Iridium 1st Birthday Review

[@SignatureCamperTrailers]

Great video and some brilliant ideas - thanks for the feedback and some neat ideas! Can’t wait to get back out exploring soon in our Iridium - Harry the Hybrid!

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Thanks Harry, we really do love the van. Packing up today and heading off tomorrow, hoping to hit lots of free camps throughout NSW and some national parks.

[@moowee61]

Thank you so much Sharyn & John. Fabulous feedback and great mod ideas - love from Jane & Perry Healey; Sydney

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Thanks Jane & Perry, maybe we will meet on the road some day. Sharyn

[@rovak300]

great video guys, good to see john looking more comfortable in front of the camera

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Thanks, John enjoys talking all things technical about the van. He has a long list of ideas.

[@deanissit]

Great vid good to see everything is going well.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Thanks, probably could have talked for hours about our wish list but that's the basics.

[@Ginacandt]

We have an iridium 13, and I really did not like the grey draw insert either, so I pulled it out (was stuck down with heavy duty double sided tape, but determination and grit and it pulled out just fine. Cleaned off the sticky stuff and put in some non slip matt down and now I have lots of space and can do any lay out with the two draws I like.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

I agree and just this weekend finally pulled ours out and have done exactly what you have. So much better for us to use. Cheers Sharyn

[@Lainiefj]

Thanks Sharyn and John really good video with some useful info, as always. Hopefully only a couple more months and we'll be travelling in ours. Love our camper trailer but really looking forward to the luxury of the Iridium.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Couple of months should fly by and then you will have a list as long as your arm like us of changes. We could have talked for hours and hours. The lithium batteries just came by courier this morning so guess we will be trying to install them before heading off the Lightning Ridge next week.

[@glenntroopy]

very well said gota love the fact that Signature are always improving the van one reason i decided to buy one great video as usual thanks

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

We visited Signature at the Sydney 4x4 show and I think they have lots of things in the pipework. It's nice to be a customer of a positive company.

[@bobkats]

Great video, really informative, appreciate the effort you went to for us......

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Thanks so much. I really enjoy making the videos, it's a lot of fun. Hope you have some great adventures. Cheers Sharyn

[@GiliamsTravels]

Great video, well done. One thing that has scared us off a bit is the cost of travel in Australia. Caravanning is no longer a cheap holiday and especially if doing extended travel.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

You are right about the cost of travelling increasing in Australia. When we got the Iridium we didn't think we would actually use it to its full extent, ie free camping, a little bit off road, but having the flexibility with this van has been a game changer for us. We are going to do a four month Cape York trip starting in July and I will be keeping a budget to see exactly how much it costs us. I'm not sure that we will stay in many traditional caravan parks but we will see the prices. Cheers Sharyn

[@GiliamsTravels]

@@sharyns.shenanigans enjoy. That will be a great adventure

[@fernhill2180]

Great review. We have a very similar hybrid with same kitchen. I have taken the grey cutlery tray out of the big drawer and put plates, bowls etc in that drawer, and cutlery and utensils in the smaller drawer it works really well.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

I know of a few other people who have been able to remove their draws no problem but ours is absolutely stuck. Even had Signature see if they could remove it without damaging the draws but whoever put our kitchen together must have used extra strength super glue. If I could, I would prefer to do what you have done.

[@fernhill2180]

It did require a large screwdriver to pry it it off and more than a little ‘gentle’ persuasion 😀

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

@@fernhill2180 might try again next time I'm home, thanks

[@moowee61]

@@sharyns.shenanigans yep I hear ya - worried we will damage something

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

@@moowee61 I'm still pushing and pulling the draw - hopefully I'll win one day!

[@davidmanning8329]

I'm still waiting for my Iridium 13. Thanks for video - I've been unsure about lithium, and a few other things. Thanks for sharing!

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

I hope the time passes quickly for you and you get out adventuring soon. When we were looking for a van it was all about storage but in reality we should have been considering weight. No good having heaps of storage if you can't fill it because you're overweight. That truely is the reason we are changing to lithium.

[@nickseaton6920]

Great idea of hatch in bathroom, as its so hard to reach from sink cupboard, plus somewhere to put towels and loo paper. Cheers Nick NZ.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Hi Nick. I think the hatch is one of the best upgrades we have done. I use that part of the cupboard for towels, toilet paper and spare blankets. Hope the weather is nice in NZ, a little chilly here today. Sharyn

[@nickseaton6920]

@@sharyns.shenanigans Hi Sharyn It's very warm for this time of year 22deg but soo sick of the rain. Have imported a 15ft hybrid from China which is identical to the iridium so have enjoyed your videos and answered alot of my questions. Happy vanning.👍🌞

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

@@nickseaton6920 That's excellent. NZ is beautiful and that's were John and I met travelling. Cheers

[@nickseaton6920]

Question for install of hatch. 320x 220 cut out goes through a vertical join on inside of tunnel space. Do you think that's a problem. Cheers Nick.

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

@@nickseaton6920 Hi Nick, when we cut out hatch, and others from Signature, no one has had a join. Ours we just a square piece of installation, no joins. Lifted out fine and we have used the hatch for about 8 months with no problems. Sharyn

[@GiliamsTravels]

Hi Sharyn. Thanks for the review. Just one thing I’m not sure about. If it is raining, or at night there is only one bench seat. How do you sit together inside for a meal? One on the bed and one on the bench seat? Thanks. Mike

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Hi, sorry for the late reply, your message was hidden for some reason. Our small outside table fits inside the van and one person sits on edge of the bed and the other on the bench. The 15 has two seats and a table but with John's legs so big we couldn't both fit comfortably on that anyway. We have the mindset of eating out when the weather is bad and have only eaten inside when their have been dust storms. Cheers Sharyn

[@viffer781]

Hi my wife and I just came across you channel. Really nicely done videos. After a recent 7,000km outback tour in our tent we are now looking a hybrid. Your videos on the Signature 13 have us really interested as it looks much better thought out than the Jayco Crosstrak we looked at. Keen to hear what sold you on the Iridium 13? again thanks for your videos - really good. Servicing wise is there local ACT servicing or do you need to go to Sydney? Cheers!

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Thanks for the feedback. To be honest we had no experience with vans and Signature were the only ones to take the time talk us through weights, ect. The follow up service is excellent. We had a small warranty issue and they organised someone to come to us, covered all the costs and kept us updated. We did the first service with them just because we wanted too, you can organise with them to do it locally. If you're in Canberra and want to see the van, just DM me and you can visit anytime. Obviously we are really happy with our Iridium but I also advise people to join the Signature Owners FB page and look at the comments. Cheers Sharyn

[@donnamillsteed8258]

Hi Guys, great video, I have been binge-watching all the signature Iridium videos, we ordered our 13S in early January, & hoping to hear from them soon about when we will get it. At the time they said it was a 6-9 month wait at the most on a new van - I have everything ready & waiting to load into it in the spare room. We haven't been on holiday since 2019. Did you wait long for yours? I like your idea of the Ikea cupboard inserts and the sheet 'holders'. - We are contemplating the Lithium as well, and have already ordered the Lovells upgrade and extra Gas point. thanks for the videos, keep them coming!

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Hi Donna, hope you enjoy your Iridium as much as we are. We ordered in March and it turned up in August but that was right at the beginning of Covid so I think things have changed. One good thing about Signature, if you send them an email asking for an update they are good at communicating back. Just received our new lithium batteries today and are excited to get rid of some weight (so I can add more stuff, lol). If you are getting the extra gas point ask Signature about the BBQ holder arm they have. It fits on the back frame, specially made and holds the BBQ about equal height to the kitchen - just new not many people know about this! Hope to see you on the road sometime. Sharyn

[@bruceneilson9660]

Thanks John and Sharon great vid. With the suspension upgrade did you add the 2 inch lift as well?

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Hi Bruce, we just got the Lovells Upgrade on the Iridium not the 2 inch lift. We really did the upgrade because of the little bit of 'wallowing' otherwise everything else was good. We haven't even had any swaying. Cheers Sharyn

[@jackturtle131]

How often do clean your water tank at home ??? Why would you have to clean them on the van ???

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

We clean them every 6 months with a product called "Tank cleen". It just stops any nasties growing in them.

[@carzie2543]

Amazing. Thanks team for sharing. Love watching your videos. We have an 11month wait till we get ours. Can't wait. Thinking about the upgrade of lithium could be way to go. I was thinking of just using up the batteries that come with it then upgrading. Your thoughts? If you had your time again would you have gone straight for lithium? Thanks Oh and I'd love your recipes please

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Hi Carzie, happy to send the recipes just give me your email address and I'll send the document through. We thought the same thing with the batteries as you. We were on a budget and just thought we'd upgrade after the original batteries failed. They haven't failed and in fact are working great and we've used the van nearly every fortnight since getting it. Problem for us is the weight. Because of weight and John worried about being legal all the time we should have just gotten the lithium. In fact we are changing to lithium next month - have it all ordered. It really is only a weight issue and I think it depends what you are towing with if it will bother you. All in all, the van performed better in poorer weather, eg raining and cloudy, than some of our friends vans. Sharyn

[@carzie2543]

@@sharyns.shenanigans thanks so much for replying. I have a tare of 2500kg. So some weight saving could be ideal. Is John doing your lithium install or Signature?

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

@@carzie2543 If we had our time again and knew about the weight we would do the lithium straight up. Because we are in Canberra and John is an electronic technician he is going to do it. Saying that - if we had our time again we'd get Signature to do it and have it under warranty. Must say they have been great with any warranty issues - not that there have been many. They always get back to us with any questions. Cheers

[@ianmoone2359]

How does it tow behind the Prado? Fuel mileage while towing?

[@sharyns.shenanigans]

Tows extremely well behind our Prado. We generally average between 13.5 to 15 l/100km. On our recent trip to Birdsville, 5400 km of towing, we averaged 14.2l/100km.

[@ianmoone2359]

@@sharyns.shenanigans Awesome, thanks for that. 👍