Just No Comparison - We buy a Zone RV after 18 months of trying to find better.
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- In the end there was just no comparison when it came to buying the right caravan for us. This Zone RV Base 18.6 fully off-road caravan has all the features we need, it comes with high tech inclusions, massive power and construction methods plus all the latest mod-cons. It's not brand new but with a late build date in 2021, its not old either. We reckon we've saved 40K - this is real value for money in our opinion. This episode shows you what we purchased and discusses why, we also outline what's next for us and what you can expect in the coming months. We loved reviewing vans over the past 18 months and can't wait for the next adventure to start and the reviews to continue.
We stayed at Watton Air Strip just North West of Bathurst in NSW, Australia - this is a must visit camp you can book and access through Hipcamp:
www.hipcamp.com/en-AU/land/ne...
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Watch the 2 earlier reviews on this Zone van via the links below along with the many others we've completed this past year. Please subscribe and follow along for our next adventures.
EPISODES
Episode 1 - Lotus
• Lotus Freelander Carav...
Episode 2 - Zone Van
• Zone Caravans - Are th...
Episode 3 - Malibu California
• Malibu Caravan - Is th...
Episode 4 - Jayco Journey Outback
• Jayco Caravan - Aussie...
Episode 5 - JB Gator
• JB Gator Caravan - Is ...
Episode 6 - Majestic Navigator
• Majestic Navigator Off...
Episode 7 - Patriot Camper X1
• Patriot Camper X1 - Wh...
Episode 8 - JB Dirt Road Extreme
• JB Dirt Road Extreme C...
Episode 9 - Sunseeker Wild Child
• Sunseeker Wild Child C...
Episode 10 - Zone Base - Red Dirt Review
• Zone Base - 3000kms in...
Episode 11 - 5 Must Do Tips - Is you
r dream to buy a second hand Caravan?
• Purchasing a used Cara...
Episode 12 - Caravan Cappers - New Mecca Style Assembly
• Caravan Cappers - New ...
Episode 13 - Jayco Silverline Outback Pt 1
• Jayco Silverline Outba...
Episode 14 - Jayco Silverline Outback Pt 2
• Jayco Silverline Outba...
Episode 15 - Stoney Creek Scout 15
• Hybrids - are they a g...
Episode 16 - Pros and Cons - 10 Vans in 10 minutes
• Pros & Cons - 10 Carav...
SPECIALS
Caravan & Camping Show April 2023 Sydney
• Caravan & Camping Show...
National 4x4 Outdoors Show July 2023 Sydney
• National 4x4 Outdoors ...
Zone RV hits Sydney
• Zone RV hits Sydney
CAMPFIRE TIPS
Campfire Tips #1
• Camp Fire Must Do!!
Campfire Tips #2
• Campfire Tips #2 Sta...
CARAVAN HACKS
Fix the Blinds Quick
• Caravan Hacks - Fix th...
Window Locks
• Caravan Hacks - Window...
Starlink - Goes Nuts in the Bush
• Starlink RV - Goes Nut...
EQUIPMENT INSTALLS
iCheck TPMS
• icheck TPMS - Will it ...
ON TOUR
Episode 1 - 28/1/23
Kanangra-Boyd National Park
• Caravans by the Campfi...
Episode 2 - 4/4/23
Seal Rocks
• Seal Rocks - Take me!
Episode 3 - 13/4/23
Greenmans on the Hawkesbury
• Greenmans on the Hawke...
Episode 4 -
4 things your partner should be able to do
• Our Top 4 Things your ...
Great choice. No one can accuse you of not doing your research. We camped at that very spot about 18 months ago dreaming of and contemplating ordering a Zone. We pick up our Zone Peregrine in a few weeks and couldn’t be more excited.
Outstanding! Well done to you guys.
Drill the tool box hole at the front corner in the left or right. Then you can use the air bags and jockey wheel together to direct all the water into one corner to drain.
Smart - check!
Congrats! We also have the Base 18.6 ZB056. So we’ve now hit the subscribe button as we are keen to see what mods you make. We’ve come from owning Jayco vans and aspired to the Silverline, but sorry to say the Zone is in a league of its own! Enjoy!
Thank you - I do like the Jayco but they are not a zone are they. Thanks for subscribing 🎉
Congratulations and great choice. It was lovely to meet and chat to you both at Kylies Campground
Compost toilet is most definitely the way to go.
I found the lights in the van way to bright. After meeting a fellow Zoner on the road he gave us the hot gossip on altering the lights so now they can be remotely controlled and dimmed. Its great. Got the old boy onto that job quick smart.
Happy and safe travels 😊😊😊
Thanks for the tips and info - nice to meet you too. I'd love to hear a bit more about your dimming system! Any links about that will be appreciated.
Yes! Awesome choice guys! Loved watching your journey to find your van 👌🏼
More to come!
Great camp, great van! Looking forward to seeing where it takes you guys 😀
Everywhere off grid will be great!
You two crack me up....I am thinking rampaging Roy Slaven and HG Nelson. Absolutely love the vids. We have a motorhome but also admire the Zone. Keep up the humour and the journey. Cheers
Thank you! We will.
Congratulations. Have enjoyed your journey to this purchase of the Zone and looking forward to future vids
Thank you! We'll be back soon!
Congratulations! When I saw your comparison video, I KNEW it 😊😊 You'll love it.
Hope so, it’s great 👍
Congratulations guys, you are now well and truly 'in the Zone' :). Safe travels
Thanks Gary!
Great buy. The stoppers to cover ur water tapes can be bought from Bunnings.
Surface Gard 19mm Black Round External Rubber Chair Tips - 4 Pack
Thanks Michelle, I grabbed a double pack today, they are fabo. Thanks for your comment!
First time watching you guys are lovely and fun, really nice seeing positive people
Much appreciated - check out our channel, there's some funny bater in most vids. The latest Weights one is good too. Thanks for you comment!
hot tip... load up the washing machine to its max every time. It doesn't shake as much.
Excellent - that’s for the info!!
You “helped” us buy our 2nd hand Zone Base 17.0 and we love it. We really enjoy your videos and look forward to the weigh-in. Cheers.
Well done! Thank you!
So happy you have a zone you did do your homework for quite a while carnt wait till all your travels start congratulations❤
Thank you! It was an adventure for sure! 👍
Congrats guys great choice
Congratulations on the new wheels guys, great choice 👏🏕
Thank you! A no brainer really - enjoy yourselves! Have fun.
So happy for you Tracey 🎉
She’s like a kid with a new doll to say the least. Thank you!
Congratulations Looks Good. You don't need a front window just something to get damaged and leak. Looking forward to the next chapter of Caravans by the Campfire
I might take that advice! Thanks for the comment.
Good choice on the zone. The rubber stoppers you can buy at bunnings they are off stool legs. Just purchased some
Fabulous work Guys, congratulations on your Van, looks fantastic
Thank you
Congratulations guys, great choice, very envious !!!
There are some bargains around in a few brands. Thank you
Might have to look at a Jayco Silverline
Love the chat between you two❤
Cheers, I do my best to pay attention when SWMBO speaks.
Lots of fun, love your videos :D
Thank you!
Awesome! Goodonya. A ZoneRV Base is a great choice. I enjoyed watching your journey and the process you used to test and choose.
Thank you - and thanks for watching
Congrats on FINALLY buying a van 😉. Good choice and love your no nonsense walk around. Are your ‘van reviews’ going to change to travel reviews? I’ll be watching 👍
Thank you - there will be some travel but we will continue to do reviews and other things.
Great to see you finally chose one👍
May you have many happy memories in it🍻🍻
You should be able to find those rubber end caps in the hardware section at Bunnings
Love your idea about leaving stuff out until you need it 🏆
Thanks buddy! I’ll get to Bunnings
Welcome to the Zone family. We have ZB261 20'6. Great idea with the external lights. We have fitted Teralume spot lights to front and back, Teralume rock lights under and Stedi slimline light bar each side on the top edge. Mount on a steel plate and sikaflex on, run wiring under black corner rubber seals. Controlled by 6 button remote.
That all sounds great, well done! You’ll have to me a picture!
@caravansbythecampfire not able to send via UA-cam, do you have Facebook?
@@lindaneumann3301yes, just search it up, you can also go to our channel page here and get the link - thank you!
Absolutely loved your research videos, test drives, and such, leading up to the purchase of your ZoneRV. Congrats! Totally jealous.
I feel that a front window would be a mistake. Windows leak, it's almost inevitable, as seals rub and degrade. A leak over your bed would lead to you replacing the mattress, and if you're in the middle of nowhere in a downpour with a wet bed is absolutely no fun! At present, there's no holes which could cause such leaks.
Thank you for your comment! Much appreciated - we will keep reviewing!
You can get the rubber chair bumpers for the water fittings from the big green shed, all different sizes, cheers good luck.
Thanks for the tip! Excellent
Looks awesome! 👍
Cheers!
NSW is the right place to get a Lovells GVM and GCM upgrade.
The composting toilet is a worthwhile upgrade. Nothing worse than having a great Hipcamp and having to travel 50km down the road to the closest dump point.
Good points!
Lovells 4.2 being fitted in Melbourne right now.
I’m excited for you! Certainly wasn’t spontaneous 😂 congratulations 🎉
I think Bunnings sell the stoppers👍🏻
You’ll have to change your channel to Zone by the campfire 🔥 😂
Go figure that, we are spontaneous so it’s been a bit of a super test
You 2 our funny love your dynamic 😂
Comedy capers at times!
Great choice enjoyed your research as we were looking for a new van. I loved the zone but out of our budget hubby loved the sliverline outback so that is what we have ordered. Do you guys have an inverter don’t know if it will be necessary. Happy travels.
We have a 2600 watt inverter. It powers all power points when of grid and all appliances including the Airconditioning - all when off grid. It does have 400AH of lithium batteries also. If you want some simple luxuries like a coffee machine, using the hair dryer, powering Starlink, charging laptops and all the other rechargeables off grid it really is a must have. The Silverline outback is about the same price as our van 2nd hand which is 2 years old. I do love the space of a Silverline but we do like to go off grid all the time, we just found this one a little bit better fit for purpose. Well done to you on your purchase!
u guys are amazing i love my self a wholesome camping chanel
Make sure you watch that episode!
Congratulations it’s a great van
We agree!
Bunnings, for the stoppers. 👌🏻
Thank you
Great video guys, actually, they were all great , very informative. Couple of points you made re this Zone that you considered short falls. Hitler here WILL NOT open windows, because dust comes in !, so if its hot, its AC time, so we dont have a front window in our 226 Retreat Fraser (no bloody need for it I guess), and we DO have the outside shower....never been used in 6 years, so both those points would be of no concern to Herr......Keep up the good work.
Thank you! We don’t miss the window already- the outdoor shower is a must however! Thanks for watching and your comments.
Congradulations on your final choice, now the journey begins :) What solar blanket do you use?
Thank you. The blanket is from KT Solar - 300 watt. After lots of research it proved to the best value for money by far. Cranks, produces much closer to what it says than any other blanket I’ve seen. Shop around, you can get them anywhere from $900-750. They also have a 200 watt version.
Glad the wife got her wishes hahahaha great choice I do love the zone rv my self if I can make the weights and price work $2.:40 for your chair leg protectors from Bunnings for your hose fittings.
Thank you - she is happy as for sure! I’ll be off to Bunnings.
the other thing with air suspension is that if you have a pressure sensor, they can corrode due to moisture and of course that buggers the system up
Thank you, I’ll keep a look out!
Bunnings
I'm super impressed with this van. Now, I need to see if it's available in the US.
Give Zone a call. You never know. Thanks for your comment.
Hi Guys, congratulations on the Zone! My wife and I went out yesterday to off grid outfitters to see the Zone Van, I’m mainly interested in the lighter Peregrine… We’ll see what happens later this year.
But what I wanted to ask you about is the composting toilet. This is the only point of disagreement for my wife and I. How is it going ? Do they smell? What about carrying around that extra weight all the time? Could it be replaced with a cassette style toilet? Any advise you could offer would be gratefully appreciated..
Cheers and Happy Holidays!
Thank you and thanks for the comment. We have the normal cassette toilet, I was making fun of the composting toilet and its seperate wee compartment in the video. I understand those with one are very happy and for a couples van, even more so - going for 4-6 weeks without emptying the composting compartment. There are a few brands and I think you should go for it if buying a new van for sure. The ones with an electric mixing feature I’d say I prefer over the manual mixing system. No need to find dump points, staying off grid longer - it appears to be a no brainer.
@@caravansbythecampfire Thanks for the speedy feedback! I think for us if Zone won’t compromise on the composting toilet then we won’t be getting a Zone..
What’s wrong with digging a deep hole if you’re off grid I mean like a metre deep sort of thing..?
I can’t see myself ever staying in one place for 4-6 weeks unless COVID comes back lol!
We went to Zone just to have a look, we pick ours up in April, going to give it an extra solar panel and water tank and it will be all good I hope.
Feel your pain with the Cruiser, we basically had to run ours empty to stay legal but we’ve upgraded to something that tows like a dream but sucks around town 🤷♂️
Our current van has a front window and some older Zones had them too, we will miss it but it’s not a deal breaker.
No gas inside and diesel hot water and heating were a must for us after our last two vans, it just works for us.
The Breakos are ok but yeah NO! 😂😂😂
Nice car you have! I’m sure we’ll upgrade it moving forward. We have a weight video coming in the next day or so - interesting. Good luck and thanks for your comment!
@@caravansbythecampfire looking forward to the next video, weights are a big deal and not very straightforward, most folks get caught out by axle weights, even if it seems they got it all right on the big numbers like GVM and GCM.
I may have gone a little too far the other way but with a 5.5t GVM a 12,474kg GCM and a 4t ATM, I don’t get that horrible feeling in my guts when I see the heavies out and about.
Brain wave bushtracker have been putting foot lockers in their vans for ages.
BT’s - They are very impressive in any number of ways.
Dan Murphy want their basket back 😂
Haha
Can I ask where you hired the Zone base from? We would love to try one out too. Great review.
We own this one and we hired it on Camplify. Ours is for hire (this one) at On point Caravan Hire in Sydney for a limited time only. You won’t find any for rent easily at all. I guess we lucked out, hired it a couple of times then were in the right place at the right time.
Bunnings have those caps for the water outlets
And they are the old fashioned chair leg stoppers, like you thought. You’ll need to take one with you for size, and buy a couple of packs to keep in your kit.
Well done great choice although you could have saved a lot of time and just got her a Zone the very first time you hired it
Cause the outcome was pre ordained
Hope to catch up on the track for a beer sometime
Enjoy
Haha, I would have missed an adventure then - see you out there!
Congrats on the purchase. Looking forward to seeing the mods and other adventures. Is one of your planned mods the purchase Jayco Silverline badges and sticking them all over the Zone?
I’d call that a fair compromise 😁
I did suggest that….. got a smack. I’ll suggest it again! Haha
Just do it on the drivers side
She’ll never notice
Looks ok, missus wants an outside kitchen and I want the door at the other end to the bed.
Caravanning is full of compromises eh! Thanks for your comment!
@@caravansbythecampfire Well, just life in general is like that eh. Glad you like the van, the Jayco's we like are the All Terrain/ Off Grid Ones. Though I do like Stoney Creek Scouts and Jawa Commander.
@@shanevillis4079 I like the Jayco, the hybrids are heavy for what they are.
Had the same problem with the fuse blowing for the Airbagman compressor on our van. Another brand though! Do yourself a favour and fit a midi fuse
Might do - it was just the wrong fuse, works fine now however the wiring was certainly underwhelming.
Good video guys. Question on the mounting of the Blackjack, the stone guard appears to be cut to accommodate the Blackjack motor, does the stone guard feel weakened at the top in your opinion?
We would like to fit a BJ to our Zone Base and are considering weather to remove the stone guard or cut it as yours is.
Cheers Graham
The stone guard is strong, it was built at the point of manufacture and not around an add on - I’ll take a few pics tomorrow and send.
@grahambelby9117 Hi mate - the top of the stone guard has been cut to allow the top of the Black Jack to sit in comfortably. The bottom rail is intact - in terms of strength it is a little weaker however still sturdy enough to handle any pressure being put on it. It still more than easily is fit for purpose after the mod. You could easily fabricate a modified curved portion around the top of the black jack to connect the top bar where it was cut - not required in my view. I have some pictures which I'll send. Tell me where to send them - I can't see a contact email anywhere on your page.
@@caravansbythecampfire thanks for the images and your thoughts, I shall now re-assess the whole project, may even remove the stone guard and only fit back when any long haul dirt tracks…Cheers Graham
Enjoy the van its very nice
Thank you
Bunnings is the go for the stopper prevents the mud wasps entering.
Get ya front window fitted and you will be complete 👍
May do! I’m a fan although I have to say I haven’t missed it yet - we’ll see.
Get the rubber chair end from Bunnings
Just picked up 2 packs of 4! Cheers
Congratulations. Any van is a good van so that you can get away. It looks like your van does not have a Permanent Ventilation Hatch in the roof as per AS/NZS5601.2020. The Standard requires all vans to have a Ventilation Hatch that cannot be closed off if you have Gas in your van. Also it is illegal to connect a Weber directly to a van if it does not have a Flame Out device fitted which they do not when you buy them. Also the Black Jack is considered an " Ignition " source as it is in close proximity to the Gas bottles and why Zone move the Gas bottles to a sealed cabinet on the Drivers side. Zone never sold Slide Out caravans.
Lots of great info to consider here and thank you, it's a shame the average person doesn't have access to these (and many other) standards without paying a few hundred dollars for access. I can say that there are some circumstances that dictate how standards are applied, particularly where competing standards exist around use conditions and circumstances etc etc - anyway, Zone launched its Slide Out Van in 2016 if you want to take a look - there are pics on line. Don't know how many they sold but I'm yet to see one in the flesh -(www.caravancampingsales.com.au/editorial/details/zone-rv-launches-off-road-slide-out-57700/). Thanks for your comments - if you have any further information around standards I'd love to take a look at them - you are welcome to dm us at anytime. Thanks again.
Average people do have access to this information. You do not have to buy the Standards or be an Engineer as magazines such as Caravan World print stories about new caravan Standards before they are implemented as a Service to their readers. A good example of that is the recent new Standards re Sealed Battery Compartments and relocation of Electrical devices such as Inverters. @@caravansbythecampfire
That's all good, I'll check out that Mag. I do prefer the details over the general interpretations myself over cover stories in mags or online. Yes they do provide a service and I love it when they show extracts, that's even better. I'll grab that Mag brand - it sound good.
Congrats to you both. I thought the big man would win out and go the Silverline. But I was wrong. I told you to just do the Zone.
I pick up my zone in March Yipee.
Great work! I was not winning that argument!
Like the van, particularly being composite (no framing). However I don't know of any 15/16ft Aussie vans made of composite. And that is the size I want as I am by myself, so have no need of anything bigger.
I’m sure others will jump on board and make a few smaller vans! Enjoy yourself.
There are a few companies making composite vans now. We sold our 18’6 Zone Base last year as we wanted something smaller in a full height van, and are now waiting for our 16’ Torus to be built. It’s fully composite and we’ve put all the features from our Zone into this van except for the airbags, which we can add later (and probably will if we spend more time on the road). The composite toilet is an absolute must for us; we travelled for over 5 months and changed out the compost section once! We will never go back to a cassette.
The Zone is a great product, but as you noted, Craig, the after sales service and communication is poor. Hopefully, now that sales and service has been out-sourced, this will improve. Happy travels to everyone out there. It’s a grand country that we live in. 😁
Cleaning your Zone is so easy! We used 1:4 spray bottle with vinegar and a microfibre cloth did a great job. We occasionally cleaned the Corian benchtops with a white eraser, and this worked on the scuff marks inside the cupboards as well.
We towed with a 79 series, then an 200 series Landcruiser; both were amazing tow vehicles had a Lovells GVC and GCM upgrade.
We never missed a front window in the van, and we connected a hose and garden shower head to the front tap and used this to rinse off outside as necessary. In 8 years, we’ve never found the need to have a hot outdoor shower. 😇
@@cynthiakavanagh6972 thanks for all the great info!
needs to be a rear door
Yes, the 20’6 version has that - preferred but not a deal breaker.
Boom I was right you bought a Zone
Haha - legend. Send me your address in a direct message and I'll send you a present!
tried to look on the second hand market. cheapest one I could find was 100k!? are they really that expensive second hand?!
Yes, 140+ new. Around 100 with all the gear (airbags and power) a few years old is good.
Where's my stubby holder? Hope it goes well.
Send me your email! Jump on the home page and it will be straight in the mail!
Zones look good but they are way overpriced for what you get. They gotta pay for the free vans they give away to youtubers lol. Imo would have went silverline with a front window and 40k cheaper.
I like the Silverline but they are different apples by a margin. I’ll call zone to see if I can get a free one lol.