| HITCHING UP WITH MAX TAYLOR
RULES OF THE ROAD
Social media has lit up in
recent months with accusations
of shonky, non-compliant RV
workmanship.
Boy, has the Australian
industry caught some heat.
And, frankly, some of the
accusations are true. There
are RVs that are imported as
well as manufactured locally
that don’t measure up to the
Australian Design Rules and
Australian Standards, and
customers have suffered
as a result.
But it’s also true that the
Australian RV industry has
plenty of manufacturers who
care about their customers
and strive to do the right thing.
I think that in the online brouhaha,
this fact has been forgotten.
The state and national
associations, which are
member-based and exist
to lobby government for
regulatory improvements,
to promote the RV lifestyle
and provide general support
for manufacturers, have
implemented programs to
improve the compliance
standard across the board.
They say a few bad apples
spoil the bunch. And for too
long, they’ve gotten away
with it. The fact that RV
manufacturers can self-certify
their vans when the van weigh
less than 4.5 tonnes ATM,
which is the vast majority of
them, has not helped.
News that the RV industry
is working with government
EDITOR
Max Taylor
SALES DIRECTOR
Grant Manson
VIDEOGRAPHER/EDITOR
James Manson
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Adriana Manson
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Robbie Mangoni + Ruby MacKinnon
WEB DESIGNER
Hayley Ryan
PRODUCED BY
Go RV Pty Ltd
www.gorv.com.au
Cameron Damon Media
www.camerondamon.com.au
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
[email protected]
2
gorv.com.au
to (hopefully) change the
Motor Vehicle Standards Act
1989, involving enforcement
measures against dodgy
builders, is encouraging.
This issue, we sat down with
some of the key players in
the industry to get their take
on the compliance situation.
What other measures are they
taking, and will things change
if and when some legislative
metal is brought to bear?
IN THIS ISSUE
AIR OPUS TESTED
04
A camper with an inflatable tent
RV COMPLIANCE 08
WIN A CAMPER TRAILER 12
GOLF SAVANNAH REVIEWED 14
ROADSTAR GT SPORT 18
BUDGET TOW VEHICLE SEARCH 22
ALAN GRAHAM’S 40TH 24
RAMBLING ON 26
THE FRONT BOOT 28
Raising the standard
Skamper Kampers Ranger camper up for grabs
The largest Savannah has a smart layout
Traditionally built single-axle rig
Doing it on the cheap
A milestone celebrated with a special van
New podcast about outdoor life
Accessories for the RV lifestyle
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