Camper Trailer

[Pauly85 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauly85]

Hey all.

So im just back from first trip to the Kimberleys. I was only able to do 7 nights but I enjoyed every minute of it.
I camped in a roof top. It was ok but didnt leave much room downstairs. And the 150 was packed to the roof!!!!

Im now planning another trip for myself and the missus in May. But looking at doing it in a camper trailer.
Im budgeted to 10k. So looking at advice from people that have them.

Any help would be great.

Cheers

Paulie

[Mattfunk 120 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mattfunk 120]

Definitely look at 2nd hand , you'll get way more bang for your buck. We went 2nd hand and got all the bells and whistles we couldn't afford new. Paid 12k for an Aussie made offroad trailer that was bought for 20k 2 years earlier

[Dobbo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dobbo]

We just came back from there 4 weeks ago. Towed a 2005 Challenge Outback that I picked up for 6K. New they're worth 19k.
Had no problems at all with it, apart from shredding the stone guard and the anderson plug coming loose from the car and abrading away.

Whatever you buy, make sure you check that the shackle pins and bushes etc are in good condition. I renewed all mine before we left, just checked them on the weekend and they need re doing. Those corrugations are pretty hard on these components.

Cheers,

Dobbo.

[mybo Member Find all posts View Profile Close mybo]

I agree.. with that budget look second hand, and don't be afraid to travel interstate to pick up a good one.
We got ours a couple of months ago, travelled from Central West NSW down to Melbourne for it.
It is a 7 year old Tru Blu Camper - Vulture Model that we picked up for $5k. The reason we chose this one was because it is all Australian made with top quality Australian canvas and a full off-road trailer. We looked at buying the trailer and tent top separately, but you are looking at $5k+ just for the tent top if it is made from Australian canvas. This one is in perfect condition, so we are super happy with our decision.




Some tips from all the research I did:
- First thing, decide what you really NEED - not what the glossy brochure says you should have. Do you go camping alone or as a couple only? Then you shouldn't need any bigger than a 9 foot tent. Do you have 2-3 kids? Then you'll want a bigger tent.
- Bigger tents means more material, poles, etc. They are heavier to tow, take longer to set-up and take down, require a larger campsite to fit in. Ours is a 9 foot tent, it is plenty big enough for the two of us (no kids), but there is also plenty of room for another bed on the floor, along with our clothes, etc.
- There are a ton of imported tent tops from china that local manufacturers are bolting on top of locally made trailers. These seem to vary in quality by a lot! Most important is the quality of the canvas, the zips and stitching, and the configuration of poles to get it all set-up and taught.
- Canvas: Australian canvas (see http://www.waxcon.com.au/dynaproofed...nvas-tents.htm billabong and DX12 are the ones used in camper trailers) is generally superior to imported, but also around twice the price. When trying to compare canvas, look at the poly/cotton ratio and the hydrostatic head, rather than just the weight (heavier is not always better). You want a poly/cotton ratio of around 65/35. More poly means less breathability, more cotton means heavier. If the material doesn't breathe, you will get condensation build up inside the tent on cold nights (I have literally had condensation dripping on me when staying in an imported rip-stop canvas tent). You can check the breathability by the hydrostatic head measurement. From memory, canvas needs a hydrostatic head of about 700mm to be waterproof enough for camping in all climates, but if the hydrostatic head is above 1000mm, then this indicates the material is less breatheable, and you risk the condensation issue. As for canvas weight, Southern Cross tents in Melbourne are one of the best reputed canvas tent manufacturers in Australia, and they use only 10-12 oz canvas (Billabong Dynaproofed). Many other reputed Australian manufacturers use 15 oz canvas. Many imported campers brag about 18 oz super-heavy duty canvas - I think this is just a marketing ploy to try to sell the cheaper imported product.
- Pole configuration: Look carefully at the erected tent, does it use extra 'spreader' poles to keep the canvas taught and additional up-rights compared to other models? This can indicate poor design and is used to combat issues with water pooling on the roof. Remember, more poles means more weight and setup time. Also look carefully at the awning setup. All manufacturers state their camper can be erected in 5 minutes, but this is just the main tent - the awning can take the most time to setup. Again, count how many poles, spreaders, etc (ours has just the three upright poles, that's it).
- As for the trailer, decide if you need full offroad capability, or just semi-offroad. Full offroad requires heavier gauge steel and improved suspension. Look at the ALKO website to educate yourself on suspension components (http://www.alko.com.au/vehicle-techn...ackle-springs/). "Outback" leaf-spring suspension is longer and has more travel. Also, rebound springs can be used instead of a spring/shocker combo. This can reduce the number of components that can possibly fail. Axle should be at least 45mm SQUARE (round profile has less weight carrying capacity for the same diameter - again check the ALKO website to confirm).
- Wheels: consider if you want the wheels to be the same size and the trailer to have the same track as your towing vehicle. If the track is identical, this will make it easier to tow through soft surfaces.
- Other bits and pieces: electric brakes are a good idea (you will need an electric brake controller in your car) if you are going for a heavy trailer (1 tonne+). Ours is around 750kg loaded, with no brakes. It's generally fine, but on steep decents I can feel it pushing the vehicle a bit, and puts extra strain on the vehicle brakes. Kitchens vary in quality - Drifta make great units that you can add later, or just use your regular camping setup (i.e. no fixed kitchen). Don't get carried away with a huge mounted water tank - it affects your clearance and adds a lot of weight behind the wheels - you can always carry jerry cans of water for longer trips. Electrical: almost everything can be done cheaper yourself than it will be charged by the manufacturer. You can get all your batteries, chargers, outlets, lighting etc from ebay suppliers at a fraction of the cost if you are willing to install it yourself.
Hope this general info helps - PM me for specifics about manufacturers I looked into, I might be able to steer you in the right direction.

[Mattfunk 120 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mattfunk 120]

Great write up Mybo , this would have saved me a bucketload of research before buying ours. As above , be willing to travel, we drove Brisbane to Canberra to buy ours. Customline actually made in brisbane

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

As per Mybo. Well said. I spent months looking and researching. I wanted an offroad rear fold, hard floor, braked model suitable for 2 people. I narrowed it down to Cub and Campomatic offroad models ie Australian. I ended up with a Campomatic from 1999 in excellent condition with electric and over ride brakes, independent Alko rubber suspension with brand new shocks, near new deep cycle battery, LED lights throughout, 3 brand new all terrain tyres. Putting it up takes about one minute ie unclip 2 clips and swing it over. Pack up on all of them takes longer because you have to tuck the canvas in carefully. I went rear fold because you don't have to climb over one another in the middle of the night but side fold will give a lot more space if you have kids. $10,000 will give you a lot of choice if you allow plenty of time. Be very wary of the imported stuff if you plan to go offroad/ long days on dirt roads. Have a look at the myswag.org website or campertrailers.org or exploreoz.org or caravan camping sales.comwebsites to get a good idea of what is for sale and other issues as well. happy hunting. Neil

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I went rear fold because you don't have to climb over one another in the middle of the night but side fold will give a lot more space if you have kids.

You don't have to climb over one another on all side fold campers, like mine for example

There are so any different options for campers it is almost impossible to sort through them all, if possible try and hire something like you might be interested in and take it away for a weekend to find out what suits you and what doesn't.

I agree with the others that secondhand is the go for you. Don't be fooled by the " full off road extreme" tags given to some of the cheaper brands, they are only off road because you shouldn't take them out of your driveway

Cheers Andrew

[Pauly85 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauly85]

Ive been on PP for a couple of years now. But only started using it for real in the last few months.
The stuff ive learnt from this forum is amazing. U ask a question and u get 10 answers.
At least I have got a direction to go in.
I actually like the look of the Tru Blu Campers. Or even GIC.
Im up in Darwin. So im looking at a long drive to Queensland/ NSW. A lot of secondhand trailers on Gumtree.
Let the fun researching begin.

Cheers

Paulie

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

. Or even GIC.

Cheers

Paulie

Run! Run far, run fast, don't look back!

Seriously though you won't find many bad comments on forums about these as GIC threatens to sue anyone who comments negatively, but take my word, heaps of negative stuff has been deleted from forums regards these.

Cheers Andrew

[iantz Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close iantz]

Look for a second hand Tambo. Great quality and Aussie made & they come up second hand if you keep an eye on gumtree etc. Challenge are Aussue made but way overpriced in my opinion new. Second hand is a better idea with this brand.

[Mattfunk 120 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mattfunk 120]

Yep what AJ120 said . Run!

[pete8205 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pete8205]

Hi Paulie
if you can get to a camping show and narrow down whats important to you and have a go at setting them up.
I would highly recommend electric brakes if you plan on taking it off road makes down hill decents so much easier and safer.
GIC good as a starting point if your willing to fix as you go otherwise stay away, mates kitchen fell off tailgate after driving Sydney to Kiama on their first trip!

[Pauly85 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauly85]

I reckon I have narrowed it down to 2.
Tru Blu and Trackabout.
2 good Tru Blu's in Vic and a couple good Trackabout in QLD.
And all of them in my price range.
So its just a matter of picking which one and driving to Vic or QLD.

Cheers

Paulie

[BlakMoth Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close BlakMoth]

So soon? We did the homework for a solid month before making the decision.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pauly85 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauly85]

I work fast BlakMoth.
And ive had a lot of help from a good couple of people.
Im a simple guy and no what I want.

Cheers

Paulie