Camper trailers

Submitted: Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 17:17
ThreadID: 34800 Views:4660 Replies:18 FollowUps:12
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I'm currently in the market for a new camper trailer.
I have looked at Kimberly Kampers Limited edition, Pioneer Argyl and the camper matic.
Please can anyone give me any information on the best camper trailer( Hard Top). As this will be my first one.
Rob
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 17:54

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 17:54
The "best' camper trailers all have a red stripe ,,dont believe me ?? type in camper trailer into the search function,,!!! lol.
AnswerID: 177845

Reply By: Member - Stan (VIC) - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 18:00

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 18:00
you might want have a look www.campertrailers.org forums
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Reply By: big red car - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 18:21

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 18:21
hi rob

if you are looking at campers in that price range ( pointy end of the market ), then you might want to look at a Cape York Extreme Explorer, thay are built tough, with a capital T. same sort of money as the ones that you have looked at .
thay have 12in brakes, 60mm stub axles,75 x 150 x 3 braw bar, HUGE trailing arms & coil springs & shocks, large gull wing box up front, at35 tow hitch, beautiful roll out s/s kitchen, built in battery charger 30 amp, twin cat batteries, etc. we are very happy with ours and have had no problems, it is a bit heavy on the ball weight but it was nothing that a pair of air bags could not fix.
if you want any info star@itxpress.com.au

regards johno
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Follow Up By: OzRoamer - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 20:47

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 20:47
Rob

I am with Johno. I still consider the Cape York Extreme to have the strongest built running / suspension gear of any CT on the market.

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FollowupID: 434007

Reply By: Alan H (Narangba QLD) - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 18:27

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 18:27
Might also look at these. We are happy with ours.

www.aussieswag.com.au/

It all comes to personal preference and they are all great on a fine sunny day so look at things like storage; water; kitchen and in particular using the kitchen in bad weather.

Use of trailer for lunch stops (access to which parts when closed)
Use of the trailer without having to erect awnings.
What awnings come with the trailer?
Hitch (360 degrees???)
Brakes?
Handbrake
Strength if going off road.
Stone deflectors etc
Storage for chairs, tables etc
Ball weight for towing
AnswerID: 177850

Follow Up By: RayJen Paj05 - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 19:21

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 19:21
Another vote for Aussie Swag. Just got ours after looking at them all: it's just great. Good luck, Ray
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Follow Up By: outback epicurean - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 21:36

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 21:36
another vote for AS
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Follow Up By: Boxhead - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 00:02

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 00:02
and another
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Follow Up By: Jim-Bob - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 11:00

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 11:00
A nother vote for Aussie. We bought our Classic model in 2003, only being the two of us we don't need a big area for storage or camping.
Smaller but as strong.
We have done 3 big trips, Cape 2003, Darwin, Kakadu & Gulf 2004 then Gunbarrell to Steep-Point 2005 plus other smaller trips from & around the Hunter Valley.
Problems, yes one, the hand water stuffed up but was replaced free of charged.
For our needs I think we made the right choice.
Safe travells
Jim-Bob.
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Reply By: ian - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 19:55

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 19:55
Rob,

I looked at a Modcon (hard top/ hard floor) and a Tambo Flinders (hard top/soft floor) at Tambo Campers in Melbourne, and I was very impressed. My budget extende to their soft top, and I am very happy.
Ian
AnswerID: 177858

Reply By: Travellers - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 20:17

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 20:17
Cant go past the TVan from Track trailer in our opinion. Great for overnight stops and extended stays, very strong for off road, and easy to tow. No wet canvas on the besd either!
AnswerID: 177864

Reply By: Airlierob - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 21:42

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 21:42
Thank you for all your reply's. I have a lot to think about. Please keep the reply.s coming.
Rob
AnswerID: 177875

Reply By: Moser - Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 22:38

Saturday, Jun 10, 2006 at 22:38
Gday

How many people will be sleeping, what extras you want, what type of traveling you will be doing, do you want full annex or not, the list can go, what I did is sat down in a family conference and wrote down what we all wanted in it, eg the 2 boys wanted somewhere to carry their bikes, so after making my list I went shopping and found there was nothing out there that would have suited my needs, So I found this company that custom built one for me, I now have a camper trailer that is just perfect for us. and the price was no differnet then if I bought a off the shelf camper.

Moser
AnswerID: 177880

Reply By: Member - Matt M (ACT) - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 08:11

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 08:11
Rob,

Like everyone else, the 'best' camper trailer is the one I own. I am still waiting for someone to admit that the trailer they bought was a piece of crap. Like you, we had narrowed it down to two or three and ended up with a Limited Edition KK. We would have been happy with our final two or three choices, but we saw the KK advertised second hand (6 months old) for a reasonable price. It is an LE, but had enough upgrades to make it closer to the Platinum.

So far, very happy with it but the next 6 months will tell as we set of for the 'big adventure'. Build quality, features and performance are all very good (as you would expect at that end of the price range), but the same can be said for a number of other brands. Perhaps the deciding factor for us was resale value. We upgraded from a smaller soft top with some extended travel in mind and will sell the KK in the next couple of years for a cheaper camper when we are done. With that in mind, resale potential was important for us.

Time will tell whether this was a wise decision and I am not suggesting that other brands don't resell well. But it is interesting that, looking back through the archives, many people will offer their choice of camper and compare it to the 'overpriced for what you get' Kimberley. The fact that it draws so many comparisons has to tell you something.

The list you are looking at and some additional suggestions on this thread are great campers. You are obviously researching your choice carefully and are unlikely to make a dud choice, so go with what your gut tells you from your final list.

Matt.
AnswerID: 177904

Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 10:45

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 10:45
I will happily admit that a brand new camper trailer that I purchased was, & probabily still is, "a piece of crap"!

I bought a new Tru Blu Eagle, supposedly top of the range, & the trailer itself was structurally, legally & finish wise, just that, a piece of crap!
It was so bad that I never used it, & had to buy a Track CT, which I still have, while I was involved in litigation with Tru Blu.
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Follow Up By: loughma - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 16:56

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 16:56
Tru Blu Campers in Melbourne is no way connected to True Blue Camping Trailers in Mackay, Queensland.
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Follow Up By: Member - Matt M (ACT) - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 22:28

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 22:28
Shaker,

I stand corrected.
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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 10:56

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 10:56
Rob,

Whatever you decide from the selection you have looked at, I don't think you are far off the mark.

When I "grow up" to be too old to manage the soft top I have, I have already decided on the Pioneer Argyle.
To me the features are as much as one needs and the cost is significantly lower than the Kimberley Kamper.

I'm not knocking the Kimberley and have inspected it at shows, but for me, the budget is more in line with the Pioneer and the Argyle is the best optioned, for a reasonable price.

A soft top camper gives advantages of extra storage space underneath the weatherproof cover. I just toss the annex and ground sheets on top of the colapsed tent section, before I put the cover on.
A disadvantage of the soft top, is the cover can be a PITA to zip up after a trip through the Bulldust. This can be corrected with a washdown, or air "blow job" from a compressor, then a dressing of candlewax, but this is not practical during a trip.

The hard top's main advantage is the quick set up. Basically, flip back the "roof" which becomes the floor and you can go ni-nights without doing anything else.

An annex is only necessary in both cases, to give you cover for the cooking/living areas so this is the same whatever "top" you decide on.

Good luck whatever you choose mate.

Bill


I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

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AnswerID: 177927

Follow Up By: Member - vivien C (VIC) - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 13:38

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 13:38
Sand Man,

This is purely a technical question..not being personal at all...but...how do you make your lights flash?

Viv
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FollowupID: 434085

Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 at 04:07

Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 at 04:07
Hi Vivien,

The JPEG image of the rig profile is loaded into a GIF animator and a before (no lights) & after (lights) image is created to end up with a flashing result.

Similar to some of the adverts on the ExplorOz pages you see from time to time. They are a series of progressive images that when put together through a GIF Animation program result in a moving picture.

I used ULEAD GIF Animator 5

Cheers,
Bill.
Bill


I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

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FollowupID: 434360

Follow Up By: Brew69(SA) - Thursday, Jun 22, 2006 at 19:57

Thursday, Jun 22, 2006 at 19:57
Bill is a flasher from way back.
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Reply By: mattie - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 10:57

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 10:57
Hi
We also bought a kk ltd 12months ago i tossed up between the as and kk but the kk tracks the same as the patrol, can also be set up to track the same as other popular 4wds, to me this is nearly the most important feature of any true off road trailer or van. Apart from the track issue the campo matic, as and the kk all had pros and cons over each other, i also felt that seeing them all being packed away the kk seemed to pack away the easiest, it also had a queen side bed the rest were a bit narrower. We also looked at the oddesy at the adelaide van show but the retailest refused to open and close it for us, he told us there is one opened up and there is one closed up if u want to see someone doing a demo go inside and see the kk site they will do it for u. Great attitude, i told him i was not going to spend 28k or so and not see how it set up and packed away but he could not care less!!!!

Mattie

AnswerID: 177928

Reply By: Big Al. - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 13:32

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 13:32
We have had a Kanga camper for six years and have had no probelms,except for stone chips.
AnswerID: 177945

Follow Up By: GRAEME - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 20:31

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 20:31
We've had our Kanga for eight years and only ever replaced the shockers after about 50 000ks of fairly rough going. Even came up the staircase at lake cobbler today, didn't even worry it in the slightest.;))
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Reply By: mattie - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 16:24

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 16:24
Hi
i was looking at the trading post(S.A) and is a kk ltd less than 12 months old for 27k this is exceptional value considering how they hold their resale value so well.

Mattie
AnswerID: 177959

Reply By: Member - Ozdyssey (QLD) - Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 17:32

Sunday, Jun 11, 2006 at 17:32
Have a look at www.australianoffroadcampers.com.au at Caloundra.

We looked at many - KK, AS and others and chose AORC due to the better finish yet same price range.
AnswerID: 177969

Reply By: bucky - Monday, Jun 12, 2006 at 06:54

Monday, Jun 12, 2006 at 06:54
Rob
If you want room, get a Trak Shak ( I have one )

If you want the best, get an Ultimate, I think my next one will be one of them ( if I can afford one )

T-Van's are supposedly pretty good to, not ever seen one or a Kimberley
their reports are good
There are heaps to choose from, but do not go cheap, as you will regret it

What you have to look at is your Budget. But what ever you do, get one with coil suspension, its well worth it

Cheers Mate
Bucky

AnswerID: 178032

Reply By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 at 10:10

Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 at 10:10
You said "the best"......call me biased, but www.ultimatecampers.com.au

Cheers

Roachie
AnswerID: 178217

Reply By: Big Show - Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 at 13:00

Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006 at 13:00
Rob,
I have a Pioneer Argyle and had the gullwing boxes added to it for the fridge (40 ltr Engel) to fit into so now just hookup and go.
I did all the research you are doing with the same outcomes (KK, Pioneer Argyle and Campomatic) and decided on the Argyle for a couple of reasons, tare weight, finish/appearance and ease of use (not complicated).
I have used mine is some pretty remote areas and have found it to be fantastic, there are only 2 things that I would change and they are the locks on the gullwings have little springs that fill with mud and make it hard to open, the electrical fittings for the fridge are hard to get at with a 40ltr Engel.
But appart from that I love it.

Regards

Peterg
AnswerID: 178250

Reply By: agsmky - Thursday, Jun 22, 2006 at 13:59

Thursday, Jun 22, 2006 at 13:59
I have a 2005 KK LE for sale in Mackay if you're still looking Rob.

Andrew
AnswerID: 179886

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