Review: Custom Regal Access Van

Caravanning and camping is for everyone, regardless of your station in life, mobility, or the obstacles that have been thrown your way. The bush and the beach is every Australian’s birthright but of course, accessing and staying in these places is perhaps something that people without mobility or other limitations take for granted.

There are a number of manufacturers willing and able to customise wheelchair-friendly caravans, but it’s fair to say that Regal is at the top of the tree. As a custom manufacturer that relishes challenging builds, the Regal Access Van (RAV) was born about seven years ago. It’s a highly engineered slide-out caravan specifically designed around the needs of somebody in a wheelchair.

EASY REACH

One of the biggest challenges for people in a wheelchair, obviously, would be entering their caravan. I’ve seen other manufacturers design ramps and other solutions, but the Regal Access Van uses an AMF Bruns lift rated to 300kg. This is a brilliant device. It features a remote control that allows the user to raise or lower the lift system, though you can option in the ability to pair it to an app on your smartphone. No ramps to set-up. Literally, push a button and the lift will deploy.

Clearly, one of the issues somebody in a wheelchair would face is that of space for their chair. Things needs to be wider. That’s why the RAV has a slide-out – with some differences. First, you’ll notice that there is no step up into the slide-out lounge. Makes sense. Further, Regal has intentionally omitted any permanent table setup. That way, somebody in a wheelchair can move to the lounge and transfer themselves without encumbrance. The table that is provided is a portable unit that can be just as easily used inside as out. The slide-out lounge is equipped with a 12V fan, reading lights and a 240V and 12V powerpoint. Slimline drawers are fitted beneath the lounge too.

Let’s talk about the bedroom in the front of the van. First, the east-west orientation of the bed saves space but let’s face it, this tandem-axle an is necessarily a big unit to start with. But the bed itself is another brilliant addition.

Now, out of the couple who ordered this van, one is in a wheelchair. The other partner is able to sleep against the front wall on the conventional flat mattress. The outer mattress, though, can be raised and lowered at the push of a button to facilitate easy transfer from the wheelchair to bed, and the foot and back rests can be raised too.

The Regal Access Van is filled with similar wheelchair-friendly touches. Take the kitchen, for example. First, the customers asked Regal to lower the overall bench height by about 50mm. No problem. The customers also wanted a bench extension that slides out from beneath the main bench – that way, the person in the wheelchair can move their legs under the extension, allowing them to use their arms at the bench extension without having to reach.

The kitchen is equipped with a four-burner cooktop, griller and oven, as well as a microwave below the bench (again, making access easier).

Moving to the bathroom, you’ll find loads of custom touches. First, the bathroom is big and open, filled with cupboards, a diesel heater vent for improved bathroom climate control, a sink that’s half recessed into the vanity (allowing someone in a wheelchair to move underneath for better access to the sink), and then there’s the bathroom’s focal point: the shower. But this is no ordinary shower. First, there’s no lip or water-stop for someone in a wheelchair to overcome. They can simply roll straight in. Regal has also provided two shower heads, grab rails and a shower curtain – all items designed to make caravanning in a wheelchair not only achievable but comfortable. 

It continues: the hatches are activated by remote control. Obviously, someone in a wheelchair couldn’t reach the roof hatches, so it’s a case of technology to the rescue. 

As someone who is not confined to a wheelchair, I am unable to fully appreciate or understand the difficulties that would need to be overcome to travel by caravan. That said, from what I can tell, the RAV addresses such challenges in practical ways. I would imagine that for somebody in a wheelchair, the word ‘access’ would take on new meaning, and it seems a fitting description for the Regal Access Van. That’s what this van is all about – access.

Yes, the van is fitted with all of the usual equipment – a TV, a sound system, a diesel heater, reverse-cycle AC – and it is not slapped together. This is Regal we’re talking about – if you know anything about the team behind the business, you know they take pride in what they do and that it shows.

REGAL ACCESS VAN EXTERIOR

As expected, it isn’t a light rig and I do not intend that as a criticism. After all, we’re talking about a van that by its very nature needs to be on the larger side. It tips the scales at 3170kg Tare, with an ATM of 3990kg and an unladen ball weight of 320kg.

The van is built atop of a 6in chassis with airbag suspension, with two Pedders shock absorbers per wheel, mounted perpendicular to the ground for optimal performance. The fresh water supply comes courtesy of two 200L tanks – a grey water tank is included as well – so that’s a lot of water capacity. 

As expected these days, the Regal Access Van comes with a decent 12V system as well. It is comprised of two 200Ah lithium batteries, a DC-DC charger, a 3000W inverter wired to all internal powerpoints, an a battery management system. It’s all Enerdrive gear, mounted inside a forward offside locker. The Enerdrive MPPT solar regulators, however, are kept in an internal locker.

Moving to the front of the van, you’ll find a small checkerplate storage locker complete with two 9kg gas cylinders and an offside slide-out tray. Notably, the van comes with the Black Jack electric jockey stand – just push a button, with no need to wind a handle. I did wonder, however, if the tank for the diesel heater, mounted on the face of the storage box, could do with a stoneguard.

On the nearside is a Weber Baby Q on a slide-out, an electric awning (of course), a picnic table, a couple of speakers, and some 12V points.

Here’s a feature I loved, and don’t see very often: a collapsible clothes-line on the offside of the van. It’s permanently mounted, and it folds out incredibly easily. It does sit a little high for someone in a wheelchair; however, it was pointed out that the position of the clothesline was at the request of the customer, and I can’t criticise that!

SUMMING UP

As I mentioned, this van is about access. Even the caravan’s door has been customised to accommodate the width of the AMF Bruns lift and of course a wheelchair. 

The Regal Access Van shows what caravans can be. Sure, the market is flooded with otherwise homogenous vans built to a price. But what if your travel or physical needs were unique, or you just had some mad-scientist ideas that you’d like to see realised in your own rig?

Plenty of manufacturers would turn you away. But not Regal, and that’s what I’ve come to admire about this company. It isn’t just that Regal’s vans are high quality, it’s that the company isn’t afraid to use its experience and expertise to create unique machines designed to get you into the great outdoors according to your needs, tastes and ideas.

COMPLETE SPECS