Our epic van makeover with Bushman fridge/freezers

As avid international travellers who always wanted to experience more of Australia’s own backyard, we purchased a Volkswagen Crafter LWB van in 2022 and converted it into a fully off grid motorhome.

Once the first conversion was finished, we hit the road and spent the best year and a half travelling around Australia. After a short break back in Perth, we got itchy feet and decided to renovate our van with some much-needed upgrades and move out of the city.

While our initial set up was a bit basic, following the van renovation, our fully self-converted van now has a full kitchen including not one, but two Bushman fridges, and we’re living and travelling around Australia full time in our van.

Our van kitchen setup with Bushman fridges

Our main fridge in the kitchen area is a 130L upright caravan fridge, and we have recently added a 30L Bushman heavy duty drawer fridge/freezer to the rear garage section of the van for additional freezer capacity, or to use to keep extra bevvies cold!

Why we chose Bushman Fridges for our camping van conversion

When we did our original van conversion back in 2022, we did a lot of research on fridges and wanted to go with the best possible quality 12v fridge which could stand the test of time.

We already knew about Bushman fridges from word of mouth and lots of positive reviews. After comparing other fridge options, we decided that Bushman was by far the best brand for camping fridges that we had come across and knew we could trust it for years to come. Plus, we loved the fact that Bushman is 100% Aussie owned and have fantastic warranty inclusions.

When we decided to renovate the van a few months ago, it was a no brainer to choose Bushman again for our second 12v fridge/freezer drawer. We also love the overall look of Bushman fridges – so sleek!

Bushman’s fridge/freezer drawer performance and freezing capability

Because we originally chose an under-bench 12v fridge in the van, we were lacking freezer space.

Since upgrading the van, we are using our new fridge/freezer drawer as additional freezer space which gives us the ability to store a 2-week supply of our dog’s cold food, as well as ice cream (yay!) and any other frozen goods we might need.

We also love going squidding, so having the option to stockpile our catches in the freezer when we’re on the road is amazing, especially if we plan to go off grid. It’s also great that we can change it to a fridge at any time, which is the perfect place to keep our bevvies if we are stocking up or planning on a big night!

How we installed the Bushman drawer fridge in our VW van

We found it super easy and simple to install our Bushman 12v fridge/freezer drawer.

The drawer was easy to screw in on top of our drawers in the back of the van and we already had our van fully wired, so all we needed to do was some easy wiring from the fuseboard and plug it in to the Anderson plug provided.

What makes Bushman fridges worth investing in

While Bushman Fridges are one of the more costly options, they are definitely worth every cent and we would choose them again and again.

Excellent quality. The fridge is made of high-quality materials, is easy to install and we’ve never had any issues with food not staying cold.

Constructed to last. We’ve had our 130L upright fridge installed for over 3 years and it’s still functioning at full capacity without having any issues. We have been using our new 30L freezer drawer for over a month in different weather conditions, and the food has always stayed completely frozen.

Space and size. The 130L upright fridge is also one of the largest under bench upright options for a 12v setup which is what drew us to buying the product.

Long warranty and reliability. Bushman fridges unique 7-year compressor warranty which no other 12v fridge brands offer, along with amazing customer support, give us peace of mind of long-term reliability.

Low power and super-efficient. We currently have both Bushman 12v fridges running and have only noticed a small difference in our power usage. When we first built our van, the battery system was tailored to suit our needs and appliances at the time however even now after adding the extra fridge/freezer set up, we have nothing to worry about and no upgrades to make in terms of the battery, which shows how efficient these fridges are.

These are just some of the reasons why we’ve chosen Bushman for our van fridge and freezer set up. We know we can rely on the product and wouldn’t really consider another brand based on our experiences with Bushman Fridges.

Best features of the Bushman Drawer Fridge

We absolutely love the fact the Bushman 12v drawer fridge is a drawer so takes up minimal height and is perfect for the location we installed it.

It has super easy access and is so easy to see what’s inside. The fact that it deep freezes to -18 degrees even in 40 degree temps is game changing as it can get very hot in many parts of Australia. The whole fridge in general just feels and looks super sturdy and high quality.

Our best fridge hacks and tips when travelling full time

We found that overloading the top shelf of the upright fridge caused some issues with maintaining freshness of the items below.

Try and keep things spread out as evenly as possible throughout the fridge and have your soon to expire items near the top of the fridge as this is where the fridge is coldest. Not overloading the top shelf allows air to circulate around the fridge.

Our top van travel tips

After our first year of travelling, and now living in our van full-time, here’s a few tips and tricks we’ve learnt over the years.

It pays to invest in quality gear. When organising your set up and build, don’t compromise on quality! While cost does often play a big factor, we found that when we paid a bit extra for higher quality products, it really paid off, and when we didn’t, we sometimes ended up replacing the cheaper item with a higher quality item later on! At the end of the day, when you are out in the middle of nowhere and something goes wrong, it isn’t fun! Better to spend a little extra, if you can, to buy something that is going to last and stand the test of time.

Take your time. If you have the time, don’t rush! We found that at the start of our trip we were moving quite quickly, but we learned that this can cause burn out and decision fatigue. Slow down where you can so you can really soak up a place and immerse yourself. This means you aren’t constantly overwhelmed with decisions and can actually relax and make the most of a place.

When in doubt, pack less. You don’t need to pack as much as you think you do! Half of the stuff we packed initially was untouched for months at a time. The basics will be enough majority of the time, and if not, you can always pick up anything extra you need.

Take the time to meet the locals. Connection is everything when you are travelling. Saying hi to people along the way and starting conversation is such a nice way to make friends, we made some friends for life doing this, after all, majority of people on the road will have common mindset and interests to you!

Most memorable trip moments so far

We have so many amazing experiences from travelling Australia – here’s some of our highlights.

Uluru. Travelling to the heart of Australia and spending time at Uluru is a must. It is such a special place and we loved doing the 10km walk around Uluru, as well as seeing it light up as the sun set in the evening. Also spending time listening to a local guide gave us insight into how special this place really is to the traditional custodians of the land.

The Oodnadatta track. This track in outback South Australia is generally for 4WDs but we decided to give it a try in our trusty van and she handled it like a champ. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride with all of the corrugations but we came out relatively unscathed with only 1 minor damage and it’s a memory that we will treasure (and laugh at) forever.

Exploring the outback. Travelling from Victoria to North WA via outback NSW, QLD and NT in 2 weeks (don’t ask why!). It is such a different world in the outback and one we love so much. Visiting outback country pubs which feel like stepping back in time, as well as lighting campfires at night and watching the stars will never get old.

Beach camping. Spending time camped up on the beach (2WD friendly!) on the East Coast of Tasmania were some of our favourite days.

We’re currently based in Busselton in WA – we love Southwest WA and plan to hang out here for the coming months, exploring the beaches, forests and wineries! We don’t know where we will head after this but love the freedom we have to see how we feel at the time, and where we want to explore next.

If you love travelling, we highly recommend giving a tour or van-life a go – there’s nothing like the freedom and adventure that comes with living on the road.

Follow along with Vee and Andreas and their amazing travels here:

Instagram – vavan.travels: https://www.instagram.com/vavan.travels/

Facebook – vavan.travels: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572156176229