How often do you use your camper?

G'day Jim,
We try to get out around 2 weekends per month....(the alternate weekends are spent fixing all the things that have broken on the trol the previous weekend hahahah.....thought I'd get that one in b4 Pesty makes some half-arze comment along the same lines....lolol).
Then we get away once or twice a year for 2 to 4 weeks. All in all, I am satisfied that we get as much use as possible for a bloke who still has to spend 5 days a week somewhere he'd rather not be, doing things he'd rather not be doing!!!! I think it's called "a means to an end".

Cheers

Roachie

This is going to be an interesting question.

We are all familiar with people that buy a caravan, use it for awhile, then it gradually sits, and sits........

Bit like boats.

28 nights is damn good odds, and I am jealous.

I only use a swag, and I get really annoyed when I see dust collecting on it. It sits in the corner of my office at work, along with all my other bits & pieces. Customers come in, and look.........

"You don't REALLY want to be here today, do you Ian."

I have just done the calcs.... 28 days in six months..... you bitch.....

I have only just managed around 18 :(

4 weeks to go... then 21 days straight, in my swag!

Cheers

Wolfie

Hi Jim.Had mind 4yrs. Only a basic O/R trailor with tent on and water tank. We
try to get away 7weeks a year. Never regretted getting it. We also have swags
for overnighters.But its there when we want to use it.
Brian

Thinking of buying a camper trailer, but only hear about how quick they get set up.

Can someone tell me how long/hard it is to actaully pack these things away please.

I know this is not answering the original post, but thought it would be a good thread to ask the question on.

Also what advantage is there to a camper over a tent.

Please don' think Im bagging camper trailers in anyway, just wanted to know before purchasing one.

Camper trailers like boats and women are all cheaper to hire when the need arises than as long term investments. And lets not even mention the ongoing maintenance of all three. ;-) Cheers Rob

Jimbo ,we got our new c/t on dec15 , have had 10 nights Moreton ,5 nights D/I , 4 nights Yarracool , next is Anzac w/end of 5 nights on a private property with old mates ,Lest We Forget.

Hi Jimbo,
We have had ours since 2nd march and this is the first w/end it hasnt been used, we have slept in it 10 nights including 4 at MS gathering.
Next week we are off for 10 days and so will make up for this w/end.
We even slept in it in the driveway the other night hahahaha, no not to christen it lol, we had house full of visits so someone had our bed and we slept outside , never knew there were so many noises in my own backyard hahah.

After sweeping out any dirt that yours truly might have tracked into the Kimberley, my wife and I can fold it up, lock it down, and be ready to drive away in well under 10 minutes.
I'll time it on the Anzac Day weekend when we're down Goobarragandra way.
DB

I find its not how quick you can pack up to get going, but nice and easy, fold it
up correctly so it all fits nice and snug. Ihave seen it in parks where they try to rush it. end up jumping on the top to flatten it to get the cover over.
cheers Brian

Jimbo
You've done well. 28 days in 6 mths. I haven't had that much time off work in 6 months :-(
Got mine in early Feb. have have about 8 night away in it including easter. Cost me $14,000 odd but It's mine it's built exactly as I wanted it, it's sitting in the shed ready to go. Looked at mine as a long term thing, I plan to still be using it in 20yrs.

My kids aren't old enough (2 3/4 and 9 mths) to handle long periods away from home just yet, so overnighters to the coast suit us. As they get bigger I hope to be able to sneak in at least a 2 week stint on a remote beach along the midwest-gascoyne coastline each year.

Takes me about 20mins to set up completely, including annexe and about an hr to pack up, usually while having breakfast. The tent is the easy part to pack up it's all the other junk that takes time.

Next step is the tinnie for the top of it :-)

Cheers
Tony Harding
Midwest WA

Jim, not part of your original thread, but what sort of fuel economy are you getting out of the Jerry towing the van? As you know we're doing our sums for the big trip next year and whilst we've got all the tenting gear a camper trailer is a definate option. Especially as you can use the trailer to carry that all important extra fuel.

Chears

Dunc

Jimbo,
Had the C/T 12 months, used for a month in that time. This year going to use for two months starting in mid May for outback trip for a month and again in early August for a month on trip to Bathurst Bay. Not enough practise yet to put up/away exactly the same way.
Cheers,
Bros.

Hmmm, I can see the advatage of not having to unpack when you get home, but as far as overnighters go we can be setup (with running water) ;-) in about 30 minutes, includes small shelter over the back of the car, chairs, tables, canvas tent etc etc. The only downside to our setup is getting the gear off the roof, but if you have two people it's not a major chore...

But as they say each to their own. We all have different setups, in fact I find it most interesting/fun sticky beeking at everyone elses gear when we go away in groups. Get heaps of good ideas that way.

I think the trick to overnighters is have everything ready to go in the garage. I've got two big shelves for our gear. Essentials on the bottom shelf, extras up the top (like hammocks, blow up boats etc etc). So you grab all the tubs etc on the bottom shelf, whack them in the car, then you know your right for everthing that's important. Then have a squiz up the top for the fun stuff and see what's relevent to the trip. ie longer stays need a hamock, stays at a river needs a boat and spegettie tubes etc etc. That way we can chuck it all in the car and go for an overnighter without too much hassel. I'm a real lazy prick when it comes down to it, so unless it's easy I normally can't be stuffed. I reckon I spend a lot more time "making it easy" than what it would have taken me to "do it the hard way". But that's ozzi's for you! ;-)

we got ours in November, racked up 19 nights so far, if the kids aren't there we can go "handbrake to can" in 15 minutes. If the kids come, we need the extra bedroom etc. and it seems to take about an hour to be completely setup.

G`day Jimbo, You are a lucky buggar.I built up our camper with all the intentions of seeing more of this great land of ours with the family.SWMBO decided she didn`t like camping at all.So now only the boy and I get to travel,that is why I`m very envious of all you lucky blokes with better halves who dont mind travelling, and if you look in the trader section there is a cruiser & camper for sale.Still you have to look on the bright side,we can still get to go places.
Keep wandering Regards Bob

We bought our first cub flipover hard floor campomatic in 1979, kept it till it got too small for 2 adults and three growing kids in 1988. In that time we used it for a minimum of 5 weeks a year plus weekends, covering approx 150,000 km all over Oz. We sold it to friends and it is still going strong 24 years later.
It's replacement we bought in 1988, a cub supamatic which we've now used regularly for 17 years, the first ten years we averaged 13 weeks a year travelling outback, since the eldest went into year 10 we cut the travelling back but now with only one kid in school the old camper might get even more use in the not too distant future.
Through until the late eighties camper trailers were pretty rare, these days they are thousands of them. We used to get a bagging about ours until friends realised that we could camp anywhere on anything, even in a bog ( which we did once) and when during overnight rain the campsite flooded (which also happened once) we slept throgh it all wondering in the morning where all the others had gone.
For overnight stops without the awning it takes all of 5 minutes to set up and about ten to pack up.
In over 25 years of travelling with the camper we 've only had to pack it up ringing wet in torrential rain about half a dozen times and it can be dried in half an hour at the morning tea stop.
Added around 2mpg to the troopy and bugger all to the Humvee.

Howdy Jim,

Had the Tambo Cooper camper 5 months, camped in it 22 nights.

Cheers

Hiya Jimbo

have actually used our CT on more trips away than the van, as I count the 6 week trip up north as one trip...hahahhahaha...have slept in the ct about 22 nights, and the CT is far more comfy than the van ever was...so glad we have it now...though setting and packing up in the rain would be a pain - but that's never going to happen is it..[says she tapping her head with one hand and typing with the other...hahahhaha]

Lyn

Jimbo,
we picked up our trailer on January 29 2005.... since then it has been set up three times in our back yard, 2 nights at Bribie Island, overnight at Canugra and overnight at Inskip Point. Soon we are off to Fraser for 5 nights, then home for 2 nights then to Bonalbo for 3 nights. In May we have 1 campover planned, June will see us at Sundown National Park for 3 nights.....
We also plan to "weekend" at Inskip Point more often as well.... just a 4 hour run up the coast from here, so for a tank of diesel and $4/head camping fees... makes for a cheap weekend!

Been living in mine for 6+months so far & its 1.3 years old

All the way from Perth to Brizzie At Camp 95 so far

Had ours 12mths and on average go away 2 times a month usually for 1 or 2 nights, going again this weekend as you know from the other place, these get aways are close to Sydney so not expencive.

It's a Redback Explorer Country.

Baz.