KIMBERLEY KAMPERS

Still No. 1 ( had to say it cause I own one....actually on my 2nd one )

A close 2nd would be Aussie Off Road and Aussie Swag !!!

But you get what you pay for , so probably the dearest..

Some other CT's might have some better features, but as a package, no comparison ..

Attention to detail, finish, all spells quality....


Now I'll duck under the replies from owners of other CT's !!!!!!!!

thanks Gronk ,its true you only get what you pay for !
and from what i have seen of the kk its pure quality.
regards mike / wa

Yep - they are good - almost unbreakable - I have had one for about 5 years and two mates have one each. Been everywhere - Cape York, Gulf Country, Mitchell Plateau, Gibb river, Bungle Bungles, Simpson Desert and many others. Have had issues with the suspension but only after really hard work. Hardly a puff of dust ever gets in anywhere. Heaps of storage and water. Battery system is good (has been improved in more recent models)

Mike
Have a look down the bottom of my 4x4 website

Look for Trailers

.

Yes they are good, hard to fault. But in my honest opinion (and it is just opinion) they are too expensive. There are many good trailers on the s/hand market to be had for a lot less money. $20-$30 000 for a trailer to go camping in? fine if you're wealthy.

We were in Tibboburra a few years ago and was sitting out the front of the family hotel and watched a guy with a hire KK trying to remove the spare from under the trailer. After about an hour and lots of onlookers giving it a go and telling him where he was going wrong he gave up and called the hire mob on the sat phone. Next place i saw him was the roadhouse i assume to get the mechanic to use an oxy on the chain.
I wonder if they still use this under the trailer storage for an offroad trailer?? Realy clever when stones flick up and wedge it in like this. But then again Toyota are still using this stoneage technology.

Too small and way too expensive, but hey it's your money you buy what you think is good after all.

Baz.

We think Aussie Swag are better and cheaper for a similar unit. But then we have one! Cheaper, simplier suspension, better awning setup, lighter ball weight, sun roof

cheers

I bought a Campomatic in 04 (lighter ball weight, swing away spare wheel, one piece linear kitchen) but spent time looking over the KK at that time. As others have said, the KK is very well finished and sturdy (and the Campomatic is now part of the Trakshak product range). The resale on all of these quality units should be sound, so if you have the $, the outlay is not an issue in my view. The Aussie Swag always looked great overall to us too - we didn't warm to the articulated kitchen setup though - that may have changed now.

Mike,

I'll declare my bias up front, I have owned one and loved it. There always seem to be two common criticisms of the KK, that they are expensive and that the ball weight is high.

Yes they cost, but they are a long way from the most expensive camper on the market. We bought ours (a 2005 LE with plenty of extras on it) in preparation for a 6 month trip with the family. It was only 6 months old when we got it. Two years and about 40,000km later we sold it for the same price we got it for. All it cost me was rego and insurance for two years of fairly hard use. So you need to put the cost in perspective I guess. We could have bought a camper for less than $20K, but would probably have dropped $5,000 on it. A more expensive proposition.

A lot of people mention the ball weight but as yet I haven't heard too many people tell me why this is such an issue. Regardless of what camper you get, you would be silly not to set up the vehicle's suspension to suit the work you are doing. The same applies if you are not towing. I fitted a set of 400kg OME springs to the rear and the vehicle was beautifully balanced and the trailer towed exceptionally well. So what is the problem? The only issue was that the trailer is difficult to manouever off the car, you pretty much have to back it to the spot you want. Sometimes I watched couples wheeling their Ultimate Campers around with relative ease and that did make me a bit jealous. Not a serious limitation though and if you are looking at the Sports RV, probably less of an issue for you.

With respect to the spare wheel issue, the answer is called 'maintenance'. In a perfect world I probably would not put the spare under the trailer (are you listening Mr Tojo?) But if you maintain the system regularly then no problem. In the same way that if you don't maintain your vehicle brakes (and 100 other things on your vehicle), they will fail when you need them.

I had some minor issues with the standard of finish on what is a premium product (particularly the over use of pop rivets on the sheet metal work), although I notice that Kimberley seem to be using more spot welds on the newer ones.

In our situation the camper we bought had to be able to do three main things. Offer good levels of practicality and comfort, be reliable and rugged, and sell well. The KK ticked all three boxes with flying colours. My advice when you consider the price issue is to spend some time looking at whatever camper you like on the second hand market and see how many are available and how much they bring. You pay for a good name, but so too will others when you come to sell.

Spend some time in the archives on this site and others as well. There are heaps of good campers available in this country, it seems a fairly saturated market. With that level of competition, the differences between brands are often at the margins really. Hire few to see what features suit you and your family best and go from there.

Matt.

I hava a KK and love it. We typically go away for long weekends and a week at a time and it suits our needs. I am about tp urchase annexxe walls as we find that these make camping a lot more comfy if its windy or raining and prides some more shade. I have been making do with some cheap tarps but they never last. I have the old style storage box on the hitch with the stove built in and its the only negative set up I have about the trailer. I much prefer the new Gull wing styles and am looking at doing the upgrade if I can afford it. The camper is quick and easy to set up.

If I were camping in one place for more than a week on a regular basis, I would consider a quality soft floor camper which generally offers a lot more room.

Camprite seem to be often overlooked but look a good solid unit with excellent ground clearance

mate took one through Cape York with ease

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This camper has room for 6 gerry cans ( 2 behind the box on the front), the box has a gen set, 2 tool boxes, oil containers, pegs, ropes, etc.

Its 6x4 box with a fold out tent area of 3.8 meters x 3.8 meters, that includes a awning and fly screen, it holds 90 lts water inside along with 3 x 45 ltr tubs and 5 x 30 ltr tubs, a 4.5 x 4.2 meter tarp, a table, and chairs, it also has a slide out kitchen, the mattress is a queen size innerspring.

It also has a 1400 kg rated spring pack and a 2 tonne rated axle.

It takes 1 person less than 10 minutes to assemble in full, it's not as pretty as a KK but will do the same job.

All up 5k, I bought it second hand and modified it a little, I looked for months before I found this and turned it into what I wanted.

Cheers Steve.

I have probably replied too many times on this subject, but have noticed ( it happens all the time on this site ) that the original question was about the merits ( or otherwise ) of a KK.

The blokes all but convinced he's buying a KK but wants some feedback on them..

He probably dosen't want to know how good brand x is as he stated hes looked at the others ?

It doesn't have to turn into a slanging match of mines better than yours !!

Anyway Mike, if you want a KK good luck and if I was to suggest what to get then here goes......... Sports K with extended tent, tropical roof, Kwik awning, ensuite, 2.4M awning and 1 end wall.. Then go camping and see if there is anything else you may need ( can be bought after )

Hi MJR, I'll give you a simple answer to your simple question. Good point is resale value, bad point is initial price. We bought a Tvan, in the same boat ie, resale is good, initial price is bad. If YOU like the KK then buy it. Simple.
Cheers