MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: albany_nomads on May 01, 2011, 07:56:28 PM
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Ive just come back from a two and half week trip/tour of the Pilbara and and north west coast line and one thing I try to take note of is the stuff you take but don't use,.
One thing I seem to cart around is a large black tub of additional canvas for enclosing in the Awning which I never used. (I use the awning that is but not the extra canvas walls)
I'm thinking that the canvas that attaches to the end of the awning where the rear tail gate is and kitchen may come in handy....but I'm questioning the rest.
I curious how much additional surplus canvas do other swaggers carry along with them...Kind Regards John....Albany Nomads :cheers:
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Have all those walls and sealing bits plus a large annex. Never even looked at the walls, only used the large roof a few times.
Never carry them
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We also carried the full annex canvas but only ever used it twice...then again it's better to have what you don't need than need what you don't have!
Space was never a real issue, just as well 'cause we usually carried at least 2 tarps, - with extra poles, ropes, pegs etc.
Hem
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Similarly, we have all the walls for the annex, plus some clear windows and a front room, have only used them a few times each, and never all at once. Each time I do use them I wonder why I don't use them more often, as they're really easy to put up, not too much hassle to put away and keep the rain and wind out etc. They don't weigh much, but do take up 1/3 of the front box.
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Carry all the canvas if we are going to stop in one spot for a while, if we are on the move all the time awnings only.
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Full annex if in the one place for a week or more - great for keeping the european wasps out of the kitchen.
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We take the full annex for a week or more aswell, always have the awning roof attached and leave the kitchen wall in the trailer, just in case.
Cheers,
Disco.
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Annex floor- carried, not used
Annex front wall- carried, not used
Annex mesh walls- Carried, not used
trailer infill- carried, not used
Annex end walls- carried and used at least once each ;D
Time to rationalise our kit me thinks.
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i carry my annex roof and 1 end wall..
overnights i never use them, only when i am staying for more than 1 night, and i put them up each time for those camps.
i've used my full walls once, and that was for a 4 night camp, in the pouring rain.
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we carried our annex walls around for 2.5 years and used it once
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Excellent topic John - I'm especially interested in this as I'm off to range far and wide from Southern SA to Western WA to Northern NT & all stations down the centre and back home.
Funnily enough the Missus and I discussed this subject months ago & decided better to have it than not. And for us space is no big deal.
Like the others if more than a few days up goes the full annex (sides and walls and skirting). Otherwise it's just the easy peezy always connected light awning.
The exception to this is IF we encounter Mozzies. The Missus being a vegan (the Pope of vegetarians) must have delicious blood because the mozzies absolutely love her. Therefore first sign of a mozzie and up goes the full kit, whether or not I like it or lump it.
Cheers for that - Wayne
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The first time you dont take it is the time you will want to use it.
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Like many of you I leave my awning zipped on and if just an overnight stop I leave it pulled back over the camper....More than an overnight I erect the awning..and only twice added the end kitchen canvas wall the rest has stayed in a tub getting dragged around the country side ;D.
great to read all your comments..thanks
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There is a cover tarp which is huge to keep the CT as dry as possible . It also makes a darker fly & catches bird grap & gum ;D
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We use our awning, kitchen wall and trailer infill on every trip.
If it is a crowded site the mesh walls go up for a bit of privacy.
The canvas walls go on if it is really wet or extremely cold.
Our preference is not to use the walls, but are carried just in case.
Grant
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The exception to this is IF we encounter Mozzies. The Missus being a vegan (the Pope of vegetarians) must have delicious blood because the mozzies absolutely love her. Therefore first sign of a mozzie and up goes the full kit, whether or not I like it or lump it.
Cheers for that - Wayne
Isn't that ironic. Someone who doesn't eat animal products is eaten by animals themselves...
Back on topic.
All this is weight, space and time to assemble and disassemble. Rather than say if i don't take it i will need it why not think if i need it can i make do with out it...
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interesting topic......
the camper I bought hasn't got the awning, and I've often wondered about buying one to suit,
am thinking we don't usually stay in one place long enough to justify and the family has turned into fair weather campers,
maybee the next camper (smaller hardtop for 2) might have the full setup for extended stays...........
cheers
Garry
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We are about the same as most others. The annex cover stays zipped to the main tent and left on top of the tent for one night stays, but is put up for stays of 2 or more nights. The side wall near the kitchen is always put up. We have only put up the other side wall once or twice and have never put up the front wall of the annex. But we carry both "just in case". We also have a front annex that goes over the drawbar, but have never used it. We also carry a large (7m x 5m) tarp that we have used in wet weather. I have built a tray under the bed where the canvas hides so it is no real bother having it there.
Mal
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We have used only the full annex once - and that was on our very first trip just to try it out.
The end walls we have used three times.
The kids room we take everywhere but only put it up for stays 3 nights or longer.
The shower room we have never even taken out of the bag it came in - and have taken it away with us twice.
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Carry all the canvas if we are going to stop in one spot for a while, if we are on the move all the time awnings only.
excactly what we do.
Baz
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Had our camper for 12 years used the full annex once shouldn't of even bought it.
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On a 26 week ,23,000klm trip [13,000 of that dirt] we put the camper up 52 times , full walls for annex were used on stays of 4+ days when raining and when in c/van parks crammed in so tightly you just wanted the walls for some privacy and to stop ignoramuses walking straight through your annex as if was a thoroughfare. Recon its better to have them and not use them rather than not have them and need them.
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Our awning stays zipped on to the camper and we use that and the kitchen wall every time (never stopped anywhere for less than 2 nights). The rest of our kit includes a draft skirt, and separate flyscreen and canvas annex walls. We rarely use these but we carry them just in case of bad weather. They are folded and kept on top of the mattress while travelling and we just toss them on the floor when we set up.
:cheers: Glenyse
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The amount of canvas we take away with us is based on where (how far away), how long we are going (and staying), and will it be a travelling holiday (setting up everynight).
With most of our trips away being travelling ones, and with the need to keep the weight down, we only take the annex roof (which is folded up with the camper anyway), and one end wall.
We have in the past taken all the annex walls (and used them) on a trip to a caravan park for a week long, set up and stay there holiday. On a week long holiday in one spot, especially in a caravan park, the enclosed annex can help with privacy as much as dry living space in wet weather.
Everyone is prepared to cart extra canvas around, and then bang on about everything having two uses to be worth taking, and it's not like it's light or compact stuff when you've got enough of it. ???
It's probably more about reducing setup and pack up times, as much as reducing weight.
(http://myswag.org/gallery/d/6696-2/Brigadoon+April+09+014.jpg)
Almost complete annex setup (minus long side of annex canvas walls)
(http://myswag.org/gallery/d/5996-2/Queensland+09+062.jpg)
Simple annex roof and endwall setup.
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Generally none if one rain-free night (awning folded back on roof). Any longer and the awning goes up - 3 poles/guys so easy enough. If more than a couple of nights and/or crap weather, end walls go on too. Have never put the "front" wall on the awning.
Interesting topic. I'm seriously considering not taking ANY of the walls on our desert trip later this year - just alot of dead weight and we won't do any real long stops. Main reason we use end walls is to offer shelter to the stove etc, but really I bother less and less lately.
Cheers,
Cam
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Annex and two end walls, just about every time we go out in Victoria it gets wet to some degree, sometimes all trip long
GG
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My camper came with annex walls and floor that I have never opened it's bag in the 2 years I've had it.
My annex is permanently attached to the camper and gets folded with it. As the others do, I usually leave it folded over the camper roof for overnights in good weather. No end walls, they are part of the annex room. Usually stay no more than 3 nights.
After all that, I carry no extra canvas at all.
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We have the awning roof (always attached) & offside awning roof (stored under the bed) which comes as standard kit with walls as extra's depending on your requirements. We always put up the main awning, but we are just doing 48 hour trips at present and not moving on the next day to another destination. We will review this once we are truely "on the road" (fingers crossed that is soon).
After a few wet and windy weekends, we opted to buy Pack 1: two end walls, kitchen infill and draught flap. The draught flap is great to stop the wind whipping through and we've used it a few times. We've had one wall up (either end) a few times to stop rain or prying eyes and had the whole kit up once due to seriously inclement weather. Haven't found a need to date for the rest of Pack 2, which is a wall that runs from end wall to end wall.
There isn't all that much to carry really and we don't think what we have is really heavy ... second short awning, 2 end walls, a plastic draught flap and a small infill. That final wall which we don't have may be the heavy one?
Kit_e
The Lot ...
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SckPMuLN99Q/TNAFBbdVm1I/AAAAAAAAACU/hKAE4AwzSKs/s320/AS+Annex+Pack+1+ours.JPG)
Not the Lot ...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GbODhOdDS1s/TX358X-IQ0I/AAAAAAAAAMY/cq8KvTD9APs/s400/Trip+16+Home+Sweet+Home.jpg)
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Interesting thread.
We've always used the shade cloth annexe floor and annexe/awning. Optional walls - depending on weather. So far the weather has only been bad enough to put up the annexe side walls and not the front. However, if we were camping regularly in a cold climate, I reckon the annexe walls including the draught skirt would get more use.
About 85% of our set up angst comes from zipping the awning on. I'm interested in how many people leave the awning zipped on all the time.
Does anyone who has a tropical roof leave it on? How does it the awning go packing up over a tropical roof ?
Pete
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Annex roof always attached and always put up (kitchen end wall is a part of the roof and cannot be removed), floor always put down. Camped for 5 days earlier this year and all walls went up due to constant changes in weather and the direction the rain was coming. Had another instance where we were camped facing the ocean and the very very cold wind came straight at out annex, put up the front wall and the difference it made was amazing. Will be using all walls in colder weather from now on.
Recommend anyone who has received a wall kit with their purchase to take it out and check even if you never use it again. 6 months after our purchase I managed to talk the other half into putting up the walls to see how hard it is and we found the draft skirt was missing. Went back to where we brought it and they found it in a back room (lucky).
Walls are always in the tool box, no issue with room as we have plenty.
Amazed with the amount of people who have never used their walls, I must be a sissy girl. Yup just checked and I am ;D.
Tammy
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We are pretty new to this also. We stayed in one spot over Easter (only the second time we have used the Kamper) and decided to put up the whole annex and walls for some privacy and protection from the wind. My intention is not to bother for weekends or 3 night short stays, and to just use the smaller awning or the large annex roof only.
It would also depend on the time of year. All of the canvas on our unit weighs heaps and takes up a fair bit of space. We carry it on top of the camper under the boat. For fair weather camping i will be leaving it at home.
Regards
Jas
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Wow. There are some really big set ups - they look great. We don;t have the both ends, just one as it's attached to the awning as others have said.
In tow years of camping and that equates to 8 Months we only ever had one day of rain. Your scaring me with all this talk of rain guys. Spose I should check for leaks again before the Cape this year :)
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Interesting thread.
About 85% of our set up angst comes from zipping the awning on. I'm interested in how many people leave the awning zipped on all the time.
Does anyone who has a tropical roof leave it on? How does it the awning go packing up over a tropical roof ?
Pete
I always leave the awning Zipped and velcroed On
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We have only the ensuite and kwik awning as extra.
We have used the awning for all trips when we are staying more then 1 night.
The ensuite has been used twice.
We are looking at getting one end wall, the kitchen side.
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I have the full annex which I leave connected when I pack up plus full sides which we use for long stays and only if the weather gets bad (everytime we have used the CT) on short trips.
Also have a 2nd annex which we havent used but only because we have not had the room.
Also carry 2 shade cloth floors for the annexes plus a big tarp to go over everything which we have used for both our long trips but again we have had crap weather everytime we have gone camping.
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We have a side bedroom which gets put up on stays of 2 or more nights. The end walls of the annex get used every trip and the front wall gets put on to keep us a bit warmer while playing cards with the kids in the cooler months.
We carry it all. All of the time.
Regards
Crisp Image
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I always leave the awning Zipped and velcroed On
Anyone else with a tropical roof leave their awning zipped on and just fold it over when packing up??
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We don't have a tropical roof, but we do fold the awning and side walls over, ours is permanent so we have no choice, but the walls zip off, we choose not to take them off, makes things much easier.
Baz.
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We also have a kids room, so when staying more than 2 nights LOTS of canvas comes with us. The weather conditions are the main factor if the usethe side walls to the annex, but after a couple of wet days they were a godsend allowing the kids more dry space to move around.
All my canvas is carried under the tonneau cover, so it’s not like it’s taking up valuable space. The shower tent also lives under the tonneau as I can never work out how to fold the stupid thing up.