Camping Gear Wins Big At Good Design Awards

A select group of Australia’s best camping and caravanning accessory manufacturers have all been given a nod in the prestigious Good Design Awards at a ceremony in the Sydney Opera House on Thursday May 17. Amongst the winners was South Australian electronics manufacturer Redarc, Sydney-based camping gear specialists Oztent and leaders in roof-racks and storage solutions, Rhino Rack. A BCF commissioned, futuristic tent design also got a gong, as did a Motorolla walkie-talkie.

The Good Design Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious international Awards for design and innovation with a proud history dating back to 1958. The Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian market, excellence in architectural design, digital and communication design, engineering design and fashion design as well as rewarding emerging areas of design including business model innovation and social impact.

Redarc Electronics were awarded for the new total vehicle management system, Redvision. A control centre for your caravan, four-wheel drive or RV, it’s capable of turning on or off just about anything and can monitor levels or track performance. It’s controlled by an easy to use control panel or via a dedicated smart phone app.

Oztent was given two awards. The first for its revolutionary HotSpot technology, which is an instantaneous and resuable hot or cold pouch that’s incorporated into select Oztent furniture products. It’ll provide up to an hour of heat or can be used as a cold pack on hot days. It’s second award was for the Oztent Swag, a miniature version of its 30 second tents, but designed for just a single person.

Rhino Rack’s evolution of the 270° vehicle awning earned it an award. The Batwing Vehicle Awning is a progression of the outstandingly popular Foxwing. The Batwing is completely self-contained, though, and its upright poles fold into the main assembly when it’s packed away for travel. A number of other innovations help it over the line, too, like it’s rope-less ground anchors.

The BCF-led design of the Capricorn suspension tent takes the concept of off-ground camping in an interesting direction. A sophisticated dome tent, the sleeping area is built in and raised off the ground, incorporating storage compartments underneath. The tent’s convection cooling system is designed to offer comfort to campers all year round.

Lastly, Motorolla’s hip range of personal two-way radios are designed to keep active outdoors people connected while they adventure. The Talkabout T82 Series Walkie-Talkies are impact resistant and waterproof, connect to Bluetooth, can be charged by USB and have a built in LED light. With up to 10km range, their ideal to stay in touch with camp if you like to explore.