Time to Roam Magazine Issue 12 - December/January 2015 | Page 32

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tried + tested motorhome review

TRIED
+
TESTED

Five star
Fifth Wheeler

New Aussie-designed RV aims to set a new standard
for accommodating the long-term traveller.
Tried and Tested Pacific RV Adventura 27FLB RRP $140,000
At some stage of our lives, most
of us dream of getting away in
our very own escape vehicle.
While some actually fulfill their dream,
few would contemplate building their own
“dream machine” or go to the extreme of
taking it into commercial production.
But that’s exactly what Garry Lee has
done, creating a high-tech high-spec
5th wheeler called the Adventura.
It’s a revolutionary design because most
5th wheelers have a bed upfront above the
tow point, requiring you to climb up and
down stairs to get to bed or to and from the

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bathroom. Not a lot of fun as you get older.
Garry has devised and patented a unique
drop down floor. The result is a flat floor
throughout. The Pacific RV Adventura
feels more like a two-room apartment,
complete with seven foot high ceilings.
The bed is in the back room and the head
of it is in a slide out compartment. The
shower and toilet are close by and there
is plenty of room to walk around. There
is even a full-size mirrored wardrobe.
The front room is a spacious combined
kitchen living area, including two full size
lazy boy recliner chairs and a dinette
in another slide out compartment.

It has almost every luxury and convenience
you’d need for long-term travel, combined
with as much storage space as a bus.
That’s because there is a massive chassis
400mm high compartment along the entire
length with access doors all round.
The chassis superstructure is
needed to support the Adventura’s
other big “surprise feature”.
At the touch of a button, four remote control
legs or struts drop down from each corner,
lifting the four tonne RV, including the wheels,
completely off the ground. They lock into
place to provide a solid foundation with no
rocking. Using the remotes, you can then
level out the structure on a sloping site.
The Adventura is full of clever design
innovations. The story of how it came to be
devised is all the more remarkable when you
consider Garry Lee left school at age 17, started
out as a tradie and has no formal engineering
or design qualifications to his name.
Just over four years ago he bought out
Pacific RV which had been successfully
importing 5th wheelers from the USA.
Like many who’ve tried out 5th wheelers,
he became convinced of their merits
over caravans and their potential in the
Australian market, however he also became
dismayed at the quality of the US product.
“Americans build things to enjoy for
a few years then they get rid of it.
> continued on page 36