There’s no shortage of 4X4 gear on the market these days. Every second ute has a lift, lights, or a so-called “adventure rack” bolted to the tub. But when you spend any real time off-road you learn pretty quickly that not all gear is created equal.
That’s what makes ARB’s 50th anniversary worth paying attention to.
It’s not just about hitting a marketing milestone. It’s about recognising a rare thing in the 4X4 world. A company that doesn’t just sell the touring lifestyle, they live and breathe it.
Still Getting Dirty After 50 Years
To celebrate the big five-oh, ARB is spending the year doing what they’ve always done: heading bush, pushing 4X4s to their limits, and breaking a sweat on the recovery gear. Their latest trip took them through South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, tackling rocky climbs, iconic ridge tracks, and soft red dunes, all while towing trailers and giving their gear a proper test.
No influencers. No carpark photo shoots. Just real-world touring in tough terrain.
Sure, there were a few creature-comforted wagons on the trip. But what stood out wasn’t the rigs, it was the gear holding it all together. From compressors to barwork, recovery kits to lighting setups, this was ARB using their own equipment in the kind of conditions many brands only read about in a catalogue brief.
They Still Make Gear the Hard Way, By Testing It
There’s a reason you’ll find ARB kit on remote fire trucks, mining vehicles, and serious tourers from Broome to the Cape. They’ve always backed their products with something better than a brochure, real field time.
And this trip showed that philosophy is alive and well. Gear got tested. Sidewalls got torn. Lockers got a workout, and recovery gear earned its keep more than once.
It’s this cycle, build it, test it, fix it, improve it, that’s kept ARB relevant for five decades, even as the rest of the industry’s pivoted to marketing videos and influencer hype.
A Nod to Where It All Began
ARB started in 1975 after a trip to Cape York left founder Tony Brown frustrated with the lack of gear tough enough for remote travel. That mission hasn’t changed. Their bullbars, roof systems and suspension aren’t just designed to look good in a car park, they’re built to survive creek crossings, corrugations and the kind of terrain where failure isn’t an option.
You can see that in the way their current team treats a trip like the Flinders Ranges. It’s part field test, part celebration, and part reunion of the people who’ve shaped the brand over the years. From race mechanics to station owners and long-time ARB store owners with the red dirt still under their fingernails.
Why It Matters to Us
At Mr 4X4, we spend a lot of time in the bush. And we know the difference between a touring setup that works, and one that just looks the part. That’s why it matters when companies like ARB go out and walk the walk, especially in a place like the Flinders.
Fifty years on, they’re still investing in better gear, still listening to what real travellers need, and still throwing themselves up steep rocky climbs so the rest of us don’t have to find out the hard way what doesn’t work.
