Caravan review: Spinifex Nomadix Series 1 20ft 6in Cafe

Designed for adventurous couples who love heading offroad and off-grid with their caravan, this custom-built gasless van by Spinifex Caravans has a lot to offer. 

Spinifex is a name associated with outback Australia, and that’s why it’s also a clever name for a caravan manufacturer whose specialty is building offroad caravans. Under the ownership of Steve Thompson, Spinifex builds a range of offroad caravans in a variety of layouts, with plenty of options that will suit all buyers.

My review caravan, a custom-built Nomadix Series 1, is very typical of the Spinifex product, albeit one that’s optioned up considerably — it includes enough electrical power for this to be a gasless van.

A body length of 6.34m (20ft 8in) is great for at least two reasons — ease of towing and comfortable interior space. The van has a tare mass of 2760kg and an aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of 3500kg, so it’s easily within a larger towing vehicle (such as a Toyota LandCruiser) towing territory. Indeed, our towing run around the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and the Glass House Mountains area proved to be a good run with a well-behaved van.

Built for the rough stuff

Spinifex caravans are built with fully interlocked aluminium wall and roof frames. The walls and roof are fully insulated, and 4mm core matt fibreglass is used for the cladding — the walls and roof are one-piece items. Powder-coated aluminium armour protects the lower areas of the van.

Like the body work, the chassis is built with rough use in mind. It is CAD designed in box section style with two 75mm x 50mm (3in x 2in) main rails that are laminated together. The 150mm x 50mm (6in x 2in) drawbar rails are truss fitted. It all results in a solid structure that’s hot dipped galvanised. The Nomadix Series 1 has premium suspension fitted in the form of Cruisemaster XT self-levelling airbag suspension, 17in alloy wheels and disc brakes — it’s a well set up system. The airbag suspension system provides a smoother ride and better handling, especially on rough offroad terrains, enhancing the overall offroad performance of the caravan. Corrugated PVC protects all the pipework and cabling under the van and the water tanks have checkerplate aluminium strips to minimise stone damage. It’s all done very neatly indeed.

On the drawbar is an impressive-looking alloy checkerplate storage box with a slide-out tray on each side and twin jerry can holders. The space heater diesel fuel tank is fitted to the stone protector rather than the large storage box.

How does the Spinifex Nomadix Series 1 handle remote travel?

This particular Nomadix Series 1 is well equipped for extended stays in the outback. It has three 80L fresh water tanks, one 80L drinking water tank, and one 80L grey water tank for stays in national parks. The Thetford ceramic bowl toilet cassette is a standard feature, but a composting toilet, either OGO or Nature’s Head, is a good option for those who want a little more capacity.

Learn more about the pros and cons of cassette and composting toilets here.

A pair of 200Ah lithium LiFePO4 batteries is standard in a Nomadix Series 1 van. Still, my review van came with some additional features such as a 200Ah battery, so there’s absolutely no shortage of electrical power, which is particularly good since there’s an optional 3000W inverter fitted as well. There’s plenty of capacity to run the air-conditioner. The 700W of solar panel capacity keeps the batteries well charged. Since this is a gasless van, the water heater is a diesel-fired Webasto EVO5 hydronic system.

For more information about all your power requirements, check out our guide to power management for off-grid travel. 

Inside the Spinifex Nomadix Series 1

The Spinifex team does a great job of the internal fit out of all its vans, and this one is no exception. All the cabinetry has notched main joints, which are mostly hidden from sight, as are the soft close, high-grade runners and hinges on all the drawers and doors. On display, though, are the quality hinges and handles, as are the major components like the hob and fridge. The interior look is very monochrome, but the white surfaces dominate which creates a very light interior. There are no real surprises in the rear main entry door layout; it’s the very familiar front bed and rear bathroom setup with room to move. A feature I did like as I stepped aboard was the solid grab handle on the end of the kitchen bench. It’s a very handy feature for anyone who struggles getting up steps.

How comfortable is it?

The bedroom

Up front, the caravan queen bed — which sits a bit higher than usual — has a pillowtop innerspring mattress. Under the bed is the usual storage area, but there are a couple of drawers as well, which is a good use of space. There’s the usual array of bedside cabinetry, and each bed occupant gets a 240V power point and a device charger point. There’s no ventilation hatch above the bed, but the windows on both sides are well sized.

The dinette

Behind the bed on the right side of the van, the cafe dinette has hand-stitched microfibre leather upholstery. It exudes comfort and is an invitation to rest weary legs on the hinged footrests. There’s plenty of space for two, and the table folds back out of the way when not needed. Like the bed, the table has adjacent power points and charger slots.

The kitchen

Being a gasless van, there isn’t the usual four-burner hob in the kitchen bench. Instead, a portable Westinghouse 2400W induction hob takes care of the cooking duties, together with a Panasonic convection microwave. Also fitted into the benchtop is a stainless-steel sink and drainer, and the rest of the kitchen bench layout features a generous array of cupboards and drawer space. This storage space is enhanced by the overhead lockers and the cupboards built into the bathroom wall. Across the walkway, the Bushman 230L compressor fridge keeps all the essential food and drink nice and cool. There’s a Spinifex option for an external kitchen, however since this is a gasless van, that would require an LPG system. However, there’s no reason why the induction hob can’t be used outside or any other 240V cooking appliance.

The bathroom

There’s nothing like a variation on a theme. Spinifex has done that with the Nomadix Series 1 bathroom. It’s a fairly standard layout with the Thetford toilet against the offside wall and a vanity basin and cabinet along the rear wall. However, the shower cubicle door is set at an angle. It results in slightly easier access and a more efficient use of shower cubicle space. It doesn’t sound like much, but it does make a difference. What’s also of note is the generous drawer capacity in the vanity cabinet and overhead locker space. It’s a well-thought-out arrangement, particularly as a washing machine has been installed in the rear corner. For those who like to use their onboard facilities, it’s a very practical setup.

What did we think of the Nomadix Series 1?

What’s not to be impressed by in this van? Not much, it has to be said. It’s an offroad van designed by enthusiasts for the adventurous offroad, off-grid traveller. As demonstrated by this particular Nomadix, there’s an extensive list of options or just a basic van if that’s all that’s desired. It’s a winner for all customer tastes.

Measuring up

Pros

• Build quality
• Plenty of power
• Off-grid capacity
• Spacious layout
• Internal storage capacity

Cons

• Pricey, but it’s a custom-built van
• I like having pillow cubbies
• There’s a temptation for overloading

SPINIFEX NOMADIX SERIES 1 20FT 6IN CAFE RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY

It’s a custom-built van so you get what you pay for, and it’s all well put together

TOWABILITY

Well-behaved on the road with a heavy-duty tow vehicle

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING

Built as an offroad van with extended periods off-grid in mind — the Nomadix Series 1 ticks all the boxes

BUILD QUALITY

Highly commended with few blemishes to be seen

LIVEABILITY

Everything is where it should be without much compromise

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Even without the optional lithium battery and inverter, the van is well designed for travelling sans 240V mains power

CUSTOMER CARE

Three-year warranty 

INNOVATION

The slightly different take on the standard bathroom layout and the pantry built into the bathroom wall

X-FACTOR

The bathroom layout and the general internal storage facilities

SPINIFEX NOMADIX SERIES 1 20FT 6IN CAFE SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Spinifex Nomadix Series 1 20ft 6in Cafe price from $159,000

OPTIONS FITTED

• SatKing satellite TV provision
• Cruisemaster XT Level 4 airbag suspension (from level 3)
• XT disc brakes
• 3000W Victron inverter/charger
• Webasto EVO5 diesel hot water system
• Genuine leather upholstery
• Pillowtop cafe dinette
• Panasonic 27L convection microwave
• Additional 200Ah Victron lithium LiFePO4 battery

Spinifex Nomadix Series 1 20ft 6in Cafe price as shown $179,605

MORE INFORMATION

Spinifex Caravans

21 Imboon Street

Deception Bay, Qld 4508

P: 07 3888 2221

THE NEXT STEP

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