This is a bit of a rundown on what gets us where we like to go, how we use it and why we’ve chosen it.

Everything plays an important part in our adventures from the laptop I’m typing on, to the cloud based programs we use to store our photos right down to the BBQ we have, the cameras we use, the cars we drive, the caravan that we tow and much more.

We drive a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Midnight Edition 

It is set up for touring and towing and is our ultimate tourer!  The Chev enables us to tow our large off-road caravan safely and easily as well as being a total off-grid vehicle itself. We can unhitch the van and be very comfortable in just the Chev. We have the Alucab rooftop tent and awning plus all the gear inside. 

When the time came for us to upgrade from our Hilux, Chris spent quite a while looking  into what vehicle would be best. We almost went down the road of a chopped 200, but it soon became clear that an American Truck was what we needed. 

These trucks have had the GVM downgraded to 4491 kg during the conversion to allow for Australian car licensing. It’s very simple to get a GVM upgrade without effecting the BTC and 9800 kg GCM. This does require an LR drivers license. 

In regards to safety, reliability and vehicles that were built to do the job the HSV converted Chevy 2500 jumped out at us. We did test drive the Rams and F250’s but we both have a soft spot for the Chev. 

The heart of the truck is a 6.6 ltr Duramax turbo diesel V8 producing 1245 nm and 450 hp all driving through a 6-speed Allison automatic transmission. It all makes for a bulletproof drive train. 

HSV offers a great warranty and awesome after sales service with dealerships all around the country. 
And to be very honest, all it took was 10 minutes on the road and we were sold. This truck feels like a limousine inside but the power and brute torque is class-leading when it come to towing and touring. 
The size, weight and wheelbase makes for a very stable and planted platform. It tows our 3800 kg caravan like a dream and we often have to check the mirror to make sure the van is still there! We couldn’t be happier with our decision.

It started with a 4WD and a tent. We then moved on to a camper trailer that Chris designed and built in our backyard. It wasn’t long before we sold that and upgraded to a Jayco Discovery Outback. From there we upsized to a 22.6 Jayco Starcraft Outback triple bunk. We had some issues with our next van and didn’t have it for long before moving onto what have now … Our Titanium Southern Star Hardcore from Caravans Coffs Coast. You can see our van tour here and read all about it here. Check out the Enerdrive lithium battery system that we have in our van here. We also have an Alucab rooftop tent permanently on the Hilux for those quick weekend getaways or hard to get to places. Our Chev has a GCI Traytec canopy that allows us to be fully self-sufficient, even without the van. Both the canopy and caravan are fitted with Enerdrive Lithium battery systems.

We can park our van almost anywhere and have it feel like home instantly. Whether it be free camping, in caravan parks, perched on the edge of a cliff, on the beach or at a bush retreat, we love it all.

It takes a lot of time, hardware, software, many apps and hours of finger power to get our adventures onto a screen near you. This is some of what we use and why.

DJI MAVIC AIR 2S                         Nikon D7500              PANASONIC LUMIX GH5

Iphone  11Pro                   GoPro Hero 9 (x2)                    GoPro (Max)

 

 We have a variety of cameras that we like to use. Originally we started with a GoPro and iPhone and that was plenty! But we are always looking at ways to improve the quality of our content.

All our camera gear is housed in 2 bags. We have a GoPro Seeker backpackwith for all the GoPro’s and a large Tenba Axis 32L backpack for everything else. Usually it’s all plugged in and charging in the back of the Chevy though!

Our video editing is done in  Final Cut Pro and photo editing is done using a variety of apps and programs (mostly Adobe). Of course if I stumble across something else that is amazing, I will use that too! 🙂

 

Chris has always loved his toys, and his enthusiasm has certainly rubbed off on me over the years. I can see the value in having all these things to ‘enhance’ the experience 😉

Mountain bikes, BMX bikes, cruisers, skateboards, surfboards, stand up paddle boards, canoes, the jet-ski … our list is always growing and changing! We are limited now that we live and travel fulltime in our caravan. and I have no idea what will be next, but I love seeing Chris’s eye light up when he finds something new and exciting to introduce to our collection. Stay tuned for the latest additions!

Mountain Bikes

We both ride Merida e160’s.

 Chris rides the grey carbon e160 8000 and mine is the stunning sparkly teal e160 700. Both of them are running the all new Shimano EP8 Steps motor with the Shimano E8036 630Wh batteries. Read more about them here.

Chris’s passion for mountain biking stretches back far before we even met, and over the years his love of the sport has spilled over and started to toy with me a bit too: even more so now we have eMTB’s.

Chris’s bought his first eMTB (e-bike) quite a few years ago, while I still had the ‘old school’ NON motor assisted bike. This didn’t make our rides much fun at all! He was able to go much further and up much steeper hills than I was, and he was already right up there with his ‘King of the Mountains’ and even competing – while I was still learning to keep my elbows up, look where I was going and sit up straight!

Chris spends hours researching all the new bikes that are going to be released and when Merida announced the new e160’s – it was game on.

We are so proud to be partnered up with Merida and our riding has never been this good. Ok, well, Chris’s has always been good – but you know what I mean! These bikes have razor sharp handling, they are quiet, easy to manoeuvre for beginners like me and for riders like Chris who like to throw it around in the air, whip, scrub and hit all the double diamond blacks! (For the record, I’ve done a few black trails too – with Chris riding my bike down the crazy parts for me)

These are 160mm travel enduro bikes and the geometry is bang on for the type of riding that we like to do. They are extremely planted when thrown into tough rock gardens and high speed raw trails, yet so playful.

We love our eMTB’s and can’t wait to get out on some more pedal powered adventures! Not only do we aim to be hitting up Australia’s best trails (like Blue Derby) but these bikes are our ticket to exploring some incredible destinations that would otherwise take too long to reach or be inaccessible.

If you’ve not yet ridden an eMTB – get down to your local Merida dealer ASAP and give them a go. They are a game changer (and no, it’s not cheating!)

Cheers Merida. You’ve nailed it.

Surfboards

When I first met Chris and saw how many surfboards he had, I though it was excessive to say the least. But now I’m happy to say that I get it – and I know that each board serves a specific purpose.

These boards come almost everywhere with us. They even made the trek all the way up to Cooktown 3 years in a row. Why? For the stop off at Agnes Water on the way up and back down. You’ve got to be ready for when the swell is just right 😉

SKATEboards

Chris has been riding since he was a kid … so he’s a bit of alright on his board. I’m getting there slowly 😉

 I ride a 38″ OBfive Em Carey Drop Through and Chris rides a 40″ Arbor Axis.

 

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