"Tambo Campers" are they tough enough?

Sorry mate,

I meaning trips like the Canning Stock Route, High country, Anne beadell, Sandy Cape Tasmania etc not just travelling down a nicely graded dirt road.

The camper will be our home for year or so and we wish to do some of the more remote trips as well on the way round, however I dont want to leave the trailer when it can be helped and also would like to to limit the chance of leaving it in the middle of nowhere because It wasnt up to the task.

Where have you taken yours?

Keep in mind the lower part of the CSR is closed to trailers of any kind...

G'day Scott

Is that right, I didnt realize that..... mainly cause I have seen reports of trailers being taken across.
What part are they banned in the CSR

Cheers

The high Country we did it when we first piked the camper up, and last winter we did the plenty Hway and wondered off to Ruby Gap ( its quite a work out) and that is as challenging I want it.

Cheers

From the track info on EO

"In times of wet weather, the section between Wells 2 - 5 through Cunyu Station may be closed to all traffic. This section is also permanently closed to all vehicles towing trailers and "oversize" vehicles. i.e.., any wide track vehicle over the size of a Toyota Troopcarrier (PC) - definitely no Okas, or Akas."

Apparently the local landowners are getting tired with both the track being chewed up and having to 'rescue' unsuitable vehicles..... so blanket ban.

Are you saying you bought the camper but left it at home? Are you tenting it or mainly cabins instead?

Oh sorry didnt want to add all our plans from the point of buying the camper as I didnt want to rave on too much about our much BETTER rig!

We sold the camper for more than we paid for it in June and bought a brand new 16' poptop bunk caravan. Couldnt be happier...

Living the Dream as I am typing this reply.

We move on much quicker and with ease and no stress on us of the kids. We have only an extra 200kg overall in towing weight so nothing really and havent noticed any real change in our fuel economy as we are now travelling at 85-90km per hour rather than getting up to 100 or a bit more at times when we were towing the camper.

The amount of crap that we were able to leave at home in the shed amazed both of us and we are happy as larry now. Sure it is an extra $18k that we spent on top of what the camper cost us but we got a great deal on the new van at the right time when no-one else seems to be buying new vans so we got about $7k off the already reduced asking price at the dealers.

We were just lucky at the time that we sold the camper the day we advertised it and found the caravan the first day we went looking for a bunk van that wasnt too gigantic to tow around oz.

At first we were going the keep the camper and sell the caravan on our return - more than likely at a profit. But the minute I saw the caravan I knew it would be the perferct harmonious balance in our travelling lives that we ALL would be comfortable in for many years to come. So we sold the camper the next day!

We are stoked but still rate the Tambo's up the top - no doubts with that just not for us compared to the ease of the van we have bought.

We are on the road for 8 months in total and the way things are going we wish we had 8 years to go instead it is such a pleasure. Bear in mind we dont have air cond as yet (and dont plan to get it) and we have a dometic roll out blind which is 8ft wide and as long as the van and is great for shade and having a bbq under. We can setup in under 15 mins of registering at a van park and that is with 2 small kids in tow and get away just as easy as everything has its place in the van and we try and keep things in their place.

We can also free camp whenever we want to save money and we would have NEVER done that in our camper trailer - just didnt feel safe enough with the kids etc. At least you can lock the door in the van and have solid walls etc etc.

Hope my reply is helpful to all,

Cheers for Now

I guess it's different strokes for differrent folks...we sent 6 months in a Trak Shak with 2 kids. While we did look in envy at times at people in caravans that set-up a bit quicker than us, but we were able to get right off the beaten track and were completely sustaintable away from parks and spent many nights at free camps and in the middle of nowhere. Some of our most memorable nights would not have occured if we had a van because we wouldn't have been able to get in.

Cheers,

Mark.

Also you will find quite a few Tambo owners on the Myswag forum. Maybe pop over there and ask the same questions.

myswag

Cheers, Mark

Thanks for the Info Mark will check out myswag

Cheers

Thanks Dave,

Yes have seen those two websites, I will be Interested to hear how you go with it up the cape....Lucky Bugga!!

Are you going up the Old Telegraph line?
If you remember, can you send me a message when you get back let me know how it performed?

Have a great trip

Cheers

Thanks. If you do decide to go for the Tambo, you will find the owners Keith & Amanda extremely pleasant people to deal with. Their customer service is first class and nothing is too much trouble.

Yes, we will be doing the OTL, whether one way or up and back I am not too sure as yet - we will treat each day as it comes. This trip has been in the planning for near on 12 months, so we are itching to get going. We hope to do Frenchman's Track as well, but we will just have to find out what the Pascoe River crossing is like when we get there. Nothing like word of mouth when we are up that way.

I'll put your post aside somewhere and hopefully remember to reply when I get back. Won't be until mid September though. Hope the news is all good !!

Dave

Thanks Nick,

Enjoy the rest of it.

Cheers