Author Topic: New member looking for help  (Read 8289 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Birch

  • Learning the Ropes
  • *
  • Posts: 4
New member looking for help
« on: November 02, 2020, 12:05:00 PM »
Hey team, I am new to myswag.org and looking for some advice on the right camper trailer recommendations. This will be our first as we have always been in tents. I'm getting older now with young kids so the ease of a trailer is enticing. After looking at various options it all looked a bit over whelming hence I ended up here. Unsolicited advice welcome  :cheers:

Offline Bird

  • Once Was Lost, now am found
  • Hard Top Camper User
  • ******
  • Posts: I am a geek!!
  • Thanked: 1818 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Life is far too long....
    • My Place.
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2020, 12:15:13 PM »
Where are you?
Wat is your budget?
Where do you intend going with it? Cape York? Bimbi Caravan Park?
Any must haves?
How old kids?
What car you towing with?
Do you want one with the works?

Good advice is to go hire a few trailers, see what works for you and what doesnt.
-
Click to enlarge

Gone to a new home
The following users thanked this post: Birch

Offline Birch

  • Learning the Ropes
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2020, 12:53:57 PM »
Hey Bird, thanks for the prompt response. I have tried a couple of campers and the various off road forward fold options are where I am at. What has thrown me a bit is the various forums that have discussed Chinese Manufacturing. That's actually how I ended up on this forum and where I am open to advice.

Specific questions answered below.

Where are you? - Based in Sydney
Wat is your budget? - Peace of mind about durability is a priority. I have been looking 2nd-hand and trying to keep it just under or around the $20k mark.
Where do you intend going with it? Cape York? Bimbi Caravan Park? - C & D Grade off - road tracks, i.e. National Parks... Typically long weekends away and perhaps once a year the longer trip around Aus
Any must haves? - Capable of the above, sleep two adults and two kids. Kitchen, Fridge Slide (I think the kids will gravitate back to a tent once a bit older so does not need to sleep 4 adults but can).
How old kids? Both under 5
What car you towing with? Nissan Patrol
Do you want one with the works? Within reason. Don't need all the bells and whistles. Just the ability to get off the grid and mostly self sufficient.

Good advice is to go hire a few trailers, see what works for you and what doesnt.

Offline Beachman

  • Hard Top Camper User
  • ******
  • Posts: 1571
  • Thanked: 130 times
  • Gender: Male
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2020, 12:56:27 PM »
Welcome to the forum and I believe for under $20K there should be lots of options available especially if you consider a soft floor.

Like you we have 2 kids and have had our soft floor for about 13 years and it’s been fantastic as it gives us lots of room in the tent/annex and lots of storage when packing the trailer. My kids are now 13 & 15 and now sleep in swags, so seeing space/storage isn’t as important now the kids are getting older and potentially not joining us as much I’m considering swapping to a forward fold/hard floor as I believe it might suit our style of camping going forward. But the extra weight does concern me as we do take our current soft floor to some remote beach camping places.

You mention you want a fridge slide in the trailer. I don’t have one so I don’t have any personal experience, but half my friends who have one love the fridge being so close and the other half hate it as they hear the fridge cycling during the night. So that’s just something to consider.

The whole imported camper is a can of worms.  I do believe the quality is getting better but for me I didn’t and not planning on go down that track. I’ve been through some horridness storms while camping and I have some doubts a cheaper copy would have survived. If you look at the 2nd hand pages there are just so many imported campers for sale, so that also raises concerns.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2020, 01:44:59 PM by Beachman »
The following users thanked this post: Birch

Offline Birch

  • Learning the Ropes
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2020, 01:06:28 PM »
Thanks Beachman. I haven't looked at the soft floor too much. Might check a few out. Fridge noise is interesting. Didn't even think about that.

Yeah the import thing is what brought me to this forum. I honestly have no idea who I should be avoiding and who I shouldn't. As far as I can tell there are only two that are 100% in Australia being Jayco and Cub. The rest are all working with oversea's manufacturers. I don't mind if they importing as long as it meets Australian standards. Last thing I want is for the thing to be snapping in half away on a trip. Although would probably make for a funny family story one day.

Offline tryagain

  • Hard Top Camper User
  • ******
  • Posts: 3519
  • Thanked: 609 times
  • Gender: Male
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2020, 06:30:31 AM »
I personally think the whole import debate is now massively overblown. For sub 20K and long weekends, maybe look at some forward folds, the best thing in regard to quality is to go and crawl over a few different options and compare, most forward folds are imported as far as I know.

Are you thinking new or 2nd hand?

Offline Birch

  • Learning the Ropes
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2020, 05:34:17 PM »
Thanks mate. I am not fussed on new or second hand. The warranty of a new which are normally non transferable is part of the equation but if I can find a quality second hand I'd be happy. The new Austrack Telegraph X has caught my eye over the last couple of nights. For the inclusions and price it looks impressive.

Offline deanp

  • Learning the Ropes
  • *
  • Posts: 4
  • Thanked: 1 times
Re: New member looking for help
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2020, 09:46:21 AM »
Dunno if you have bought yet...but one of the major issues imo to take in to consideration is still the main sleeping arrangement.

The majority of camper trailers as you would know have the bed on top of the trailer and perpendicular to the tent area. This means of course that one must climb up to the bed and essentially crawl across the partner if that is the sleeping arrangement...ie if one has a regular nightly visit to the toilet.

We have a regular lay out soft floored camper trailer, my better half usually has the need to get up during the night where I don't, so she gets the easy access side while I usually being later to turn in have to crawl across her to get to my side.
That's fine while you are younger and reasonably fit, but will become very difficult if you are beginning to suffer from weight or joint issues...even from a convenience point of view it is inconvenient.

Initially I had planned on a forward fold due to the superior bedding access arrangement, plus the smaller footprint, but eventually settled on the regular camper as it is well over half a tonne lighter...loaded...and being we do a fair bit of out of the way beach camping I didn't relish the thought of dragging a two tonne anchor through kilometres of soft sand.

Also the forward folds we looked at only had a relatively small "seating" area where one can change clothes etc, My other half didn't like that there was so little space as opposed to the regular soft floor camper we bought which gives her a full sized room in which to keep her wardrobe and change in. Plus there are the bonus roof poles she can use as to hang her stuff!

We do have a fridge slide in our camper but being it is on the draw bar it ends up on the wrong side of the tent when set up due to a rear swing out kitchen. I use a collapsible fridge stand and locate the main fridge near the swing out kitchen, and use the fitted slide out to house a separate freezer. We have never even heard the fridge running at night...it is a 60 litre fridge freezer but makes no noise at all. I carry the main fridge in the 4WD when travelling and the freezer in the slide out, running power to the trailer while on the road.

Ours is a Mars camper, of mostly Chinese manufacture, but we have found it to be robust and of reasonably good overall quality. the tent is fine and shows no sign of cheap manufacture. The whole thing including annex can free stand, only needing to add rope stays if the concern is for bad weather. Ours has withstood some mild storms and strong winds with no dramas at all.
It has independent type suspension, and I fitted 31" all terrain tyres on wider rims than it came with for better flotation and ground clearance.
(I compensate for the small difference in overall height which can affect the tent set up when camping by digging small indents under the tyres)

The only other issue I believe need to be  considered with a regular soft floor camper trailer is the orientation when setting up. If as we do you may often camp on sand and beaches the access can be tricky, it can be difficult therefore to set the orientation of your camp set up the way you would prefer. It can take a lot more manoeuvering and mucking around which takes time attempting to get it just right...even then it may be a compromise. In some cases the perfect spot you want just won't work with a camper trailer either....but would have been accessible with a forward or rear fold like a caravan basically.

A forward fold or rear fold can be a whole lot easier from that perspective too...smaller footprint and easier to orient the way you prefer...it will be facing one way or the other....simple.