Ha ha. Sorry, no affiliation with Zone. I've just been looking at Australian trailers for a while now wishing we could get them over here. Guess I got pretty excited when I heard that Zone might start selling them here and figured others in the forum might be interested as well.
WTB - Family Aussie Style Caravan
- Thread starter dnicholson
- Start date
You can buy my Conqueror UEV-490. only 1.5 years old. i have 5 kids and am growing out of it quickly. i fit a bunk in the pop up that will work for little ones. (my 4 year old twins slept up there.)
www.expeditionportal.com
SOLD- 2018 Conqueror UEV-490
Location: Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA Description 2018 UEV-490 Platinum Edition. https://conqueror4x4usa.com/products/uev-490-extreme-platinum/ options included: DVD/CD/MP3/SD FM Radio Front Loader Hot water on demand (propane) Forced Air Furnace (propane) Two 12V Interior Fans 2x100 Ah...
www.expeditionportal.com
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donthompson
Member
Zone will ship two EXP-12 offload campers to the U.S. in March, 2020. Both are sold to U.S. buyers. I'm one of the two buyers. Tentative schedule for delivery to San Diego is mid to late March. The other purchaser's EXP-12 will be on display at the Overland Expo-West in Flagstaff, AZ in May, 2020. Subscibe to the ZoneRV channel on YouTube and watch a series of videos about Zone, their manufacturing process and the EXP-12. I've had a good experience during the order process with Zone--by email, phone and FaceTime.
mvbeggs
Adventurer
Don,
Congratulations. I originally called Jay Borg with ZoneRV to talk about their Off Road series of trailers. (I agree, ZoneRV's Youtube channel has some great content) Unfortunately, they are not selling their Off Road series (larger hard side trailers) in the US, and have no immediate plans to do so. (He did not rule out offering them here, just no plans for the immediate future.) I was pretty disappointed, as the ZoneRV 18.6 Off Road Series trailer seemed to fit exactly what we are looking for.
Our second choice was the Expedition 15' series. Jay told me ZoneRV have yet to build a production model of the 15' unit. He went on further to say that ZoneRV wants the first 15' production unit to stay in Australia so they could monitor the unit's performance and make any necessary tweaks to the design if needed. So the Expedition Z-15.0 model is not available here either. Second disappointment of the phone conversation- but at least he was being honest.
Jay told me that they WERE offering their 10' and 12' Expedition models to the US market and that 2 of the Expedition Z-12.0 models had been sold to US customers. Glad to see at least one of you are Expedition Portal members. Again, congrats. Looking forward to hearing how this trailer works for you and your opinion of ZoneRV's fit and finish and the quality/or lack thereof, of their build.
Unfortunately, for us, ZoneRV's 12' Expedition model doesn't give us the interior space we are looking for. We started in an 2011 Adventure Trailer Chaser, with a Eezi-Awn Globetrotter tent, then moved to our current setup, a 2013 Adventure Trailer Teardrop. We have found that when the weather turns wet/cold, we wanted more interior space to cook simple meals and escape the elements. The Expedition Z-12.0 just didn't fit that bill for us. We also have friends that are taking trips in RV's that require less boondocking and the ability to stay at "on-road" trailer friendly sites. When we travel with them, we need a trailer that is more campground friendly than our current teardrop.
We have also talked extensively with Bruder about the Exp6. (made a special trip to EXPO East just to see the trailer) The quality of the Bruder is definitely there, but we are not comfortable with their purchase process (large deposit $'s up front, long delivery lead time, out of country and our ability to recover deposit $'s if they do not perform, etc.) and our perception on the company's ability to provide long term support. (smaller new company with proprietary suspension parts- will we be able to acquire suspension parts if/when they fail?) Nothing Bruder has said, or shown us, has led us to believe that they are nothing but a stand up/honest company, but we have witnessed companies, especially in the niche market of overlanding, with great ideas that sometimes fail. We just aren't comfortable with that risk.
This has led us to the Black Series HQ19. Not our optimal solution, but one that we feel will fill our immediate needs for some off road capability, interior room, and be campground friendly for those times when we want to travel with our "non-boondocking" friends.
Our hope is that ZoneRV, or some other quality off-road trailer manufacture, will be successful and bring a new build standard to the US RV industry. From what we have seen in the last few month of researching and shopping several US travel trailer offerings, the US RV industry needs some hard and heavy competition to spur them to the next level of quality/innovation in their game. Hopefully this will happen, which will benefit all.
Given the kind of terrain we have here in the USA, is it justified to spend the time/money/energy to procure a true and legit AUS worthy camper? Does the OP own an offroading camper back in AUS? We don't have hundred of miles of corrugated roads, nor are we crossing croc infested rivers 
.
The campers made in the USA are crap when it comes to winter camping. How well are the AUS caravans insulated against the cold? I ask because the OP is talking about a year long tour of this country. Is the OP purchasing a tow vehicle as well?
We now have few outfits who rent camper vans that are more geared toward the like minded folks on this board. A google search will reveal these companies and they allow you to rent/buy these units and the sizes are tiny to rather large. They also spell out who can sleep where so you'll have an idea how your family will fit in the grand scheme of things. You might be able to purchase one out right then sell it upon your departure from the States.
Not trying to create waves, just trying to understand the logic behind such complex undertaking.
.The campers made in the USA are crap when it comes to winter camping. How well are the AUS caravans insulated against the cold? I ask because the OP is talking about a year long tour of this country. Is the OP purchasing a tow vehicle as well?
We now have few outfits who rent camper vans that are more geared toward the like minded folks on this board. A google search will reveal these companies and they allow you to rent/buy these units and the sizes are tiny to rather large. They also spell out who can sleep where so you'll have an idea how your family will fit in the grand scheme of things. You might be able to purchase one out right then sell it upon your departure from the States.
Not trying to create waves, just trying to understand the logic behind such complex undertaking.
Chi-Town
The guy under the car
MDC is now in the US.
I spent a lot of time looking at current reviews and comments before I moved forward.
I have an Explorer Rear Fold and it's a nice trailer. Wiring is soldered and shrink wrapped,
The distributor in AZ says he should have the rest of the line up next month.
I spent a lot of time looking at current reviews and comments before I moved forward.
I have an Explorer Rear Fold and it's a nice trailer. Wiring is soldered and shrink wrapped,
The distributor in AZ says he should have the rest of the line up next month.
vintagepatina
Member
what about bruder ?
Hadn't heard of MDC before, but their Australian website seems to have a lot of different options. Are all of these coming to the USA, or just the camper trailers? Who is the AZ distributor you mentioned?
donthompson
Member
I’m late with this update. I sent my deposit to Zone RV in Australia and continued communicating with them about the build. Then I got cold feet about being one of the first U.S. purchasers and owning Zone camper before they have a physical presence here. I cancelled my order. The people at Zone were very accommodating and professional. They returned my deposit promptly. I ordered a Conqueror UEV 490 Extreme. It should arrive in Ohio later this month and I’ll pick it up after Christmas.