Slide on campers

I have a Gecko Trayback Camper and could not be happier.

Trayon been around for awhile .Easy setup .If you can see them firsthand be best ...jealous I wanted one but cost too much and had to modify my Hilux back end ..

Good luck getting a 700kg GVM upgrade, James!

I had an Ironman GVM upgrade fitted to my 79 series pre-registration, and it is only good for 3900kgs. If you are doing an upgrade after rego, then I understand you might need an engineers certificate etc? This subject has come up quite regularly over the past months......you might like to do a search on this site.

Ditto the Travelander/Trayon debate, tied in with GVM "discussion". Travelander will eat up most of your suspension upgrade, before you load your Cook, water, fuel and other necessaries. Trayon is much lighter, and very practical, so you are able to carry more beer.

We had friends that called in to see us every year, for over 10 years, and they had one of the early Trayons mounted on their Triton ute. They were most impressed with theirs, and had few problems with it. That's the way I'd be going, or check out the unit that Chris has purchased.......he spent a lot of time researching the weight problem as well as practical issues.

Hope you enjoy the ute? We are getting surprising fuel economy out of ours, as long as right foot isn't too heavy. Don't like some aspects of the vehicle, but no doubt will learn to live with them. :-(

Bob

Not sure whereabouts you are based in Aus James, but if Tas is an option then there is a very good company called Star Campers, about 15km from Devonport where the Spirit of Tasmania ferry docks.
I have two good friends who have bought these - one on the back of a BT50 and the other on a Patrol. In both cases they are extremely happy with the product, so certainly worth a look.
It is a small family owned business which has produced about 80 of the units over the past decade or so - one of our friends has an early build, and the other is quite recent. Build quality in both cases is excellent.
Cheers

Hi James,
We've just purchased a Trayon Camper for our converted 200 series LC. We pick it up in August. We chose Trayon mainly because of its weight. It comes in lighter than the others and because we plan on doing extensive outback travel it suited us perfectly. It also has a low profile when travelling.
They are a great company to deal with. All Australian built and owned.
Another great feature is you can cook either outside or inside which is a plus when the flies are out in full force,
There are some good videos on their website. You can watch some testimonials from other Trayon owners and get to see some of the places they've taken them too.
Good luck with your decision.

Cheers,
Bryan

I travelled with a couple in the Kimberley some years ago and he built himself an aluminium camper similar to a Trayon that had all the features, but was much lighter. They loved it.

If I wanted to build something like that I would use Vanglass sandwich panel. Lighter again and much stronger.
A good DIY project.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome.

I have had a LC79 since new 2008. Bought just to carry my Travelander. I have been everywhere with no problems. CSR, Steep Point, Anne Beadell, Oodnadatta, Chambers Pillar, GSR, and plenty of remote prospecting in WA.

I first tried the heavy duty leaf spring upgrade. Carried the weight but what a shocker when there is no load.

Now I have Parabolics - best option out. With the heavy duty springs I had air bags to assist lift height a bit and tighten body roll. I have kept them for the same reason but don't need them for any lift. The parablics hold the weight (read overloaded) easily.

I love the travelander for its ease of setting up and well thought out layout. I have seen the current models and I don't like them as much. Some areas have improved and some seem worse. That you will need to judge. The bedding and opening are the same and that is the winner. And the price against what other options offer.

I have found with the travelander and talking to other owners - wherever you are prepared to take your landcruiser the travelander will go. I have been on steep slopes, very soft beaches, boggy tracks all made it through.

I have after 6 years had a chassis extension so I could put a fridge with the ute and carry the camp chairs with the ute.

Cheers

Serendipity

We have had a Trayon for about 18 months. (spent 6 months in it last year)
We looked at the Travelanders a few years ago and while we really liked the older models, once we got down in the detail we couldn't handle the weight. Ours is on a Ford Ranger though so you have a bit more leeway, we did also get a GVM upgrade.

Another key difference that I didn't really value before we spent time with it is; with the Trayon you have an inside and outside living and cooking options. With a Travelander you really only have the outside option. We have found this really valuable on a number of occasions, for example on cold mornings we can have breakfast inside and the stove warms the room. It surprised us how many times we found having other another option quite useful.