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  • Alyosius
    Junior Member
    • Nov 2016
    • 39
    • NSW

    "Suitable" camper trailer

    My wife and I are relaxing outside our current camper trailer on the last night of our 2 and a half week Christmas break, during which we spent all of in our trailer (except 2 nights with family in Melbourne) with our toddler, and we have decided that the current trailer we have is at the limits of its suitability for us.

    I know the answer to this question is "it's personal" and "it depends" but I'd love to hear people's thoughts on the current offering of camper trailers.

    First some background, the trailer we are using (borrowed from Family) is a large trailer type with a DIY 'kitchen' on the rear tailgate. Everything is stored under the bed in plastic tubs or in the pajero and the floor/awning/pegs/etc in the storage container on the front of the trailer.

    We have decided that having to play tetris to pack the trailer each time we leave is frustrating, as well as things like storing the fridge in the trailer rather than the pajero.

    Our wish list includes:
    -Steps to the bed (we currently have to carry a painters stage to get into bed, heavy large and annoying but also makes packing really frustrating - needs to be right at the front but also come out first and go in last)
    -Drawers for clothes in bed area and kitchen utensils/pots and pans in kitchen area.
    -Fridge storage
    -In built water tanks
    -On board 12v
    -Large enough for 1+ children (with at least one in a porta cot for a few years)
    -Easy enough for one person to set up while the other wrangles children
    -Tows easily both on and off road (think Oodnadatta track/Cape York I suppose as an example of the aspirational use)
    -oh and not horrendously expensive

    .....Yeah I get the feeling that there is no way I even get close to ticking most of those without the last one going out the window.....

    At the moment we are looking at the Black Series Delta, but there are so many options if I google it I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.
    We plan on heading out to one of the camping shows early in the year to walk through them again, having seen what we like/don't like should give us new light vs the last time we looked.

    Also on a completely unrelated note:
    Water usage, found we were using about 7L per day with most of that going to washing up.
    What does everyone else do to manage water out on longer trips? Any way to wash up without using 5ish L of water?
    2010 GLX NT
    Installed: Carjoying Headunit, Hayman Reese electric brake controllers, awning, dual battery, Bushskinz guards
    Awaiting installation: Rear camera, USB power outlets
    Planned:
  • Dicko1
    Valued Member
    • Dec 2014
    • 7621
    • Cairns, FNQ

    #2
    Definitely go second hand. Its a buyers market out there.Forward and rear folds lack space, can be excessively heavy on the tow bar, and are a lot heavier than a soft top. There are hundreds of good used soft tops out there. Most have been modified with accessories to make life easier. Gumtree is a good source. $5-$8,000 will get you a good one. I have one but follow the prices and trends religiously. Get a soft top and see how you enjoy camping after a few years. Then you may decide on a hybrid or caravan. I prefer the soft tops as I find caravans too claustrophobic and could not imagine cooking inside one....let alone having a dunny next to your bed or lounge. Buying second hand will save you a lot of money as well. Why not hire a couple of different campers and see how they suit your needs...could be money well spent.
    cheers
    Dicko. FNQ

    2014 NW with all the usual stuff plus more.

    TIME....1000 times more valuable than money

    Comment

    • Jack ANT
      Member
      • Mar 2012
      • 101
      • Shoalhaven

      #3
      Perhaps a move to a 2nd hand small caravan would be better. When the kids were small we found the camper a pain to set up and pack up. So we bought an old caravan and set it up for free camping. Worked a treat and we travelled across Australia and back often free camping in a 26yr old van we renovated to suit us.
      Many years and a few caravans later we never regretted the change.
      For real off road stuff I just use the awning and camp cot.

      Comment

      • Nab
        Valued Member
        • Mar 2012
        • 1410
        • Perth

        #4
        I'm a big fan of the Jayco campers. I have a 2005 Dove and it suits us with 3 kids (4,6,8). I have modified it a bit but it easily did Oodnadatta Track, Great Central Rd and surrounding roads.

        For an overnight stop it only takes 10mins to setup, once you are familiar with it. With all awnings, bed end flys, ground sheets etc we average about 40mins.
        They are a bit wider than you average camper at 2.05m so you may need extended mirrors while towing.

        One good thing is that everything has it's place, no need to unload stuff to get to other stuff!
        SOLD 2004 NP 3.2 auto
        NOW 2014 Ranger XLT auto

        Comment

        • old Jack
          Regular
          • Jun 2011
          • 11521
          • Adelaide, South Australia.

          #5
          Australian made Camptite TL8s is one of the best designed and built family camper trailers in my opinion, heaps of storage, great layout, 4 beds off the ground and central dining/lounge area, 1350kg ATM and compact. Only problem is the price tag $35K to $45K new and still $30K secondhand.

          OJ.
          2011 PB Base White Auto, Smartbar, Cooper STMaxx LT235/85R-16,TPMS, HR TB, 3 x Bushskinz, front +40mm Dobinson , rear +50mm EHDVR Lovells, Dobinson MT struts and shockers, Peddars 5899 cone springs, Windcheater rack, GME UHF, Custom alloy drawer system inc. 30lt Engel & 2 x 30 AH LiFePo batteries + elec controls, Tailgate hi-lift/long struts, Phillips +100 LB & HB, Lightforce 20" single row driving beam LED lightbar, Scanguage II.
          MM4x4 Auto Mate, Serial No 1 .

          Comment

          • Ian H
            Valued Member
            • May 2015
            • 2491
            • Melbourne

            #6
            A good second hand Tvan. Easy to set up, room for the kids, tows anywhere the car will go and no wet bedding when you pack up in the rain. Bullet proof undercarriage.
            2015 NX GLS, Factory alloy bar, Kings HD Springs & Koni Shocks with 50mm lift, MM Auto Mate, Paddle shift kit, dual batteries with Redarc DC/DC, LRA 58L tank, Safari snorkel, Boo's bash plates (full set), 17" steels with BFG KO2's, Drifta drawers with slide, TPMS, Uniden UH8080S, Alpine iLX-702D head unit.

            Comment

            • Dicko1
              Valued Member
              • Dec 2014
              • 7621
              • Cairns, FNQ

              #7
              Originally posted by Ian H View Post
              A good second hand Tvan. Easy to set up, room for the kids, tows anywhere the car will go and no wet bedding when you pack up in the rain. Bullet proof undercarriage.

              Wont get a decent t van under 35,000. 2010 onwards.
              Dicko. FNQ

              2014 NW with all the usual stuff plus more.

              TIME....1000 times more valuable than money

              Comment

              • dbdb
                Senior Member
                • Aug 2008
                • 320
                • Adelaide Hills

                #8
                I'm on camper trailer number 3, 2 soft floor, current a forward fold. Soft floors can carry more, and you can put the effort into making the storage work more effectively, but they are slower to set and pack up, but the speed and ease will be dictated by the tent design and quality. We could do an over night stop setup in 15 minutes with our well designed rear fold camper. Plus rear forld go easily on caravan Park sites.

                We swapped to our current forward fold because we didn't need the space of the tent (kids in swags now). New one is faster to set up, takes up less space has a heater and somewhere to sit when the weather is crap. We can fit similar amount of stuff to our old camper, again with careful work into managing storage. It's definitely heavy on the ball, but so are Kimberly campers and other similar rear fold designs. Look at the position of the wheels. Ours is manageable, we've done about 20,000 km in the 18 months we've had it.

                Jump on myswag.org, and try to test run the style that best suits you. Research Black series very carefully.

                Have fun
                14 NW GLX-R automatic, dual battery, Icom 440 UHF, redarc tow pro, Bushskinz bash plates, light bar, Dobinsons suspension, HPD front mount intercooler, ARB bull bar and other stuff.
                04 NP GLX now gone

                Pajero Service Manual link

                Comment

                • Dicko1
                  Valued Member
                  • Dec 2014
                  • 7621
                  • Cairns, FNQ

                  #9


                  Above link is an example of a good value camper.....
                  Dicko. FNQ

                  2014 NW with all the usual stuff plus more.

                  TIME....1000 times more valuable than money

                  Comment

                  • greybeard
                    Member
                    • Jan 2008
                    • 129
                    • WA

                    #10
                    If it needs guy wires forget it.
                    We've got a 2/3/4/5....hand soft top built on an old telstra trailer. pull out kitchen from the rear and soft top folds out on the drivers side. Rarely use the annex and no external poles or wires if only using the main fold out tent. Paid $2k for it several years ago. We can set up in about 10 minutes with two people or about 15 solo.
                    All the addon bits for a camper that require poles and ropes are a pain in the ass, might as well get a heavy duty trailer and a quick setup tent. Yes, we did travel extensively with our twins from about 6 months and on using the tent. Fold up high chairs are brilliant for keeping kids in the one spot while you're setting up/packing up. Give the kids a drawer or box each for all of their cloths and stuff and (if they are old enough) make them pack their own crap.
                    As far as water usage for washing up goes, use a basin and a small amount of water, start with the glasses and work your way up to the pots and pans (one pot/pan, one fork, one knife for the cook, it's a holiday not a 5 star restaurant with dishwasher). Use paper towels to wipe the crud of plates and things before washing them. Yes a few trees might have to die and the planet might suffer but you'll keep the dishwashing water cleaner for longer and need less of it.
                    Finally, once the kids are dirty (10 seconds) just leave them that way until they go to bed. Fresh dirt isn't going to get upset if it has to compete with existing dirt on a kid. It's all part of camping.

                    Comment

                    • nj swb
                      Resident
                      • Jun 2007
                      • 7327
                      • Adelaide

                      #11
                      Originally posted by greybeard View Post
                      As far as water usage for washing up goes, use a basin and a small amount of water, start with the glasses and work your way up to the pots and pans (one pot/pan, one fork, one knife for the cook, it's a holiday not a 5 star restaurant with dishwasher). Use paper towels to wipe the crud of plates and things before washing them. Yes a few trees might have to die and the planet might suffer but you'll keep the dishwashing water cleaner for longer and need less of it.
                      This.

                      OJ put us on to a small spray bottle with water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent. Handy for spraying lightly soiled dishes, then wipe with a paper towel (also handy for cleaning windows /mirrors/headlights/dirty hands). Geopaj uses old spray sunscreen bottles - essentially free, nice compact form factor for storing, steady stream of replacements available.

                      I also prop my wash-up bowl on an angle, to make a deep part with less water in the bowl.

                      If I've had a "light" wash-up which has left the water relatively clean I leave it in the bowl. Next wash-up, add some more hot water and use it to "pre-wash" some of the dirtier dishes before tossing it out and starting again. Or tip it into one of the pots & boil it up to soften food residue for wiping out with a paper towel before washing. It might take a little more time & a little more thought, but it uses less water.
                      NT Platinum. DiD Auto with 265/70R17 ST Maxx, Lift, Lockers, Lockup Mate, Low range reduction, LRA Aux tank, bull bar, winch, lots of touring stuff. Flappy paddles. MMCS is gone!

                      Project: NJ SWB. 285/75R16 ST Maxx, 2" OME suspension, 2" body lift, ARB 110, 120l tank, bullbar, scratches, no major dents. Fully engineered in SA. NW DiD & auto in place - a long way to go....

                      Scorpro Explorer Box

                      Comment

                      • old Jack
                        Regular
                        • Jun 2011
                        • 11521
                        • Adelaide, South Australia.

                        #12
                        Paper towel to wipe all the chunky bits off.
                        500ml spray bottle for hand wash, table wipe down, lunch dishes when on the road, last about 3 days before the need to refill it.
                        1/2 litre hot wash in for breakfast dishes.
                        1 litre hot wash for evening dishes.
                        Try and do 1 pot meals where ever possible when we want to really conserve water.
                        Only 2 of us now days but when there was 4 we used maybe an extra 3/4 litre per day for cleaning dishes.
                        Having water plumbed means you use more and if you have a pressure pump water consumption increases more.

                        OJ.
                        2011 PB Base White Auto, Smartbar, Cooper STMaxx LT235/85R-16,TPMS, HR TB, 3 x Bushskinz, front +40mm Dobinson , rear +50mm EHDVR Lovells, Dobinson MT struts and shockers, Peddars 5899 cone springs, Windcheater rack, GME UHF, Custom alloy drawer system inc. 30lt Engel & 2 x 30 AH LiFePo batteries + elec controls, Tailgate hi-lift/long struts, Phillips +100 LB & HB, Lightforce 20" single row driving beam LED lightbar, Scanguage II.
                        MM4x4 Auto Mate, Serial No 1 .

                        Comment

                        • outbackogre
                          Valued Member
                          • Jul 2010
                          • 491
                          • Melbourne

                          #13
                          Re: water used to wash dishes. If you've used a fry pan, after removing the food, scrape off scraps with paper toweling and fill with water and detergent. After eating, reheat the water and use it to wash your utensils and plates (like a small sink), then clean the fry pan last. Dry using paper towels and throw them in the fire. This uses a very small amount of water.
                          My friends call me Rob; you can call me .... Rob.
                          -------------------------------------------------------------
                          MY12 NW GL DiD auto. 2" MD Lovells/Bilstein lift. Bushskinz underbody protection. Home made rear platform with sliding boxes above and lots of space underneath.

                          Comment

                          • Alyosius
                            Junior Member
                            • Nov 2016
                            • 39
                            • NSW

                            #14
                            Thanks everyone, I've jumped over to the myswag forums and have got some really good advice from them, and the more I read the more I want to convince my wife to just let me build a custom one from scratch.....

                            And thanks for the spray bottle idea, thats exactly the sort of idea I was looking for and I'll be sure to add a bottle to our kit before we leave for our next trip
                            2010 GLX NT
                            Installed: Carjoying Headunit, Hayman Reese electric brake controllers, awning, dual battery, Bushskinz guards
                            Awaiting installation: Rear camera, USB power outlets
                            Planned:

                            Comment

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