Comment: Buying a Camper Trailer

Have you considered a Track Trailer , Tvan ?

If you are considering a used camper trailer IMHO the top three would be
Camp'o'matic prior to 2004
Kimberley any model
Ultimate

I have had a Camp'o'matic for 8 years and done All of the iconic roads with no problems, and when you go bush the ones you see are Kimberley and Ultimate.
I don't particularly like the Ultimate setup, but you have to respect them.
Regards Philip A

I do agree the price of a new Tvan is "wow" , you wonder where the motor and transmission are in the thing.

We priced new Canning last year , with a front box and a few other extras it was quoted at $53000 . Very nearly bought it , but joined the Track Trailer Tvan forum and asked a heap of questions , regards the different models and year build .

We ended up with a 2006 Canning with front box for $28000 , I was very happy with the price for what we got . The $$$ we saved buying 2nd hand we put towards a new 4x4 to Tow it

A Mate decided he wanted one , he picks up his 2004 Tvan on Monday , $19000 with quite a few extras , I think a excellent buy .

The wife and I have always been tent and Roof Top Tent campers .
When we first saw the Tvans at a show , probably 10 years ago now , we decided when we went to a Camper Trailer it would only ever be a Tvan

We still looked at all the others at shows , just to keep up with anything new that might turn up , there have been quite a few .

What we like about the Tvan is its size , we do quite a bit of 4wding on tracks in the Vic Highcountry , for quick overnight stops drop the deck , open the hatch and climb in , couple of minutes tops but best of all NO Canvas ever touches the bed , Wet Canvas packed up on the bed sux

If you are interested jump on the Tvan forum ask questions and have a look at the adds section

Anyway that's the reason we went with a Tvan

I would also check to see what the tow ball weight of some of these vans are. Many of them look like the wheels are mounted on the rear bumper!!

Another vote for the Tvan, particularly if there is only 2 of you. We had one for around 4 years, all over the country, every State. Fantastic camper, and wherever a double locked Landcruiser could go, so could the Tvan.

We now tow a Bushtracker caravan.

My wife vetoed the Tvan as soon as she saw the lack of headroom although I liked the way you could fold/stuff wet canvas into the tailgate.

however in the 8 years we have had the Camp'o'matic we have never had a wet bed, even though the canvas has sometimes been folded wet.

BTW the Camp'o'matic is one of only a few where you can leave the awning attached to the main tent when you fold away, and this is a big feature reducing set up time.

For overnight stays in the desert we would leave the awning folded over the top of the roof, and for more than one night, only 3 poles with 5 pegs puts it up.
You can also put stuff on top as there is a strong frame which the floor sits on when opened. I put a 30Kg bag of wood on there and my Maxtrax.
Regards Philip A

productreview.com.au is worth a read for users' comments on their CTs. You can also search on suppliers and manufacturers.

In your price range for serious offroad.
you can get a fully kitted out kanga camper trailer.
Well made and resale is quite good too.
quite a few out and about as well.
made in Victoria, wodonga.
been around now for quite a few years

Hi Bryan,
We have a Johnnos off road soft floor CT. It is our second Johnnos, so we are very happy with them. We have been to Cape York, done the Gibb River rd, Strezlecki, Savannah Way, all with no problems. Aussie made and a bit more space than a hard floor.
Amanda

Bryan

The comment by Bigfish about tow ball weights is worth noting when you intend towing in the areas that you have mentioned. It is very easy to overload the rear end of many cars.

As an example, I was just reading a report on a Patriot X1 camper trailer in a recent edition of Pat Callinan's 4x4 magazine. It has a dry weight of 700 kgs and a ball weight of 100 kgs.

My Hiliux 4x4 has a maximum towing capacity of 1800 kgs with a maximum of 180 kgs on the tow ball. You would think towing this little Patriot would a breeze. It would be on a sealed or smooth dirt road but it would be outside Toyota's specifications in rough bush.

The reason is Toyota says in the owner's handbook that a weight distribution hitch must be used for any ball weight of 90 kg or above. A WDH is an absolute menace in rough conditions where the angle between the trailer and car is often very high so nobody uses them in serious off road conditions. This means I would be restricted in where I could tow that trailer and the same would apply to many other cars.

The reason for these restrictions is the forces generated by high ball weights on the back of cars that are moving up and down rapidly,as they would be on rough tracks, far exceeds the down force exerted on the ball while the car is stationary or running along a smooth road. On my car the ball is 1200 mm back behind the rear axle and that is a very long lever to have sticking out the back with no support under the end of it.

Don't make the mistake of thinking no worries I will fit heavier springs or air bags. They simply lift the car up a few inches but the weight is still there. A WDH lifts the rear end of the car and takes weight off the rear axle. That weight is then distributed between the front wheels of the car and the trailer wheels.

To ignore this can easily affect the reliability of the car. Countless cars in the bush have cracked or broken everything from chassis to spring hangers, coil spring mounts, axle housings, wheel studs, wheel bearings and wheels.

The latest edition of 4x4 Australia has an story on broken ute chassis. It is well worth reading but the problems are not confined to utes.

Im also interested in buying a camper trailer and have been looking to try find reviews on tye predator raptor, trackstar trojan and the travelmax xr. I would love some reviews on them.

Have you considered Cub camper trailers