ultimate camper

Submitted: Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 11:46
ThreadID: 76634 Views:5947 Replies:9 FollowUps:21
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Would love to hear from folk who have an ultimate camper. What do you like about it ? anything you don't like? How does it cope in heavy rain? Am trying to decide what camper to purchase. Ultimate looks good, any other recommendations ?
cheers
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Reply By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 12:50

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 12:50
G'day, Several of us on this site have Ultimates. I bought ours in Feb 1999 and it has been to numerous exciting places... (eg: 2 trips to Cape York and across the Simpson Desert to name but a couple).

They are a very sturdy and functional camper trailer. I think I'd be right in saying that the majority of these are owned by "empty nesters". However, we buck the trend and are a family of 5 (3 sons aged 14, 12 and 9). If you do your sums, you'll see that our youngest one wasn't even born when we bought the camper.

As with any camper trailer, you do have to plan ahead quite well when you have more than just "mum and dad" to cater for.

The Ulti' tows very well and has huge ground clearance and excellent suspension. A mate of mine who has one, managed to perform a slow-speed roll-over out in the Simpson Desert a few years back. It landed on it's lid and they gently righted it using a couple of vehicles....one on either side..... one to pull it back up onto it's side and the other one to "manage" the decent back onto the ground. The Ulti suffered no ill-effects from that roll-over event.

Highly recommended.

Usual disclaimer.

Roachie
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 12:57

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 12:57
What happened to the beach camping?
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Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 15:46

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 15:46
Yeh, we were there over night but had to come back home today cos I've gotta work tomorrow. Wet as down there (again) and Kadina had 70mm overnight too.

Hope you and Lyn are both keeping well. Your absence was duly noted!!!! hahaha

Roachie
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 16:32

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 16:32
yeah Pesty asked us on Wednesday night if we were going...he even offered us a map.

We had a working bee on some 4x4's for our up and coming trip (dependent on water flow).
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Follow Up By: Dasher Des - Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 13:06

Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 13:06
(3 sons aged 14, 12 and 9). If you do your sums, you'll see that our youngest one wasn't even born when we bought the camper. Roachie, are you giving the Ultimate credit for that little gem of information. LOL I bet if the same question was put up about a Tvan, you would have received more than 5 or 6 responses,
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Follow Up By: Peter Horne [Krakka] - Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010 at 12:57

Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010 at 12:57
Hiya Olcoolone, thats not the excuse Roachie gave us for going home early! I know someone in that camp was not happy going home.
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Reply By: olcoolone - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 12:55

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 12:55
Fantastic, we have had an Ultimate for about 12 months now.

No problems in heavy rain or wind.

There is really nothing we would change.

We went from a TrakShak to the Ultimate because our type of camping changed.

The advantage of an Ultimate is you can set it up anywhere...the ground can be under 2 foot of water and mud or as rough as it can be and you can still set it up and have a good nights sleep.

Set up takes about 5 minutes and to pack up about 20 minutes with 2 people.

There really is no other camper that comes close to it for versatility and quality.

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Follow Up By: horseshoe - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:26

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:26
Thanks for the feedback, the setting up looks easy for a short female to achieve, this is something I need to consider, some of the flip over styles of camper trailers have been to high for me, or too heavy for me to open/ close comfortably. The ground clearance is a big plus, I also like the idea of opening starting at hip height, great for protecting the old back.
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 21:21

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 21:21
If the gas strut is OK it is a one handed operation to open and close (REALLY).

Are you buying new or used?
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Follow Up By: horseshoe - Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 at 21:57

Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 at 21:57
Hi,
We will probably buy new, since second hand ones are hard to find
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Reply By: Member - Ian W1 (QLD) - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 13:40

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 13:40
We pick ours up in 24 days!!! Can't wait to give it its 'initiation run' back to Brisbane in preparation for the Kimberley trip. Have heard nothing but good about them so hopefully will join all the others who think they are 'top' too. Cheers
Ian
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Follow Up By: Fragle_Rock (VIC) - Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 12:46

Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 12:46
Don't want to rub it in but we are picking ours up in 9 days....like you we have heard nothing but good reports and Ultimate have been great to deal with.

Cheers.
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Follow Up By: Member - Ian W1 (QLD) - Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 13:08

Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 13:08
Enjoy it!!! Got anything planned for it? Hopefully ours will be busy getting dirty for a few years.
All the best with the pickup...might see you on the tracks sometime.
Cheers
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Reply By: horseshoe - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 13:52

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 13:52
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the feedback. Sounds like everyone who owns an ultimate loves it. What appeals to me is the option to cook and relax inside to avoid the flies and mossies when they are real bad.
hadn't thought about "what if it rolls over"? Great to hear it's sturdy and easy to reposition. I am looking forward to veiwing one at a camping caravan show.

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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 14:04

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 14:04
We don't cook inside, the smell of cooking and the vapor gets into the canvas and is hard to remove.

We always us a 3 burner gas stove outside.
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Reply By: Batboy - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 15:45

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 15:45
The only thing I don't like is the amount of dust that accumulates on the back step. There is a few people on the ultimate forum with some ideas to combat this.

Excellant in heavy rain, the eyelids over the end windows allow you to leave windows open and there is a awning over the main door which is usually left attatched, also there is a rear awning which goes the length of the tent allowing more windows to be left open, also left attached. The curved roof doesn't allow any water to accumulate so heaps less chance of leaks, add to that the tropical roof adds another layer of canvas.

Flip top roof gives covered outdoor area without putting up canvas
Solid construction means confidence to take anywhere
Utimate very very good to deal with
Heaps good storage

We have had ours for three years and haven't changed anything which is very unusual for me

Cheers
Jim




AnswerID: 407666

Follow Up By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 22:07

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 22:07
Hi Batboy
We did not like the dust accumulation so we bought a Colman air mattress inflator and it works like a leaf blower. No more dust.
Stan
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Follow Up By: Batboy - Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 14:07

Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 14:07
Good tip Stan, Just plug it into the unswitched power outlet when you stop? or do you have it hard wired and fixed at just the right angle, then operate it by an incab switch that you flick just out of camp so that by the time you stop all the dusts gone! Just kidding would be good though...

I did try an air gun onto the spare wheel but found that to make it worth while you needed over 60psi then of course you had to keep pumping up the spare! Dust pan was quicker did a better job and less hassle but I have an old air mattress inflator in the shed so will try that in few weeks on the Canning

Cheers Jim
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Reply By: horseshoe - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:19

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:19
Thanks for the tip regarding cooking smells getting into the canvas , I hadn't thought about that, but it is something to remember.

Thanks for the feedback regarding heavy rain, I thought the shape and firmness of the canvas would mean the ultimate should cope well in heavier type rain, than some other styles of canvas campers. With good run off, it should dry quicker too i guess,

Can't wait now to get a close look at one at the next caravan and camping show.
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Reply By: ljsroslyn - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:27

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:27
We have had ours since August 2008 and we love it. We upgraded from a soft floored flip over camper and we can't believe we didn't buy one earlier.

As mentioned
1 Good storeage
2 Able to put it up anywhere despite the terrain
3 Able to get inside out of the conditions. We don't cook meat etc inside, only food that won't leave a smell
4 Simple to set up and pack up
5 Tows like a dream and will go where you are willing to take the tow vehicle.
6 The king size bed is great. We now have inner spring mattresses to make sleeping even better
7 Ease of manouverabillty to get it in the right spot
8 Great airflow with big windows/tropical roof works well in the wet and the heat.
and there are probably more

Dislikes
1 The dust that collects on the back step but doesn't take long to dust off and get on with setting up

Hope this helps
AnswerID: 407696

Follow Up By: horseshoe - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:54

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 18:54
Thanks, I think you have summed up everyone's feedback. The inner spring mattress sounds a good option, does it store easily inside the camper?

I've also learnt where and how to respond on this forum, my apology for not responding individually to other posts earlier on. I am new to explore oz forum.
I am really impressed with the quick and very helpful responses.
thank you everyone.
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Follow Up By: ljsroslyn - Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 19:48

Sunday, Mar 07, 2010 at 19:48
Hi Horsehoe

I know the foums take a bit to work out at times.

We bought our mattresses from Made to Measure Mattesses in Qld. Excellent help over the phone and eventually we ordered what they suggested. We gave them the meausrements and a few weeks later they were delivered to the door. Sight unseen and untested and we now have the best nights sleep ever. For me with a rotten back I couldn no longer sleep on the foam mattresses supplied for long periods of time.

There are only 2 mattresses instead of 3 foam ones. Because of the height of the innersping mattress we could only have 2. They aren't as wide (we can give you the measurements)- there is a gap on either edge of about 3" when in position and pushed together but we still find this wide enough and my husband is 6'3". We still have fitted sheets so no more difficult to make up. The camper is no more difficult to pack up - we just have to take off the backs off the couch which store on the floor. The only downside is I can no longer man handle the mattresses for pack up and set up but that is not really a big deal for us.

Hope that helps
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Reply By: Adey - Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 18:51

Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 18:51
Can anyone advise the difficulty or otherwise of packing up the tent section into the camper please? How difficult is it to fold the tent down and fit it under the bed base on packing everything up. I have heard it is difficult to poke the tent in especially around the nose cone.

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
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Follow Up By: Member - Gary W (NSW) - Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 19:44

Monday, Mar 08, 2010 at 19:44
That is probably the hardest aspect of the packing up process. You need climb on the front nose of the camper and tuck the canvas inside. it is preferably a 2-person job with one tucking in and the other slowing lowering the lid.
Gary.
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Follow Up By: Member - James B (TAS) - Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010 at 21:32

Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010 at 21:32
No need to climb on the nose cone, use a small step and stand in the opened front with the wing up and it is easy to pack the canvas in. You do have to move to the other side to get the final pack in. Canvas gets a memory eventually. Make sure there is no argument with the wife before doing this or you might be a few fingers short!!!

We have had ours for 4 years and travel with 2 dogs. Don't know who enjoys it more , them or us.
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Follow Up By: horseshoe - Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 at 21:56

Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 at 21:56
Hi Guys,
Was wondering about the pack up for the ultimate, website only shows the ease of setting up. most other site with video links show set up and pack up, so I was wondering if the ultimate required a bit of fiddling. Will be sure to check this part out when I get to see one.
Does the bedding have the potential to get wet with raining during the pack up stage?

cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - Gary W (NSW) - Thursday, Mar 11, 2010 at 15:23

Thursday, Mar 11, 2010 at 15:23
Since the Ultimate has a double-lined roof, the majority of any rain is kept on the outside of the canvas.We just throw a plastic sheet over the mattresses to prevent any excess from getting through.
Gary.
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Reply By: Member - Traveller (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010 at 12:37

Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010 at 12:37
This response will not be popular with Ulti fans, and I fully respect their enthusiasm for their campers. I am obviously in the minority!

We have owned two Ultis, both pre owned. Didn’t like the first one, didn’t keep it for long.

After a couple of years, thought maybe we hadn’t given it a fair trial so purchased the second, an immaculate, well equipped example.

Oops! Try as we may, just couldn’t adapt to the packing and folding up each morning, the pinched fingers whilst tucking the canvas, the cracked fingernails whilst putting the thing up, the retained odours in the canvas on the odd occasion we were forced to cook inside, and the damp, dank canvas if there had been rain, or even a heavy dew, and the continual shifting this, to get at that.

We’d just as rather, on that damp windy evening, jump out of the tow, and in through the door of a snug, comfortable aluminium box on wheels, with all the comforts of home!

Ultimates are a beautifully engineered and crafted camper, and happy travels to those who love them!

Cheers!
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Follow Up By: horseshoe - Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 at 22:02

Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 at 22:02
Thanks for providing another view point, no camping outfit is perfect which is why this forum is so great, everyone gives honest advise which helps a person narrow down what they are prepared to comprise with or to help identify what suits them best,
having camped for years with tents, i know all about wet dank smelly things, and searching for items in backpacks/ boxes. There is no way my partner will tow a van so I am looking for something in between and something light and easy that I can manage on my own when I venture out and about. Cheers,
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Follow Up By: Peter McG (Member, Melbourne) - Friday, Mar 12, 2010 at 12:19

Friday, Mar 12, 2010 at 12:19
Hi there

We have Ultimate No10 which is now 15 years old and still going well. In fact you'd have trouble seeing how it differs form the newer ones. It's travelled much of the outback and will continue to do so for many years.

Canvas smell - not an issue if you cook with open windows. You can always do some cooking outside on portable stoves but hey - cooking inside, out of the weather is great when it's raining.

Dust on the back step - easily fixed with 2 right angle 100mm plumbing fittings to blow air over the door. I can send pictures if you need them.

Join the Ultimate forum when you get your's - lots of useful tips over there.

Cheers

Peter
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