WANDERING AUSTRALIA: THE SHANLEYS

WHILE on the road, we get asked multiple times a week about our Bruder van – besides “How much does it cost?” the most popular question we get is “Why did you choose the Bruder?”

Can we just say, we believe there is no such thing as the ultimate set-up. Everyone is different, everyone has different needs, wants and budgets. It blows our mind the amount of different camping options available, and we have had the privilege of meeting many families on the road with such a variety of set-ups.

As most people do, we underwent the evolution of camping and started out in a double swag in our late teens and twenties when we had not a care in the world and, I must say, it is a lot easier this way. When our first little munchkin arrived, we upgraded to a canvas tent which suited us just fine. It was after the arrival of our second that we decided we needed something bigger, and we found Patriot Campers on the Gold Coast was exactly what we were looking for.

In November of 2017 we picked up our Patriot Camper TH 610. This was a good compromise, giving us a bed and kitchen as well as a large trailer to carry all the toys on our adventures. With the hit of the pandemic and a change in our plans, we then decided to change to the Bruder caravan for further comfort and living space. Unfortunately, Brendan had to sacrifice the boat and bikes and hasn’t let me forget it!

The Patriot TH610 Toy Hauler is the ultimate boy’s weekender. It can go anywhere and is rugged and tough. Hands down the best feature of the TH610 is the flat bed tray and boat loader, so you can carry the boat, bikes, firewood, ATV or many other toys. The kitchen and living area is equipped with a 50L fridge, Redarc electronics and pantry. We added a kitchen extension on the tray to include a gas cooker and further storage.

On the other side of the camper, we had a canvas rooftop tent with a queensize bed and zip-on extra room for the kids. The Patriot had plenty of storage in the hull of the trailer, but given it was a large box space, it needed to be organised and well-packed to easily access what we needed. We loved the

outdoor living our Patriot offered and it was great for a fun-filled weekend away with mates, which seems exactly what Justin had in mind when he designed it.

However, after having our toy hauler for a few years, and with our lap of Australia being interrupted by a pandemic, we decided to change things up a bit. We wanted less set-up as we were living full-time on the road and Nikita wanted a few more creature comforts with an indoor toilet and shower. Brendan had already fallen in love with the Bruder and, after a quick tour in person, we signed on the dotted line.

The Bruder is an off-road caravan with go-anywhere capabilities, the standout being the suspension and all-in-one electronic Garmin system. It is cleverly designed and nothing has been forgotten. With a crazy amount of storage, we had no problem fitting everything we need for a year; although, I must say, after three months on the road, we have already sent two parcels home of stuff we ‘thought we would need’!

Bruder is luxury-plus, but it maintains the ruggedness of an offroad van. However, if you are looking for an expansive indoor living space, this is not the van for you, as it sacrifices indoor space for a compact off-road rig. We love living outdoors and the indoor-outdoor two-way kitchen suits us perfectly.

As any traveller will agree, what you tow all depends on your vehicle, weight capabilities, where you want to travel to and what you want to do with it. We maintain that no van, camper, tent or set-up is perfect, and what suits one person will not suit another.

No matter the cost, the most important thing is getting out there with family and friends and enjoying everything this wonderful country has to offer. Travelling life is all about experiencing the wonders of nature, meeting like-minded people and having the time of your life, whether it be for a night, a year or more.

THE BRUDER IS AN OFF-ROAD CARAVAN WITH GO-ANYWHERE CAPABILITIES, THE STANDOUT BEING THE SUSPENSION AND ALL-IN-ONE ELECTRONIC GARMIN SYSTEM