The best trips start long before you turn the key. Come spring, the tracks open up, the caravan parks fill, and thousands of Aussie rigs point north and west for the touring season — and the ones that have the best time are almost always the ones that prepped early. A setup sorted in the driveway beats a problem sorted a hundred kilometres from the nearest town, every single time.
The trouble is, "getting the rig ready" can feel like a mountain. Where do you start? What actually earns its place in the vehicle, and what just adds weight? After years of building gear for Australian tourers, we've boiled it down to the essentials that make the biggest difference to your safety, comfort and peace of mind on the road.
Here's a complete, group-by-group checklist to work through before you leave — whether you're chasing a weekend in the High Country or a full lap of the country. Let your route and how remote you're heading guide how far you take each section: a black-top holiday needs less than a Simpson Desert crossing, and that's exactly the point.
Before You Pack a Thing: Match Your Setup to Your Trip
One quick word before the gear. The single most common mistake is overpacking — and it's not just a storage headache. Every extra kilo affects your towing, your fuel bill, your tyre wear and, in a recovery, your safety. So the goal isn't to carry everything; it's to carry the right things for where you're actually going.
Ask yourself three questions:
- How remote am I going? Bitumen and big towns, or genuinely off-grid?
- How long for? A week, a season, or full-time on the road?
- What am I towing? A caravan and dual-battery setup demand more than a swag in the ute tray.
Keep those answers in mind as you work through the list. Now, let's get the rig ready.
1. Communication: Stay Connected When Your Phone Won't
Mobile coverage disappears fast once you leave the highway, and that's exactly when staying in touch matters most — talking to your convoy, hearing hazard warnings ahead, or coordinating a recovery. This is the first box every touring setup should tick.
UHF CB Radio
A quality UHF CB radio is the backbone of remote communication in Australia. It works where phones don't, and it's how tourers talk car-to-car, call ahead on single-lane tracks, and stay coordinated when things get tricky.
For serious touring, a fixed-mount radio is hard to beat — more power, better range, and a vehicle-mounted antenna doing the heavy lifting. Look for quality features like the Oricom Dual Receive so you can listen to two channels at once, and an easy-to-use control layout you can operate without taking your eyes off the track - thats the Oricom Jog wheel. A handheld UHF is a smart addition too, for spotting during recoveries and around camp.
Checklist:
✔ Radio fitted and tested.
✔ Know your channels (UHF 40 for highways, 10 for convoys/parks, 5 or 35 for emergencies).
The Right Antenna
Even the best radio is only as good as the antenna on top of it. Antenna choice makes or breaks your range, and the right one depends on your terrain:
- Lower-gain antennas perform better in hilly, mountainous or heavily treed country, where the signal needs to spread.
- Higher-gain antennas are ideal for flat, open highways and deserts, where they throw the signal further down the road.
Plenty of experienced tourers carry an interchangeable whip or two so they can adapt as the landscape changes. A heavy-duty fibreglass or all-terrain antenna will also shrug off corrugations and tight bush tracks far better than a budget option.
Checklist:
✔ Antenna matched to your terrain.
✔ Mounted clear of obstructions.
✔ Spare whip packed for longer trips.
✔ Elevation is the best friend of extended range.
2. Tyres & Terrain: The Difference Between a Great Day and a Long One
Tyres are where your trip meets the ground — and tyre trouble is one of the most common reasons a touring day turns pear-shaped. Getting your pressures right (and knowing when they're wrong) is non-negotiable off the black-top.
Tyre Deflators & Air Compressors
Airing down before sand, mud or rocky terrain improves traction, softens the ride and dramatically reduces the chance of punctures. But you have to air back up before you hit the bitumen again — and doing that quickly and accurately means carrying the right kit.
A quality tyre deflator lets you drop pressures fast and evenly, while a strong air compressor gets you road-ready without the wait. For larger 4WDs, caravans and extended trips, a twin-cylinder compressor is worth its weight for the faster inflation times.
Checklist:
✔ Deflator packed
✔ Compressor tested and matched to your tyre size
✔ You know your on-road and off-road pressures
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
A TPMS gives you pressure and temperature readings for every tyre — including the ones on your caravan or trailer, which you'd otherwise never see. It's the early-warning system that catches a slow leak or an overheating tyre before it becomes a blowout at highway speed.
For anyone towing over long, hot distances, this is one of the highest-value safety upgrades you can make.
Checklist:
✔ Sensors fitted to vehicle and trailer/van
✔ Alerts set for your pressure range
✔ Display mounted where you can glance at it
3. Power & Battery: Keep Everything Running
Modern touring vehicles ask a lot of their batteries — fridges, lights, compressors, chargers and comms all draw power, often far from a powered site. A flat battery in a remote spot is more than an inconvenience; it can end a trip. Cover the three jobs — rescue, recharge and monitor — and you'll rarely get caught out.
Jump Starter (the rescue)
A compact lithium jump starter lives happily in the glovebox and gets you going in seconds — no waiting on a passer-by, no expensive callout. Modern units double as a power bank and an emergency LED torch, so they earn their space several times over. If you travel through dust, mud or wet, look for an IP-rated model built to cope.
Battery Charger (the recharge)
A good battery charger and maintainer does more than refill a battery — multi-stage charging tops it up safely and holds it there without overcharging, which means longer battery life. It's also the smart way to keep a caravan, boat or seasonal vehicle healthy while it's parked up between trips.
Battery Monitor (the watch)
The best breakdown is the one that never happens. A battery sense monitor keeps an eye on your cranking and charging performance and can flag a tired battery — straight to your phone — before it leaves you stranded.
Checklist:
✔ Jump starter charged and packed
✔ Charger/maintainer on the battery before you leave
✔ Monitor fitted for longer or off-grid trips
4. Visibility & Maneuvering: Confidence in Tight Spots
Reversing a loaded van into a bush campsite at dusk is stressful enough without guessing what's behind you. A few visibility upgrades make daily life on the road safer and a whole lot calmer.
Reversing Camera
A reversing camera isn't just a convenience — it's a genuine safety feature when you're backing a trailer, dodging obstacles or squeezing into a tight site. Wireless systems have become popular for caravans and trailers thanks to their simpler install and flexibility.
Parking Sensors
Add parking sensors for that extra layer of awareness in the blind spots a camera can't quite cover — handy in crowded parks and around camp.
Camp & Track Lighting
Good lighting transforms an after-dark arrival. Low-draw LED options — from work lights to rock lights under the rig — improve safety and comfort without punishing your battery.
Checklist:
✔ Camera fitted and tested at night
✔ Sensors working
✔ Camp lighting packed and charged
5. Camp Setup: The Comfort That Makes the Trip
Once you've arrived, the little things decide whether camp feels like a chore or a reward. A level rig is at the top of that list.
Caravan or RV Leveller
Setting up on uneven ground is one of the most fiddly parts of any stopover — and a poorly levelled van means a fridge that struggles and a restless night's sleep. A smart RV leveller takes the guesswork out of it, getting you level in minutes instead of endless back-and-forth on the ramps. (We wrote a full how-to on that here.)
Checklist:
✔ Leveller packed
✔ Chocks and ramps on board
✔ Practiced the setup once at home
New to Touring vs. Seasoned Tourer: Where to Start
Not sure how much of this list applies to you? Here's a quick steer.
If you're new to touring and mostly sticking to sealed roads and established parks, start with the non-negotiables: a UHF CB radio and antenna, a jump starter, and a reversing camera if you're towing. These three cover communication, emergency power and safe maneuvering — the areas where first-timers most often get caught out.
If you're a seasoned tourer heading genuinely remote or full-time, build out the full kit: add a TPMS for towing safety, a battery monitor and charger for off-grid power management, an air compressor and deflator for airing up and down, and an RV leveller for comfortable camps. The further from town you go, the more each of these pays for itself.
The smartest setups aren't the ones with the most gear — they're the ones matched to the trip.
Print This, Then Get the Rig Ready
Touring season rewards the prepared. Work through these five groups — communication, tyres, power, visibility and camp setup — and you'll roll out the driveway knowing your rig is ready for whatever the tracks throw at it.
Every product in this checklist is Australian-owned and warranty-backed, designed and tested for the conditions you're actually heading into.
Ready to get set up? Explore the full range of Oricom touring gear and tick off your pre-trip checklist today.
