Jon Riley runs both Aussie Bush Camping and The Gourmet Camp Chef, where he showcases his passion for the Australian Outback and the possibilities of campfire cooking. When it came time for Jon to decide how to upgrade his new vehicle to handle the rigours of offroad cooking and adventuring, there was only ever one brand he was going to choose...
Becoming secluded and self sufficient
There comes a time for every four-wheel drive owner and camper where you crave more independence to get yourself to the most remote and secluded camping spots, far away from the daily hustle of life, from people, and above all… phone reception. To do this for any period of time you need to be self-sufficient. This means setting yourself up with a dual battery system.
It wasn't too long after I got my Amarok that I realised one of the first things I wanted to get done to make my trips more comfortable was to install a reliable source of power to run a fridge, lighting equipment, charge camera batteries and most of all, run my coffee machine. Not to mention that you can only live with an esky full of melting ice for so long.
Being an ex-chef, cooking beautiful food on the camp fire is a big part of my love for camping, so the need for reliable power and a fridge to keep my ingredients fresh and in their best condition for cooking was high on my list of things to do.
After a lot of research, there was only one unit I wanted and that was the REDARC BCDC. I am not a lover of generators and much prefer to rely on solar as a source of energy to charge the batteries, allowing me to enjoy the sounds of nature. That meant I needed a unit that would allow me to plug the solar directly in, and with its built-in MPPT, the BCDC was a simple choice.
Withstanding any environment
Knowing that REDARC units are not only Australian made but tried and tested in the exact environments I wanted to go, gave me the confidence that they are built to withstand whatever the Australian weather or terrain could throw at it.
We initially ran our BCDC1225 for years without it missing a beat, so by upgrading to the dual input BCDC1240D means we are set for years to come to manage the ever-growing demands we place on our auxiliary power.
In safe hands
I am not much of an electrician but I wanted to make a battery management system that worked for me without a massive labour cost and one I know is going to last me for years to come. With a lot of good planning, simple to read instructions and the ease of install made putting the 1240D in a breeze, and if you do get stuck there is a support team on the end of the phone to assist.
I now know that as my power needs grow I have a unit that can grow with us and even upgrade to run lithium when I get to that point without having to alter the system.
I have had my Volkswagen Amarok for four years now, along with our Ezytrail off-road camper trailer. We not only rely on REDARC for our battery management and solar, but we also use the Tow-Pro Elite electronic brake controller for the trailer.
A brand you can trust
After reading so many great reviews on the product and researching what was available on the market it made sense to stick with a brand I trust. The brake controller is so good that you don't even feel the trailer when braking and it tracks behind the Amarok perfectly. Not only can you simply dial in the amount of braking you want and leave it to do the rest, but you can simply adjust at the press or turn of a button to dial up or down on how much braking you need. Very useful when you tow a camper to some of the places we go.
For a well built, reliable and trusted Aussie brand you can't go past REDARC.
You can follow Jon's epic adventures and mouth watering meals via his Facebook and Instagram pages.
Looking to start your 4x4, camper trailer or caravan upgrade but not sure what products will allow you to travel the way you want? Take the REDARC Hilux product tour to find out what products are best for your power management and towing needs.
