Camper Trailers

[marauding mullet]

Camper trailers. You know, those things that look basically like a normal 6 x 4 trailer and someone has folded a tent flat on top of it and welded a few jerry can brackets around it.
Anyone had any experience owning / using one of these?
From what I can tell they range from the Rolls Royce $20k jobs down to $2k or so on Gumtree but I can't see the value in the expensive ones, after all it's still just a box trailer.

[8]

They are pretty bloody handy if you want to go bush and be comfortable...

You can deal with living out the back of a car and sleeping anywhere for a night or two but then it gets messy and annoying. The better trailers are set up nice and comfortable enough for weeks away and more.

[Trev]

Just make sure if you pack them down wet, that you erect it all again asap to dry.
Otherwise they stink.

[diggerdickson]

The best ones that ive seen in my travels are the home made ones. The other things that have really grabbed my attention are the ones that come off the roofs of 4wds. Those things look fantastic.

[Yuke Hunt]

Camper trailers. You know, those things that look basically like a normal 6 x 4 trailer and someone has folded a tent flat on top of it and welded a few jerry can brackets around it.
Anyone had any experience owning / using one of these?
From what I can tell they range from the Rolls Royce $20k jobs down to $2k or so on Gumtree but I can't see the value in the expensive ones, after all it's still just a box trailer.

Loofy ask a similar question a while back. I had a quick search around the site for a link, but came up empty handed ... stumped as a shark attack victim.

So anyway ... while the cost of some of these contraptions seems somewhat exorbitant, there are some major differences between top end manufacturers and the cheaper (mostly imported) product.

Canvas is a major part of the equation when considering purchasing one of these contraptions. The more expensive tents are manufactured using Australian made "Dynaproof" canvas. The cheaper versions are mostly supplied with an inferior Chinese ripstop of varying qualities. Eyelets and other fixing hardware are predominantly sturdier on locally manufactured units (including zips and flyscreens).
The tent bows and other poles are often of lesser quality on the imports too.

In short the cheap arsed imported tents tend to leak and have a shorter life expectancy. They are often poorly designed and can be a nightmare to erect, requiring a ridiculous number of poles and ropes. While they all look very similar, the designs can and do vary quite significantly.

Moving into the trailers and we have a similar scenario with the quality of locally manufactured brands and that of the imported and assembled models. For example; any decent trailer should have the drawbar welded to the main trailer body, yet many of the cheaper ones a simply bolted on.
The metal quality and thickness, welding, powder coating or painting, rustproofing and durability of components all come into the cost factor. As do seemingly small details such as the seals on tailgates and other hinged sections. Quality auto seals are used on high end models, foam tape on the not so.

Other factors come into play when considering the cost. The addition of independent suspension, kitchens, water tanks and plumbing, 12 volt systems and other upgrades or options all contribute to the cost.

Its not apples for apples. The quality of imported campers has improved over the last few years, but not all. Theres some absolute rubbish out there, so its a bit of a minefield for an unsuspecting buyer. I've heard some nightmare stories from people who've purchased an imported camper after viewing the product at a camping show or the dealers showroom. Its a bit of a bait and switch technique ... where the sample on show is immaculate and impressive for the price, yet the one delivered is far from. Do a google search and you'll find a plethora of horror stories.

It all comes down to what the end user wants ... the trailers intended use. A vast majority of camper trailers are designed to withstand the riggers of off road driving, or at the least a beating from the corrugations of an sealed road.

Theres some good quality second hand locally built stuff on the market. Again ... google is your friend here.

Me and the cheese have been right around the block with camping contraptions and found this to be just right for our needs ...



Its a Jayco Swift, and it set me back roughly 19K with quite a few options.

Look, I suppose it a bit like buying a bike ... you can pop into Kmart and grab yourself a $99 treadly with seemingly all the bells and whistles, well maybe with a bell anyway. It might last a few years depending ... maybe not. Or the other option is to source a quality bike from a knowledgeable and hopefully reputable purveyor of bicycles ... a peddler of peddles as such. A proper bike ... setup for the task at hand. Now if you only want a bike to nip down to the local shops or check the surf two blocks away, then the Kmart special might be just whats needed. On the other hand if you want a set of numb nuts from hours in the saddle, maybe a visit to the bike shop is in order.

Heres a couple of local manufacturers ...

http://trackabout.com.au

http://www.customline.com.au

http://www.lifestylecampertrailers.com.au

Note: The base model in the Lifestyle Camper range has (to my knowledge) an imported tent on a quality Australian trailer. I've had a good look at one and its quite impressive, but still not as good as their locally made canvas tents. We owned a Lifestyle Camper for a few years and it was a fantastic bit of kit. Their after sales service was also exemplary. All of the above three manufacturers have good solid reputations in the industry. Theres others too.

Yes ... I know I know far too much about this ... its taken me many many years to fill my head with all this useless shit.

[marauding mullet]

[
Yes ... I know I know far too much about this ... its taken me many many years to fill my head with all this useless shit.

No no that's awesome Womble, can't have too much info. Thanks to the other replies as well.
First up this idea was just to get me across to Perth, as we're taking our time and having 3 dogs has kind of excluded us from most "dog friendly" accommodation.
Also I could probably use it for trips up north in WA.
Happy trails, furniture just got picked up by removalists I'm knackered.

[Drailed]

If you are going on non sealed roads, dont get a cheapie, it will fall to bits within a couple of hours on those graded WA roads..

Get a decent one second hand and then sell on when done with it.

[otway1949]

Classified as a trailer with which you can camp.

I've got a 6X4 trailer with top canvas Tonneau cover on frame registered to Sept 2015 with an 10 plus OzTrail tent ( why it is called that can sleep 8 according to brochure) and butane cartridge stove + air mattresses (1X double two single billies), frypans jerry cans etc also 1million candle power spot light and an air pump to pump up your beds both power from the car power sockets basic and adequate.
Selling from Merimbula for $1000 ONO if interested PM me.
Not in for sale section cause it fits well here.
Genuine sale Thanks Otway

[Yuke Hunt]

10 plus OzTrail tent

Like this ...


We've got the COI (camping and outdoor industries) version, and its smaller single pole stablemate. Picked them up at the right price a few years back. Great bit if kit. Touring tents is the common term for them, due to the speed and ease of setting up and packing away.

Shep would know all about this style of tent from his days working on that big yellow bus.

Not a bad option.

[otway1949]

Yep that's pretty much the one , so with the trailer whip it out wap it up an bingo camp site, with car free to go wherever!

[Drailed]

So is it attached to the trailer or you just use the trailer to carry all your stuff in?

[otway1949]

Just using the trailer to carry all the stuff in as stated!
All the tent, gear and trailer cover and frame was built for my son's visit from Austria and only used once, cleaned and stored dry and well since!

[Rustt]

Had one of these for a few years, did alot of k's with it.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/two-well ... 1058869193

I'm pretty sure this is my old one in the ad, 10 years ago they were one of the popular off roaders and they are bullet proof, they are a little on the heavy side, cause they are strong. every thing on them is simple and rarely breaks .

I bought that one for 10g sold it to mt brother in law for 11, he sold it to this guy for 12 so looks like a solid investment.

If you get a good deal on a jayco, only a few years old, you will get more than you money back over west.

Campers and caravans are a bit like houses, you have to own a few before you really know what you need

[Drailed]

I bought that one for 10g sold it to mt brother in law for 11

Sheesh, who needs enemies with family like you...

[marauding mullet]

Don't have time to research the camper trailer idea properly and then potentially have to get extra wiring, anderson plug, electric brake controller etc. installed in the car. I hate rushing into decisions involving lots of bugs bunny.
I'm just going to buy a cheap tent so we (and the muts) have something to sleep in at night, and find free camping sites along the way.
There's a good book you can buy which lists all the free camping sites in the country, about $20.
Will revisit the camper trailer idea once settled over west, for exploring.

[Drailed]

There's a pretty cool app called wikicamp

[Yuke Hunt]

There's a good book you can buy which lists all the free camping sites in the country, about $20.

Camps 7 (being the seventh edition) It'll set you back about 50 clams.

[Rustt]

I bought that one for 10g sold it to mt brother in law for 11

Sheesh, who needs enemies with family like you...

And then he sold it for 12.........
I f your going a tent, Ive seen a few of these , www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNNZJT4lc-k, pretty versatile nice add on to anything you get in the future.

I use this app more than wikki and its free, www.campinaustralia.com.au