Camper Trailer on the Kidson <span class="highlight">Track</span> (<span class="highlight">Wapet</span> Road)

Hi Alan

You should have no trouble towing an Aussie Swag camper along the Wapet track as the sand hills aren't an issue. It is a bit overgrown in some places and you may get a few scratches. With a well prepared vehicle you should have no problems.

Hi Alan,

I see from your profile that you have a 4Wd with low range and that in my opinion is essential. Given that; you won’t have any problems at all on the Kidson track towing a proper off road trailer.

Your main concerns will be corros, dips and wash outs. It’s best to just drive to the conditions of the road.

As for big sand dunes I didn’t see any that would cause any problems and we drove the track only a few months ago.

I have an off road trailer and wouldn’t hesitate to take it on the Kidson.

Cheers
Phil

Agree with what everyone else has said....but......be aware that you will experience some of the most bone jarring corrugations in the world on the Wapet....I don't think it's seen a blade in 50+ years. Only one other track that can equal the Wapet IMHO and that is the Gunbarrel from Everhard eastwards.

I found the Wapet in pretty good condition (relatively speaking of course). A few wash-aways here and there and closed in with vegetation but little in the way of corrugations. Video of it in this blog which may give you some idea.

Wapet up to and past Razor Blade Bore.

The Sandy Blight is where you'll find the corrugations. Cheers Mick

Alan,

You've some experience with the sort of tracks and country you're thinking of travelling, and the advice above is coming from very experienced people. I agree that you should have no problems (provided it stops raining out there!)

You have a 4WD and obviously know how to use it.

For the benefit of others though, a 4wd is NOT ENOUGH for this sort of travel! You need to be prepared and equipped to deal with mechanical issues. Can you fix a punctured tyre? burst hose? What will you do if the radiator starts leaking, or worse still, if you bash a hole in the sump? (What's a sump? Don't know.....then don't go!) Are you able to handle all those things that normally you'd hand over to someone else to fix? (well maybe not all, but the little ones and some of the middle sized ones)

Very important on a trip like this that you know the weak points. You should know your vehicle and how to use it. Experience is important. High on the list - what tyre pressures to use in sand and rough conditions, consequences for maximum speed, what risks, why would you carry a tube for tubeless tyres? Do you have a decent air compressor? After you've dealt with the stuff on the ground, move up and look for other weakness, not forgetting the ones holding the steering wheel!!

I'm not concerned for you Alan, but the above responses might provide false security for those less experienced.

Cheers

John

G'day, just travelled the KidsonTrack with a trailer, no problem at all, just be prepared for lots of scratches as the track is very overgrown.

Hi Alan,

My partner and I did a trip from Eighty Mile Beach, along the WAPET to well 33, then Gary Junction Rd to Kintore and from Kintore along the Sandy Blight Junction Rd to Docker river in July of this year.

The day before we hit the WAPET we me 2 couples in 100Series Landcruiser towing camper trailers that had just come off the WAPET. Whilst they had a lot of scratches and lost 1 wing mirror, they had a relatively smooth if not slow trip, taking 3 days to do the crossing.

As we weren't towing and were obviously lighter, we found it somewhat easier navigating the worst of the overgrown sections and had a truly amazing and satisfying trip. The worst section is at the western end where it is quite overgrown and the eastern end has sections of bad corrugations but not kidney damaging.

The Gary Junction Rd was good, wide and compressed nicely, trouble free.

Sandy Blight is a goat track, heavy corrugations make it very slow going with an average speed for us of between 15 and 30 KPH depending on how bad.

There are some dunes on the SBJ with tight bends, nothing to technical but keep an eye out for sand flags coming the other way. Other than that, an absolutely great trek through there and I cant wait to get back, corrugations and all.

We were in a 09 DMAX with a combined weight of 2700 KG's. For these sections we had an average fuel consumption of 8 Km's per litre. We were running Bridgestone Dueller 694LT's at 24 PSI on the front and 26 PSI on the rear.

It really was a fantastic trip and we cant wait to go back there so get there, take it easy, drive to conditions and you will have a great trip. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Tony