Back

Bathed in comfort, Mr 4X4's go-anywhere F-150 is the envy of the Outback

Aus J Hot Water Solutions

When one of Australia’s best known adventure travellers sets out to build his own dream machine, he packs decades of experience and 4wd wisdom into the products he personally selects to fit out his Ford F-150 go-anywhere masterpiece.

 

But Pat Callinan’s latest and greatest automotive tool of the trade – proudly featured in his 4X4 Adventures on Channel 10 and BOLD – features the kind of practical creature comforts and luxurious touches that inspire admiration wherever it goes.

 

“We get a lot of comment about the beer, water, coffee or even gin and tonic on tap – especially when we pour beer from the tank integrated into the F-150’s built-in creature comforts.

 

“Plus, our wrap-around awnings, shower tent and clean and efficient induction cookers are just par for the course, really, when feeding a hungry crew a hundred kilometres down a dirt road for weeks on end,” says Pat, whose fitout caters not only for his own preferences, but also for the wants and needs of hard-working TV crews who have accompanied him over 25 years of adventure and 18 seasons of his high-rating show.

 

His personal F-150 features a robust, adventure-ready setup focusing on power, storage, and comfort. It includes features like a 205L fuel tank, a 3000W REDARC inverter, a REDARC battery management system, and Night Hawk VCT driving lights, all designed for long-distance travel and off-roading. 

 

Then there is a big set of 35in Rugged Trek muddies from Cooper Tires, 20in KMC “Wrath” alloy wheels with a zero offset, a suspension lift from the team at Outback Armour. “I’ve gone for the adjustable shock absorbers on this build, and the transformation as you dial them up and down is really quite brilliant,” says Pat, who has loved F-150s since he played with a matchbox toy size of one before he could walk.

 

Creature comforts

 

His dream-come-true ideal vehicle is perfect for him and his men and women crews down to the last detail – “After a long, dusty day on the road (or a plunge in cool billabongs, streams, or sea) people just love the comfort and refreshment of a warm shower,” says Pat, who chose to go the all-electric water heating route, for multiple reasons. These include clean, pollution-free efficiency, high compatibility with existing vehicle electrics, safety, reduced weight, curtailed water losses during heating up, plus simplicity of installation (no dual plumbing for gas and electricity required, a cost and engineering benefit).

 

“We looked at all the water heating options on the market first, seeking bang for your buck, functionality, and durability. What came up tops was the Australian-engineered Duoetto 12V/240V switchable 10-litre Duoetto, which ticked all the boxes – and which had already demonstrated its toughness in use locally and internationally in applications ranging from city to sea, from desert to mountains.

 

“The guy who designs it – Jay King of Aus J Hot Water solutions – is an off-road driver himself, and it shows. He actually built his own 4wd HiAce camper as a test bed for his Duoetto MK2 water heater, which he installed unprotected underneath, exposed to the elements. Usually, when OEMs and DIY builders install these compact heaters, they tuck away neatly inside where they are protected. But Jay reckons he had a point to prove by putting it underneath his HiAce and roughing it over multiple surfaces in the NSW and Queensland Outback.

 

“We weren’t quite that hard on it in our installation, because it was easy to integrate onboard with existing electrical gear. We tied it into our large power system with lithium batteries and REDARC solar, as well as linking it to our 150-litre water supply which we tap into where greater off-road capacity is required.

 

“We can shower our whole crew of six with it, because everyone knows how to shower efficiently, so the capacity is perfect. Plus, we can use it for convenience and hygiene, by washing grease off the dishes properly, for example. Some use it to clean up the dog after it has been rolling in the mud or sand – cold dogs love a hot shower, just like humans.

 

“The solar efficiency of the Duoetto is great. The unit really shines in its efficient 12V mode. Plus, we can charge it using the vehicle’s alternator if we want to, before we camp. And the water holds its temperature really well.”

 

Pat’s F-150 has travelled about 12-15,000km now with the Duoetto on board, which is holding up as promised. “Even on worst corrugated roads, on Dirk Hartog Island, for instance, the Duoetto’s performance stayed right up there.

 

“We took a trip to the remote Canning stock route and had plenty of hot showers in one of the most remote places in Australia, and I thought ‘this is really ridiculous, really great.’

 

“It is also a wonderful thing to have a hot shower after a cold swim, like in the chilly waters off WA. Using Jay’s EZY RV shower head inside our shower tent, it was perfect for the crew. We had fellow campers looking on at our civilised comforts, enviously thinking ‘you lucky bastards,’ seeing us take hot showers.

 

“You can get pretty grubby out on the trail. Having hot water on tap seems like a small thing to a lot of 4wd adventurers, but one you have experienced it, once you have washed off the dust of the road, or once you have warmed up after a brisk swim, you’ll never go back to being without it.

 

Electricity is the future for adventure travel, says Jay King, whose company has manufactured both gas and electric heaters. “Electric power is right on the money for clean, green and safe electric hot water, especially for 4wd travel or boating to pristine, isolated places.

 

“After all, why would you want to pollute the pristine places you are visiting because they are so untouched. Electricity makes sense on so many levels.”

About us:

About Aus J Hot Water Solutions

Aus J (www.ausj.com.au) offers a range of innovative gas and electric water heaters with models for domestic, commercial, and recreational applications, including a 240V 10-litre Aqueous water heater designed to provide homes with near-instant hot water and reduce the wastage by having the heater located under the sink.

Contact details:

Jack Mallen-Cooper
PR Consultant
Whyte Public Relations
(02) 9901 4306
[email protected]