Thread: camper trailer vs caravan parks

When we went up to the cape we saw a lot of people with very different setups.

We saw a lot of camper trailers, which had some big advantages over our roof tent setup, especially if you intended to stay somewhere for a period of time.

We kept having to put our tent up and down and pack the car.

With a ground tent you wouldn't suffer that, and could leave it up

We did however see a lot of broken camper trailers, including brand new ones, where something major had failed. One was only about a month old, and didnt look cheap, and the spring hanger had snapped off.

One even broke when I was overtaking it whole thing veered towards us!

I think they all have advantages and disadvantages.

Cheers
Pete.

I talked my wife into letting me get a camper at christmas on the basis that we could sell it again after a trip that I did with the kids.

Well the camper is still in the garage

a camper can cost you between 6K and 60K and most will retain their value particularily if you buy second hand in the first place.

Pros of motel
comfy clean & dry.
No towing - better mobility
- reduced fuel bill
heating and air conditioning
Minimal packing up
No packing up in the wet or wet gear
nice shower/toilet and no sharing
(cost approx $80 - $150 per night)


Pros of camper
freedom - Stop where you want when you want
take an endless supply of whatever you want to enjoy your trip
enjoy outdoors
possible to have camp fire
(cost approx $10 - $30 per night for a caravan site)

We have a small 8'x8' centre pole tent which is my usual accommodation (I normally travel alone). That's easy and quick to erect so we can camp away from a motel if we so wish.

I think if you have a good drawer system and a fridge, you can travel well without the need for a camper. Even if you had to buy a drawer system (assuming you don't have one), I suspect the cost of that will be about equal to the depreciation on a trailer camper over the course of your trip. The drawer system will last you a long time.

But what constitutes a good drawer system? I've had three so far and none were ideal. The second (in the County) and the third (previously in the P38A) comprised two drawers with a fridge slide on top. Neither were, after some use, what I wanted. The long drawers were inconvenient and hard to pack.

The first system I made for my old RR classic was pretty much a copy of the Chuck Wagon design and used the same plastic containers. This was really good and may be the basis of my next drawer system for the P38A. The down side was that the drawers are too small for big frypans. I have an idea of how to overcome that on my next design.

This was the previous unit: Ron's Range Rover Classic Modifications

For motel-based touring, we have found that we need a different system. We want to be able to just grab something suitcase-sized, say, and drag it out of the car and into the room. That would carry our clothes. A second smaller unit would carry our toiletries, etc. However, these need to be drawer-shaped so they can go into a frame/rack to be properly located and restrained. It also needs a "wardrobe" for hanging shirts, etc.

I suspect I'll need to make two different drawer systems (as soon as I can see well enough to weld again).

As others have pointed out, you do need to book ahead in some locations. A motoring org., e.g., NRMA, accomodation guide is worth carrying - it's got the phone numbers you are gunna need on the trip.

You say your options are either off road camper or staying in caravan parks.

What are you going to stay in at the caravan park? on site van or tent?

If your off road camper option is so you can stay in places other than caravan parks then what is wrong with a tent?

Even if you plan to stay in motels or on site vans then you really need to take camping gear anyway as you are not always going to be able to stay in a motel or on site van due to availability, cost, remote breakdown.

People have mentioned calling ahead to book. That is a good idea. In Tassie we used the Tassie Lonely Planet in order to do so. Each morning, if we were moving on, we would think of where we would most likely end up that night. Then we'd look up the book and call around. Otherwise the caravan parks etc were all booked out when you would turn up in the late afternoon.

It was January school holidays though (wife is a teacher).

We have a Cape York trailer that although is very heavy (compared to most), it is as tough as. In fact C/Y offered us a trailer to take up the cape and try and damage. This offer was for a club to all use so I guess they are confident. These trailers have mobs of windows that can be secured from within or out. Very handy in weather and in the heat allow breezes to pass through. It has heaps of storage and is easy to put up and recover.
The 300Tdi Defender pulls it well and has no trouble in off road situations. A race car its not and B doubles will catch me going up large hills. Fuel goes up to 14L/100.
A recent trip down south saw us using motels and resort type of accommodation and have resolved to remain campers.
Purchasing a camper for one trip though, seems a bit over the top. Perhaps a rental or a really good tent system would be in order.
Nothing like a fire (and kids can help, they need to learn sooner or later).
Regards,
PeterW

Hi Catch-22,

There are pros and cons for both solutions.

You asked about cost of using a camper and selling it on return. Our experience might help. We bought a new Jayco Penguin Outback camper two years ago. New price was just less than $20k, but we added a few options which took the total cost to around $23K. We traded it on a new Jayco Sterling caravan (wanted more comfort), and got $18,370 for it. It was sold a month later for just over $20k. Not much depreciation over almost two years and lots of trips. You can calculate the cost of accommodation in cabins or family motels for the number of days that you expect to stay away over the time you keep the camper if you buy one.

In our experience, you can save money with a camper, but make sure it is from a manufacturer which is in demand on the resale market.

Apart from that it is a lifestyle choice. Having spent far too much time over the last 25 years in hotels on business, I find them inconvenient, cold and impersonal. We have found that van parks are much more fun with social contact readily available if you want it. Having everything in your living accommodation is also very convenient: minmal unpacking and repacking. Much more relaxing. If you have water and gas you can also stay in places where there are no hotels or van parks.

Our older son has also bought a Jayco camper (a Flamingo) for his family, and his kids really love having their own place to stay when travelling.

One final point for a camper or van, is that food costs can be much lower as you can avoid restaurants and take-aways. With a camper or van, you can carry your own food, and cook what you want, when you want it, at lower cost than staying in hotels or motels.

On the down side, towing a camper or van does cost: apart from the capital cost, expect a significant increase in fuel consumption, but we found very little inconvenience in having it behind the Disco except if we wanted to park in town for some reason. Even that wasn't a real problem since it was usually easy to find a park in a parallel street and walk back. There is a bit of work to set up on arrival and then to pack up on departure, but it is pretty minimal, at least in the case of the Jaycos, and much less than tenting.

Touring with a van or camper is a totally different experience from staying in hotels. Ultimately it depends on your budget and lifestyle preferences.

Hope this helps.

Terry

Problem with Caravan Parks and Motels is you have to book ahead and that ties you down to a strict timetable. You may find somewhere interesting to explore but because you are booked into accommodation 6/8 hours drive away, you miss out because you have to get to your accommodation.
I would hire an off-road camper trailer and take your time and not have to worry about a strict itinerary, based on booking ahead.
If you like the idea of a camper trailer you can always buy one for your next trip, or build one like I'm doing, Regards Frank.