Dust proofing camper trailer

It might help if you give a little more information, at least the make & model of the camper!

Hi Denise

Some campers only have marginal dust proofing with the rubber "tape" for sealing, which is pretty useless for that type of trip. You can start by replacing the tape with a proper pinch sealing, when you do that, you need to be careful with any hinges as it can put quite a strain on them. Otherwise if you can't do that, you will need to seal everything inside in plastic bags or sealed boxes. Our previous camper had minimal sealing, and we got dust inside sealed Tupperware containers...go figure. Stuff we really wanted dust free stayed in the car. I also packed a chamois (not to clean the outside of the car) to wipe down the inside every few days...that really helped with the dust.

As mentioned, would be beneficial to know the brand as well.

Chris

Yep understand your question as most of us learn the hard way.
Denise our first camper trailer was fairly basic with no dust proofing within the box trailer (tent was well sealed though).
I made it quite respectable with adhesive rubber and or foam strips, but I guess we were lucky that the camper trailer was well made and most fittings were fairly flush (low tolerances).
Combined with cheap plastic crates from Bunnings which managed to keep most things relatively (or acceptably) dust free on a Bourke- Cameron's Corner- Innamincka- Strezleki track-Arkaroola-Yunta (Broken Hill) all dirt trip.

If you can't be bothered going to that trouble but want some things to be completely dust proof, buy a/some "Space Crates" type of boxes. We have had one of those sit on top of our Kimberly Kamper (towed behind our vehicle) on one trip through 3000km of central Oz dirt roads with no dust ingress. They aren't cheap, but they will last a lifetime.

A good quality camper should never need dust proofing.I have a Pioneer Argyle that has been to Cape York twice as well as all over outback Aus. with no problem with dust .It comes down to the rubber seal between the closed floor and the body of the camper which ideally should have an overlap when closed .I think it would be quite difficult to dust proof a camper that has not been built with this in mind without doing some modifications to the camper.

Hi Denise, in respect to dust proofing your camper, the only way is to maintain as tight a seal as possible. I own a trailer (built on a standard 7x5 box in 1984) that I had to modify substantially, re-engineering the whole body/chassis and later on the tent.
At least it had a substantial independent off-road suspension, I think mandatory for trips to the Cape. The tent has a sealed floor, and the whole thing is covered by a very tight fitting zipper cover. To date, no dust! I agree with Mark and Rambler - do the best you can and don't skimp on cost. If you want to be really sure, tape the edges down with "100 Mile an Hour" tape - it works quite well, but a pain if you have to remove it often.
As they say, there are no free lunches on the way to the Cape.
Hope you enjoy the experience.

Hi Denise, army experience in pilbara tells me its not easy to completely dust proof.
can get close by using separate internal plastic crates/box for all goods ( 50L crates or similar from various suppliers) , then go around perimeter with stick on rubber seals ( try Clark Rubber) . can ensure seals stick by using contact glue as well on surface. complete job with cartridge of silicon for all gaps you can find. for openings/doors//hinged areas use strips right up to joints or bead of soft silicon, allow to dry before testing with closing the door/opening. can try strips both sides of joining surfaces in a interlocking pattern . takes a bit of trial and error, see how it goes before removing sticky strip backing for fit etc.. can get small sample bits of various seals for trial fit so you can still close and lock any openings. Clark were good on this for me and my camper.
good luck.
M>

Denise,

The Coota Campers have 2 marine air vents mounted on the front with air filters mounted under them which allows a positive air pressure to be obtained within the camper. This assists with keeping dust from entering through the seals.

Cheers Kev