A smartly designed 19ft off-road caravan with surprising space, strong off-grid capability and family-friendly features under $100K.
Bigger is not always better. We're a family of five and own a 22ft triple-bunk semi-off-road caravan. She's served us well for more than five years, especially during extended trips across Australia with our growing brood. But… for summer getaways and intermittent long weekends away, our caravan is overkill. She's a beast with a hefty turning circle and more interior space and storage than we probably need.
We've been looking at downsizing for a while; contemplating if a more compact layout is worth the sacrifice for a smaller, lighter, more nimble rig. I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to road (and sleep) test the MY26 New Age Road Owl Expedition (RO19BE). The 19ft off-road caravan shaves 3ft off our current van's footprint (almost a metre), yet has enough room to comfortably sleep five. We put her to the test during a weekend away at the BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park.
So, how did the Road Owl measure up?
The Layout
A shorter-build family caravan inevitably comes with sacrifice. And in this case, the trade-off is an east-west master bed over a north-south island configuration. East-west beds can be polarising for some couples, but it's a judicious use of space that leaves more room for the living/kitchen zone. I'm not a big fan of against-the-wall beds (especially as I'm the left-side sleeper), but I like having the bed neatly tucked flush behind the lounge, preventing bedding from spilling onto the floor.
The van's mid-section has a club lounge on the far side, butted up against a 171L Thetford three-way fridge. We can just fit the five of us around the lounge (my kids are 14, 11 and nine), but the small table is not quite big enough for all of us to comfortably enjoy a meal. Opposite the fridge is a slimline floor-to-ceiling pantry bookending the kitchen, which has an overhead microwave and recessed four-burner gas cooktop and grill. There's no oven, which might be missed by some, but in its place is a deep pot drawer. The 2026 model has flipped the lounge so that the kitchen is now on the near side. This is a sensible improvement and something we long for in our caravan (why have your back to the awning-side action when you're preparing meals or dining indoors?).
Beyond the kitchen there's a curtain to separate the kids' bunks, with an NCE front-loader washing machine on the rear wall above a single drawer and double cupboard (no bending down to do the washing). The middle and top bunks are long (almost two metres), but the bottom bunk comes up short at just 1.64cm, which is a deal breaker for a trio of teenagers. The bunks are on the near side. We preferred far side when our kids were little to minimise outside distraction at bedtime, but this is a personal choice.
Separating the kids' bunk area from the bathroom is a sliding door. This is a great space-enhancer that, when open, enlarges the ensuite area without having a swing door eating into the bunk bedroom. I'm impressed to see a separate toilet and shower in a compact family layout. It's squeezy – the Thetford cassette toilet is almost touching the vanity – but a win for vanners who hate shower-water spillage over the floor and toilet.
The Build
The Expedition is a timberless off-road van built for road touring and mild adventures off the blacktop, with good off-grid capability. It has an aluminium frame with composite sandwich panel construction. The 6-inch chassis is raptor coated with a recessed DO35 hitch, and sits on upgraded Cruisemaster XT independent suspension. Sixteen-inch mud terrain tyres and added clearance provide enhanced off-road capability. The exterior is finished in tough-wearing checkerplate.
Under the body are two 110L freshwater tanks and one 110L grey water tank. Under-body plumbing protection beats the pool-noodle DIY job on our van, and all the electric cables are neatly bundled and fastened to the under flooring.
Up top, there are three 200W solar panels on the roof, while a single 315Ah lithium battery is housed in an underslung cradle under the caravan. There's plenty of power and water capacity for short-stay off-grid trips for a family of five. However, an inverter is the obvious missing piece in the power puzzle (available as an add on).
Storage
I expected massive storage compromises with a 19ft caravan, but I was gobsmacked by the number of drawers and cupboards. In the kitchen alone there are four drawers and 11 cupboards, not including the two-door stacked panty, comprising a pull-out wire basket underneath and a three-shelf cupboard up top – ideal for cereal boxes, sauce bottles and tall cannisters.
The master bed only has one bedside table/drawer and hanging wardrobe (sorry, husband), but there are three double-shelf cupboards overhead. New to the 2026 Expedition is a recessed cut-out shelf behind the bedside table, beneath the wardrobe. With an AC power point and wireless charger pad, it's a great spot for a book, water bottle and for charging a phone overnight. The curved cut out also opens up the bed end, giving the illusion of more space. Underneath, there's a small under-bed storage cavity (housing the Projecta battery management system and solar controller), but the mattress isn't on a hinged frame, so the space is difficult to access.
Top points for the compact ensuite bathroom which has a handy shaving cabinet, two small under-bench drawers and a cupboard, as well as two open, recessed shelves – perfect for storing toilet rolls and towels. Some of the caravan cupboards – especially in the shaving cabinet and pantry, would benefit from a shallow lip to prevent items falling out when the door is opened after driving.
Outside, the Expedition has a full-width tunnel boot, suitable for storing camping tables and chairs, and a large A-frame toolbox with slide outs on either end – the far side housing two 9kg gas bottles. Mounted on the front of the toolbox are two jerry can holders.
The Extras
What impresses me about the Expedition are the thoughtful details and practical extras. Things like the stylish timber acoustic panels above the master bed (all the beds have reading lights with USB chargers). The outdoor extendable picnic table, the inline water filter, the kitchen drawer with a slide-out utensil compartment, and the touchscreen Fusion audio system with Bluetooth connectivity. I also love that the van has exterior radial lighting (including reversing lights) and a convenient light in the tunnel boot. The soft-close drawers, dual-mode LED awning lights and interior mood lighting are a nice touch.
What I don't love are the concertina window blinds, which are thin and papery and might not hold up to the rough and tumble of family life on the road.
The Verdict
For a touch under $100,000, the New Age Road Owl Expedition is a good-value off-road family van with a modern fit-out and extras comparable to more expensive brands. The clever use of space and abundant storage give the Expedition a sense of spaciousness larger than its 19ft footprint would suggest. A family of five could comfortably take this caravan off grid for a long weekend – or longer – without too much compromise, but would enjoy more freedom with an inverter.
I think I could even be sold on an east-west bed if it means we can manoeuvre into tighter spaces. But with a hefty ATM (aggregate trailer mass) of almost 3.3 tonne, the Expedition is almost as heavy as our current caravan. We could downsize our van, but unfortunately not our tow vehicle.
Supplied by New Age Caravans
2040 - 2060 Sydney Road,
Campbellfield, Vic
Ph: 03 9305 1714
Specifications
THE SPECS MAKE AND MODEL: NEW AGE ROAD OWL EXPEDITION RO19BE
SLEEPS: FIVE (TRIPLE BUNK)
LENGTH: 19FT (5.8M)
EXTERNAL LENGTH: 8M
TARE: 2,598KG
ATM: 3,298KG
PAYLOAD: 700KG
BALL WEIGHT: 212KG
Construction
FRAME: ALUMINIUM
WALLS AND ROOF: COMPOSITE SANDWICH PANEL
FLOOR: HONEYCOMB COMPOSITE
CHASSIS: 6" RAPTOR COATED
HITCH: DO35, RECESSED COUPLING
SUSPENSION: CRUISEMASTER XT INDEPENDENT
TYRES: LT265/75 R16 TRACMAX MT
POWER AND WATER BATTERY: 315AH LITHIUM BATTERY
SOLAR: 3 X 200W
BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: PROJECTA PM335C 30A AC, 40A MPPT, 30A DCDC
WATER: 2 X 110L FRESH, 110L GREY
GAS: 2 X 9KG
Equipment
FRIDGE: THETFORD 171L 3-WAY
INLINE WATER FILTER: BWT
TOILET: THETFORD CASSETTE 18L
WASHING MACHINE: NCE 3.5KG FRONT LOADER
COOKING: THETFORD 4-BURNER GAS COOKTOP AND GRILL
MICROWAVE: NCE 23L FLATBED TV: 24" NCE SMART TV
ENTERTAINMENT: FUSION AUDIO SYSTEM WITH TOUCHSCREEN (UPGRADED)
HEATING/COOLING: GREE SPLIT SYSTEM
REVERSING CAMERA: SAFETY DAVE
Price
$97,990
