We went camping with one of Emma’s cousins Australia Day weekend in 2012. One of the extended family there had a camper trailer. We had a fab weekend, but it was stinking hot and the puck up was hard sweaty work. When Craig cracked the shit loading everything up onto the roof rack it meant the long weekend ended on a sour note.

That was the start of Craig’s campaign to buy a camper trailer. A few months later Em relented and agreed to splash the cash.

Limited funds meant we were restricted to looking at the basic models. At this point the idea of doing the big lap hadn’t entered our minds and we were only looking for a light off road version for excursions to the Murray River.

Craig did a lot of interweb browsing and had a look at a couple of showrooms. In the end we settled on a small manufacturer in the nearby suburb of Campbellfield (who no longer seem to be trading).

Specs

Our trailer is a Chinese import that was welded together here in Australia. It is

• Fully galvanized
• 7-leaf spring suspension
• Shock absorbers
• 40mm round axel
• 70Lt stainless steel tank
• Electric pump to run water to kitchen sink
• Auxillery tap on side of trailer
• Two 40Kg Gas bottle holders
• Two 20Lt Jerry can holders
• Lockable Toolbox
• 12 foot soft floor tent
• Annex with walls to make additional room

There’s a few little quirks with our trailer that we’ll keep an eye out for if we’re ever upgrading.

• Gas bottle and jerry can have to be removed from one side of the trailer before opening the trailer (otherwise it bumps on them and won’t open properly).
• No opening inside the tent to the trailer (not a major deal, but would be good to be able to get a breeze through).
• Small tent would be adequate. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a flat area large enough.
• Built in fridge slide draw is worth the extra. It’s hard work lifting a fully laden fridge in and out of the car when travelling.

 

After some teething problems, upgrades and modifications we’ve now got the set-up and pack-down routine to a fine art and are very happy with our camper trailer home.