I found the process of purchasing a caravan overwhelming, in fact… it was almost worse than building a house!

But when you've committed to hitting the road for a year to document and share stories of simple, sustainable homes from every far-reaching corner of this great country, you are going to need some sturdy, comfy wheels to get you there.

So we set off with cheerful optimism into the caravan buying wilderness armed with what we thought was a simple wishlist of wants and needs for our new Bookenmobile.

But it turns out it's a jungle out there, and we were hunting a caravan unicorn.

This is our fourth van. Not long after Boots and I hooked up we pooled funds and purchased our first home away from home on wheels, a weathered 1985 Jayco wind-up, complete with retro green stripe. The old girl may have required occasional middle-of-the-night maintenance to stop the roof from collapsing on our heads, but man we loved that van.

So we had a very clear vision from the get-go of what we wanted this time around:

THE WISHLIST

Under 21 foot long - no more than 8m tip to tip

Free/powerless camping capability

Bunks

North-South bed - because we're too old to climb over each other 🙄

Light, bright and airy - windows everywhere, including above the bed

Open plan full ensuite and laundry that can also be shut off for privacy

Tough off-road capability

External slide out kitchen - because neither one of us wants to be stuck inside cooking

Large compressor fridge

Gas heating for when out bush

Separate drinking water tank and pump

Good battery life

And of course, sexy-looking and budget-aligned!

Now I don't know if you've ever been to one of those caravan and camping expos, but they're life-sucking, brain-frying events where you enter with realistic, achievable goals and leave with a quote that includes a gold-plated dunny seat. Ok, not really, but you get what I mean.

So a few months into our quest I felt like I had hit dead end after dead end, and I was ready to give up on the unicorn hunt.

However, just like our journey with Booken House, eventually, research and persistence paid off, and in July last year, we ordered a 21.2’ Masterpiece (that's the brand name) and added some custom design changes and specifications to tick all our boxes.

Then, once we finally found our caravan unicorn, we had to purchase an appropriate vehicle to tow it with, because apparently, the go-kart-sized hatchback I was driving wasn't going to cut it.

Pfffft, the money hemorrhage never ends.

So after a long nervous wait, our new wheels were finally built and ready to go, and we set off for the long weekend on the maiden voyage.

Now I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, because when you invest your hard-earned cashola into an idea and a dream, there can be a fair bit riding on the result.

So I'm pretty damn relieved to declare the first shakedown a success!

Phew.

Jedda seems pretty happy with her new home too…

Next year’s trip around Oz has been eight years in the making.

Eight years of planning, dreaming, researching, and saving.

And now, all of a sudden, it's real.

I'm not sure if I'm freaking out or bursting with excitement (probably both), but either way, we are in for one hell of an epic adventure… and at least the roof should stay up on this one.

We will take you on a tour of the van in insta stories, but here are the details for those interested in the nitty gritty details;

CARAVAN:

External: Bronze metallic probond

Checkerplate: Charcoal Matte

Cupboards: Ash supergloss

Splashback: Vanilla

Handles: Satin silver buttonless square

Benchtop: Luuk Oak

Vinyl leatherette: Shann Vegas Cashmere

Batteries: 2 x 210 amp lithium

Split system: Ibis 4 Dometic

Fridge: Dometic 216L Compressor

Dust reduction system: Dometic

Gas heater: Truma

Wheels: Roman II Matt black gold face 16' alloys

Suspension: 3.6t Alpha Extreme Duty 12' brakes

Brand: Masterpiece Dynamic with custom design changes and specs

VEHICLE:

Y62 Nissan Patrol Ti V8 Series 5

Champagne quartz

Rhino roof rack and backbone

Monster Ammo wheels satin black

A few tips we found useful:

Adding a mirrored shower door makes the space feel larger and also blocks early morning light that would normally come through an opaque shower door
A light colour palette bounces light around
Large windows that connect to the outdoors make a space feel less claustrophobic
A sandy colour hides dirt well
Storage is important, but the more storage you have the more weight you carry, so be discerning
Upgrading to a front load washing machine means you gain room for more low drawers
Make sure the tow capacity of your vehicle is right for your van, safety first
Installing a separate drinking water tank and 12v pump means you don’t have to stress about running out of water when you are free camping - you can go without a shower but you can’t go without a drink
The block-out hidden pull-down blinds in caravans these days are game-changing
You don’t need every bell and whistle, bells and whistles are expensive
Opening up the ensuite to the bunk area using a concertina door doubles the amount of usable area at that end of the van, love me a multi-use space
Lighter color vans stay cooler
We wanted to minimise the van length and plan to spend most of our time outside, so it made sense to cough up for an external slide-out kitchen and shrink down the internal ‘kitchen/living area’, has worked a treat!