MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: jayray377 on June 20, 2016, 05:56:57 AM
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Hi all, looking around for a new camper for the family and I have seen good reviews on the outback models, particularly the Sturt.
One thing I have noticed is that the tent is rear folding. Is this just a point of difference or is there something specific to this?
99 TD5 Disco
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Rear fold soft floors are just a different design for the tent. Main differences are:
- Tent is usually a bit narrower, the width of the trailer instead of the length
- Its easier to fit into most caravan park sites
I've had both and prefer the rear fold. The width made no difference, no problem putting both kids in (ours is a 12 foot tent). Easier to fit on most sites in caravan parks and when bush / free camping it makes no difference. I have one for sale if you are interested ;D
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We have a Sturt.
One of things I really like about the rear fold is that it means you can open up the door of the trailer from inside the tent. So, once the basic tent is up and pegged down, you can go inside to get organised and pull out tubs of gear etc in the dry and without prying eyes.
No climbing over each other to get out of bed either, which is a biggie!
We hired a side opening camper, and a Tvan (rear opening). Then went searching specifically for a soft floor rear fold - there aren't as many of them around.
Feel free to ask as many questions as you want.
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We have a rear fold tent that we bought from Thommos in the Sunshine coast. Not sure if they are still around though but my 2c worth
The canvas was lighter because there was less of it I suppose. the tent area is only as wide as the trailer but we were never the worse off for it
no crawling over the partner
each person had a window next to them
for beach camping we could have the trailer side on to the wind so the car can still access the hitch and the annex was fully in the lee of the wind
we have bolted the floor of the tent to the trailer and this made the whole outfit very rigid without having to add weight to the tub
We use sliding bins to access the cargo
soon to make a slide out kitchen from the front of the tub like a hard floor
Side folds can give more space in the tent section but we've never missed needing extra space inside
all in all after 5 yrs still no regrets at all
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Another Sturt owner here and we specifically wanted rear fold for the two main reasons above (access the storage from inside the tent and no crawling over each other (though sometimes you might get lucky on the way back in)). One other advantage is the awning width is the full length of the trailer plus tent, and we always leave the awning zipped on which makes setup much faster. It's 18 years old, all original, looks like it will see me out.
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We have an Outback Canning (same design as the Sturt but slightly smaller) another advantage for us is that I can put it up in the driveway which would be impossible with a side fold. Main reason was the crawl over issue of side folds but a "walk through" solves this in a side fold. love the slide out kitchen on the side. Access to the trailer from inside the tent is handy.
The Outbacks are a tried and true design and there is no disadvantage to buying a 2nd hand one.
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We have an XTrail Ranger and love it. XTrail went out of business a few years back, but there are usually good second hand versions available.
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Thanks for the input guys. Heading to Mildura for the weekend so I might sneak off to the great outdoors expo and have a look at some.
99 TD5 Disco
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Hi there. We have a rear-fold Trackabout. I think they could be a bit of a rare breed, but we absolutely love it. No climbing ladders onto the bed- just use the step of the tailgate of the trailer which is inside the tent and straight up onto the bed, and as others have said- no climbing over each other. Each with our own window - and nice and airy. And best of all - a great big area under the full-length awning. This does have the downside of when it rains- a big catchment area. Thru trial and error, we now have a system of spreader bars to keep the roof nice and taut so that we don't end up with Niagara Falls!