What constitutes a good Camper Trailer test !

Gday Robin
I think you need one that has not fallen apart by the end of the first day out,no matter where you start from.

hi robin
i guess everyone has there own ideas about what the ideal camper trailer is or has to be and how rugged or or heavy and /or what its made out of
liteband strong or heavy and bulky
its a bit like caravans what one person likes several others will think its a pain the rear design and thats the case about tugs as well isn't it?
personely it would have to stand up to the territory that i wanted to tow it over or across- reliable in offrd conditions
it would have to be water and dust proof in all conditions
be easy to unfold and not take more than a few minutes from start to a secure finished job
and not be fiddly/ fiddly
it would also have to be easy to fold and or pack up
some are just so difficult and things and canvass get stuck in the way when your trying to close them up
poles get jammed and/or poke through the canvass and so on
i noticed that at the last 4wd and leisure show recently in perth
i only saw one brand jayco demonstrating the ease of erecting the poptop camper and a couple of pole brackets broke on the 3rd day and put the kibosh on it
it wouldn't in my opinion last the distanceeven on the rd and would be very annoying for that to happen after shelling out and going on that much needed holiday just because of a faulty design or in this case very inadiquate hardware

i hope my comments have thrown a little bit of light on the question
but if anyone can come up with and i guess thats a matter of varied opinion of a design that can satisfy the majority then they are onto a real winner
last count i had there was about 200 different brands and designs to choose from already with camper trailers
so good luck to your friends
cheers barry

Hi robin miller

My test would be two fold. Firstly before I go anywhere I need to know if my swmbo can unpack it put it up, the take it down and pack it up. Now I'm not trying to be misogynistic when I say this but I suggest that many swmbo's may not be able to do this with out help.
Learnt this through the experience of having an unexpected and serious medical episode whilst camping with a camper trailer. Secondly would be the road trip, this would have to be extensive, covering all the terrain conditions that the camper would be reasonably expected to encounter. All the serviceability and usability factors would have to be assessed and I doubt that this could be achieved in one day.

I expect it's ability to go where your tow vehicle can go without breaking is a given.

Additional things I add are waterproof ability, insect proofing and allied to above the ease for a female to pack up and hitch to the vehicle.
A two day workout on a mountain property also won't replicate the pounding that 200-300km of decent corrugations will dish out to a trailer, not only the suspension but all the welding and fastners. To me the corrugations would be more of a torture test than climbing Billy goat country, and really replicate what CT are designed/used for?

We have had two CT a $10k side flip soft floor and a 2003 Kimberly Kamper. Somethings like dust sealing and waterporoofing you can only really test by being in those environments.

To be honest Robin I doubt your property would truely test a trailer to it's limits other than get some idea of rampover/departure & articulation. It needs to be dragged up the Vic high country including deep rivers, through the Big Desert & accross the Simpson with a family of 5 living out of it for a couple months. Only then will it's practicality, reliability, dust ingress, quality & strength be truely tested. Possibly give one to the Gall Bros ;-)
Cheers Craig...........

Geez, good to see you have at least given your wife one vote....lol

You haven't mentioned what sort of camper trailer it is......many are classed as soft roaders....others are claimed to be full offroaders..

Many of the softies would tackle the high country fairly easy, as they really aren't all that much different to the full offroaders....to look at, at least..

Corrugations and dust .......and lots of it......that's the only way to sort a softie from a full !!

G/Day Robin, Good Question!,... I reckon you should hook one 4by on one end and another one on the other end, and start pulling!!....Whatever flys off or disinegrates needs fixing....LOL.....Waterproof test ? ..Tow it through a dam maybe, fully erected,

Dust sealing, Hook it onto the back of a road train out the back of NT somewhere.


I.m sure you will get some interesting results.


Cheers Axle.

All of the above comments and BACK UP SERVICE if needed. Everybody is after back up service being a camper trailer, car, truck, so on so on.

Don't forget the bed - ease of making & comfort. The worst days travel is forgotten after a good nights sleep.
And somewhere safe for the wine!
Heather

Load the trailer up with about 200kgs more than the GVM, then drive it along the Anne Beadell hwy for a few days and see what damage the corrugations do. That is what TrackTrailer do with the Tvan. Its what I do every year too! Sorts the rubbish out from the solid offroad trailers.

Hi Robin. I would like a bed that can remain made and never gets wet. When I stop for lunch and it;s raining, I want to be able to quickly open up my trailer, walk inside and make my lunch, boil the kettle,sit and eat, then simply close my trailer and continue my journey. without fuss. It's my number 1 reason for not yet buying a camper trailer... Always enjoy your posts... Cheers.

Robin
Give it to me for 12 months and I will get back to you with the results..............

Wouldn’t your test be designed around “testing” what the manufacturer claims it will do.

Driving it on the roughest, meanest track might be a good test, but if the manufacturer doesn’t warrant that it is capable of doing that type of travel then the test becomes meaningless, surely?

So a good starting point for any test is to assess what the manufacturer claims it can do, and what it can’t do...