MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: bopoulos on June 21, 2015, 08:00:01 AM
-
Hi everybody. Pretty new to this forum so I hope this thread is posted in the right section.
Been looking for a CT for a while and I have narrowed it down to these 2 brands so I'm looking for some advice and opinions on these CT's.
I visited the showrooms yesterday and really liked the Ezytrail Buckland LX.
At MDC they had another one on special That I liked as well.
They both have a 12 volt system but the Ezytrail also had an inverter to convert to 240V and a massive toolbox that has a slideout for a fridge as well as a built in stove.
The Ezytrail had a much larger tent as well. This may be a problem because I need a CT I can setup by myself as I am a widower with 3 kids.
The MDC was an offroad CT with dual shocks on both sides whereas the Ezytrail only had one shocker on each side, When I asked about the Ezytrail the sales bloke was a bit vague about it's off road capabilities.
I don't intend to do much offroad but that may change in future.
I am pretty confused about the whole process so I'm seeking advice here. My original budget was about 5k but that is creeping up the way things are going.
Would also consider a good second hand CT but I'm having trouble finding one after looking for months.
-
I have friends with an MDC...It's a great camper when it's set up but when it's packed up,if it's left outside they can't stop it leaking when it rains..It's been back to where they bought it a few times but still leaks...
-
Dangerous question on here 8) Cue the buy second hand aussie trailer spiel ;D
But on a serious note, I have an MDC. Had some small teething issues but they have gone out of their way to fix it. For our first camper it does everything we need. Sure its got a few more poles and not all the belles and whistles but it does us. Sure one day when the kids are older I will upgrade but for now we are happy :cheers:
-
Hi everybody. Pretty new to this forum so I hope this thread is posted in the right section.
Been looking for a CT for a while and I have narrowed it down to these 2 brands so I'm looking for some advice and opinions on these CT's.
I visited the showrooms yesterday and really liked the Ezytrail Buckland LX.
At MDC they had another one on special That I liked as well.
They both have a 12 volt system but the Ezytrail also had an inverter to convert to 240V and a massive toolbox that has a slideout for a fridge as well as a built in stove.
The Ezytrail had a much larger tent as well. This may be a problem because I need a CT I can setup by myself as I am a widower with 3 kids.
The MDC was an offroad CT with dual shocks on both sides whereas the Ezytrail only had one shocker on each side, When I asked about the Ezytrail the sales bloke was a bit vague about it's off road capabilities.
I don't intend to do much offroad but that may change in future.
I am pretty confused about the whole process so I'm seeking advice here. My original budget was about 5k but that is creeping up the way things are going.
Would also consider a good second hand CT but I'm having trouble finding one after looking for months.
Welcome to mySwag...Could I suggest maybe put together a 'wish' list and then post in the 'Wanted' section - Maybe also update your profile with your State, Area which will assist in referrals, etc
You'll get both sides of the argument on here for 'new vs old', but it ultimately comes down to budget and compromise...The important thing is that it suits YOUR needs and gets you out to see your favourite destinations ;D - No use extending yourself financially if you cant afford to fill the car with fuel, to tow the camper on your holiday..
Good luck :cheers:
-
we have a ezytrail camper and had a few little problems along the way nothing major would suggest that I you need to set up/pack up by yourself that you try doing this before you buy as we have a dl230 tent and would think a 1 person would be a struggle or take a long time
-
Cue the buy second hand aussie trailer ;D
great advice....
-
An invertor can be bought for $100 or less.
One shockie or two won't make much difference unless you plan to tackle hundreds of kms of corrugated roads. A dirt road into your favourite national park won't need shockies at all.
Often the budget campers need a lot of poles to set the tent up. Plus the poles are normally lighter weight which can be damaged easier. Best to always look at the CT with the tent fully set up, not just the trailer part of the tent unfolded in the showroom. And remember, extra add on rooms, take up storage space and take a lot of extra time to set up. On some caravan park sites, you proabably wouldn't have enough space to set up extra rooms.
There are heaps of budget campers out there. All are trying to get your hard earned. Shop around and don't take the first "special deal for just today" that you come across.
Good luck
KB
-
great advice....
Just take a look at the Classified section here, some great examples of Aussie Manufacturing
-
As alluded to earlier you will get all opinions on MySwag. I too have an MDC which I bought as a first camper.
It has been everywhere I have tired to take it - some that in retrospect were not a good idea without a complaint. Off road it has been treated with contempt and laughed it all off with a few minor war wound's - which although entirely my fault were fixed by MDC who were laughing at my abilities off road...
The minor niggles we have with our MDC have been either easily fixed by me or fixed without a quibble by MDC & I think most of them were issues you could easily see on trailers at five times the price.
As a first camper that could be a blank canvas for me to modify and adapt to my families needs I have no complaints.
-
As a first camper that could be a blank canvas for me to modify and adapt to my families needs I have no complaints.
x2.
Cant really fault it. Great first camper. I seasoned the canvas for an entire day and we have never had any leaks, even in heavy rain. You can get larger tents on the MDC trailers.. just have to pay a little bit more
-
we got the mdc step thru minor problems at first, but easily fixed have had it 2 and 1/2 years and has been great, really happy with it
-
Went to the Cairns Camping show here about a month or so ago. I was helping/advising friends on what to look for when comparing all of the imported hardfloor campers. The MDC won hands down compared to all of the others.
My only comment to them was that I hope that their display models were of the same quality as all of what they sell. MDC was cheaper than some more expensive than others but want the most expensive. When it came to accessories, electrics and finish, none of the others even came close.
-
I have a Ezytrail Mawson fully galvanised CT. Whilst since I brought it in Sydney I have towed it back to Cairns. During this trip we travelled over lots of dirt roads. It also consisted of around 200 km of mud between Muttaburra and Hugenden. It towed really well and as there is only the wife and myself we have the smaller version of the tent. I can set this up unassisted without an Awning in 10 minutes and with the awning in 20 minutes with about the same time to pack it up.
All in all I am very happy with it. The only issue I have is stopping the dust coming through the tail gate!!!
-
Bought a secondhand ezytrail tent on a locally built trailer a few years ago.
Never had issues with it. Takes about 10 mins for hubby and I to set up. We watched the original owner - bloke of about 75 - set it up by himself in 6 which we still can't beat.
Like you said, the main tent area is much bigger than other brands but that is the reason why we like it so much, we've never had to use the annexe once, nor did the original owners.
Greg (previous post) sounds like he's got a newer ezytrail tent than us re: being able to set up by himself...whereas with our older tent, you would need a couple pairs of hands to initially rotate the tent over and lay the floor out, but the rest you can do by yourself.
Like others have said, work out the things you must have and take it from there.
We nailed our dream camper down to an aussie jay big red/crusher (aussie built) which ticked all the boxes (we didn't buy it though as we got a different camper at a ripper price instead - right time, right place thing). We went to the factory and got them to set it up, then had a go ourselves etc. good thing about their tent is that its super easy to set up for one person (well it was a few years ago). Quickly sussed ebay and there's one at the mo for 5500 here in melb but don't know where you are and if its an easy visit to inspect. disclaimer - I have absolutely no affiliation with the ebay buyer nor camper company so obviously research yourself.
Maybe consider secondhand aussie stuff if its within your budget and has everything you need etc?
Good luck and cheers!
-
Thanks for all the helpful replies everyone.
Still no closer to making a decision though. Been more or less looking on and off since about December last year.
May go and visit a couple more showrooms on Saturday. I would consider a second hand Aussie one if the price was right but they don't seem to come up too often within my budget.
-
Not sure of your budget, but I noticed this evening there's a nice 2011 Camel and a recently added Lifestyle that may suit...Both quality trailers and canvas... ??? ???
-
Just go and look at some that seem vaguely right. Insist that they let you put it up and down by yourself. If not, walk away. If you can do it yourself without even heaps of prompting about which bits go where, that will probably do. Then buy it.
No camper is perfect. They all suit some trips better than others. They all work better in some circumstances than others. Work out your basics (eg, where do the kids sleep) and then just dive in.
It is not a precise science.
-
We are in the same position. I have a friend who knows the ins and outs of cts' and he has recommended staying away from ripstop canvas and make sure that the trailer is fully welded. As for off road....unless you are climbing over rocks etc just make sure the water tank is steel and take your time.
-
As others have mentioned, make sure that you get a chance at putting them up and down in the showroom. The amount of poles for some of the annexes are crazy for what only really takes four poles on my camper.
There are still heaps of great well cared for second hand units that I would be considering prior to these. That's the way I started out and then upgraded to a new camper when I had the chance
GG
-
As others have mentioned, make sure that you get a chance at putting them up and down in the showroom. The amount of poles for some of the annexes are crazy for what only really takes for poles on my camper.
There are still heaps of great well cared for second hand units that I would be considering prior to these. That's the way I started out and then upgraded to a new camper when I had the chance
GG
Good advice, the number of poles thing becomes a PITA very quickly, friends of ours have taken to using an Oztrail gazebo instead of putting the MDC annexe up, takes too long and too many poles. Our Cavalier had 4 inside and 4 for the annexe
-
As for off road....unless you are climbing over rocks etc just make sure the water tank is steel and take your time.
yea... I'd want a bit more than that..
-
Had an Ezy trail next to us last night and quite impressed with the looks of same. Only took them a few minutes to set up.
-
We are in the same position. I have a friend who knows the ins and outs of cts' and he has recommended staying away from ripstop canvas and make sure that the trailer is fully welded. As for off road....unless you are climbing over rocks etc just make sure the water tank is steel and take your time.
It's not rock crawing that destroys a trailer, it's the 500km on a corrugated rd, that's what an off rd trailer is for. But if you are towing on tar to your local van park, buy whatever. :cheers:
-
Once again thanks for the input everyone.
Still looking around and just to throw a spanner in the works I've come across a Nimrod camper for sale at a reasonable price.
I have only seen it from a distance so far and not set up.
It is a 1990 model and apparently has been recanvassed with good quality Aussie canvas 5 years ago.
Pretty basic but may be ok for me and the billies. I'm trying to get up there this Sunday to have a look at it.
Anyone have any experience with a Nimrod before?