I just read some of the other intros, and I realised it might be helpful to post some further criteria.
I like the look of rear fold hard floor camper trailers due to the speed of set up, but storage seems to be a bit of an issue. In reality, what would suit my needs are:
* Second hand - reasonably priced, $5k-$10k (can't spend a million bucks).
* Quick set-up. Hard floor seems faster, and I'd like a free-standing annex with spreader bars if possible, but these don't seem to be a feature on older tents.
* 750kg GTM - I don't have an electric brake controller, and I don't fancy the fuel cost of pulling 1500kg of camper trailer around the country. I don't understand why they have to be so heavy, the older ones seem to be much lighter than the newer ones. Being able to push it around by hand at the camp site is handy too.
* Off road suspension, but no need for independent springs. Just about every 4WD ute in the country gets along fine on leaf springs with shockies, so that's my preference. Happy to hear other's experiences though.
* Some storage for table / chairs / food / clothes / fridge would be handy. It all fits in the wagon at the moment though, so as long as I could carry jerries of fuel and water, plus a battery on the drawbar somewhere, I'd be winning. Hard floors often have a rack on the top which could be used for storage too.
That's about it. A kitchen would be nice, but certainly not essential. The trestles and primus stove have done ok so far, but I imagine there will be time savings with an integrated kitchen. I'd be interested to hear of other time saving add-ons other myswaggers use.
Other essential info:
* Family consists of missus and I, plus 3 daughters (13, 10 and 7). Kids currently sleep in their own tent, which I would probably continue to do for anything more than 1 night. It would be nice to be able to throw mattresses and sleeping bags on the hard floor for overnighters though.
* Tow vehicle is a current model Pajero, stock with factory tow bar / roof bars / nudge bar. Still has the factory H/T tyres, so once I won't be venturing too far off the beaten track until I get a good set of all terrains.
Cheers, Scott
