We Asked the Owners About the Good, Bad, and Ugly

Choosing a caravan isn’t like picking a new set of MaxTrax; it’s a massive financial and lifestyle commitment. You need to know that what you’re buying is going to hold up to the abuse of the Aussie road network and keep you comfortable when you’re parked up in the outback.

To help you cut through the marketing noise, we sat down with the owners of a 2023 Snowy River SRC-16, who’ve put their van through its paces. They’ve owned it for two years, clocked over 25,000 km, and recently spent nearly four months living out of it full-time. They’ve got the kind of unfiltered, long-term experience you simply cannot get from a five-minute dealer walk-through.

This is their honest verdict on the compact 16-footer: the good, the bad, and the truly ugly warranty headaches.

Quick Specs & Towing Setup

The SRC-16 is designed to be a compact, maneuverable van, but it still packs a decent punch in terms of weight when loaded up.

Specification	Value	Source
Model	2023 Snowy River Caravans SRC-16 (16-Foot)	Owners
Tare Weight	1950 kg	Manufacturer/Owners
ATM	2500 kg	Manufacturer/Owners
Coupling Load	190 kg	Manufacturer/Owners
Owners’ Purchase Price	$62,000 (2023)	Owners

Towing Experience: Jim tows the van with a 2015 Isuzu MU-X that has had a GVM upgrade to stiffen it up. He gave the towing a big tick, noting that the van is “fairly easy to tow” and tracks well on the road.

The Good: Why the SRC-16 Wins on the Road

For a compact van, the SRC-16 scored high in several key areas that make life on the road enjoyable and practical:

Compact Comfort: It’s easy to keep clean and is “nice and neat and compact,” yet surprisingly comfortable. Sandy confirmed that, in a pinch, the van can hold four adults and three dogs—a feat they accomplished during a rainy stint in Albany.
Ample Storage: For its size, the van offers excellent storage, with four big drawers and two large cupboards in the kitchen area alone. Jim uses the space under the L-shaped lounge to store heavy items like jacks to balance the weight of the fridge on the opposite side.
Fantastic Bathroom: The shower is comfortable for a big bloke (once you get used to the space), and the hot water system — provides good heat and height.
The Big Fridge Upgrade: The owners wisely upgraded to a large 190L fridge. Crucially, it runs on three settings: 12V, 240V (mains power), and gas, giving them maximum flexibility wherever they camp.
Tunnel Boot & Exterior Features: The tunnel boot is roomy enough to store their Ziggy Nomad BBQ and stand. On the entrance side, you get a handy picnic table, twin external speakers, and an external power outlet for appliances like an air fryer.

The Bad: Design Flaws & Comfort Compromises

No van is perfect, and the long-term use uncovered several flaws that Sandy and Jim were quick to point out.

The Kitchen Sink Blunder

The biggest design miss is the all-in-one kitchen sink and three-burner stove top. If you fill the sink too high while doing dishes, the water can flood the gas burners, rendering them useless for days until they dry out.

The Hot Tip: If you’re looking at this van or another with a similar design, the owners strongly recommend choosing a model with separate sink and cooktop areas.

Hot Water Headache

The van is fitted with a small 12L hot water tank. This means if you want a proper hot shower, you can’t run the water at full, and you must wait between consecutive showers for the water to reheat. The owners suggested that an instantaneous gas hot water system would be a vast improvement for anyone planning long trips or showering frequently.

Comfort Compromises

The Mattress: The factory mattress was described as “really awful.” They immediately had to purchase a $600 memory foam topper from Clark Rubber.
The Bed Layout: The van has an east-west bed. While Jim (6’2″) and Sandy fit along with their dog Max, the owners said if they bought another van, they would “definitely” choose a north-south bed arrangement for better space and comfort.
Noisy AC: The air conditioner works brilliantly for both heating and cooling—a lifesaver in WA weather—but it is “very noisy”.

The Ugly: Warranty Headaches and The Waiting Game

This is where the van’s two-year history turns sour. The owners faced problems from the moment they picked up the van, and the subsequent warranty process has been a major source of stress.

Damage on Day Zero

On pickup, the van already had three issues:

A dented tunnel boot that had to be replaced.
A non-working brake light.
Water condensation in the clearance lights.

The Ongoing Waiting Game

During their recent 4-month trip, new issues cropped up that are still waiting for repair approval and parts:

The range hood fan stopped working in April.
An internal window frame is coming off.
The Sorco fan broke and is awkwardly placed.

Despite the issues being logged in April, the warranty claims were only approved in September—five months later. To make matters worse, the van is now out of warranty, though the repairs are covered since they were logged while the warranty was active.

The Takeaway: When dealing with warranty claims, the owners highly recommend using the email route rather than the phone, as a written trail provides leverage and ensures a response.

Off-Grid Limitations: Who is this Van For?

While the SRC-16 can handle some off-grid time, its biggest weakness for extended remote touring is the cassette toilet and water storage.

The Cassette Limit: The cassette toilet lasts about three days for two people, or even less with extra guests. After a three-night trip with four people using it, the toilet was completely full.
The Verdict: If you are a couple primarily sticking to caravan parks, or only doing short off-grid stints (2-3 days), this van has the gear for you. If your dream is long-term, self-sufficient touring in the heart of WA, you will be limited by the toilet and water, and the owners suggest looking into a van with a compostable toilet to extend your stay.

The Final Verdict: SRC-16 Long-Term Review

After 25,000 km, the Snowy River SRC-16 proved itself to be a comfortable, capable, and easy-to-tow van that is excellent value for money. However, be prepared to replace the mattress and factor in the major design flaws (sink/stove) and the potential for a slow, painful warranty process.

Pros	Cons
Tows Easily and is manageable at 16ft.	Terrible Factory Mattress—expect to spend $600+ on a topper/replacement.
Excellent Storage for a compact van.	Small 12L Hot Water Tank requires long waits between showers.
Upgraded 190L Fridge runs on 3 power sources.	Flawed All-in-One Sink/Stove design is prone to flooding the burners.
Great Bang for Buck at the time of purchase.	The Cassette Toilet limits off-grid stay to ~3 days.
Powerful AC/Heater (but noisy).	Frustrating & Slow Warranty Process—6+ months for initial repairs.

What’s Your Rig?

We love hearing about your setups. If you’ve towed the SRC-16 or another compact van, tell us what you’re towing and what you’re towing it with in the comments below!

Watch the full, in-depth walk-through and owner Q&A in the video here: Snowy River SRC-16: Full Walk-Through & Honest Long-Term Review

Need gear for your build? Check out our website for DIY guides and reviews: https://office2outback.com/