MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Cardy George on March 02, 2015, 03:59:48 PM
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I've searched the archives but cant seem to find any sort of list as to who manufactures their trailers here.
The reason I ask is The Better Half and I have looked at the Johnno's and Cameron Campers offerings compared to other imported brands and decided Aussie Made is the way to go. I'd like to know if there are any other brands out there we should be considering.......
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This may help your search
http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/ (http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/)
Not all the manufacturers are a member though as far as I am aware, I have a Tambo and they are not on the list
GG
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This may help your search
http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/ (http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/)
Not all the manufacturers are a member though as far as I am aware, I have a Tambo and they are not on the list
GG
I could not see Modcon campers, made at Capalaba near Brisbane. It is another very well made Australian camper. Kevin
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X2
That WEB site will give you a good indication.
Ta
John
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Ha, I saw the word Modcon in all the topic headers and thought everyone was talking about the modern conveniences they'd added to their trailer....... :-[
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You can add Kimberley Kampers to that list !
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I have a Challenge made in Adelaide good trailer and worth a look
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Camel Campers? My brother has one, very flash and super appointed. Made somewhere in Australia
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Lifestyle camper trailers
Where are you, I'm Brissy based and was able to go through the factories of Camel, lifestyle and Customline and check them over,
These three are all south Brisbane,
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Just remember theres Australian Made, and "Australian Made"...
sort of like shopping for Australian Made food etc.
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Lifestyle camper trailers
Where are you, I'm Brissy based and was able to go through the factories of Camel, lifestyle and Customline and check them over,
These three are all south Brisbane,
We're just near Mildura VIC and that would be awesome, but unfortunately we're too far away
Just remember theres Australian Made, and "Australian Made"...
sort of like shopping for Australian Made food etc.
Exactly. That's why we're doing our homework now, so when we've saved enough moolah in 12-18 months time we know what we're buying.
The current plan is to check out which ones are quality and will go the distance and then hopefully pick up a 4-5 year old one
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Outback Campers in Carrum Downs do pretty much all their own fabrication in house and the canvas work is 2nd to none :cup:
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Explorer campers as well.
http://www.explorercampers.com.au/ (http://www.explorercampers.com.au/)
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Follow Me Campers by George and Theresa. He builds them in Wangara WA.
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Tru Blue in Mordiallic make a great camper.
Southern Cross in Bayswater
Dingo in Dandenong
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There's also a different OutBack Campers in WA http://www.outbackcampers.net.au (http://www.outbackcampers.net.au) Trailer and canvas all done in house.
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This may help your search
http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/ (http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/)
Not all the manufacturers are a member though as far as I am aware, I have a Tambo and they are not on the list
GG
As far as some Australian campers not being on the list is because either the individual manufacturer is not a member through choice or that the manufacturer is not able to comply with the Australian Made standards Code of Ethics as laid down by the member manufacturers.
So if a manufacturer believes that they can comply then why not become a member of the Guild.? A close read of the Guild web site has a lot of interesting data.
I believe that if a manufacturer wants to import a product, great, but have it meet Australian standards and so compete on a level playing field with legitimate Australian manufacturers.
Ta
John.
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Camprite aren't on the list either
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I would say that the reason why so many Aussie companies are not on the list is that they wouldn't want to be associated with that website.
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I would say that the reason why so many Aussie companies are not on the list is that they wouldn't want to be associated with that website.
I'm sure I am not the only one who would be interested in the reasoning around such a generalized statement.
Can you please explain???
Ta
John
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I'm sure I am not the only one who would be interested in the reasoning around such a generalized statement.
Can you please explain???
Ta
John
What he said.......
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Check out the Trackabout Campers!!......
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I'm sure I am not the only one who would be interested in the reasoning around such a generalized statement.
Can you please explain???
Ta John
What he said.......
Certainly. I think my statement is equally as generalized as the broad statements on the website.
Dragging up old stories from 2011 and 2012 and the standards of imported campers back then compared to now is a little unfair. It is the same with using the old tests and evaluations, how about some more up to date testing and evaluation might add a bit of cred-ability to the website.
I have no doubt that there was absolute rubbish imported back when the imports started to arrive in Oz but is that really the case now? There are 1000's of imported campers in Australia now. Are they all poorly made, unsafe and unlikely to last more than a couple of years before disintegrating in a pile of rust? I think not. The scaremongering tactics used to work and work quite well but it is all losing steam now.
Some of Australias best made Camper Trailers are using Chinese parts including canvas, wheels, electrical components etc. Are they on the list? no. So what, they are still bloody well made campers.
I dont care if people buy an Oz made or imported CT. People should buy what they want without getting influenced with BS stories from 2011 and tests from 2012.
My favorite CT's are both Oz made Kimberley Kamper, very closely followed by the Odyssey. I dont own either cuz i cant justify the $$. Are the imports as good quality as these two brands? No, not even close but then again nor is the price tag.
These two brands listed above are absolute top quality so I wouldnt be too concerned if a good quality Australian made camper Trailer is not on the list of this biased website.
Sometimes it makes good business sense not to bag out the opposition; I am sure that is why there are an absolute shed load of Oz made companies not on the list. That is what I meant in the above post.
http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/camper-trailer-articles/chinese-camper-trailer-article-paradox/ (http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/camper-trailer-articles/chinese-camper-trailer-article-paradox/)
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That's a valid and well expressed point of view :cheers:
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Well put Muzza 01, I as yet do not own a CT but have been looking for a few years. Yes I would like a Kimbley Camper or one of the other top line Australian made units, but where is the value? They are not like real estate that normally goes up in value even if you don't use it, whereas with a CT the more it is used and ages the more the value drops. If the minister eventually agrees to the purchase of one I feel sure we will end up with one of the imported ones.
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Well put Muzza 01, I as yet do not own a CT but have been looking for a few years. Yes I would like a Kimbley Camper or one of the other top line Australian made units, but where is the value? They are not like real estate that normally goes up in value even if you don't use it, whereas with a CT the more it is used and ages the more the value drops.
I dunno bout that KKs and many other top end trailers seem to hold their value Extremely well.... Almost stupidly..
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I dunno bout that KKs and many other top end trailers seem to hold their value Extremely well.... Almost stupidly..
That is so true, I know of a bloke that sold his early or mid 2000's Cape York CT for more than what he paid for it new.
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While the upfront cost is important, so is the overall cost of ownership. Have a look at what the product is likely to cost over the duration of ownership. Purchase price, cost of added accessories, maintenance, insurance and finally the price that it may fetch at the end. When looking at the total cost of ownership of some of the cheaper units can end up being a lot more expensive. It has to be acknowledged that not everyone can afford what can be steep upfront costs of some trailers but an analysis of what it is likely to cost overall should be looked at when deciding. This is my two bobs worth anyway and a factor in the trailer that we ended up deciding on.
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Well put Muzza 01, I as yet do not own a CT but have been looking for a few years. Yes I would like a Kimbley Camper or one of the other top line Australian made units, but where is the value? They are not like real estate that normally goes up in value even if you don't use it, whereas with a CT the more it is used and ages the more the value drops. If the minister eventually agrees to the purchase of one I feel sure we will end up with one of the imported ones.
Thanks Muzza01 for elaborating on your views.
I tend to agree with some of what you had to say. Yes the early imports were just that, crap. The ethics of some of the importers/sales companies were very suspect. I recall going to a well known camping show where a certain never before known company was showing off their very obvious knock offs with the lack of quality and compliance very obvious.
They, along with some other stands had a visit from the then RTA inspectors who said that they should not continue to sell their product as they were not certified?? or coded with the RTA as a product that could be registered and if sold would not be able to be registered within the state.
They proceeded to put RTA stickers on each trailer stating this fact and that the trailers were for display only. 5 minutes after the inspectors left, off came the stickers and an immediate price drop was advertised. Could not believe the attitude.
Although, recently I also know of people, with financial constraints, opting to go for an import within their price range but also budgeting for the fact that they are well aware that they will need to swap out things like hitches, shocks and the like to finish up with a fairly good trailer they are happy with. Where fitted, such extras as Electrics, Gas and the like should be already compliant at the point of sale as these installations need to be certified by qualified trades folk to the required standard.
Ta
John
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Thanks Muzza01 for elaborating on your views.
I tend to agree with some of what you had to say. Yes the early imports were just that, crap. The ethics of some of the importers/sales companies were very suspect. I recall going to a well known camping show where a certain never before known company was showing off their very obvious knock offs with the lack of quality and compliance very obvious.
They, along with some other stands had a visit from the then RTA inspectors who said that they should not continue to sell their product as they were not certified?? or coded with the RTA as a product that could be registered and if sold would not be able to be registered within the state.
They proceeded to put RTA stickers on each trailer stating this fact and that the trailers were for display only. 5 minutes after the inspectors left, off came the stickers and an immediate price drop was advertised. Could not believe the attitude.
Although, recently I also know of people, with financial constraints, opting to go for an import within their price range but also budgeting for the fact that they are well aware that they will need to swap out things like hitches, shocks and the like to finish up with a fairly good trailer they are happy with. Where fitted, such extras as Electrics, Gas and the like should be already compliant at the point of sale as these installations need to be certified by qualified trades folk to the required standard.
Ta
John
So true. I know from personal experience. The company that I bought my import from used me as a referee to prospective buyers in my local area. I Had quite a few people ring me to ask my opinion. I asked how handy they were on the tools to modify the CT to a standard that I would call safe and reliable. I steered them to my CT thread, told them to read it and call me back. None of them had the ability or confidence to modify these CT's themselves. Some of them with larger families I suggested to look at purchasing a soft floor second hand Aussie built camper. The ones that wanted a HARDFLOOR I steered towards the Ecomate as Modcon/Ecomate have already modified these imports to an acceptable standard and offer a warranty.
Unfortunately, some people just don't really know what they are buying and I guess get sucked in to all of the extras that make the imports look so much better value for money against Oz made.
Thankfully, some companies like Modcon/Ecomate ensure that their cheaper imported product has some decent quality and control and warrant their goods. What is unfortunate, is that there are so many companies that I shall not mention that focus on quantity rather than quality and treat buyers quite badly when they try and claim compensation via warranty.
One of my pet hates that I have mentioned in plenty of posts on our forum is companies that claim their imported CT is Australian made. They really disgust me. Also other CT companies that rely on Australian guidelines that state you can use the Claim that the CTis made in Oz if it contains 51% or greater parts that are made in Australia.
I have absolutely no regrets that I purchased a Chinese CT but realistically, they don't suit everyone and people need to be aware that there are a lot of shady operators that name their CT's with Australian names that is of course legal but is also very misleading.
:cheers:
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So true. I know from personal experience. The company that I bought my import from used me as a referee to prospective buyers in my local area. I Had quite a few people ring me to ask my opinion. I asked how handy they were on the tools to modify the CT to a standard that I would call safe and reliable. I steered them to my CT thread, told them to read it and call me back. None of them had the ability or confidence to modify these CT's themselves. Some of them with larger families I suggested to look at purchasing a soft floor second hand Aussie built camper. The ones that wanted a HARDFLOOR I steered towards the Ecomate as Modcon/Ecomate have already modified these imports to an acceptable standard and offer a warranty.
Unfortunately, some people just don't really know what they are buying and I guess get sucked in to all of the extras that make the imports look so much better value for money against Oz made.
Thankfully, some companies like Modcon/Ecomate ensure that their cheaper imported product has some decent quality and control and warrant their goods. What is unfortunate, is that there are so many companies that I shall not mention that focus on quantity rather than quality and treat buyers quite badly when they try and claim compensation via warranty.
One of my pet hates that I have mentioned in plenty of posts on our forum is companies that claim their imported CT is Australian made. They really disgust me. Also other CT companies that rely on Australian guidelines that state you can use the Claim that the CTis made in Oz if it contains 51% or greater parts that are made in Australia.
I have absolutely no regrets that I purchased a Chinese CT but realistically, they don't suit everyone and people need to be aware that there are a lot of shady operators that name their CT's with Australian names that is of course legal but is also very misleading.
:cheers:
Well said muzza :cheers:
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Hi, this is Darren Smart from Lifestyle Camper Trailers - From late 2011 to the end of 2014 we sold the Walkthru, Walkthru Delux and Delux Gen 2 with an imported tent - it was NOT cheap Chinese rip-stop - The Extenda and the Extenda Elite has ALWAYS had 100% Australian made Wax Converter Dynaproof canvas - from January 2015 on our Extenda Southern Cross, Extenda, Extenda Elite and Extenda Elite DK continue to have the 100% Australian made tent and with the Dynaproof material that has a five year warranty and as per usual the 100% Australian made Heavy Duty Off-Road Chassis that also has a five year warranty. IF anyone has any questions related to new or used Lifestyle models feel free to contact me personally on darren@lifestylecampertrailers.com.au
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When your covers are 6-mths old and fall apart (for the second time in the 12mths of the trailers life)do you replace them or do you sell them the poor suckers?
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IF a customer has purchased or purchases a camper trailer from us BRAND NEW and has an issue with any part of their camper trailer we will help out - there are 1000s of existing customers who are more than delighted with the purchase of their Lifestyle Camper Trailer 8)
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IF a customer has purchased or purchases a camper trailer from us BRAND NEW and has an issue with any part of their camper trailer we will help out
Bought my trailer brand new and had to buy my own replacement cover... but you knew this already... ::) ::)
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I know the full story and from my own professional point of view I am more than comfortable with the way your issue was handled - having known him for two decades and worked at his side for the last six years I can say with complete confidence that you will not find a fairer or more generous man than the owner of Lifestyle Camper Trailers and when approached in a professional manner will absolutely bend over backwards to make sure ALL Lifestyle customers are looked after so the fact that you are the only person that I know of who sees it differently is a telling fact - you are still using your Lifestyle Camper Trailer and it is obviously performing extremely well (if it wasn't we would know) so why not just join the thousands of happy Lifestyle customers and stop butting heads with everyone who mentions the brand - and finally, I personally attend 20 plus Caravan and Camping Shows every year and to date I have yet to have an existing Lifestyle customer approach me and say that they are dissapointed with their purchase or us as a company to deal with - quite the opposite actually, we often have existing customers stand around telling potential customers how good their Lifestyle Camper Trailer is and how wonderful we are to deal with - sure, we are not perfect but we are the first to put our hand up and fix any issues that has been caused by us IF the customer has approached us in the same manner they would expect to be treated :D :D
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Another OZ made from the ground up.
Cameron Canvas Trailers in Adelaide.
A long standing Australian family company making a quality soft floor camper in a number of styles.
No association etc, just a happy owner for the last 5 years - only problem was failed stitching after 4 years on a pull cord, and that was fixed on the spot with no hesitation.
Also, closer to home for the OP than the Queensland manufacturers.
Also do hire and second hand.
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A few Aus built ones here for sale:
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?board=13.0 (http://www.myswag.org/index.php?board=13.0)
Including mine ;-)
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blah blah blah...
So when I sent a friendly email (that some lifestyle owning members of the forum actually read before I emailed it which included links to happy photos of our trip with the wording similar to 'feel free to use these photos') is not how you would like to be approached? should I have called lawyers instead and sent nasty threateneing letters from the lawyers instead of "approaching like I'd like to be treated?
So the fact that 2 covers didnt last 12 mths (first one didnt last the trip from Qld to Vic and I wasnt the only one to suffer the fading) is the kind of product you stand by? And I offered to post the fading one back for him to investigate the issues with it...
And speaking of the way "you like to be approached" I then copped abuse from the owner of the company - is the correct way to treat customers??? Strange if you'd be happy being treated like that - but then you work there you might not know the difference..
So I guess since you stand by your product you'll be offering free replacements to these people http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=42709.0 (http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=42709.0)
So how should I have approached it?
In reality all i wanted was an apology from the owner (who which I said in my original post may have been having a bad day)and at least the offer to replace the cover and share a beer over a campfire sometime... probably too much to ask for.
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Outback Campers in Carrum Downs do pretty much all their own fabrication in house and the canvas work is 2nd to none :cup:
X2
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Mr Bird, on behalf of Lifestyle Camper Trailers and as the Brand Manager for the soft floor camper trailer part of the business I am truly sorry that we were not able to offer a viable solution to the problems you had with us back in 2009 - I wish you all of the best in your future camping ventures in your Lifestyle Camper Trailer and I would be more than happy to have a beer with you - we are at the Melbourne Leisurefest from Oct 1 to Oct 4 and I am pretty sure that I am coming down for that and if so I would be more than happy to belly up to a bar with you and have a chat - my shout :cheers:
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Check out the Trackabout Campers!!......
x2, great bit of kit
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X2
I'll x3 Outback Campers , have a Sturt , it's 12 years old very well used , no leaks , works like a champ , Highly recommended
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I'll x3 Outback Campers , have a Sturt , it's 12 years old very well used , no leaks , works like a champ , Highly recommended
We used to have a Sturt. It was a great camper. We liked their product and service so much we Brough another one... This time a Tanami and love it as much if not more.
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Yup , that's the advantage - they build a good product and stay in business to sell you a second camper !
If anything happened to my Sturt , I would happily buy another - a well designed and built camper , simple that just works , tows great .
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You can add Central Coast Camper Trailers, Charmhaven, New South Wales to the list
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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http://www.campertrailerswa.com/ (http://www.campertrailerswa.com/)
we have the Eureka, great camper. completely made in Australia with Australian parts.