Equipment Tests > Britz Bushcampers

Off-road, the extra height and higher centre of gravity can be a bit of handful at times - the usual side-to-side swaying that occurs when crossing wheel ruts is accentuated to the point where one could be forgiven for getting a little sea-sick. For safety, it's best to remain mindful of the fact that the Bushcamper could be more prone to tipping than a standard 4WD, and needs to be driven as such.

The extra weight in the rear of the vehicle also lends itself to bogging very easily. Bushcampers are supplied by Britz with an astonishing 60psi tyre pressure in the rear wheels, which doesn't help if you head off the bitumen at any stage. A U-turn by the side of the road just outside Andamooka turned into a major operation when the Bushcamper sank almost instantly in the soft red dirt - 15 sweaty minutes later, I was back on the bitumen, but having thought about the fact that many people likely to hire this sort of vehicle would probably not have known what to do under those circumstances, and could conceivably still be there.

The extra frontal area of the vehicle does have an effect on fuel usage a well - for this trip we covered 3439km, and used 563.43 litres of diesel, giving an average usage of 16.38 L/100km - a little more than the advertised usage of 15L/100km from the Britz promotional material and the 14.7L/100km we got from a standard Troopie.

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There are a couple of bits of gear missing from the standard package that need to be addressed. There is an 'Outback Safety Pack' available for hire at an extra charge, which contains a snatch strap, EPIRB and a folding spade. You can hire this at an extra cost of $95 per rental. Items like a UHF radio at the very least should be included in the rental as a standard item - as anyone that has ever had to stop by the side of the road would attest, there's nothing quite like the feeling of helplessness that accompanies standing by the side of the road with an immobile vehicle, hundreds of kilometres from anywhere. The rental companies could look into this in future, as adding safety features like a UHF radio could only enhance their reputations within the tourism industry.

Britz vans are noticeable, and the lovely folks in rural and Outback Australia all seem to enjoy the same joke. It took me a while to find out what they were yelling at the vehicle as I rolled past, but I was finally advised as to what it was by Scott, who runs the Mobil service station in Andamooka. Be prepared for the ubiquitous "stay with the vehicle!" from just about everyone as you drive by.

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