Purchasing a camper trailer

You really need to get to a camping show and crawl over each of those campers ( and a few others as well )

Ultimate....cooking facilities inside... KK......cooking outside... there in itself could be a deciding factor ??

Are the kids able to sleep in a swag ? neither C/T is really suited for kids ( speed of setup etc ) and while some owners have kids, I know after having 2 KK's, the extra hassle of setting up kids rooms could become a chore !!

We have just gone from a soft floor, Modcon, to a hard floor, Australian Off Road Odyssey Export. There is only two of us now and we are about to head off for 9 months, so the hard floor will suite us better. The people we bought the Australian Off Road Odyssey Export from have two children and they sold it because the kids are getting a bit big for it. (It came with a kid’s room that could be attached.) Interestingly when we were looking at hard floor campers a lot of families told us they prefer a soft floor for the room. Our Modcon was a lot bigger with a large front annex that you could attach sides and a large rear annex. So there was really heaps of room. A family is in fact looking at our Modcon to buy as they have three children and they loved the space. We are throwing in our Coleman Hot Water on Demand so that will solve their hot water issues. Also our price is a big thing for them, and perhaps the full size king bed!
So perhaps have a good look around at second hand campers and you could find the one you want and for a lot cheaper. Kevin

We had an Ultimate (recently sold, new camper on the way) and it can work well with kids.

Although it has an inside kitchen, we rarely used it; however it was convenient on several occasions when the weather was poor to be able to take refuge inside and have a couch / table etc, and to boil up the kettle for a cuppa.

Our kids are 3 and 6 and slept on the single bed "upstairs", top 'n tail. That saved having to set up extra rooms for the kids etc, and we were all upstairs together.

An Ultimate is a wonderful camper however you should try to get to one of the camping shows to have a good look through to see if the layout would suit.

G'day GG, have a look at thread 83511, lotsa info, hoo roo

Hi Germaine,
We have an Aussie Swag, which is very similar to the KK. We bought it because we wanted a hard floor camper for its quick set-up and so we didn't have to worry about uneven or rocky ground, and getting washed out in the wet!
We have 2 kids, so we bought the rear kids room with our camper that can stay attached to the main tent when we pack up. We use the kids room when we are staying more than one night. Both kids fit on the hard floor, with a little bit of space left over.
The thing I love most about the Aussie Swag is its kitchen set up. If you haven't seen them, google them or even better check them out at a show.
They can come with either gas or diesel hot water systems, but we just use a Coleman hot water on demand unit.
After sales service with Aussie Swag is excellent. They are a fantastic family owned business to deal with, and really go out of their way to help. I went to the Albury camping show last Friday, and caught up with James from Aussie Swag - I like checking out the latest things they have added to the campers since we bought ours. James was very friendly as always, and remembered my name - they really are very good with their customer relations.
Check them out if you haven't already, it will be well worth your time particularly if you have already decided that a hard floor camper is what you are after.
No affiliation, just a very happy customer!
Leanne

My advice is go to the camping shows and look for yourself at ALL the different makes and set ups. Take advice from forums with an open mind. What suits one does NOT always suit another. I too were in the market for a camper trailer, I have two kids aswell . A couple years down the track since starting to look I have actually lost interest and am glad I havnt bought one yet. Honestly I have realsied at this stage I do not need one. IF I decide to go on a camping trip where I could require one, I will hire and make my final decision then. Honestly My opinion of these trailers iss they are way over priced, most times they are totally un neccassary and its easier to go witha tent and current set up in back of ute. Camping is about roughing it in remote areas. Thats what the attraction is about.....taking luxuries and sleeping in double beds with full kitchens loses the principal of camping. Honestly many buy these campers on a whim, to keep up with the other joneses who insist they MUST have all the bells and whistles. Suddenly as has been in many cases people realise their mistake in buying one and sell it for a loss.

Read your article with interest. We have a MODCON Imperial and when considering the requirements looked beyond the bedroom (as all decent campers have acceptable sleeping quarters and options for extra bed requirements. We believe the build is more important, particularly the suspension,hitch, strength and finish. We undertook a short trip to the cape and after days travelling through nthe red dust found no dust penetrated inside the camper. I also support the idea of going to C & C shows but look at all your needs - including travel free hassels.

Couple of the main things to remember is a soft floor camper will have around double the storage capacity of a hard floor camper and the ball weight is a lot less as well.

I agree with all those that say go to a caravan show as there are so many types now you will be amazed, Cub have just brought out a new model with all the fruit, but there are lots to choose from, the biggest part is how much do you want to spend.

Have fun