26 Apr, 2024

CRZRVAN | Tough custom caravans built for offroad travel

by Amelia Mansell, Photographer: Supplied

Founded in 2018 by Rhys Conti, CRZRVAN challenges the norms of caravan construction and has become well-known for its custom, holistically built vans that are unique in more than just their appearance.

CRZRVAN is a relatively new name on the caravanning scene, but even in the handful of years since its inception it has grown into a symbol of innovation in the Aussie market. Caravan World was lucky enough to check out a 20ft 5in bunk model earlier this year and we were impressed with the tough yet luxurious design that was jam-packed with quality features.

When we asked Rhys what prompted his entry into the field, he admitted it all started somewhat by accident. “I was in the market for a caravan. I wasn’t impressed by what I saw in the marketplace — almost everything had independent suspension with dual shocks, with suspension from one company, a chassis from another and then a timber or aluminium frame body cladded with signage panel, finished in J mould and three boxes of silicone. I couldn’t understand why if you wanted to build a super-tough touring vehicle people demanded solid axles but as soon as it came to the caravan, the fashion was independent suspension with dual shocks.”

So, Rhys went to work building his own caravan which in turn caught the attention of Brad Healy, who at the time owned Wangaratta Offroad Caravans. Impressed by what he saw, and seeing the future potential, Brad encouraged Rhys to construct a further two units, this time utilising Brad’s contacts for suppliers within the industry to build a family van and couples van featuring composite wall, roof and floor construction and lithium power supply. “These units are still running around the country today, one with a hire company (Off Grid Caravan Hire in Queensland) and another with a customer. Both vans have done numerous trips through Cape York, Arnhem Land and the Red Centre,” Rhys said.

With three successful builds completed — and they do say third time’s a charm — CRZRVAN continued taking orders and has grown into the respected and innovative company it is today, with two factories located in Shepparton, Victoria.

Challenging the norm

CRZRVAN stands out through its commitment to customisation and holistic design, and this goes beyond the appearance or layout of the van. Every element of a caravan’s construction has been questioned by the team to ensure it is not simply following a pattern or fads laid out by the industry but instead creating a unit that is truly prepared for the realities of remote travel in Australia. “We are here to question everything and make it better,” Rhys said.

A small but expert team of six employees is based out of CRZRVAN’s two factories and completes four to five one-off custom-built vans per year, in addition to other custom fabrication projects. “We are built to a quality level, not a price point,” Rhys explained, which is visible in the high-quality and custom-designed products and accessories fitted to every van. “Two workers work on a project from start to finish in a holistic approach, not 30 to 40 working at once each doing their one job. We apply 1000–1200 hours to a van build where a high-volume factory may input 200 to 350 hours.”

One key creation that appears in every CRZRVAN is an exclusive chassis and suspension setup designed to work together and to be as tough and reliable as possible. Rather than purchasing these items separately and assembling the caravan on top, CRZRVAN fabricates the chassis and suspension as one unit from the very beginning. “Nothing is simply bolted in, but rather it is integrated from the first stages of production,” Rhys explained. Sticking by the tried-and-true methods of tough touring vehicles, the suspension is a solid axle air ride design. This setup is then completed with a floor, wall and roof construction made with 29mm PVC core composite panel, all of which is backed by a three-year structural warranty.

“Our chassis and suspension design is independently FEA tested to ensure every aspect and component has a safety factor of five. This means for a 4500kg rated van we test to ensure no failure at 22,500kg.”

A rough-and-ready build

Beyond the chassis and suspension design, there’s a lot to commend on the CRZRVAN design, as Rhys — the ever-proud creator — was eager to explain. Owners can rest easy with a hardy single trailing arm mount and 65mm solid axles that would require some serious effort to damage, meaning a wheel alignment won’t be on the cards anytime soon, if ever. Every van is coated with a tough and flexible SPEED liner as seen in the factory sprays in the bed liners of American trucks.

Departing from the traditional hot tip galvanising method seen on other chassis creations, the unique CRZRVAN chassis is a fully sealed DuraGal construction “to protect the inside from sweating and a coating outside to save weight compared to traditional hot dip galvanising,” Rhys said.

Another benefit of designing every element of the van is the ability to ensure each feature works in holistic cohesion. The unique suspension design allows water storage to be centralising through the complete centre and centred over the axles, ensuring it does not impact the towball weight when full or empty.

Additionally, Rhys pointed out that by having all cables in ducts and conduits rather than cables running inside the walls, owners will easily be able to add systems or have repairs done without removing walls. This design also means the vans are 100 per cent insulated, and insulation material is not simply placed where it fits around the cables.

The clearance of CRZRVAN models is another great feature, with much higher departure and approach angles to allow offroad travel with ease, while the permitted beam around the chassis edge — a 100mm x 50mm x 2mm RHS member — protects the van walls if the van was to drop off an edge or if you needed to use a high lift jack off any edge in an emergency.

Custom creations

Innovation, creativity and adventure are at the heart of CRZRVAN’s ethos, and every single van that rolls out of the factory is custom built from the ground up. “We are more akin to a custom car builder where almost every detail is worked through with the customer to create a truly one-off piece,” Rhys explained.

Customisation is what sets CRZRVAN apart, with every van constructed to the customer’s design and desires. And the unique cherry on top is CRZRVAN’s unique suspension design.

There’s a lot to love about a custom build, but the three main benefits Rhys highlighted are the customer’s ability to get exactly what they want, the fact that the end product is a truly unique van on the road and last but not least, that it is a van built for purpose.

But what are the limitations, you ask. “The only limitations are regulatory requirements. We strive to meet any customer design requests,” Rhys assured.

Putting it to the test

One of our favourite questions to ask caravan manufacturers is ‘What is their ideal trip or adventure to take their van on?’ and Rhys was quick to answer. “Full-time travel, for sure. But some of the best destinations we’ve seen owners travel to are Cape York, the Red Centre, Arnhem Land, the Kimberley and the Victorian High Country.” All of which confirms the fact that CRZRVANs are ready to tackle all that Australia has to throw at them.

Looking ahead to the future

The caravan industry is one that never stops moving, and CRZRVAN is keeping its eye on the horizon, continually seeking out fresh new adventures and expansion opportunities.

Having now perfected its chassis and suspension design, the company is preparing to manufacture this package as a rolling unit that other manufacturers can build on. “Our aim is to work with and supply top-tier manufacturers within the industry so that if a customer is in love with our suspension and chassis design, but a fully custom-built CRZRVAN project is out of their grasp, they can still enjoy the benefits of our package with other builders,” Rhys said. “We’ve also got a couple of big firsts coming in the first half of this year, but we’ll keep these under wraps for now.”