Jeb & Cassie’s New Leader Xpedition: Built for Life on the Road

After months of planning, countless decisions, and a trip to Melbourne to watch it being built, Jeb and Cassie’s new Leader Xpedition has finally arrived at Adelaide RV and they’re officially ready to hit the road.

This isn’t just a new caravan for the first family of Adelaide RV. After selling their house and putting their furniture into storage, Jeb, Cassie, and Stella are preparing to spend extended periods travelling Australia. They’ll be working remotely and finally experiencing the lifestyle that Adelaide RV has encouraged thousands of other families to enjoy.

That meant their new Leader Xpedition needed to be more than a great-looking off-road caravan, it needed to become a true home on wheels.

Designing Their Leader Xpedition Around Family Life

Having travelled in plenty of different caravans over the years, Jeb and Cassie had a long list of things they loved – and a few things they wanted to do differently. Their goal was to take those lessons and create a layout specifically suited to their growing family (they’ve just announced a new member is on the way!) and the way they actually travel.

Their starting point was a 22-foot Leader Xpedition double-bunk, double-door layout with a centre ensuite, but plenty of changes soon followed.

The second entry door at the rear was removed, creating additional wardrobe and storage space while also making the rear bunk area more secure for Stella. The centre ensuite then creates a natural divide between the kids’ area and the front living space. At bedtime, two solid timber sliding doors can close off Stella’s end of the caravan while Jeb and Cassie can continue using the kitchen and lounge.

The traditional L-shaped lounge was also replaced by a long straight seat and oversized table. It provides plenty of room for family meals, and importantly gives Jeb enough space for working remotely.

A Bedroom Designed Differently

One of the more controversial changes is the position of the queen bed. Rather than a traditional island bed, it has been pushed against the driver’s-side wall. Previous trips had taught Jeb and Cassie that the narrow space beside an island bed often became little more than a dumping ground for shoes, clothes and bags.

Moving the bed opened up a surprisingly large area beside it, providing more room for getting changed and another wardrobe. It also creates enough floor space alongside the bed for a bassinet when their second child arrives.

This change has another major benefit: storage. With the bed against the wall and the electrical equipment positioned elsewhere, the area underneath becomes a large, uninterrupted storage compartment accessable from the outside.

Off-Grid Power for the Leader Xpedition

Extended travel also means being less reliant on caravan parks and powered sites.

The Leader Xpedition has been fitted with a comprehensive REDARC electrical system, including a large lithium battery bank, 3000W inverter, extensive rooftop solar and REDARC’s TVMS Rogue and RedVision technology. This allows Jeb to monitor and control many of the van’s electrical functions from his phone, and gives them the ability to run major appliances while travelling off-grid.

There’s enough capacity that Jeb has even decided to leave their generator at home for their first trip, saving around 27kg of additional weight.

Weight was an important consideration throughout the build. Rather than fitting airbag suspension, they chose Cruisemaster XT independent suspension, a setup Jeb had already experienced on a previous Xpedition and found performed extremely well.

Underneath is a truss chassis, helping create a flat internal floor without wheel boxes intruding into the cabinetry and storage areas.

Making Storage a Priority

Another lesson from previous vans was that sometimes the best feature is simply having somewhere to put everything.

The slide-out external kitchen used on their previous Territory X has been deleted. Most of their cooking will still happen outside on a barbecue, so removing the large slide-out unit saves weight and gives them substantially more tunnel-boot storage.

That storage is spread throughout the van, including the front tunnel boot, rear storage beneath the bunks and the large compartment beneath the bed.

Up front, the large toolbox provides dedicated space for their barbecue and other travelling gear, with a wood rack above. An extended A-frame also accommodates a large stone guard to provide additional protection when they venture away from the bitumen.

A Caravan That Feels Like Home

Cassie took the lead when it came to making the interior feel less like a caravan and more like a home.

The light interior combines white finishes, timber elements, gold tapware, and soft furnishings, complemented by feature lighting beneath the furniture. The kitchen includes an induction cooktop, soft-close drawers, plenty of bench space and even a dedicated slide-out home for the coffee machine – something that was firmly on Cassie’s must-have list from day one.

Stella has her own space at the rear, complete with bunks, storage, a fan and a custom white bunk net. With only one bunk currently needed for sleeping, the upper bunk has become valuable storage for toys and other family gear.

Then there’s one of the most talked-about additions to the entire Leader Xpedition: the washing machine.

Instead of installing it inside the caravan, a 4kg machine has been fitted into a custom external compartment where the second door would have been. Dirty clothes can be passed into the laundry area from inside the van, while washing can be loaded and unloaded outside before going directly onto the clothesline. This is the first time Leader have done this laundry hatch, but it certainly won’t be the last.

From the Factory Floor to the Open Road

Jeb and Cassie were also fortunate enough to follow their Leader Xpedition through production at the Supreme and Leader manufacturing facilities in Melbourne.

Their van uses the new sandwich-panel construction method, with one-piece fibreglass walls and roof. During their factory visit, they were able to see the cabinetry, electrical system and custom features being installed before watching the exterior walls go into position.

Now, all those plans and decisions have become a finished caravan.

More importantly, the new Leader Xpedition represents the beginning of something Jeb and Cassie have talked about for years. They’ll be travelling Australia for extended periods, testing the van in real-world conditions, visiting incredible destinations, and sharing what they learn along the way.

There will undoubtedly be features they love and things they might change next time, but that’s all part of the adventure.

After years spent helping other families find their caravan and start exploring Australia, it’s finally Jeb, Cassie, and Stella’s turn.