Compare Kimberley Kamper and Odyssey

Hi sky pilot,
We have just done the samething as you,looked at lots of different campers. We ended up buying KK LTD Edition with mariner pack, pick it up on friday.
The quality of finish on KK excellent ,the adventure is a good camper but we liked the flip over ease of the KK , plus friends had had a KK before and never had a problem. Oz Roamers are very similar to KK but there are no agents in WA would have liked to compare them.

Col

sky pilot
we have a KK 2004 mariner and had a few warranty issues with to start with but kimberley at ballina eventually fixed the problems and they fixed it under warranty and that was fair enough we feel so we are comfortable with our kimberley now

initially some dust got in on our trip to the cape but the side rubber squash seal was repositioned and no dust in since

camper is easy to lock up ok with a couple of big padlocks and difficult to break into when folded up and locked but nothing is totally secure - we heavy chain ours to a tree with the security 9 level lockwood padlocks if we leave it to go off somewhere in the 4b

camper can be folded up when wet but it is advisible to dry out with in 24 hrs

if i was you i would definitely get the the fly tropical roof fitted and seriously think about the swing away 3 x jc holder etc on the rear also the alum front ductwing boxes save weight over the steel ones as well - a full size awning is a must and the light tropical awning is also handy as the camper can be folded up with it on - which is what we do when overnighting

its a good solid reliable camper and the kitchen set up is great and it retains its value well but it is a heavy camper and you need polyairs fitted to your tow vehicle

we tow with a dtronic equipped 3.0 l td patrol ok but only just off road and only to the more easier places but then all good off road hard floor campers are heavy to tow off road - if its solid and well built for off road use then it has to be heavy to stay in one piece

hope this helps see you

G'day Sky Pilot,
We currently have a campomatic that's silimar to the kk design. When we went away last year coming back we camped at Cue overnight and had 20mm of rain. We packed the camper up extremely wet with a tarp on the bed and we were very impressed that the bed was dry.

On the KK all latches are lockable by padlock, so the camper is fully lockable.

Col

G'day,

We purchased a KK Mariner in Jan 2005 and have given it some 20,000k workout to date with big heaps of unsealed surfaces along the way.

Had a light weight sun annex built for it that folds up easily without unzipping. Added a radio and headphones for some slumber confort plus a swing out bike rack for two bikes on the back otherwise it cam pretty much as a "burger with the lot". The sunroof is brilliant lowering those early morning northern temperatures big heaps.

Not one grain of dust gets in and not one drop of water on the bed when we pack up wet as long as the plastic cover fully protects the bed.

We still own a CUB (kept for the kidz) that we have had for 10+ years and were happy with, but the KK is bloody brilliant and I couldn't break it in a fit. Certainly would drag the KK anywhere including the CSR which we traversed last year but certainly wouldn't take the CUB there.

Regards.

MADOG

I have had a KK Platinum for over 12 months. Last year we did 17000 kms Perth to Cape York - no major problems - The shocks needed replacement and some other minor warranty work by KK done by their agent in Perth - great people to do business with. I even met the owner of KK when he was in Perth - he wanted to personally see the warranty problems.

I have a 100s TD with Dtronic chip - dont even know the trailer is there. KK claim the Camper will go anywhere your vehicle will go - Very True claim. Also have polyairs on the vehicle.

Never had any dust in the bed area - The kitchen leaked a little until I put some spacers behind the locks to increase tension on the seals - no problems since. I have a large Autofridge in the Kitchen and find that I need to keep an eye on it as it sometimes moves a little. Never had any probles with water on the bed - use common sense here.

Can be secured with padlocks and I also use a large chain around the wheel when necessary

I've got the Odyssey ZR. KK was on my initial (long) short list. In the end my choice was between the Odyssey and Cape York.

KK is clearly a great camper. You would be happy with either.

Dust and water proofing is great on the Odyssey. We just got back from a week at Fraser Island. Sand gets in everything. But none in the Camper when closed. We took the trailer through the high pressure under body wash at Rainbow Beach on the way back. Not a drop of water got in.

The Odyssey ZR has the gas hot water system, ensuite and shower. Fantastic. Australian Off Road Campers were happy to discuss mods and what other purchasers have done. They invite all their owners to one or two camping trips each year. The owners all get to compare notes on what they have done and how they have set up the camper. This provides great feed back to the builders.

The Odyssey under bed drawer can not be opened without opening the camper. The builder says that dust and water proofing (deep water crossing) are a potential problem here in the long run (probably after several years on rough use?). This (no access) is not a problem to us, but it is worth considering.

I preferred the finish on the Odyssey, but that is just my view. Nothing wrong with the KK.

As I said. Both great campers. We have friends with the KK and they seem as happy with it as we are with ours (although they love our HWS and kitchen). You will be happy either way.

Sky Pilot
We have an Odyssey ZR with HWS. KK was on our list and both campers are great but we liked the finish on the ZR better. The wife also liked the kitchen design better and I liked the interior fitout which I felt was better. We could also totally customise the front drawbar due to the way it is constructed. No gull wing boxes with the ZR but we have a portabote which sits on top and would need to be removed each time for access to the boxes for roadside stops.

Underbed storage won us in the ZR - it's huge and the pull out draw - great for clothes. Everythings stainless steel incl canvas hoodbows which I think KK's are not. There is also no kitchen support stand required on the ZR.

As far as dust and water sealing both campers excel in this and in regards to the bed getting wet you have no cause for concern. Even after 3 days of rain with the canvas soaked we don't have a problem.

I remember also that the KK was about $2000 dearer when you compared apples with apples. I have heard the KK prices are going up in Dec.

Where are you based? You really need to see them in the flesh spending this sort of money.

Saw a KK again recently and we still believe we made the right choice with the ZR.

cheers
John

SkyPilot,

My 100 Series TD is similiar setup to Trekkie with D-Tronic chip and poly air bags.

Found that with the KK the TD was slow off the mark at roundabouts and interesections etc which I believed could become a safety issue.

The D-Tronic installation now has the vehicle acting like it doesn't have the KK attached at all and in particular no great issues when overtaking or managing hills so long as a bit of forward thinking is applied.

I carry a 15hp Yamaha and a Minn Kota up front in the gull wing so the airbags were added to help the rear end - very successful result.

Regards.

Roger

Hi Sky Pilot

We have a 2003 Limited Edition KK and it has done extensive off-road work including the Vic High Country, Gulf tracks etc.

To-date, we have not experienced any problems whatsoever. The finish is great, a little heavy on the ball-weight for my model, however I understand this has improved on more recent versions.

I am just back from a trip to the Corner Country. Whilst at Noccundra water hole we experienced a severe dust storm whilst the camper was open. We simply zipped up all the doors and windows and did not get one bit of dust in. We have never experienced any dust/water problems whilst travelling and it has seen plenty of bulldust in our travels.

We still use out tent from time-to-time, but usually have the camper with us on most trips, using the tent for forays into areas not suitable for it.

I think one of the pluses that the KK has going for it is the attentive service you get from the company and the dealer network. This was an important consideration for us.

My summary – top price, but you get top quality.

SP
If your keen to look at an Odyssey you can email me and I'll send you the name of a ZR owner in Gosford. Nice bloke met him in Stanthorpe earlier this year - he'd be happy to oblige.

clarkjnk@bigpond.net.au

cheers
John

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