We had the privilege of taking Adventure Motorhome Conversions’s ex-demo model to the shores of beautiful Lake Illawarra on a crystal clear summer’s day.

Adventure Motorhome Conversions is a family owned and operated business started by Michael and Debbie Briggs over 13 years ago. They commenced converting buses, vans, trucks and horse floats into motorhomes at Ingleburn (Sydney), then moved to Oak Flats six years ago.

Michael and Debbie come from families with extensive caravan and touring experience, so they know what works and what doesn’t. They have been motorhoming for some years now, so they reckon they have a good idea what is needed to make your motorhome conformable and usable.

Adventure Motorhome Conversions was proud to show off its Mercedes Benz Sprinter conversion completed in 2008. It is a neat and compact unit that looked like the new owners were ready to hit the road and tour around Oz while having a lot of fun.

We drove the Sprinter, which was not fast off the mark, but when you remember it’s a holiday unit, why rush! The clutch took a bit of getting used to, but after a few kilometres, I soon settled into its rhythm.

EXTERNAL

What makes Adventure Motorhome Conversions unique is that the company doesn’t provide the vehicle. All its work is completed to the inside of whatever driving or towing unit the customer provides.

Adventure doesn’t keep a fleet of conversions for you to choose from; it operateson a simple philosophy of, “You get the vehicle and we will fit it out for you”. This gives the customer complete freedom to choose the ideal driving/towing vehicle for them. If you like the Mercedes Sprinter, then take that along and, hey presto, you have a motorhome. Want something really large and easy to pull, grab a horse float and they will do the rest.

Many times I have driven motorhomes and wondered why the manufacturer chose one brand of vehicle over another, but here the customer has the complete freedom to buy their dream vehicle.

That makes my job of reviewing the van a simple matter of looking at the fit-out. What did they do with the space they had? I found the Sprinter to be a little lacklustre in its street appeal. In fact, if I didn’t know what was inside, I may have thought it was just another van on the road. This can be both good and bad.

The Sprinter was well equipped with reversing camera and had plenty of good vision through large windows and a rear window to see trucks coming up behind you.

The back doors opened well to provide access to a huge storage area under the back lounge/bed. The owners had a generator stored here with plenty of room for more, even the golf clubs!

EXTERNAL FEATURES

Frame construction: Existing vehicle metal
Windows: Dometic Hopper
Insulation: Foam
Water water common outlet: Yes
Water tanks: 140L
Suspension: Front independent with damper strut, transverse leaf semi-elliptic parabolic spring, rear rigid axle
Clearance: Standard
Brakes: Disc brakes front and rear
Wheels: 15in steel
Tyres: 225/70R15
Awning: Fiamma
Storage bins(s): At rear
Gas cylinder size/s: 2 x 4kg
Hot water: Truma 14L
Battery: Remco 2 x 100Ah
Battery charger: Ctec 15000
Solar panels: No
Solar provision: No
Entrance door: Sliding

INTERNAL

As these units are being custom designed and built for the customer, every one is unique. The review vehicle was built with a huge lounge dinette at the rear that converted into two single beds, a double or a king bed. The owners had placed a double bed innerspring mattress over the base cushions to provide extra comfort and still had extra seating area at the dinette. It was very versatile.

The finish was Tasmanian oak timber with Tasmanian oak doors. It’s all lightweight timber construction for a long-lasting unit. The finish was superb and you won’t get any splinters when you check this RV for sanding.

The customers have complete choice of appliances, colours and furnishings allowing them the freedom to create the RV that suits their taste, not to mention budget. There was plenty of storage for all sections of the RV. The kitchen was compact but functional. I loved the large pullout pantry located next to the robe. This monster carried a lot of goodies.

The shower and toilet were combined, with a swivel head toilet and flexible rose shower. It was a bit cramped, my arms banged into the walls as I tried to shower, but it wasn’t the worst combined room I had been in. I think for the space allocated, they had provided a fully functioning shower room.

All in all, I think the layout was a great use of the space.

INTERNAL FEATURES

Fridge: Dometic RM 2553 150L
Television: Conia 19in TV
Antenna: Saturn with automatic bracket
Music system: CD/DVD/USB/VCD/MP3/MP4
Cooking equipment: Dometic threeburner stove and sink combo
Microwave: Sanyo 22L
Heating/cooling: Dometic B1900 reverse cycle
Rangehood: Dometic Ck155 12V
Lighting: 12V spotlights, Ellipse under cupboards, 2x 16W in roof
Smoke alarms: Yes
Gas leakage detector: Yes
Cupboard finishes: Tasmanian oak timber
Latches: Gold push button/handle
Lounge configuration: Bench, U-shape
Seating capacity: Five
Upholstery: Cloth – Warwick Treasure Marine
Sink: Combo
Sleeping configuration: Converts to two singles, double or king
Berths: Three
Bed sizes(s): 6ft 2in x 5ft 7in
Mattress: High-density foam
Under bed storage: At rear and under seats
Privacy screens: No
Bathroom configuration: Combined shower/toilet
Privacy door: Mirror
Toilet: Thetford C200
Toilet roll holder: Yes
Shower head: Flexible
Washing machine: No
Clothes dryer: No
Towel Racks: Yes

WORTH BUYING?

Remembering that as each unit is custom built and designed for each individual customer, based on the vehicle they provide, every conversion is unique. If you want large, then that’s what you get. This unit is a good example of what can be done with a small space to provide a good-sized touring unit for the average couple.

RATINGS

Exterior: 3/5
Interior: 4/5
Layout: 4/5
Kitchen: 3/5
Value for money: 5/5
Overall: 4/5

TECHNICAL SPECS

Make/model: Adventure Motorhome Conversions
Vehicle make: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2004
External body length: 6.68m (21ft 11in)
External width: 1.930m (6ft 4in)
External Height: 2.730m (8ft 11in)
Vin Tare Weight: 2630kg
GVM: 3550kg
RRP: $42,000 + vehicle
NB: length and width are external measurements of the vehicle shell (and awning) only

CONTACT/THANKS

Contact person: Debbie & Michael Briggs
Company name: Adventure Motorhome Conversions
Address: 109 Industrial Rd, Oak Flats NSW 2529
Ph: (02) 4257 8550
Fax: (02) 4257 8551
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.adventuremotorhomes.com.au

Please Note: Prices were correct at time of review.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL HUTCHINSON