RV REVIEW
If I were a fan, I could no-doubt pepper this review
with plenty of Van Halen puns. Alas, all I know
about this group is that in Lilydale, Vic, there’s a
custom caravan manufacturer whose very name
pays it tribute.
Owned and operated by Jason and Bec Francis,
Halen Vans specialises in building genuine
offroad touring weapons, self-contained caravans
designed to keep you in the outback for longer.
The company’s real specialty, however, is
customisation.
COMMON-SENSE CONSTRUCTION
If our review Avalon Offroad Series looks a little
smaller than you might expect, that’s because the
customer who had this van built requested it to be
200mm narrower and 50mm lower than standard
so it would fit inside his garage.
Let’s start at the front. The trailer-to-vehicle wiring
harness is detachable from the caravan. Without
the matching seven-pin (round) lead, the lights or
electric brakes wouldn’t work – effectively, it is a
built-in anti-theft device.
The drawbar also houses two 9kg gas cylinders –
personally, I’d fit a stoneguard to protect the gas
cylinders and no-doubt that could be done for
other customers. Behind the gas cylinders was a
fuel tank for a diesel heater.
The front boot was quite large, and tucked into the
nearside corner was an onboard air-compressor.
This Avalon was running Cruisemaster ATX Air
suspension; however, all other fittings, including
the air-compressor, were fitted by Halen Vans.
Behind the front boot was a right-through
storage system for annexe poles, fishing rods,
etc. There’s also a tunnel boot and a dedicated
nearside storage box for a Weber barbecue.
Electrically, our review Avalon left nothing to
chance. It had a 300Ah lithium battery system
charged by four 150W solar panels – an excellent
setup. Naturally, this system could power your
gorv.com.au
35