camper durability

Given time any camper of that type will suffer on corrigations but if you drive properly over corrigations (ie) slower than you would with the box trailer type off road campers then i can't see a problem, they do have issues with dust though, don't seal as well as Jayco say they do. We seriously looked at buying a Jayco after talking to owners over a 12mth period we chose the tent type more robust and suited us more, but the Jayco is a good unit.

Baz.

Mine has been set up for this (in a basic sort of way) but to date I have only traversed the one corrugated road and to be honest I probably wouldn't do it again in a hurry as dust ingress was a definite problem (old camper - still needs work) as was crap flying everywhere inside due to it being an unplanned detour.
I bought the camper for the better roads & parks of the SW so it's not an issue and I can't really offer too much more until I've done a couple more trips.
They're certainly not as robust as the Off Road canvas campers

A friend of mine has done a lot of offroad work in his Jayco.

He is always having to fix the interior. NOT big things , just glue and screw things back in place.

More of a PITA then actual major dramas.

He has questioned his wisdom a number of times , but the convenience of these types is just too good for them.

I looked at them , but went the CT way.

I guess there is a few things you could do to help.

Drive slower , proper tyre pressures.

Dont overload the Van. Be aware of the weights in the cupboards, may be better to put some of the heavier things stacked on the floor.

Hi Warthog,

The below link is to the jayco users group. Quite a few of the members at this site have taken jayco camper trailers on a variety of outback tracks. They can advise on the likey problems you may encounter depending on which model and the age of the camper your thinking of purchasing.

In general, you are less likely to have problems with the newer Outback models then the earlier models as jayco has made some improvements each year.

IMHO, even the lastest model jayco outback model campers need a few modifications to reduce stone and dust related damage. As an owner of a 2003 model jayco dove, I have a few mod's to my jayco that I need to complete for me to be happy to tackle some of the tougher outback tracks.

Cheers Anthony

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/juga/

Last year we travelled with a family who had the jayco Outback Swan? (it may be another model) and we went up the coast road to Cooktown and then up to the Tip and then more dirt to Karumba.
It was a bit wide at times and had a minor problem with approach and depart angles due to its length but it did make it all the way even know it dropped a lot of samll fastniings (nuts & bolts) along the way.

If you like I can put you in touch with him.

My former neighbour did lots of trips with a Jayco including Simpson Desert and the Gulf.

The thing he complained about most was the dust. He eventually stripped the van and touched every pop rivet with a dob of silicon sealiant and claimed that solved the problem. He had previously sealed the vents for the fridge an the one in the door.

I might add that he was a retired builder and I have never seen anyone spend more time cleaning up his gear after a trip. The van was usually set up in the yard for at least a week when he got home as he fiddled about doing odd jobs so tht it was ready for the next trip. Not sure what he was doing inside the van but I spotted him one day with the seats and carpets out of the car while he polished the floor inside.

NOW that is fussy.

I also had a friend do the Darling River Run towing one. Tthe calmps that hold down the roof broke away. We managed to fix it with the trusty old coathanger wire.

Duncs

Thanks to everyone for your responses, I am still window shopping and have to start working on swmbo to release the funds without constant harping. It appears they are strong enough for our purposes from these responses. I wont pester your mate while i don't have concrete plans, thanks muchly Bear.
Cheers Chris.

Chris,
My sister in law with hubby and 3 kids towed a Jayco Outback Swan (98 model I think) around OZ for 9 months a few years back (Gibb River Road etc.). Before they left they fitted a flip up forward facing vent to the roof of the Swan which when travelling forced air into the camper creating higher pressure inside and minimising the ingress of dust which worked pretty well as I recall. The camper survived the trip really well with no major problems that I can remember.

I too am looking at purchasing a Jayco Outback Hawk, for a 5 month trip in 06 with my wife, 5 and 3 year olds. As others have mentioned I think one of the critical things is to drive to the conditions and keep in mind the limitations of your rig. Having previously owned a Kimberley Camper it is easy to see how more robust they are than the Jayco, but certainly don't offer the space or comfort of the Jayco, so it is a compromise.

Stu