Member - andrew B (Kununurra) replied:

The std advice is still apliceable, half the crap and twice the cash! I'd do a couple of small trips to sort out what you think you do and don't need, even a weekend with the house locked and camp in the drieway can sort you out!

Cheers Andrew

Trevor R (QLD) replied:

Hi John,

Good luck with the planned trip.
I would take lots of activities for your child to do in the car. If you can take a stable table (the one's we all eat dinner on in the lounge) your child will have something to draw on while you drive and play games on as well.
I think a spare set of bearings for the trailer never goes astray.
Babies bath, you will be surprised how handy it will be if you bush camp.
Maps.
No doubt you will get some nifty answers from others as well but the lighter you can keep it the less stress on car and trailer.

Safe travels.
Trevor.

Sand Man (SA) replied:

Hi John,

What to take is always a personal thing.

Have a look at the Trip Planning folder on this site.
click on Trip Planning, then Itineraries, then How to Plan a Trip.
This will give you a start.

The advice about a "Shake Down Trip" is worth while.
This will give you an idea what you think you need vs what you do need vs what you don't need vs what you haven't got with you but really need.

Many people use a check list and each time they are going on a trip, check the items off against the list so they know they have everything. We have checklists on the site but you need to be a member to access them in the Member's Fileswap area.

After you have used your camper trailer a few times, you should notice that basically everything you need is already "on board". That's one of the beauty's of a camper trailer, there is no need to unload anything when you get home, except for clothes and perishables.
So it's a matter of checking the water tank and batteries (if you have them), and of course the tire pressures and away you go.

Muzzgit (WA) replied:

John, you will be suprised how much you can actually fit in one of these campers. Part of the trick is to make sure you load up evenly so you don't get front-heavy on the camper, this will weigh down the back of the car and could make driving a chore, but more importantly............

Dont get too back-heavy on the camper, otherwise it will steer you all over the road and this can be catastrofic.

One rule I like to stick to is, anything that is for the car, rides in the car. There is nothing worse than going on a day trip and needing something that is back at camp.

The only way you will really know is to get out there and do it. HAVE FUN.

Steve63 replied:

What to take is a very personal thing and really depends on what you are doing and where you are going. The only way to find out is to use the camper. We usually do a couple of shake down runs particularly if we have made any changes. Just recently we changed vehicle and our first shake down run was very educational and resulted in a suspension upgrade! You don't need to go far, just go somewhere where conditions are similar. If you are going mainly on the black top and staying in caravan parks, just do an overnighter at the closest park. Make sure you tow the trailer loaded at the speed you expect to travel at so you know what you are in for. What you usually take away is a good start for the basics. Just remember it can and does rain up north even in the dry. It can even be quite cold away from the coast at night. It is no joke having a light quilt or sleeping bag when it is -2 overnight somewhere. If you have time do another shakedown run when you think you have it right. Some things look good, and your gear fits in but it drives you nuts because everything you need is inaccessable.

Steve

Member - Beatit (QLD) replied:

You mentioned going to Darwin so almost certainly will be visiting either Mataranka or Kakadu so don't forget the fishing gear and swimmers (not for use at Kakadu). Just never know your luck, at Mataranka you could hire a canoe and try to catch one of the big fish in the river behind the camp ground.

Use a PVC pipe rod holder mounted to either the trailer or car to store the rods.

Kind regards