MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => Introductions => Topic started by: SlimTim on July 18, 2019, 05:03:32 PM
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Hi all,
I'm in the market for a camper for the family.
I don't know too much about them, but I think I want a hard floor that needs to be able to handle some light to moderate offroading. Looking forward to getting amongst the forum.
The budget is somewhere between $10 and $15K.
From looking around at reviews it appears there have been some interesting things happening with certain companies threatening legal action for unfavorable reviews and the like. Is this a potential issue with regard to find reliable info?
Obviously, this forum is loaded with information, haven't dug too deep just yet, but any info, tips, ideas or just general info and where to find it would be appreciated.
Cheers,
SlimTim.
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Buy Australian second hand. Oh and welcome
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Thanks, Ivan. That sounds like good advice.
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Considering you don’t know much about them I would hire one for a weekend to try it out. Trying to sell a camper in this market is hard work, if it turns out you hate it or it doesn’t suit...
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Tim
You need to be more specific with what's your family (number, ages), where you are, where you intend going (Caravan park or Canning stock route), what type of vehicle you have/ How long you intend using it
Without those specifics all I can say is......
Soft floors have more room/ suit larger families/ take longer to set up, cost on average less
Hard floors tend to be smaller/ quicker to pack up/ cost on average more
Endorse above comment to buy 2nd hand Australian made, especially if manufacturer is still in business
Be prepared to spend a bit of $ on it after purchase, potentially buying new tyres (if aged) / shock absorbers
Mark
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I agree with the above advice and buying something older and Australian made, but it very much depends on your specific needs.
Also should consider what vehicle you have, and if your travel usually means packing up and moving every day or so, or just going somewhere and staying put.
A quality light weight option is good such as an older hard floor Cub camper. If buying something older, methodically check that everything works. Don’t take someone’s word it’s all good. Things like stoves can be expensive to repair or replace.
Set up and pack up ease/difficulty/time and if you need two adults to setup and pull down is also important. Get the seller to demonstrate set up and pack up. At least to a set up stage you are likely to use. For example you may not need to see how a fully enclosed annexe is set up.
Our first made camper was a MDC type hard floor. Quite heavy and too much work to set up. It was very functional and strong but too heavy and no good if moving every day or two.
I think my ideal camper for serious off road work/touring would be a track mate with hard shell roof top tent and batwing awning. I currently have an older TVan which is also excellent.
For water storage I personally prefer jerry cans attached to camper, instead of battery powered pumps from a tank. Gravity never gives up or runs out of power.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Have a read of this - lots of things to look at: https://www.4wdingaustralia.com/camping/the-ultimate-guide-to-buying-a-camper-trailer/ (https://www.4wdingaustralia.com/camping/the-ultimate-guide-to-buying-a-camper-trailer/)
Welcome to the forum!
Aaron