🤩OUR Biggest Shakedown EVER! Time For A Change? 2 Years In The Making!

[@concernedcitizen5506]

I’ve just ordered a 20’ Urban X Terrain with all the latest accessories. At the end of the day I think most of the top end vans are amazing and it is only a matter of selecting the setup that suits your own tastes/requirements. Keep up the interesting and informative vids. Love watching them.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers, have fun! Enjoy the new van.

[@PaulMotu]

At the 16min mark you state something I tell to everybody (that cares to listen LOL) … and it is that ‘the easier it is to do something then the more likely you are to do it and keep doing it’ and this applies all across life to many different things and facets of life so you should always plan / buy / organise / arrange / set up etc etc things in your life that you do want to do and keep doing - then make them or set them up so you minimise all hassles out of making that particular thing work. Remove the extra steps involved wherever you can etc.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

This is so true! It's exactly how we feel (although you put it much better). So many people don't seem to understand how a few seemingly minor inconveniences can lead you to completely avoid something.

[@chrisbarnes2823]

We live in Canada and have just bought an Ibex 19ft trailer/caravan. We have camped in Australia and were impressed with the off road suspension and tires you have, the Ibex has four wheels with fully independent suspension. Really looking forward to using it.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yes, it's interesting how different our products and market are compared with North America. We'd love to tour Canada one day!

[@PetaBlyde]

You are spot on. I actually removed my gas pull out kitchen apliances and installed an induction oven and cook top. I kept the gas for inside cooking.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great job!

[@johncampbell3628]

The main issue I have with outdoor cooking is bugs. When you are in really buggy or fly area it can be super interesting trying to cook, clean and eat outdoors

[@ClassicCarMotorsport]

It's also a pain when it is overly windy.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Good point! We like having both options

[@donr62]

That’s camping 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@firetofork]

See you tomorrow! Looking forward to checking out the new van and a coupla 🍻🍻

[@DCJones06]

That's if you don't get bogged....

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Looking forward to it 👍

[@deniseday4613]

I am "Old School" I would always prefer Gas; we are currently travelling Aust in our 2nd offroad van, sometimes the sun does not always shine, and flies sometimes do not allow you to cook outside at times, having a good battery is a must, cheers

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Each to their own, and totally agree, sometimes it's handy to have.

[@adamcameron1859]

22:46 Try looking at the portable/RV style dishwashers! 👍🏻

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Any in particular?

[@davidb245]

Wow I've been waiting for someone to get the HS2 for a proper review after the launch, so I'm really interested to follow. We are currently looking at the HS1 Poptop so the timing is perfect. I'd love to hear you thoughts on the following 1) Do you notice the reduced width when you are inside (other than storage). 2) Have you been considering a hybrid due to accessibility of campsite etc, or for towability / economy / storage or other. 3)Will be interested to see the balance you find between outdoor / indoor cooking. Your comment about having to cook outdoors all the time is spot on. We currently have a hybrid without indoor cooking, and when the weather / flies / mozzies are bad, we really wish we had some inside options which is a big factor in us upgrading soon. Would love to see the fuel economy stats too compared to you last van. Another reputable manufacturer is reporting significant savings for the more streamline hybrid profile.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear, David. We'll definitely cover all your comments and questions in upcoming videos, stay tuned! The decision to change for us was more agile and easier to get into tight spots and something a bit lighter.

[@ramblin_in_the_sun]

I do love the idea of a hybrid. We did a forward fold camper for 6yrs before upgrading to a van. Love the idea of outdoor kitchen and have seen some awesome ones in the Zones & Mountain Trail vans, however after doing 10 nights offgrid on the Ningaloo when its blowing 30klm southerleys, I'm so glad we have indoor cooking options for a) wind, b) flies and c) being sandblasted. Also love gas as option for hot water, the fridge, cooking & webber so we're not stressing out on power even though our 400 amp Enerdrive regenerated each day beautifully even with starlink running. Impressive unit though.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, you're spot on. You need some form of cooking inside. We'll show more of that in the coming weeks.

[@sharonnurton3981]

I’m really keen to hear about the weight of this new van. Will you talk about that. Especially with double fridge, cooking, etc. But I’m hearing you with wanting the inside/outside cooking option and not going inside all the time for things. 😊

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, we'll go into the weight in detail in an upcoming video!

[@markdixon215]

Well that was a surprise, be interesting to see how you find things over the next few months as you decide on your new build. I love the idea of cooking outside but that going to attract even more flys, good you’ve got options. All the best for the shakedown, watching with interest. Stay safe out there. Cheers 🍻

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We shall see, but they we're our concerns as well.

[@maxherron7896]

It may be that you do, have a awning over the out door setup. How will that go?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, there's an awning 👍

[@PhillipGuy-n9b]

Hi Guys I was just thinking about the double access for the for the food and utensils if it allows much dust to creep in , but I know you will tells us . cheers

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Us too, we're keen to see how it goes

[@SeanArmstrong-w1k]

Hi guys, we've been watching and enjoying your videos. They're great! I can't remember which video but you had or have a dishwasher. Can you please let me know what model it is and pros and cons? Thanks

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yes we did in our old van. It was a Devanti bench top one. We did a video on it last year. They use quite a bit of power but they're great

[@GuyDraper-p3m]

What fun…… enjoy the exploring with the new van……. Keen to hear your thoughts

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks mate. Hope you're well 👍

[@davekerr8133]

We spend about 140 days a year on the road here in NZ. We love cooking outside & have all the outside gear in the ute canopy, which can be a pain getying it out & packing it up again. We'd love a set up like you've just shown. Cant wait to follow you over the next few months & see what you choose to buy. Thanks again team. Good episode 😊

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers, Dave. Stoked to have you along with us 🙌

[@kelliem2953]

We are not full time travellers, but have done some longer trips, longest being three months in our 15 ft hybrid. We have a family of 5. We have gone the hybrid route for similar reasons to you. It definitely means some compromising, but worth it to us.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great, 15ft is compact!

[@nograndplan]

I've ordered in my new van induction hotplates no oven gas hot water and heater. I love my current gas heater and I miss a webber so the bayonet outside is a must. I've never used my oven. Like you my shoes go in the outside storage. I'm sticking with my top loader washing machine too. Other than the bbq im not into outdoor cooking. Flies and mozzie drive me nuts.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great! It's always interesting to hear other people's choices

[@stuartbriegel85]

Great to see the new van and stopping in my home town of Northam looking forward to your next travels ,cheers

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks 👍

[@Accolades70]

Great Vid.. good to see back to basics.... plus the 600AH Elec, thermomix, AirCon.... :-)

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

😆 Yeah, exactly

[@johncampbell3628]

Love my Weber. Would never go without it!

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's been missed!

[@karmonajourney]

Good luck with your decision making. We love our gas cooking inside and bbq, real Aussie cooking for us. Still Love our Zone van with the option of outdoor living. The main thing is enjoying caravanning life the way it suits you.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Absolutely, we all love and travel differently

[@sueshrubshall9873]

Looking forward to seeing how the outdoor cooking goes. We loved our Weber on a slide in our van.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Us too!

[@robtampion4009]

Great vid guys re the adventures toward building a new caravan. We own a Bushtracker & the best thing about ours it is their narrow build named Compact. At 2.17m wide it just tows through the same width as our landcruiser no probs. Many other advantages as you mentioned that being city traffic, accessing fuel stations & so the list goes on.We go bush & some of the tracks we venture it’s a breeze whereas the normal width caravan would present doubt or trouble accessing. Also, adding that ours is 17ft & for onlyl the 2 of us is plenty. For you guys understandably with 2 youngsters stick with something that suits your personal environment. Cheers

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, that's great to hear. We're really enjoying the narrower body, it certainly makes life easier in a lot of situations.

[@gibbosroadtripadventures]

I personally love cooking with gas or fire and also because it isn’t drawing from your main power. I do wish there were more visuals on this new van in the episode. We’ll just have to check into your next one. Cheers Marg

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Us too Marg. Stay tuned 👍

[@BordertotheShore]

Nice… will be great to see what you end up with in coming months 💯🇦🇺

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers 🍻👊

[@janphillips295]

It’s just such a personal taste thing. Personally, the flies n bugs whilst cooking and preparing food would just do me in. And losing so much awning space to the kitchen is another negative. For me, hybrids are a great option for shorter trips or for those who don’t do a lot of cooking, ie baking bread, cakes etc., but as a full time home on the road…. No way.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Fair enough! Like anything, there's going to be compromises, it's just about figuring out which ones matter to you

[@michelleh9685]

Definitely get your Webber back, helps with not heating the van up in summer.

[@dennisholmes9276]

its like looking at you lot back in a zone

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

There's definitely a resemblance!

[@lukeasher179]

Hey guys, thanks for sharing. Great looking hybrid caravan and they definitely have a space in the market. However, from 150k - WOW. Out of the reach for 90% of ordinary families who don't get paid to promote or receive discounts from caravan manufacturers. Goodluck hunting for a new caravan and stay safe.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's definitely up there in price, but when you put it against comparable products in the market it's in the mix. An entry level caravan these days is over $100k!

[@jenpatjen]

I love diesel heating it’s just so economical, we had a wabasco twice, they were so quiet and fast. And I absolutely love having the bbq on gas because it’s so versatile able to roast a chicken etc. and easy to clean. Our outdoor kitchen is a bit tiresome as the spatter goes everywhere, I hate cleaning gas cook tops but it was already installed. Having three different sources of fuel/ power just gives you more flexibility in my opinion. Holy cow I’ve never seen a thermi moved like that Simon😮 That van looks great! It will be fun to check it out with you.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Totally agree! We love diesel heating and hot water.

[@DCJones06]

Definitely love it if you guys could cover some more info about the de-sal unit. It has not featured much since installation, so did you use it frequently and if so do you think it was worth it. I assume it went with the old van.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We've shared a fair bit about it in previous videos but no-one was too interested in it. We'll include it in our review of our previous caravan though 👍

[@michellemanton434]

Great video guys. Good to see the excitement for the new travel plans. U will love the Nuwave induction 👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Hope so!

[@michaelsecomb4115]

If you think that's compact you should try ouŕ 13ft hybrid (extends to 15ft). We have been travelling since December and mostly live outside.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Nice 👍 With kids?

[@paultabone2010]

I was thinking about your water maker ,are you going to put one in the new caravan. 😃 Another Great Episode.🦘🦘🦘🍷🍻

[@Andonella_Travels]

Did it ever get used🤔

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Not sure yet, we'll be covering that in upcoming videos 👍

[@AllMilloyAdventures]

We have traveled 2 x 3 month trips with kids (just got home a month ago from our most recent) in a hardfloor camper mountain trail which is all outdoor cooking, amazing outdoor cooking space but across the bottom of WA broke us with near on 3 weeks of constant wind which make cooking with gas hard even with a wind guard. We just ordered a caravan with gas outside still and a double induction cooker inside so we can use only if the weather is crap outside. Like cooking with gas which is why we didn’t go all electric, I also put the camp over on the gas cook top if we can’t have a fire but need an oven, we don’t travel with a BBQ. Thought did cross my mind to go all electric but gas is a good fail safe if you have an electrical problem. I see they have an electric Webber now, be interested to see how they go. We ended up going a Royal Flair Aussie mate, 19’-6 as I didn’t want a long van coming from a camper, also gives a full club lounge for crap weather eating or flys, kids hated eating with them stuck to your face, also meant we could have a king size bed still as that drops from the ceiling over the bed, we have a king size bed in our camper so didn’t want to miss a good bed!

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like you've made a great choice for you and your family based on real experience, love it 👍

[@CatherineRoss-Taylor]

How exciting picking up new caravan. We collect our new caravan on 18 December. Loved seeing your excitement, knowing how we are feeling. So good to have such great support from Toyota with repairing your vehicle. We heard this week that our new L300 is on the wharf in Melbourne. Can’t wait to start our lap.🌺😁 Would love to know what type of toilet you have - cassette or composting.🌺😁

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

That is awesome! Very exciting. This one has a different style of toilet, a bag-style. We'll cover it more in upcoming videos 👍

[@fleurneumann8430]

Hi Liz and Simon , We are just curious as to how you will manage with the outdoor kitchen in wet or inclement weather ? Plus flies and midges ?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Good question! There's a kitchen inside as well for those times. We'll show more of it in upcoming videos 👍

[@markrhodes4718]

Thanks for showing everyone another type of van, too many out there now 😂😂. You got to run a Weber outside, so versatile and great to cook with. We have a 2014 Sunland Van and run with gas , electric and induction cooking but prefer the Weber. Keep up the great videos. Cheers Mark 👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Very true! It's all a balance making sure we don't have too much gear!

[@CherylJohnsson]

Love it guys!!! We our selling our little Gecko at the moment, no nibbles yet unfortunately. Also looking at going composite. So very interested in your upcoming videos. Have fun with this new experience and absolutely love James's new hair cut. Where has that little boy gone....the boys are growing up so quickly. Have fun heading "East"....🥰

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great! Thanks guys. He's like a different kid with short hair! Hopefully catch up soon 👍

[@rossharvey1496]

A couple of responses to your questions. I don’t like gas outside or in - I don’t like breathing burnt or unburnt gas, I don’t like having an additional fuel, gas is getting harder to refill and solar is friendly to the environment. We use an electric Ziggy for outdoor cooking on the toolbox slide out. We don’t like pop tops as there is more wear and tear on more fragile materials, less insulation on very hot or cold conditions and with an additional mechanism there is more to go wrong. We do use a diesel hot water/ heating system but mostly because of the power drain on an all electric setup. It will be interesting to see how you get on in extended bad weather periods in a small van.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, Ross. We're inclined to agree. Electric BBQ would be interesting.

[@tonykempthorne8178]

Interesting choice. From memory you were keen to go down the same route with zone but it didn’t work out. How do you get titanium to loan you a van to take anywhere? I guess it’s research and development for them. I guess we will see if it’s right for you guys or not.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, we did. It's simple really, sell everything you own, buy a caravan, start a KZbin channel, release weekly videos for about 3 years, build an audience and then you should be able to convince someone to lend you a van for a few months 😆👊 In all seriousness though, they're keen to hear our feedback and for us to get out and use it.

[@EthanBovingdon]

If the Leyland Brothers did it in some old Troopies, then I’m pretty sure you’ll all survive in that.😉. You use what suits you. We picked up our first brand new 2024 Jayco Lark Outback camper two weeks ago, it has a new fully automatic 3 way Dometic fridge which I now love because it puts less stress on worrying about battery levels for now until we can afford to upgrade our electrical system which is currently 100ah Lithium. That set up with the fridge and pantry near the door is brilliant.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

😆👊 For sure. Thanks mate.

[@WendyWenz-ej1pb]

Looking good guys! Can't beat apricot chicken! Nom Nom 😁

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

So good!

[@PeteFromOZ]

Great episode. If you’re going past the Olga’s and Uluṟu, you should look at going through the painted desert on the way to Coober Pedy. It’s an easy and rewarding drive.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers, Pete. We'll see if we can work it into our plans 👍

[@shiretravels]

Looked like a RhinoMax caravan from the thumbnail! interested to see an internal walk through :) don't think you can call it a hybrid though haha, dual axel and a fixed roof - it's a full size van. hybrid is usually 13-16 foot, pop top, sometimes a slide out bed (in my opinion) :D

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's an interesting one, it's definitely not a full size van. It's smaller than our old one, big slide out kitchen, large outside fridge, narrow body. I guess everyone defines it differently like a lot of things.

[@Karramar1]

Can't wait to follow your travels in this van, having an Urban Armorlite hybrid van ourselves. It should open up some new areas for you as access will be easier with the narrower van. We will be watching with interest. Enjoy!! Oh, and where are you going in Victoria. Will you be coming to the Bass Coast (our local area)? Cheers, Kerryn

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great! We're really looking forward to seeing how it goes. Not too sure with our Vic plans yet. Where's the Bass coast?

[@Karramar1]

@@TheLifestylePioneers South Gippsland (south east of Melbourne); Phillip Island area. We have a magnificent coastline, and beautiful rolling green hills inland (dairy country). Heaps to see and do. :)

[@philg2468]

We like to have 2 sources for cooking that can back each other up. In the distant past it was a Coleman shellite stove and campfires but times have changed. These days we use 240V and gas. 240V works a Microwave (greens and reheats), Air Fryer (roast veg/meat/chicken), Jug, Pod coffee, toastie maker Gas runs a Marine BBQ on a slide outside and a gas stove inside which we are using less and less. Our 240V setup (3000W Inverter/ 400Ah Lithium) is installed in the vehicle and not the caravan for a few reasons. We get rapid recharging from a 50A DCDC charger everytime we take the car for a drive and get by with 300W roof solar on the vehicle. The caravan cord is simply plugged into the vehicle's inverter whenever we need 240V. It is more reliable in our experience than heaps of roof solar on a caravan as it works when the sun is not shining or the panels are shaded. And the same system is used if we go away in just the vehicle with swags of if we pull our Tvan or if we take our offroad caravan. And we prefer inside cooking if the weather or insects are an issue.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

That's an interesting one. Sounds like a well thought out setup to suit your needs 👍

[@philg2468]

@@TheLifestylePioneers Yeah, the 240V setup has developed over the years. Tried to setup the caravan with a big system but we couldn't easily get more than 420W of solar (and 200Ah Lithium) on our single axle offroad van. Panel weight was an issue too. And when you were parked in shade it was useless and had to go back to gas. So I upsized the electrics in the vehicle, and it is so simple to plug the caravan into the vehicle's inverter. All power points in the caravan become active, so we turn off the HWS and240V charger but we can then power the lot including the air cond in the caravan. Last week we were in the Flinders and a simple drive for a few hours around Bunyeroo and Brachina sees the Troopy back at 100%.

[@damiant5876]

I love the idea of the outside cooking but I wonder about the large area taken up under the awning space by the kitchen area. Does it leave you with unshaded/uncovered seating. I look forward to seeing your experience with it.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Good question! We had the same concern and will show more of this in future videos. It's not as bad as we thought though.

[@helengriffiths6158]

Extremely interested in the decision process Ee have sold our Zone Base 20.6 and taking time to consider what should be our next step Look forward to to all your experiences regards Helen and Darryl

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks guys, looking forward to taking you along with us 😊

[@hapninemptynesters]

Soon you guys will have a set up just like us 😜 Love a good hybrid, it really doesn’t take much more to set up and feels more like camping.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

That's the plan! Don't know how much smaller we could go though!

[@hapninemptynesters]

@@TheLifestylePioneers you do have 2 extra people compared to us. Looking forward to seeing your trip across the Great Central!

[@jennywellings8858]

So exciting for you. What a wonderful way to try before you buy. May I ask what pan you cooked the apricot chicken on? Have fun guys!! It's gong to be great to follow your adventures with this alternative van. I agree entirely with you when you say cooking and living outside is not always the best option.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, Jenny. The frypan is from Solidteknics

[@jennywellings8858]

@@TheLifestylePioneers Thank you so much. Is is Aus Ion or Noni and would you recommend it? I'm concerned about the weight. Cheers and thanks again

[@davidbaldwin2906]

always interested in your thoughts on the de-salination unit - did it work? would you do it again? would you consider one of the bore water units? cheers - keep up the content

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

For sure! We'll cover that in upcoming videos 👍

[@paulcallan5540]

Awesome. Looking forward to seeing your travel stories. Can you tell me what platform did you sell your old van on . Regards Paul

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers, Paul. We sold it through the Titanium FB group 👍

[@paulcallan5540]

@TheLifestylePioneers thanks guys. As you know the general caravan sales market is having a down turn . Thanks again. I'll be interested if you take the plenty or sand over highway on your travels east . Or maybe even the Oodnadatta

[@rich9903]

Hey guys. It only seems like yesterday that my family and I met you guys at the 'subscribers' camping trip at Hervey Bay where you were showcasing your new Titanium caravan including the highly capable electrical system and of course, the newly installed desal system. Like probably many others, I'm baffled as to why you're changing your caravan at this time and also, whether or not the desal system will be transitioned across to the new van. Apart from that, I feel that there's not much mention in your subsequent videos of the on-board desal plant in relation to how well it's worked for you and how practical it is. Has it been worthwhile the initial cost outlay as far as maximising your offgrid timeframe goes?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks Rich. I can see where you're coming from. It mostly comes from a desire to constantly try new things and satisfy our curiosity. Kinda the same values that led us to travel full time. We'll cover the de-sal in upcoming videos, but we used it a lot more than we showed in videos 👍

[@63holden]

Nice choice of beer. 🍻

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yes it was!

[@galacticnemesis366]

I can see that setup getting a little tiresome. My prediction would be that you will end up going full size again. 20ft full Offroad airbags dishwasher the lot.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It will definitely be interesting to see 👍

[@papa7745]

I agree

[@janphillips295]

Totally agree, especially for full timers.

[@bronwyncox8980]

How are you able to get a loan caravan for a period of time? Is it because you have a KZbin platform?

[@Ttnorth11]

Titanium lend their vans to KZbinrs. Been a few now. Its an ad.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Hey, Bronwyn. Yes, it's a testing trip and we also create content for them.

[@Stevensue7175]

It’s an interesting process you’re going through. Is there much or a weight saving going down the HS path? Cheers

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

There is a bit of a weight saving. Not as much as we were hoping for. This one is about 100kgs lighter.

[@lostnlovinit]

Hi guys, which transport company did you use and what cost? I need a van moving from WA to Melbourne.. Cheers, keep up the good work.. Dave D…

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Send me an email ([e-mail]) and I'll pass on the details 👍

[@lynhopton8283]

Love you guys live your videos. Hey Simon, I was just wondering if you guys have ever had any trouble with rats esting your wiring in your engine?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks so much. Not yet! We had issues with mice in our Ranger a few years ago but noth since.

[@JohnEllis-hf3ng]

Hi guys great video. sitting here in tas wishing I was up there. Hopefully next year could you tell me what suction devices you use for your phone etc LOVE the new van. Thanks guys

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers, John. We're using Scanstrut holders from BreakFreeRV

[@ab7406]

Van looks good, hate to see the price tag! Kulin pub across the road does great meals, pub is owned by locals

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah its a great little town! All vans are getting pretty pricey these days.

[@ab7406]

@@TheLifestylePioneers Yes, too pricey, market will dictate, as when sales slow down

[@rodjenny]

Did titanium sell your van for you as you seem to have sold it rather quick especially when it was detailed put on a truck then sent to Tasmania.What sort of weights is the hybrid van

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

No, we sold the old one privately. This hybrid we're in is 2780kg tare

[@Carpo74]

Love a gas bbq - can’t beat it

[@zoezoe610]

Stick to a bigger van that has more kitchen outside. As your children grow more space is better. That van is nice but too small :)

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

You might be right, let's see 👊

[@solarpumpsales2326]

A question people: The discussions always revolve around the vehicle, vans or locations but what about your navigation gadgets. We have a Garmin Overlander & the vehicle has an inbuilt navigation unit, OK for suburbia but pretty much useless for the outback. It appears the two best alternatives are the Overlander or HEMA GPS, we chose the Overlander because it was easy to read for old eyes & seemed to have good coverage + regular updates. However, I'd really like to hear your take & experience on navigation aids. All the best crew.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great question. We've been using the HEMA HX2+ lately. We'll include it in a video soon 👍

[@sotto8071]

👋 You mentioned you prefer composite build compared to the previous Titanium….. can you elaborate more? Somehow we knew these new vans was going to be the next phase of your journey…….. we know the history of the vans very well…… Went to see a few on show at Campbellfield and they are certainly a great build…… Very much like the white simplicity with just a touch of branding as opposed to the horrible clutter of decals these days……. What is the Tare of this new van compared to the previous? Really looking forward to more episodes. Love your work!!! P.S. being our third van we own an Urban Armolite and are delighted with pop tops especially the ease of towing and narrowness…. 👋

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Totally agree regarding the lack of decals, etc. We really like the look. The tare is about 100kgs lighter than our old van (which includes the outside fridge and kitchen). We'll go into more detail about aluminium vs fibreglass composite in an upcoming video as it's quite a big topic.

[@MegaHilly13]

i noticed there is no awning so how do you live and cook outside when it is raining i guess are just stuck inside not very convenient so the vav is a no for from me

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It has an awning, we just didn't use it in this video 👍

[@PetaBlyde]

Is that van a full composite including the roof

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, 100% fibreglass composite

[@jeffwinter6859]

Lots of interesting comments, overwhelmingly seems a lot of people like to cook inside because of the flies and bugs! And like the more full sized vans. Beats me 😂 We have a Track Trailer T4, which is 1.95M wide and 15’ long, pop top with a lowered height of just 2.4M and weighs under 2.8T fully loaded. We have no gas inside and use induction inside when required. We do have an exceptional outside gas kitchen, that is easily the best I’ve seen on any van. We find it absolutely no effort at all to pull out, use and stow away again if required. Like you guys we just love being outside and could not stand living inside the van while touring any more than what was necessary (excessive rain and wind). We also have a Webasto diesel heater for hot water and heating on cold nights. We have an internal and external shower and toilet, that we find invaluable on longer camps, as again we are using the outside amenities a lot more than the inside unit. Yes, we have two separate toilets and showers! Pretty cool hey. Keep up the most excellent videos guys, and always remember that being different is definitely a good thing, as I can tell you I’m sick of seeing u-tubers with full sized vans trying to go remote and having way to many obstacles to overcome when a more practical sized van would piss it in. 😂

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We agree, the feedback has been really interesting. Each to their own but you've gotta be able to put up with being uncomfortable sometimes if you really want to enjoy the outdoors.

[@robertczerwiec3898]

My question is a bit outside this episode. What phone holder are you guys using?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's a Scanstrut one from Breakfree RV 👍

[@cynthiakavanagh6972]

Well, that’s not a surprise; we called it from the time we saw the new range of Titanium Hybrid caravans, especially knowing what you were chasing before your first Titanium van. We can certainly relate to your choice; we downsized from our 18’6 Base to a 16’ Torus Kakadu Hybrid, full composite construction and after 6 months and 13000ks, we love it. There’s just 2 adults and we’re not living full-time (8 weeks is the longest continuous time so far), but the only time we notice the reduced width is when we’re both in the kitchen and the table isn’t pushed back. We’re very polite and there’s nothing wrong with a bit of a bottom pat every so often, is there? 😂😂😂. We have full kitchen inside, but have only used the gas probably twice as we use our induction hot plate inside and out. Once we worked out what size baskets we needed inside the cupboards and drawers, we found we can fit basically just as much inside; we have a smaller freezer as a compromise. We haven’t installed an outside kitchen and we have a ziggy, take the hot plate outside, and have water we use with a sink tub. And yep, a gunmetal sink with black taps 😂😂😂. Your outdoor kitchen is probably one of the best we’ve seen as a pull out. Smaller living is good living😊 We’ve loaded it up with lithium and solar (more than the Base) and the diesel heater was fab. We’re have a full ensuite with composting loo and washing machine. This will be the last van for us. Looking forward to your adventures; the GCR is still on our bucket list. Happy days 😊😊😊😊

[@helengriffiths6158]

@@cynthiakavanagh6972 great to see you response You were a great help to me when we decided to sell our base Regards and dearly hope we meet you on the road one day Helen Griffiths

[@cynthiakavanagh6972]

Thank you, @@helengriffiths6158. I hope things are going well for you both. This is a lovely big land we live in; fingers crossed we’ll meet you out there one day ☘️🌸☘️🌸

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks for sharing, Cynthia. Yes, it's been quite the journey to get here! We're so glad we're able to 'try before we buy' and see if this style is for us, bum taps and all 😉👊

[@andrewcowling6976]

Guys, you can’t beat cooking over a flame… it’s just not outdoor cooking otherwise… get the Weber back!👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Agreed 👍 We do have our firepit/grill as well which we use whenever we can. Can't beat the Weber for convenience though.

[@jamesdeacon9629]

Hey guys my new Titamium TIS3 Luxury caravan 19.6 2024 3 weeks old I have no Gas in side witch is amazing Ziggy BBQ out side 😀

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

I think that's the perfect compromise 👍

[@toniclayton1648]

I like rice with apricot chicken, my husband likes mash potato

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

What a dilemma 😄🙌

[@shanebrl4121]

I would of got a hybrid 100% but we have 3 kids.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, it'd get a little tight.

[@Travelbug68]

Those flies say it all I reckon 😖

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

😆👍

[@ntdanny]

Yeah nah, less room and that bathroom setup, no thanks but It will be interesting to see how you go.👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Coming soon! We actually really like the bathroom

[@Sabumnim666]

Victron is a better brand for reliability in my opinion anyway, also has a better price point and is easily good in performance.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, we've heard good things. Keen to see how it goes.

[@papa7745]

All that work putting in the sesel system in the last van?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, and we used it quite a bit on the WA coast. We were going to keep it but the new owners were keen to get it.

[@cwgolfandtravel]

Electric BBQ would be a great option if you wanted to camp in national parks.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yes, but you need a good power system to run them. Why would you need one for NPs?

[@adrianeastwood8594]

Does it have a awning

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah it does, we'll show it more in upcoming videos 👍

[@PetaBlyde]

I love gas cooking, inside and out. 2 x 9kg lasts forever

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's fine until it's windy. That's where electric shines.

[@richardwalsh5570]

What happened to the old van?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We sold it.

[@robertczerwiec3898]

We like gas cooking, induction is as convenient supplement

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We're more the other way around to be honest.

[@TerryCassar]

Flies, flies, flies! Prep lunch inside please!!!

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

They're just flies 🤷‍♂️😆

[@gmick52]

Looks the goods Guys. Will follow with interest ZB322

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Cheers 👌

[@aaronhunter7062]

Looks like a zone hhaha

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

In some way or another it looks like every other white composite caravan 😆👍

[@stevebooth3309]

Pops top are no good for storage, we had a Bruder 6, pop top amazing go anywhere van but nil storage

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We looked at the Bruder a while back and had the same concerns

[@makesbyryandean]

This looks the goods over a conventional caravan. I prefer our camper trailer atm because it goes places where caravans or hybrids cant go. But this looks like the downgrade😉 for later ons

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Kinda, yeah. We know what you mean. We'd probably go smaller if we weren't living in it full time.

[@filthyoffroadadventures]

Hey guys keen to see how this new van goes. Sorry even with outside cooking can’t call it a hybrid 🤣 Our new Lifestyle Reconn R2SE build should conclude late January and can’t wait. Yes it’s small, full outdoor kitchen (best on any hybrid) and we will be traveling fulltime in it. People say you can’t do it but comes back to how you like to travel and live. You guys are like us and love being remote so the advantage of a narrower van will pay dividends when on those less travelled tracks. Definitely make sure you get airbags and all the goodies you can fit 😂 Keen to see if you go for another desalination unit that was fascinating.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's definitely borderline on the hybrid title. We prefer this style of kitchen over the Lifestyle Reconn, they take up a lot less space when not in use and give a lot more bench space. More on the desalination unit to come 👍

[@filthyoffroadadventures]

@@TheLifestylePioneers interesting hey, we see it the opposite and think the bench space is incredible on the Reconn. Plus not having pull in and out etc and also the door gives some weather protection when don’t want to use the awning. Definitely like what you have and keen to see how it goes as you always give them a hard time like they are designed for.

[@glmaguire]

TBH it’s not a van that I’d choose, having said that if it suits your needs then it’s fine. I’m totally confused as to why you actually got rid of the previous van and seem to be attempting to downsize at a time when your kids are growing.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Fair enough! Smaller the better we reckon. Travelling setups are getting ridiculously big and we don't think you need it.

[@Mick_4591]

I call this B S Your not buying a New van because your ambassadors for the company and you will have the van for " testing and reviewing" which I don't take any notice of your reviews as your expected to give positive words regardless . Did you have / or sign a N D C to have this van????? Transparency is everything

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

😆 We have been 100% transparent, it's a loan from Titanium. It's a loan agreement. The only BS is in your comment 😂

[@Ttnorth11]

Paid Ad. Titanium are good at this. Induction only is rubbish.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

It's not, but OK. Induction only has been amazing for the past couple of years for us.

[@AdventurzAU]

Kind of disappointing, I understand that this is your business (as in source of income business) but your videos when you are travelling and seeing places were interesting, but reviews that are based upon products provided free, well they lose the edge. If the new van was something you'd paid good cold hard cash for then it might be more interesting because it would be like ordinary people, but a loaner, well that lends itself to bias in at least some form or another. Sorry to see it happen, have a good life.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

I can see what you're saying and we might buy one eventually. This was an opportunity to try before we buy which we didn't want to pass up. Bias is unavoidable whether we own it or not.