Hi all,
I've been finding some very informative info on this Forum of late so decided I better sign up for a closer look.
I've only fairly recently introduced the wife and kids into the wonderful world of camping and with a fair bit of persuading and a now somewhat lighter wallet she has come around.
We didn't have a massive budget to spend but I knew I had to get as much 'comfort' as I could with the dollars I had. We test drove a few Patrols and a v8 100 series but the boss (who would be using it as a daily) wasn't comfortable driving something so big everyday.
So we ended up settling for a 2009 Pathfinder TD Manual. I wasn't overly sold on the Pathy because after much reading on here they look to be somewhat of a soft-roader more than a genuine off roader, However most of our travelling wont involve flicking it into low range so I was happy enough with her choice. The family ford xr6 was shipped off and replaced with her new pride & joy. Only mods to date are a set of a/t tyres and an ARB bulbar (more to come and advice needed but I'll post in the correct thread) Next on the list was accommodation. I'm an avid hunter and spend weeks of the year up in the high country sleeping in my jolly swagman king size swag however the queen and the 2 billy lids weren't too impressed with my tent idea so I reluctantly drained my bank balance on a 2007 Jayco swan outback. Whilst it was a hefty investment I knew that if they we're comfortable when on the road and out camping I'd be able to talk them into plenty more trips to see this beautiful country of ours!
So far I've been pretty impressed with both the Pathy and the camper. The camper especially. Plenty of room and when I have the missus saying to me 'lets take the camper away this weekend' then I know I'm on a winner!'
We haven't done too many big trips as yet, mainly just 3-4 nighters either on the river or in caravan parks but Birdsville is on the plans for 2017 (after some mods to the pathy) and we are doing the east coast from Melbourne to Byron for 3 weeks this March.
Look forward to gaining some advice and knowledge from all the experts and experienced off roaders on this site.
Cheers,
Tate
