State of the Shipping Container Market in Australia: Why Are Prices So High?
Luxury Off-road Camper Vans That Fit in Shipping Containers
There are millions of square kilometres of wilderness that you can’t access in a 200 metre luxury yacht. It’d be difficult to get one of those to Uluru! That’s why it seems two companies have developed giant camper vans that can take the owner in luxury over wild wastelands to wherever they choose and then stick it in a shipping container and go to another continent.
They’re cheaper than those luxury yachts too at around AU $530,000 (a thousandth the price of Sailing Yacht A), though you won’t have staff meeting your every need – you’ll even have to cook for and dress yourself!
All you need is the sort of job that doesn’t need you for three months while shovelling cash into your account like a stoker on the Titanic.
Let’s look at these beasts in a little more detail.
Earthcruiser EXP
Image source: Earthcruiser
Designed here in Australia, the Earthcruiser EXP is designed to provide luxurious off-road travel for two people yet when you’ve ‘done’ a region of the world it folds down and slips into a shipping container. This means that you could ‘do the Outback’ in a Southern Hemisphere summer and then ‘do Siberia’ in the summer months up north – not a bad way to see the world!
The Earthcruiser EXP is built on the proven Mitsubishi Fuso 4×4 chassis, and has a kinetic subframe mounting system for a smooth ride no matter the road surface. With its extended range fuel tank you can chew up the miles in the bush / on the Road of Bones. Solar panels on the roof reduce your dependency on diesel as you plod around the far ends of the planet.
When you get to your evening stopover, electric stairs lower to the ground and, once inside, you press a button to for the roof to pop up. Inside you will find a queen sized bed that folds out, a decent yet small kitchen and a second bed for your driver / child. It even has a water purification system so you don’t have to carry obscene amounts of the stuff as you travel.
Unlike the mega yachts of the world, the Earthcruiser EXP is a factory made product so you can’t customise it a lot, though of course you can make it your own by adding personal effects. It is quite cheap as these beasts go at a mere entry level price of AU$415,000 or so.
More cash to splash? Try a UNICAT
Image source: UNICAT
Starting at around AU$530,000 these bespoke beasts are a different game to the Earthcruiser. While you’ll fit the Earthcruiser into a 20ft container this Unimog based beast needs a 40ft high cube container. Why? The accommodation unit goes in one end and the truck goes in the other.
Unsealed 4×4 drooled over the UNICAT Walkabout, saying “So what’s so cool about these things? I mean, sure, the Unimog on its own is close to the ‘perfect’ 4X4, but these German nutters have gone ahead and added a camper that’s comfier than a night at the Ritz…”
Unsealed 4X4 looked up UNICAT and at the time found a German only website but we looked over and found an English version and found hardly a scrap more than they did. UNICAT are bespoke camper van builders and if you have a spare half million, as well as the time and finances to use it properly, it is more of a case of getting in contact with the company and telling them what you want (perhaps a 20ft trailer for your house staff to sleep in and cook your dinner?).
Container travel is the way to go
Image source: UNICAT
While it is somewhat slower than air freight, shipping container travel is certainly the way to get your goods / off-road camper van where you want it. Road, rail and sea networks go to almost every corner of the planet, or certainly remote enough that you can start your journey with only a day or so dealing with ordinary people before getting to the backwoods of the world…If you are the sort who is cash and time rich, and doesn’t mind cooking your own food, then getting hold of one of these beasts could be for you!
Gateway Container Sales & Hire
Enjoyed this blog? Visit the Gateway Gazette for more insights on the world of shipping containers. Contact Gateway Container Sales & Hire for all your secondhand shipping container needs for hire & storage or modification.
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