MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: reol950 on December 08, 2011, 03:39:38 PM
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Hi Going away to a van park over Xmas and it has me thinking on how to set up my trailer on a slab site, was thinking of setting up with the tent on the annex slab with the trailer across the site at the front and the annex sitting where the van normally sits. any ideas and photos of your setup at a van park would be great.
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At renmark, it was all dirt... not all of them are slab sites.
I'd put trailer on conc, and annexe on dirt... less chance of damaging the floor.
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I normally get a powered lawn site. When I first park the trailer, I put down shadecloth where the soft floor and the awning go, then those interlocking foam mats where the soft floor goes. Finally I start putting up the camper
:cheers:
Mike
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Hi reol950,
As there is a difference in height from concrete slab to ground (99% of the time), you would have to take that into account canvas wise. The canvas is designed to drop to where the tyres meet the ground. Also, some soft floors come with a plastic "tub" floor, so I'd be checking the concrete surface before putting that down.
Thankfully, we have a rear fold hard floor ... awning to the passenger side ... so just like reversing in a van, the awning is on the same side ... which would be perfect ... but we don't do caravan parks much. Found it's also great for those long sites with those dreaded bollards ... Guess we just love the grass under our feet too much! ;D
Hope you enjoy your holiday and take so photos of how you eventually "end up" to show us.
Kit_e
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Hi reol950
We've only been to two parks and been lucky enough to have had a drive through site, so we could put the camper on either side of the slab. and our tent is only a small 9ft so fits comfortably.
We parked the camper on the grass/dirt and took a couple of offcuts of timber long enough to go under the tyres to jack the camper up, just in case the slab was higher than ground level. We use offcuts from 200 x 50 sleepers from bunnings. We have 6 in total so 3 for each wheel giving us 150mm in height. Then we use our shadecloth floor we have had made specially to protect the camper floor on the concrete that also goes out under the annex. Just need to make sure your jockey wheel and stab legs have enough length the reach the ground once on the timber!
Most caravan parks make you park the camper with the towhitch facing the road so in case of an emergency you can hitch up faster! making the choice of setting up limited.
Maybe phone the park and get them to send a photo of your site.
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We went away earlier this year and that was our first time using caravan parks. I was a little apprehensive about setting up in caravan parks, but when I booked each park I told them we have a soft floor camper trailer and can we have a grass area.
5 of the 6 parks catered for camper trailers by having powered grass areas. The 6th only had concrete slabs which wasn’t ideal, but least they were level with the grass around them.
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Hi Reol,
It'll depends on the what the park basically tells you how to put the trailer.
One park was a powered grass site,and the one pictured($125 a night) was a powered one with shadecloth on the ground.We swung the trailer 90 degrees from how it should be and had the trailer and softfloor section on the shadecloth.The park stated that you could only put a grass mat/shadecloth on the grass,no tarps etc.So we believe we had to swing the trailer as is, it created a perfect view.
Also we had to contain our vehicle on the site provided so this was the only way to set up and contain everthing.
Mike
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Tip is to tell the CP you have a side fold, they will generally give you a site to suit.
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($125 a night)
i hope that's a typo
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i hope that's a typo
No mate unfortunately(it's actually going up next year to $130 a night and the place gets packed,we book 18 months in advance),we love the spot and spend 3 weeks a year there although it was in a tent.Now with the trailer we will take up other options.
Mike
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No mate unfortunately(it's actually going up next year to $130 a night and the place gets packed),we love the spot and spend 3 weeks a year there although it was in a tent.Now with the trailer we will take up other options.
Mike
holy crap. I thought coral bay was bad enough at easter-time....
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Where is this $125 a night park? I need to make sure I avoid it. THAT, my friend, is just ridiculous.
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Where is this $125 a night park? I need to make sure I avoid it. THAT, my friend, is just ridiculous.
Why is it ridiculous?
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Why is it ridiculous?
$125 a night for a powered site right on the water. Maybe a little expensive but not ridiculous. You would pay double or even triple that for a hotel room that would never be as close as that to the water where the kids can play right in front of you on the beach!
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Why is it ridiculous?
Because that is MY opinion on the matter, to which I believe I am entitled. Or are opinions no longer welcome on this site either?
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Or are opinions no longer welcome on this site either?
Sounds like questions are no longer welcome...
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Sounds like questions are no longer welcome...
;D
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Good question, I prefer to get a grassed site, if not available and I get a slab site, I put the trailer on the slab and tent folds out onto grass. Seems to be the best way for me to work it.
like this
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb348/heath7410/IMAG0257.jpg)
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Where is this $125 a night park? I need to make sure I avoid it. THAT, my friend, is just ridiculous.
First (I think) caravan park north of Sydney on the Central Coast.
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Tip is to tell the CP you have a side fold, they will generally give you a site to suit.
Some parks have asked do we have a trailer tent as they have sites to suit these, showed up to one and it was a grass patch approx 8 by 6 metres,could put the whole setup up.
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So my current site in Mallacoota with waterfront , jetty berth and sunset view for $28/night is looking ok all of a sudden... ;D
"having fun, wish you were all here, yadda yadda"........
Cheers,
Cheap Cam
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Apparently it wouldn't be ridiculous if it was $125 a night.
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So my current site in Mallacoota with waterfront , jetty berth and sunset view for $28/night is looking ok all of a sudden... ;D
"having fun, wish you were all here, yadda yadda"........
Cheers,
Cheap Cam
Cam,
Until a large corporation take ownership(hope not)
Good to see your having fun,our summer up here has been beautiful so far ??? it's just that the sun hasn't decided to show.
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We got caught out at Apollo Bay where the slab was concreted right up to the bitumen road , which then had the gutter shaved down to meet the concrete .
When it rained , no , it poured down , all the water ran along the gutter and down the concrete slab right through our annexe like a flood . No such thing as a level slab here ???
Anyway it topped off what was very poor hospitality at that Park . >:(
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Thanks for the feedback everyone will try out some of the ideas and let you all know how i go
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Hi,
The park in question is Ocean Beach Holiday Park at Umina on the Central Coast and run by NRMA, who have a few other parks. Yes, we have stayed there and had a great time. Yes, it is expensive in relation to other parks. To put the cost into perspective it is a Resort Park with a resort style pool with a waterside and kids area, jumping pillows and lots of school holiday activities day and night of which quite a few are free. It is right on the beach and the camping area overlooks an adjacent creek. The park was spotlessly clean and very safe as it is at the end on a road.
So if you want a quiet place away from it all with no added extras, it is not the one. If you have kids and want a holiday with plenty of activities and do not want to do a resort hotel but want to use your camper trailer then it is good.
My 2 cents worth.
Tony.
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My 2 cents worth.
A very valuable 2 cents Tony, it is good to find these camper friendly resorts.
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Ok my experience with the site we had at Treasure Island was the slab ran front to rear of the site. We parked the CT left to right of the site at 90 degrees to the slab with the rear of the trailer at the side edge of the slab. Folded the tent over to the rear of the site on the grass and the awning back over the slab so we had a concrete floor under our awning. 'Twas great. Sorry no pics but hope you get what I mean.
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I thought we hit the ridiculous mark this year, paying $1500 for 3 weeks at Caloundra, but we love the spot, so I suppose everyone has their favourite spot, which at the end of the day is only worth what people will pay for it.
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Reol950,
Just make sure you also know the size of your setup as sometimes the slab sites are smaller than grass sites. We had that issue at one park where we had to put the trailer on the slab & when open, we had 2 inches left between us & the next site (didn't help that they told us the wrong size of the site)
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Most caravan parks make you park the camper with the towhitch facing the road so in case of an emergency you can hitch up faster! making the choice of setting up limited.
Ironic considering it does take a bit longer to pull down the awning & pack up the trailer etc than to pack up a caravan. If it was a full on emergency, I'd be leaving the trailer & getting out quick - the trailer is insured
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If you want a site next to the beach, with swimming pools, kids playgrounds and bouncy pillows, and great facilities then try Adelaide Shores Caravan park in West Beach, Adelaide - but don't try and get in after Christmas Day as it is booked solid with regulars who come back year after year. We go down there for Christmas each year but have to be off our site on the 27th as someone else has a permanent booking on it from then on. Our site is all grass so no problems with the camper.
Oh, and its only $44 per night!
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Not the ideal situation, but be placed our soft floor camper beside the slab with the drawbar facing the rear, this allowed us to put the awning facing the ocean view.
It took a minute or two to move the trailer into position, but we had a great view for a week.
There are any number of ways to position the camper around the slab just pick the one that best suits the situation.
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Apparently it wouldn't be ridiculous if it was $125 a night.
yea, I'd be moving on if I got quoted that.
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yea, I'd be moving on if I got quoted that.
So you wouldn't consider this then ;D ;D
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/anger-over-worlds-most-expensive-caravan-park/story-e6frg13u-1226032515568 (http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/anger-over-worlds-most-expensive-caravan-park/story-e6frg13u-1226032515568)
:cheers:
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So you wouldn't consider this then ;D ;D
Old news :)
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I know but when you consider what you get for the $125/night, $125 isn't so bad
:cheers:
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I know but when you consider what you get for the $125/night, $125 isn't so bad
:cheers:
tis if you stay 3 weeks!
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What we choose to pay for a campsite is up to the individual. Now let's get back to the real Q and back on track.....
When I had a soft floor I would simply put the trailer on the slab and have the soft floor on the grass. I knew the camper was level....hehehe
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
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I park the Trak Shak on the slab. I have had to drop the tyre pressures substantially a couple of times to get it all lined up however that was a quick easy fix when we left.
A way to practice is to use your driveway/front lawn at home and try different combinations over a quiet beer or two. That way if you end up at a site with that situation, you'll already have a fair idea what you are going to do.
Cheers
Chris
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Interesting thread...funny ho we all tackle similar problems in different ways.
I have only been struck with a slab site once...our first outing and I didn't know better when booking the site.
Thankfully the slab was quite small and I was able to set up the camper so that the slab was in the annex. I was worried about damaging the soft floor on the concrete (see drawing)
Some of the solutions offered are fine when the slab is level with the grass, but in many cases they are a few inches above grass level.
I have a 10' tent on my Camel and in one particular park it only JUST fits on their sites as you can see from the pictures below. If going somewhere new I always check how wide the sites are.
I have never worried about having the hitch to the road...unless it is a waterfront site of course.
Cheers
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I park the ct at right angle to the slab and have sleeping area on the slab and annex on the grass.
Also more than happy to pay a lot of money to stay at caravan parks that are clean and have great chold facilities and good location.
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Funny, I thought towhitches had to face the roadway (in case of emergency), but then we avoid CP's like the plague so what would I know!!.
Makes me glad we have a CUB fliplid :laugh:
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Off topic kind of.
We paid around $1600 for four nights in Phillip Island for a powered site. Was about $80pp/pn (% Adults).
Actually cheaper than the year before, that was $100pp/pn for a powered site. Although that site had its own undersite water feature.
On topic, I have set my camper up on the slab with Annex on the grass. We had to raise the ladder a little to get in to bed, but it wasn't to bad.
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One park was a powered grass site,and the one pictured($125 a night) was a powered one with shadecloth on the ground.
Did you tell them you only wanted to rent the site not buy it???
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:D Bit like MDS, try and get soft floor on grass and annex on slab. Ours is a 12 foot and in a lot of cases this is the only way it fits, mind you we do ask for large sites... unhook and stick the hitch in the garden >:D
Mission Bch, the slab was nearly a foot high at the back
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/10839-2/Mission+over+slab.JPG)
Bottom is Coconut village on an ensuite site
:cheers: Paul
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When we had the soft floor i'd always put the trailer beside the slab and fold the tent onto the slab, although i kept the old floor that we'd replaced and used to put this underneath. We'd sweep it off first though, and we didn't hafta worry about puttin' pegs around the tent section with the kids in their swags holding it down! ;D. I've also set up on the shade cloth jiggers at Merriden. They have a section 'specially for CT's. We didn't really know what was expected of us so we swung ours around 90 deg. so the tent was on the shade mat [ ???] and grass under the awning.
Chris.