Pondering the direction of our outdoor interests..

[Damien Parker Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Damien Parker]

Its exactly what i have been thinking of late myself.


For something i would use only a few times a year it just doesn't make much economic sense in the grand scheme of things.

I just need to get the go ahead for a fridge and couple of swags and i am set.

A drifta kitchen would be nice but not overly essential.

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

buy an A van :lol: will sove all ya problems, what you have planned seems like a pealer of an idea.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

I really don't mind the effort in setting a tent up for a 2 or more nights stay... it's really only about 45 mins from start to finish (and it's a complicated BCF thingamajig).

We have been thinking about a camper trailer purely to make overnighters a bit more appealing. There are a few around my local suburb selling for around 5k... obviously no bells and whistles but the amount of use it would get this is really all I could justify.

Now that I have the roof racks... cage yet to come... that's the bulky items... like the tent, chairs, gas bottle, table etc... out of the back of the Prado.

One of the guys on the Overlander forum travels with his son all the time and they have a really quick, swag and tarp set up that is sorted in about 20 mins.

The kitchen would be a luxury but a worth while one IMO

As for the fuel difference...
Loaded roof racks = increased drag
Trailer = increased weight, more rolling resistance.
:?: :?: :?:

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

Top idea for a thread, have been contemplating this exact idea for a while and the added burden of rising fuel prices is making me question the purchase of a camper trailer.

I,m still leaning towards a trailer, more for the ease of getting away from home quickly. As it stands it takes us bloody ages to get everything packed and into the car ready for a trip.

We know people who keep all their gear in the trailer, pack the food etc when thay are about to go, and are away from the house in a matter of minutes.

I think we would do many more close to home trips if we had a trailer, but i would probably lean towards the tent for longer trips.

Maybe we will see some more second hand trailers on the market :wink:

[waltec Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close waltec]

The best part of the Trailer Idea, is you have it prepacked (bedding, kitchen etc). You can go at a moments notice, grab clothes, food, hook the trailer on and your gone!!! Thats the thing that I like the most, especially in these busy times, if you need to get away, just go!!!

I'm yet to do a trip away with the camper, but did a trip over easter, with a box trailer packed with our gear and 5 kids in the prado, found my fuel eco was still good, same as normal city driving. I was happy with this considering the extra load.

Matt

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

No regrets at all with the Trak Shak.

It cost a tiny bit more than the 20K ...but its got over 20,000 Km of touring under its belt now .... and its tough as nails.

Its also quick to setup, really comfortable ..... and so damned convenient to keep all of the camping gear packed, ready to go.










The odd trip, with just one or two of the boys, and I'm happy to rough it and take the tent ..... but any time I'd like a bit of comfort, space, decent kitchen, extra water, undercover space, warmth etc .... I'll take the Shak. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Whoah, spooky. I've been thinking about what to do in this regard too. On a recent trip with some friends we took our old K-Mart dome tent with 10,000 pegs, guy ropes, clips and other assorted bits. To put it up properly takes about 1/2 an hour, thats if the ground is forgiving enough for tent pegs which it often isn't. Our friends had a big double swag that had a simple frame for holding the canvas off them complete with mosquito netting"windows". It took them 5 minutes to roll it out and set it up. No good in a thunderstorm they say because the canvas will eventually soak and let water through. But for mild rain there is no problem. The convenience of it really struck me as the way to go. On the flipside, you couldn't have any claustrophobic tendencies because the inside space is very small, and you errrrr have to sleep on top of each other just about... Added to this it didn't exactly roll up into a small size either. A definite contender for the roof rack. I'm currently thinking about looking for a dome tent system thats easier to set up and take down. Then maybe something bigger in future for weekenders or multi-night stays.

I'm always worried about parking at a walk trail carpark where the ranger says just yesterday some people had some gear stolen from their trailer or a caravan was broken into. The whole 5 hour hike I'm worried about our gear back at the car because I know that such carparks are targeted.

For simple weekenders I'm thinking some type of lockable roof rack like the Thule Pods where you can chuck stuff in there and lock it away. All other gear can stay locked in the car. Some hobby boxes with your stuff in the back plus fridge. Simple tent that goes up in minutes and has you relaxing with a coldy in minutes. Like the guys say though, bedding is the thing. I don't think I've found a comfortable air mattress yet!

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Matt, you know of my luck of late when it comes to camper trailers but I have now taken a new tack on this set back.

I am still adamant that a trailer is the ONLY way to go with a young family in tow. Swags and tents are great for singles or couples without kids but for those of us with kids then a trailer is the only viable option imo.

Lets say you get to your destination late in the afternoon and you then have to put the tent up before you can start to think about setting up the kitchen etc, meanwhile the youngsters are howling the forest down cause they are hungry and need changing and tired and ........

Right at his point in your trip you will be cursing the fact that you did not have a trailer that can be set up quickly and have the food prepared in next to no time so that the kids can be bunked down.

The amount of petrol saving is really not going to be a major factor once you experience the above scenario and lets face it you will, for 90% of the time, be camping within 100 to 200 kms of your home base for weekend camps. Once at the campsite you ditch the trailer and go off 4 wheeling.

However, spending 20,000 on a camper is now somewhat of a pipe dream for us. So we intend to buy secondhand and there are a lot of used camper trailer for sale and in most cases the used campers represent a far better option than new ones simply because the previous owners have already experienced the shortfalls in the campers they have bought and rectified the problems.

There will always be fuel problems but do we resign ourselves to sitting on the couch watching life on TV or do we just say what the heck and continue to go out and live our lives? Only you can justify that to yourself, I have made my decision that I want to live as much of my life as possible in a family friendly way. I am getting older by the second and with two youngsters I want them to look back and say "yeah, our dad was alright! We had a great time together and we sure miss him."

I reckon Chippy is a prime example of the above and his kids will always remember their childhood with great memories.

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Ditto Mav

Cheers
Chippy

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

if you have the space to store it.. then a caravan is the best way to go. Start with an old one, and referbish it to your needs (reenforce ect).

I went the way of a brand new off road 8x5 box trailer, and im going to fabricate a camper out of it that can be removed when i want to use it as a box trailer again.

will keep me occupied over teh next few years designing it and making it. I wont be going very far because we are having our first kid at the end of this year.

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

We don't yet have kids, so we have a full cage roof rack and a BlackWolf Turbo 300 tent which sets up in about 10mins. The advantages we have found of this set up are:
Less capital required.
Don't need to store a trailer.
No change in 4WD capability / accessibility.
Minimal change in fuel usage.

The greatest disadvantage, as mentioned by others, is the time to pack up and get on the road. Then unpack when getting home late from a trip. With the roof rack packed the Prado doesn't fit in our garage and I wouldn't pack it and leave it out on the road overnight.

Given that with just the two of us we have the Prado fully loaded, I have no doubt that once kids arrive a trailer will be essential. In anticipation of kids, and the desire for a simpler transport system for our 2 kayaks (it's a big lift to get 2 x 4.5 meter kayaks onto the roof of a lifted Prado) I have recently ordered an off road trailer with a boat rack. For now there will be no camper on the trailer so it will have a weather proof, lockable, gas strutted lid. The plan is to be able to load our tent and other camping gear into the trailer and have it secure and out of the weather. Some time in the future the trailer lid will become the bed base for a camper.
My main concerns with getting a trailer were 4WD capability and durability. For this reason I have opted for 1500KG independent suspension, 17" x 8" wheels to match the Prado and heavy duty suspension.
As for increased fuel usage, for me when compared to the total price of holidays it's a minor cost.

Leachy.

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

We have a camper trailer and would not ever part with it.
My suggestion to you Matt is a normal box trailer with a raised canopy on it. The sides open up and the rear opens up as well. You use poles to hold the gates up. Inside the trailer would hold your tent and gear on one side and your storage on the other, with access from the rear tailgate your kitchen would all be a permanent fixture.
Basically pull up, open her up, pull out the tent, open up the rear and everything is accessable. My mate has camped like this for years, and has just recently put a rooftopper on top of the trailer. Pretty much all your camping gear remains in the trailer. If you ever need the trailer, just unpack it. Here is a pic of may mates setup..

You should get the idea from the pics.
If I didnt have a CT already, I would go for this. The cost is very small if you already own a trailer.
cheers

[Del & Kt Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Del & Kt]

Since moving to the Pilbara and having sooooo much to see, we are toying with the idea of a camper trailer ourselves. Stuck between wanting all the right gear for the Prado and setting up a camper. We are going to do our camper in stages; My Dad is building an off road trailer for us (I can have it just the way i want it) and will then add the tent top later. Will have a hard top on the trailer so it will be secure and even though we will be tenting we should be able to go away with little preparation.

At the moment we have a "Tahj Mahal" for a tent (sleeps 12, but sets up in 15 minutes) and all the camping gear which is working for us for now; last weekend at 80 Mile Beach we set up and then on the beach within an hour.

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

I am with Chippy the benefit of the camper if you can afford it is the time in setting up and packing up.
Most of the trips we are planning are going to be at least 3-4 hour drives and the last thing i want to do is spend an hour putting poles up especially if its raining.
I found that the increase in fuel of about 1 to 1.5 lt when we did the Holland Track was very acceptable considering within 30 mins of stopping we were totally set up and eating a cooked dinner.

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Samo and I went looking at gear today. We took a good look at the ARB roof top tent and Tradesman roof rack set up. The prices were about $850 for the rack fitted, $1750ish for the roof top tent and another $400 for the bit if tent stuff at the bottom of the tent.


While not the perfect getaway set up for the family, it may serve to be a alternative for both myself and my young son. Price wise is fair.. I need a roof rack anyway, and the tent top would be easy to move on ebay or on PP once we outgrow it and need a trailer.

Choices, choices :roll: :roll:

Cheers,

Matt, my wife and I saw these setup on two cruisers a couple of weeks ago here in Alice and we both said, at the same time, "Crikey you would not want to be getting down from there in a hurry during the night you would break your neck." They are seriously high off the ground and the ladder does not seem all that sturdy to us . I remember commenting that you would not want to be a big bloke trying to use that setup.