Thread: Wife is fixed on getting a camper trailer

It all depends on your use and how many people you have. I used to share a similar one with the Father in Law.

My recommendation would be to at least see how hard/easy it is to setup, ours required two people and was quite a pain for overnight stays, but was fantastic if you were staying somewhere for a few days. That one looks reasonable as it has all the tanks and stove etc... but I wouldn't pay much more than 6-7g for it.

He has just gone and brought a TVAN and I must say it's pretty damn good, as you can stop for the night and be in bed in 5 minutes Flat.


Stu

Looks impressive. 2 possible issues

* It's huge. The floorspace of my CT is much smaller and is still a squeeze for some smaller campsites and caravan parks. Do you need all that space ?

* Minor point - they appear to have used clear PVC hose on the water tank inlet/outlet. Algae will grow in that as the sunlight gets in.

tvan's are great, little exy though

A TVan will take you at least 10 minutes to setup. This is one of the things that turned us off it over the Kimberley. I'm not saying the TVan is difficult, quiet the opposite, it is very simple, just requires more bending, pulling and clipping than some of the others. Its design and suspension is great though.

As already posted, that one on eBay looks like it would be very slow to assemble/disassemble. Also I'm not sure about the 2 clear water lines from the filler on the outside of the trailer, they'd get caught up off road by branches.

In the end it all comes down to what you can afford and what you want to get out of it. How off-road must it be etc.

any half decent dirt track will rip the rear light bar right off,,
even the caravan type legs might be a problem,,

the tent looks enormous!!

how many kids do you have??

$12k is fairly optimistic in my view.

As said the clear plastic water hoses that are looped around and under the guard is a shortcut. I wonder how many other shortcuts there are in its build?
The lockable water tank is a joke. Considering you can remove the hose clamp underneath it and siphon off the water anyway. Actually it looks like the same fill point as mine so if you tug that hose hard enough (not difficult to do) the entire lower section comes off. No tools required. I doubt that there is a crazy mob of water siphoners out there so I'm not worried.

The canvas is only 13oz. 15oz all over is the norm i thought except in the real cheapies.

No brakes fitted. A must have on dirt roads as I have found out.

The positioning of the tail lights on a board under the tailgate will reduce departure angle. Wonder why they didn't fit them either side of the tailgate on the triangle brackets?

Says it doesn't need ropes to set it up. I have never seen one that does.

If you have a Disco1/2 or Defender you won't be able to open the back door with the spare mounted on the A frame like that. Mine is mounted further back on the A frame but have since moved it elsewhere anyway. Also an A frame mounted spare adds significantly to the ball weight.

The single locking point on the tailgate doesn't appeal to me either. Neither does their choice of latch.

Personally I'd keep looking.

Thanks Utemad.....

Will keep looking.

I did see the Kimberley Kampers at the Penrith show the other day....looked like the quality I am used to....but even second hand they aren't cheap..

We have decided to rent one before buying.....we have never even been camping Typical of us to jump in deep...

thanks all.....am going to keep looking.

I have a similar setup - almost the same tent (older shape) but trailer is different.

Many of these ebay deals and many that you find around that are cheaper say at BBQ galore etc are using the same tents albeit different colours and designs.

The majority come from China. So you get what you pay for.

Essential problems - the tent poles are too light - i have bent a few without much effort rendering the tent ...... stitching also starting to break along some seams etc. You will see a difference in the expensive ones i.e. better materials. They are a two person job to put them up. 15-20 min for the main part and then add another half hour for the annex component. They are huge and if you are intending on long stays at one location with space then great. If you want to put it up every night then look at something else that can be quickly put up preferably with a hard floor for the annex as they tend to be a better designed (various brands). Alternatively buy the tent part yourself and set the trailer up from scratch. I haven't found a expensive one or a cheap one that doesn't leak in decent rain (camped with all sorts). You need tarps if you are going to camp in these conditions.

All that said the price is good for the type of trips i do and works for my family and three kids. If i was looking again and went for the cheap option i would get a trailer designed the way i want it and purchase the tent and add it. Happy to answer specific questions just PM me.

Cheers
Remy