A caravan set up at a desert lookout with solar panels
Gear that earns its space

Caravan gear guides

Power, water, fridges, awnings and recovery — reviewed the way you'd want a mate to tell it. Real specs, honest pros and cons, and a verdict that doesn't dodge the price. No sponsored fluff.

How we test

Bought, fitted, lived with for a season

We don't review gear from a spec sheet. Everything here has done time across the Top End heat, Tassie cold and a few thousand kilometres of corrugation. The product names below are generic archetypes — what to look for in a category, not a brand pitch.

Browse by category

Five systems that make or break a trip

Power & solar

Dual-battery banks, lithium upgrades, solar panels and DC-DC chargers — the foundation of free-camping comfort.

Water

Filters, tanks, pumps and portable bladders. Clean water on tap, wherever the next fill happens to be.

Kitchen

Fridges, cooktops, slide-out drawers and the small bits that turn a tailgate into a working camp kitchen.

Recovery

Boards, straps, compressors and rated shackles. The kit that gets you moving when the soft stuff wins.

Comfort

Awnings, annexes, lighting and bedding. The difference between camping rough and actually wanting to stay another night.

In-depth reviews

Four pieces of gear, picked apart

Prices are typical Australian fitted or retail figures and move around — treat them as a budgeting guide, not a quote.

Power & solarA dual-battery lithium system in a caravan boot

Dual-battery lithium kit

A 100Ah LiFePO4 battery, DC-DC charger and 200W of solar — the classic free-camper's power core.

Battery chemistryLiFePO4 (lithium)
Usable capacity~95% of rated
Weight vs equal AGMRoughly half
Cycle life2,000–3,000+ cycles
  • Use nearly all the capacity without harming the cells
  • Big weight saving frees up precious payload
  • High up-front cost; needs a lithium-aware charger
  • Wants protection from charging below zero
Verdict: The single best upgrade for anyone who free-camps more than the odd night. Pay once, free-camp for years.
from $1,650 Editor's pick
KitchenA 12-volt compressor fridge-freezer in a camp set-up

Compressor 12V fridge-freezer

A 60–75L dual-zone compressor box that holds a freezer and fridge at once — the heart of camp catering.

Capacity60–75 litres
CoolingCompressor, to −18°C
Draw (cycling)~1–2 Ah/hr typical
ZonesDual (fridge + freezer)
  • Holds temperature in 40°C-plus heat
  • Modest, predictable power draw on lithium
  • Heavy when full; plan the slide and mounting
  • Needs airflow around the compressor vents
Verdict: Non-negotiable for touring. A good compressor fridge pays for itself in cold drinks and food you don't throw out.
from $950 Best all-rounder
ComfortA wind-out batwing awning shading a campsite

Wind-out batwing awning

A 270-degree wing awning that swings out off the roof rack to shade most of the rig in under a minute.

Coverage~270° wrap
Set-up timeUnder 60 seconds
FabricRipstop poly-cotton
Roof loadAdds ~15–22 kg up high
  • Huge shade footprint for quick lunch stops
  • Self-supporting; walls and rooms clip on
  • Must be guyed and stowed before wind picks up
  • Weight sits high — watch your roof rack rating
Verdict: A genuine quality-of-life upgrade for hot-country touring, provided you respect the wind and your roof load limit.
from $520 Comfort upgrade
WaterAn inline water filter feeding a caravan tank

Inline water filter system

A two-stage sediment-and-carbon filter that sits on the fill hose, so every litre going into the tank is screened.

StagesSediment + carbon
FiltrationDown to ~5 micron
FittingInline on fill hose
Cartridge lifeOne season typical
  • Strips grit and tannin, fixes the taste of bore water
  • Cheap to run; cartridges are easy to carry spare
  • Not a steriliser — won't kill all microbes alone
  • Slows the fill a little; remember to flush it
Verdict: Cheap insurance that punches above its price. Pair with boiling or a UV step where water quality is genuinely doubtful.
from $85 Best value
Before you spend

The buyer's checklist

Five questions that save more money than any discount code.

  • Does it fit your payload? Weigh the rig before adding kit — gear is useless if you're over GVM.
  • Can it be serviced on the road? Favour gear with parts you can source in a regional town.
  • What's the real power draw? Add it to your daily budget before, not after, you fit it.
  • Is the warranty Australian? A local agent beats a cheaper grey import when something fails in the bush.
  • Will you actually use it? Be honest about how you travel — the lightest kit is the kit you leave at home.
Head to head

Lithium vs AGM, at a glance

The most common power question on the road. Here's the honest trade-off.

Dual-battery lithium

Free-campers
Usable capacity~95%
WeightLight
Charge speedFast
LifespanLong (2,000+ cycles)
Up-front costHigh
Cold-charge careNeeded below 0°C

Quality AGM bank

Powered-site tourers
Usable capacity~50%
WeightHeavy
Charge speedSlower
LifespanShorter (400–700 cycles)
Up-front costLower
Cold-charge careMore tolerant

Bottom line: free-camp often and lithium pays you back in usable power and payload. Stick to powered sites and a good AGM bank is still sensible money.

Common questions

Gear FAQ

If you free-camp regularly, yes. Lithium gives you most of its rated capacity, charges faster and weighs roughly half an equivalent AGM bank. For powered-site touring only, a good AGM setup still does the job for less money.

For a fridge, lights, charging and a water pump, 200 to 300 watts of panel into a lithium battery keeps most couples self-sufficient in sunny conditions. Shade, the Wet season and a microwave change the maths quickly, so size for your worst week, not your best.

Town water is usually fine, but on the road you fill from bores, tanks and dubious roadhouses. A sediment-plus-carbon inline filter removes grit, improves taste and gives peace of mind. It is cheap insurance against a gut full of someone else's tank.

A 60 to 75 litre compressor fridge-freezer suits most couples for a week between resupplies. Go larger only if you have the power and payload, as bigger boxes draw more and eat storage.