camper trailer pro's

Submitted: Sunday, Oct 04, 2009 at 22:29

ThreadID: 72770 Views:10770 Replies:10 FollowUps:4

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Buying a Camper Trailer

For many campers the decision over the 'living quarters' poses the greatest quandary in the pre-trip planning. Other than a wide range of trailers,

weluvoz

Hi, I'm new to the site, love the info one here, and have a few question for all the camper trailer users. Bit of background, we travelled the east cost last year in an expanda, way to heavy, used heaps of fuel, time consuming to set up etc etc.... so now we think we want a camper trailer.

What we will use it for; only on road, towing with a new holden stationwagon, want lightness for the fuel side and less wear on car, we need to be able to put 3 push bikes on the trailer, ideally 3 surfboards as well. Would love a king size bed, queen ok. Want to be able to access fridge and kitchen without setting up. Must be easy under 10 mins to set up, dont want to put heaps of poles etc in.

We went to the leisure expo, and have looked on the web, but to be honest, being so informed has just confused us! Any suggestions on an ideal camper? I think I prefer hard floor, but happy with soft if it meets all the other needs.

We mostly camp in caravan parks, but want to start being a bit more adventurous, so also need power and water.

Think thats it! Thanks for reading this far...

Loretta

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Reply By: you eat the bear - Sunday, Oct 04, 2009 at 23:01

Sunday, Oct 04, 2009 at 23:01

Hi Loretta.

First - what is your budget?
Second - do a bit of research, find local manufacturers if you can and vist their showrooms. Most will be very helpful
Third - have a look at other forums like myswag
Fourth - Once you have a shortlist, hire a camper or three to see what works for you. Soft floor campers start at about $60 per day.

Good luck

Stephen

AnswerID: 385766

Reply By: Member - Josh (VIC) - Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 01:03

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 01:03

For ease of set up I don't think you can beat an Obriens camper. Have a look herehttp://obrien.obrien.fastmail.com.au/
They have a pole free set up so to set up the main tent area there are no poles to put up at all. This area takes about 5 minutes to set tops. There are poles for the awning/annexe if you want to set that up. The staff are very helpful and can change the trailer to suit anything you need on the trailer. They have on & off road trailers from basic to full on. You said you want to start being adventurous, they can add stuff as you get more adventurous. They can do solar power set up ect. We have lived in 1 of their trailers for the last 2 1/2 years as we have travelled around oz and it has been great. There are heaps of trailers out there so take time to have a good look around.

Josh

AnswerID: 385779

Reply By: guzzi - Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 08:11

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 08:11

Have a read of this site;
http://www.campertrailers.org/

How many kids do you have?

As above what is your budget?

For 2 people a hard floor like one of the smaller on road Cub would meet most of your criteria, you may have to fit a removable bike rack to fit your bikes.

For a family of more than 3 one of the Jayco poptops (dove or hawk) would be worth a look

Soft floors have a larger footprint due to the usually larger tent (9 to 12 ft) + annex, they will accomodate a family of more than 2 comfortably.

Beware the fully setup size of some with all the annex's and extra rooms setup, they are bigger than most campsites at caravan parks, they never look that big at the shows.....

Setup on most campers is around 10 to 15 mins, that is until you decide you want to put the annex up, pull the chairs and tables out, setup cupboards, toilets and showers and then relax, at about this point, its taken an hour or sometimes 2. Now this is OK if your setting up for more than a 2 night stay, if touring you'd just set up the tent.

Yes you do suffer from information overload, it took me 3 years to make a decision.
The best advice is also above, hire the different types and go away for a weekend and see what works for you and what doesn't.
Also if you're only going to do 3 or 4 trips a year, just hire its not worth it if your not doing this at least 10 times a year IMO anyway.

The other avenue is come on over to the dark side and buy a decent 4x4 to tow it all around with :)

Cheers

Pete

AnswerID: 385786

Reply By: RobertHL (SEQ) - Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 08:26

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 08:26

Could also try Adventure off road camper trailers.www.adventurecampers.com.au
All of what you want in your Qs.

Cheers,

Bob.

AnswerID: 385788

Reply By: weluvoz - Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 20:19

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 20:19

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, we booked a soft floor to hire for our next trip. Thats a great idea, I guess we will see then what we like/don't like.

I would like to ideally spend under $15k, prefer second hand so we get a bit more value for our money, we have one 4 year old, and he happily sleeps with us for the moment, but down the track he will need his own spot.

I looked some of the suggested ones up, I really like the cub camper, one of the smaller one looks perfect, not the tiny one, any comments on negatives of those? There is a Daintree model on an auction site at the moment, which looks perfect, if anyone in Vic has a similar one for sale we'd been keen to come and have a look too.

I am really leaning towards the hard floor after reading through this site, as size is not an issue for us I think it will be a benefit long term and with racks on top could hold our boards well.

Thanks again

Loretta

AnswerID: 385857

Follow Up By: Outa Bounds - Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 22:14

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 22:14

Just make sure that you won't have to unload all the bikes / surfboards to set up your camper, particularly if you do a lot of overnighters when you're traveling a long distance and mainly want to get to your destination.

We have had an Adventure camper trailer, it sounded to me like that brand might have met your criteria that you originally outlined. We found it didn't quite suit us perfectly, I didn't need the kitchen sink and powered tap really lol. After that we had an All Terrain camper trailer, it was much more ideal for our needs (2 adults and 2 kids), could be worth checking out, it's quite similar to Complete Campsite ones which is another you could check out, all of which are soft floor models though.

The BackTrax is a really cool looking model, but it's pretty compact, never seen one in person but I have always liked them, with doubts as to weather one would be big enough for us.

Our current set up is a couple of tents, a standard trailer and at the moment a car without a towbar! Ha ha, yes haven't been camping for a few years and finances aren't looking up yet!

I don't know if there is ever a perfect set up, because you always come up with ideas of how things could be improved.
Have fun with your hire trip!!!

FollowupID: 653456

Reply By: Outa Bounds - Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 22:17

Monday, Oct 05, 2009 at 22:17

Here is another website for you in case you haven't come across it....
My Swag

AnswerID: 385889

Reply By: Member - Leanne W (NSW) - Tuesday, Oct 06, 2009 at 09:25

Tuesday, Oct 06, 2009 at 09:25

Hi Loretta,

We have an Aussie Swag campertrailer. It is hard floor, so sets up in about 2 minutes. It takes a little longer if you put up the awning/annexe or extra room of course.

They can put a double bike rack on the draw bar, so you don't have to unload the bikes to set up the camper. It can also have a rack put on, so the surfboards could travel there...... they would have to be removed before setting up.

The kitchen (fridge, stove, pantry & sink) can all be accessed without having to set up the camper.

Good luck with your choice, there are heaps out there!

Leanne

AnswerID: 385923

Reply By: Member - Captain (WA) - Tuesday, Oct 06, 2009 at 09:52

Tuesday, Oct 06, 2009 at 09:52

Hi Loretta,

I have a Camprite trailer and have found it ideal for a family. It has off-the-ground accomodation for 4 (2 x single beds & 1 double) as well as the ability to carry bikes and surboards that don't need unloading when stopped. It also has a rear tailgat kitchen that can be accessed easily for roadside stops. It also has a genuine under 5 minute setup, but will take longer if the annexe is required.

The side "lids" swing over (the kayaks hang underneath) and the bikes swing out on their rack. The kitchen also swings out to allow the double bed to be pushed out over the trailer A-frame, the internal poles swing into position and are clipped into place and the accommodation is complete.

Note that there are 2 camprites in this pic and neither has the annexe up and the kids are off riding their bikes so I have folded the bike carrier arms down (but it makes a good towel rack!)

It also is a full off-road capable trailer and will easily follow wherever you could take a 4WD. About the only problem would be the price, although if you could stretch your budget a bit you may be able to find a 2nd hand one for ~$20k.

Cheers

Captain

AnswerID: 385929

Reply By: Stevo@50 - Friday, Oct 09, 2009 at 20:56

Friday, Oct 09, 2009 at 20:56

Maaaate, getting a camper trailer is gunna be tough after the expanda. In fine weather they are less to manage than a tent, but if the canvas gets wet (dew or rain) you'll have to unpack the thing later if you had to pack up without letting the camper dry out. As far as convenience goes for setting up and maintenance it goes in this order;
1. Tents
2. Camper trailers
3. Pop up camper trailers
4. Caravans (incl. expandas)
5. Motorhomes

So if you want to go from second top to the bottom rung of the ladder, then take the advice and hire one for a few trips. I reckon Jayco have got a great product in their range that includes Dove, Eagle or Swan. These fit somewhere between a canvas camper trailer and a caravan. My latest camper is a Jayco Dove and it takes just 8-10mins to set up or pull down. Add another 10mins if putting the annexe up. It has a full internal kitchen, can run on 240v or 12v + Gas and tows beautifully as a compact fully self contained unit.

It most likely will depend on where you want to travel with the camper and your budget. try this site for more infosite with info on campers.

AnswerID: 386436

Reply By: Damo1970 - Friday, Oct 16, 2009 at 03:17

Friday, Oct 16, 2009 at 03:17

You're buying a camper trailer because the Expanda was too time conuming to set up? - LOL

You've got a big surprise ready to kick you up the butt.........

AnswerID: 387268

Follow Up By: weluvoz - Friday, Oct 16, 2009 at 18:54

Friday, Oct 16, 2009 at 18:54

lol, let me explain further, we took sooooo much stuff we could not even get in the expanda for lunch, hence the camper with swing out kitchen would be great for stops on long trips.

And the expanda takes ages to set up, undo, fold out the beds, unfold the mattress, make the bed each time, clomb over the table to make the beds and get in and out of bed, put the poles in for the beds, unclip the roof, lift the roof, lock the roof. And if it gets wet is is exactly the same, crappy to pack up and needs to be pulled out to dry at home, that part doesnt bother me.

any hoo, lets see how the hire goes and then I will give you my perception on the difference! :-)

FollowupID: 654914

Follow Up By: Damo1970 - Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 at 20:37

Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 at 20:37

Not wanting to have a go at you but it sounds like you made things a lot harder than they need to be.

You can be setup & ready to sleep in the Expanda in about 3 minutes. I do the outside stuff & my wife does the inside stuff. So, i undo 4 roof clips & my wife lifts the roof - 30 seconds. I undo the bed ends & drop the beds - 60 seconds. We never travel with the table in place so making the bed is dead easy - put the pole in, unclip the strap & fold the mattress out. We leave our sheets on the bed so it's simply a matter of throwing the pillows & doona on the bed - 2 minutes. So, we are now in a position where we can sleep in the van. We've done this short setup a number of times at free camps.

We very rarely use our flys - only if it's very hot or if there is rain around. It does take a few minutes to put them up especially if you peg them out but we only occassionally do that. The awning takes about 60 seconds - a lot quicker than a camper trailer awning.

The difference between a camper & an Expanda is when it rains the camper gets wet & it is a pain to pack up & as you say needs to be setup to dry out. At least with the Expanda you do have the option of putting the bed flys on which keeps the bed ends completely dry to pack up.

All the other stuff are things that you need to do on Expanda's, full size caravans & campers. They are.........plugging in the power, attaching to water, dropping the legs etc etc.

I think i can safely say that if you can't get in your Expanda to have lunch then you are clearly carrying too much stuff. We are currently 10 months into a 13 month trip around Australia & it sounds like we are carrying half of what you travel with. The swing out kitchen on the camper will be great..........until you stop for lunch in the pouring rain - lol.

Be interested to read your thoughts on the camper. You can read about our travels at www.marshallsoz2009.com

FollowupID: 655869

Follow Up By: weluvoz - Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 at 21:10

Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 at 21:10

we couldn't leave the beds made, did it once and cracked the fiberglass clipping the beds in...didn't leave much bedding on there, maybe the last people did and it was a week spot.

And yes we did have to much stuff, did the east coast for a few months, we were in the white station wagon that was bottoming out that people were laughing at lol! We have learnt from that lesson, next time necessities only, that part is my fault, only a few weeks to go till we get to check it out cant wait.

FollowupID: 656863