s fit and finish is superb, and the manufacturer knows how to build a fit-for-purpose offroad caravan. Particularly one that’s built for comfort and extended off the grid travel.

Measuring up

Pros

• Excellent payload
• Engineering, fit and finish
• Battery and solar panel capacity

  Layout with few compromises

  Great for several tow vehicles

Cons

• There’s a price to pay when fully optioned

BUSHTRACKER 18FT MID WIDTH RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY

Custom-built specialist offroad van packed with features

TOWABILITY

Well-behaved on the road — the tow vehicle required depends on how much weight the van is carrying

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING

Well-designed for extended offroad, off-grid travel in style

BUILD QUALITY

There’s no doubt that Bushtracker builds a high-quality caravan

LIVEABILITY

A spacious internal layout

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

The OGO composting toilet adds to the overall lithium battery and water tank capacity

CUSTOMER CARE

Bushtracker offers an outstanding 10-year structural warranty on the chassis and frame

INNOVATION

It should be more common, but every component is tried and tested

X-FACTOR

In several different ways, Bushtracker’s unique way of doing things

BUSHTRACKER 18FT MID WIDTH SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Bushtracker 18ft Mid Width price from $190,000

OPTIONS FITTED

Too many to list here, please contact the manufacturer for a full breakdown.

Bushtracker 18ft Mid Width price as shown $229,735

MORE INFORMATION

Bushtracker

85 Enterprise Street

Kunda Park, Qld 4556

P: 07 5476 5833 (option 1)

E: info@bushtracker.com

THE NEXT STEP

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