WOW... A lap, as many responses as possible

[latestarter]

My beloved yesterday drop a bomb shell.
Why don't we take long service leave and do a lap.

That's the short version.

So the brief is.
Between now and mar/apr17 I need a camper
I need to decide destinations
Feeling overwhelmed 😳

Scenario... 2 adults, 1, 8 yr old boy.

Want to see the west coast and kimberley.

What I want from the forum is ....
1. What camper and how to purchase it...new v second hand
2;  destinations , Comp sites, gee...where do you start...
3. General advice

Yeah .... I'm sure there is  Heaps I could add.....but this is the start.

Happy to hear ...Anything

From a camper pov... I'm leaning towards something. Like a Drifta dot6, conqueror 345, echo 4/5/6

Happy to take all advice

[SEADOO]

If your overnighting and moving daily, I wouldn't even consider a soft floor. I'd look at a Jayco Eagle or similar.

Pack light, keep it simple.

That's how I'd do it.

[McGirr]

First thing;

is what budget do you have for a camper

How much camping gear do you have

What car have you got

Do you have a rough itinerary

Where do want to start from and finish at

How long are you going for

This will help getting your answers.

Mark

[fergy]

Some great value campers in the classifieds here at the moment🤑🤑💸💸🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[edz]

Time to start reading http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=40961.0   ###    http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=30095.0    ###  http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=614.msg7952#msg7952    ###   https://www.facebook.com/cummings.vagabonds  >> http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=38065.msg738164#msg738164   ###   http://guthriefamilyadventures.blogspot.com.au/  ###   http://www.1yearoff.com.au/    and a list of cheap places to stay  http://caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=50444

[bully]

You lucky Bastard. I have found myself out of work and have tried to convince the cook to sell up and go do the big lap and then sort life our when we get back.
Good luck with the set up. It will be fun setting up but it will do your head in choosing a camper. My advise is remember there is no ultimate set up otherwise all of us would have the same camper. Choose a well built Australian made camper and set it up to suit your needs.

[latestarter]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
To answer your questions Mcgirr
Budget: I was thinking mid 20's .. But that's not set in stone
Camp gear: truck loads...what ever I buy it won't all fit in   
Vehicle: R50 Pathfinder: spent 5k on it last year including new suspension
Itinerary: Not really .... Start and finish in Sydney
Sydney to SA to WA. Want a good look from Sth to Nth WA...probably returning via the middle

I take the point on the Jayco, just a bit concerned about quality and ruggedness

We have been speaking about this for literally only a couple of days, so there is a lot of investigation and planning to come. One thing I am concerned about is the need to plan and book camp sites

[weeds]

Re: soft floor, currently just have too much canvass....my parent did 1/2 lap in there old koala camper soft floor, the roof off the side was small <6' and required no poles and only four pegs however mostly used two pegs. Takes no longer than a roof top tent.

If you go hard floor than go s base model (lighter, shorter and less tow ball weight), and maybe leave the room annex at home.

We travel with three kids......never really did free camps along side the hi-way. Always try for star or national park as they are off the hi-way, quieter and generally have a pit toilet.

Like bully said there is never the perfect setup, get something as close to want you want and just start driving.

[RWS]

What I want from the forum is ....

1. What camper and how to purchase it...new v second hand

Try to buy second hand if you can. There are heaps of second hand units on market at the faction of the cost of buying new. The savings can be best spent on your travels…you will need it…travelling for any length of time is not cheap. We spent $17000 on fuel alone on our yearlong lap. It’s easily the biggest expense with fuel prices ranging up to $2.50 + a litre. Accommodation costs can be kept to a minimum if your setup is self-sufficient…for example: water, battery power supply (solar, generator etc.), food reserves, portable toilet, ability to have a shower, this all means you can free camp at no cost…otherwise caravan parks are your next option…Caravan parks charge anywhere from around $25(few and far between) upwards towards the $50 mark…the average is between $30 and $40.
Don’t be put off buying a soft floor, ours is a rear fold and can be setup in 5 minutes…we had numerous comments from fellow travellers how quick we could setup...annex is about another 10 minutes…we only fitted the annex for extended stays or inclement weather. Whichever style/brand/configuration you research to buy, focus on ease and length of time to setup…minimum amount of ropes, poles and pegs…this only extends time setting up…there is some hard ground out there, the last thing you want to be doing is bashing 20 pegs in the ground every other day. Next would be a user friendly kitchen, pantry and fridge area. Easily accessible from the road side for lunch or a snack, without unpacking a heap of gear to get to it. Gear that is regularly used should be stored in easy to get to places….example first off is packed last etc. Consider doing a few practice trips first before setting off to sort out any bugs and find out what works for you…practice makes perfect.
 
2;  destinations , Comp sites, gee...where do you start...

Australia is your oyster…there are just to many destinations to choose from…the most asked question on our arrival back to normality is, ‘what place did we like the best’?...our usual response is ‘there’s just too many to choose from’. One thing you soon realise when travelling this country is the sheer size of the place, and vast array of different countryside. To be honest you need a lot longer than a year to see it all…but we did see an awful lot…we are saving what we didn’t see for next time.
A valuable tool for info is the Wikicamps App...it became our travelling bible. Places of interest, free camps, caravan parks, national parks, dump points, travellers commments, photos, ratings, real time map location and much more, made it easy to find good spots along the way. 

 
3. General advice

Take your time and enjoy the journey…wind down from the usual trappings of life and enjoy this great country with your family…the memories will stay with you forever and you will long for the next adventure.

[McGirr]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
To answer your questions Mcgirr
Budget: I was thinking mid 20's .. But that's not set in stone
Camp gear: truck loads...what ever I buy it won't all fit in   
Vehicle: R50 Pathfinder: spent 5k on it last year including new suspension
Itinerary: Not really .... Start and finish in Sydney
Sydney to SA to WA. Want a good look from Sth to Nth WA...probably returning via the middle

I take the point on the Jayco, just a bit concerned about quality and ruggedness

We have been speaking about this for literally only a couple of days, so there is a lot of investigation and planning to come. One thing I am concerned about is the need to plan and book camp sites

Once you have your time frame set you can then start the planning. Where you want to go, places to visit.

Also you will arrive at places in the peak tourist season so bookings may be required.

Mark

[JB]

RWS has covered the key points I would make:

- go for the camper with minimum setup/pack up time.  One that has a small number  of pegs you NEED to put in for over night.

- Pull out kitchen and food storage. Pulling out boxes to get to stuff is a pain.

- ready made bed.   

- In built lights.

- full electrical set up including solar, alternator and 240 charging

- on board water with pump.

WikiCamps is awesome. 

Lucky bastard!

Cheers

JB





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[latestarter]

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated.

Looking at different styles of campers, my wife quite likes the idea of a rear fold hard floor. She was looking at Cub Brumby at the time. Realise they may not have the storage capacity of other styles, but figure a couple of space cases on the folded up floor would solve that. My only concern is the weight limitations. The current brumby for example has a tare of 955 and ATM of 1350. I assume the tare is as bare as bones. Add gas bottles, Jerry cans etc, then liquids, what ever you can load under the bed and tool box, I'm not sure there would be a lot of capacity left ??

Something else I should throw out there is the availability of petrol and distances up north west that I would possibly have to cater for. Realise this is difficult without a supplied itinerary but any examples of possible problems would be appreciated. I'm guessing my range will be about 500ks. But that is a guess. I base that on the worst I get is towing an 18 ft boat (wind sock) 1.5T 250ks, 500 ks. Without the boat on the hwy. I plan on carrying a minimum of 2 Jerry cans.

[edz]

Try this APP thingy if you have a smart arse phone  .. Fuel Map  APP .. A friend thats just come back from 3 months away travelling uses it .. Give price of fuel etc in any location has a trip log / fuel used average and  heaps of functions .
Showed up when going into a head wind towing the van his fuel consumption went from 13 .7L / 100 K average to just under 18L / 100 K ..
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/store/p/fuel-map-australia/9nblggh2t23b 

[Nomad]

In addition to what to buy and where to go scour this forum for different peoples set ups and modifications, there are some fantastic ones on here that can make your life alot easier on the road and seting up / pulling down camp. e.g someone mentioned banging in tent pegs.....stuff that speewa's suggestion is too use coach screws and a cordless drill, and anywhere except for sand they work great and stop you breaking your back....................theres heaps more where that came from as well.

Have a ball
Nomad

[latestarter]

Thanks for the info and links. Would like to hear people's setups for showering. Both hot water supplies and the type of shower tent used. Some of the tents I've seen look a bit flimsy. I've seen some ct manufactuers build sturdy frames with canvas walls, but I haven't seen such a thing as a commercial product.

[trevc]

Thanks for the info and links. Would like to hear people's setups for showering. Both hot water supplies and the type of shower tent used. Some of the tents I've seen look a bit flimsy. I've seen some ct manufactuers build sturdy frames with canvas walls, but I haven't seen such a thing as a commercial product.

We spent 12 months on the road and just used a pop-up tent from Aldi  for both the dunny and showering- got us all the way around and only recently chucked it as they had some more on special. Never folded it up once, just stored it under the CT cover.

The thing is you can do things pretty fancy, or pretty basic - just depends on your own situation. I'm extremely lucky that although city slickers, my family don't mind roughing it and are happy to dig a hole for a loo and go a few days without a tub.

For 'showers' we got hot water via 20L solar bags, tipped into a 20L Bucket in the 'ensuite' - than doused ourselves with an old coffee cup.
Would have done this at least 30 - 40 times on our trip.
You'll be surprised on where and when you can track down a shower. My wife snuck in for a quick shower in the change rooms while we were at the Camooweal rodeo, we 'bought' a shower in the main street of Kalgoorlie, showered at surf clubs, swimming pools, etc.

As I said that suited us, looked at a HWS and though it's going to increase my water and gas usage and in my own planning couldn't justify it.

Finally, my biggest tip for your trip is don't bite off too much, if you only have 3-4 months just pick a state or two and enjoy the time you are spending with your family and away from work. If you set-out to tick too many boxes you may become trapped in a timetable.

Trev

[Mace]

We use one of these:

https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/camping-toilets-showers/camping-showers-accessories/primus-shower/p/90002306?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsrnCBRCTs7nqwrm6pcYBEiQAcQSznCCuHM11R2vyChvuxUS07n8YxBF2T4VxCDPIYMTy6fMaAoVk8P8HAQ

along with a pop up ensuite tent and a plastic bucket.  5 litres of warm water is enough for the two of us to shower (not together, one after the other!!!!) 

[latestarter]

Thanks Trevc and Mace.

Yeap ... we only plan on spending a short amount of time in SA ... the bulk of the time in WA and some through the centre on the way home. Appreciate your thoughts about a timetable and agree. I guess the only obstacle is where we may need to book ahead in order to secure a spot....but that will obviously be dictated by a rough itinerary(which we need to get serious about very shortly)

Cheers 

[latestarter]

In the throws of planning for this trip and a couple of things keep bothering me.
1. Having not got a camper yet (although have lined up to inspect a couple in a fortnight) I don't really know what fuel consumption to expect and that has a direct impact on what I can do / plan for down the GRR. Driving a R50 pathfinder which delivers horrendous economy towing my boat, but hoping with less wind drag the camper might deliver slightly better economy.

2. There is almost 100% chance the wheels on whatever camper I get, won't match the tug. That said, I plan on carrying two spares for the tug and one for the trailer. Do you think this is adequate ... Considering, I do want to get to some of the more remote destinations Eg Mitchell falls...fuel permitting.
Current rubber is Bridgestone 697's, probably at 80%. Both spares will be 100% one at 2 years old, one new for the trip.
I'll assess the campers on purchase, but won't hesitate at replacing all if they're at all suspect

As always, appreciate people's thoughts

[Bird]

1. Having not got a camper yet (although have lined up to inspect a couple in a fortnight) I don't really know what fuel consumption to expect and that has a direct impact on what I can do / plan for down the GRR. Driving a R50 pathfinder which delivers horrendous economy towing my boat, but hoping with less wind drag the camper might deliver slightly better economy.

R50's deliver horrendous economy when they are parked... the one we had did.

2. There is almost 100% chance the wheels on whatever camper I get, won't match the tug.
That said, I plan on carrying two spares for the tug and one for the trailer.
Do you think this is adequate ...

2 for car 2 for trailer is good value.. 1 and a spare tyre and tools to change it.

Current rubber is Bridgestone 697's, probably at 80%. Both spares will be 100% one at 2 years old, one new for the trip.
I'll assess the campers on purchase, but won't hesitate at replacing all if they're at all suspect

cheap insurance to replace anything old...


What sort of experience do you have on remote travel?
Emergency communications tools? HF? UHF? EPIRB? Sat Phone? etc
What tools are you taking?
How much water?
Fridges?
Food?
First Aid Gear?

[latestarter]

Thanks Bird,

No experience in NT or WA at all.
Plenty or camping and lots of western NSW....but appreciate what I'm planning is significantly different. But hey, no one can do their 10th without doing their 1st

[chester ver2.0]

OK after doing 2 half laps for 4 months each i can offer the following to some of your questions. I am a pragmatic kind of guy and assess risk for a living meaning i hope for the best, plan for the realistic amd keep an idea or 2 up my sleeve in case of the worst

1. Fuel supplies You will find it almost everywhere even on the gibb there is 2 locations where you can officially buy fuel and another 2 unofficial locations where you can get it if you really get stuck so don't stress. Most other travelers are a friendly lot so even if worse comes to worse some one will come along that can spare a few litres. Everyone will help you out as long as you have made an attempt to look after yourself, it is the guys that do no prep at all then expect people to lend a hand when it goes wrong that piss people off (backpackers in wicked van's on the oodnadatta track im looking at you).

2. Fuel consumption - every vehicle is different and you really wont know this till you buy your camper and do a few shake down trips. if you wanted some figure to work out a rough budget maybe take your current average and add on 30%

3. Tyres - one spare for the vehicle is enough and a decent tyre plug kit if worse comes to worse you can drive the spare camper trailer Tyre to a town for repair or replacement. Just go a common size on the camper 235/75 R15 and 265/70 R16 seem to be where most tyres are at for a camper trailer.

4. Budgeting - On average 1000 per week is a good ballpark this should cover food, fuel, accommodation and a little fun. Take out top level road side assist that covers both the vehicle and camper and put aside maybe 3 grand for a complete f.....up such as a gear box. Make sure you give the vehicle a good going over and fix all known problems before you leave as trust me a bearing seal costs a lot more to fix in Newman than it does in Perth.

5. Spares - a basic tool kit, wire fuses and a few fan belts, hoses and filters will do....Contrary to some popular beliefs you don't need a spare strut, you don't need a spare spring or alternator or starter or whatever all of these so called spares should have been inspected and replaced if required before you even left the driveway.

6. Personal safety - this will depend on your itinery and how remote you actually are going. In my personal circumstance as the first one was a bit of a taste we did not go to far off the tourist routes so we felt that a decent first aid kit, UHF and a sat sleeve to convert the iphone  was all that we needed. I may consider and EPIRB if we were going full remote off road. One other thing that i also insisted on was that my other half learn to drive the vehicle and operate 4wd, be able to let down and pump up tyres etc in case i became incapacitated

Hope this helps

Above all relax yes you will stress over planning but things are not that remote out there anymore and as long as you look like you are making an attempt to look after yourself 99% of people will be glad to lend a hand

[edz]

For me personaly I would temper the list of spares with, As modern vehicles rely heavily on lots of electrics to run, I would carry a replacement Alternator if it was a built in regulator type or carry a brush / regulator pack if its the external reg type ..
 Having had a new [ pre trip fitted ]  alternator fail half way across the Barkley plains at night .. And seen Harsh corrugations dirt mud heat conditions  cause modern small bird cage style alternators to fail reasonably quickly  .
Also if I had an Auto vehicle and would be going to be doing  water crossings on a remote trip I would carry a starter motor  or learn how to remove and service [ modern ones are usualy on the small side Hi torque types ] .
Again having had to use speaker wire,  screws from a UHF and bits of coke bottle lids to jury rig  one that fritzed itself .. cant realy push start an auto or tow it unless you remove the rear drive shaft  .
But thats just me .

[latestarter]

Chester edz... Thanks for the detailed responses....much appreciated.

[chester ver2.0]

No worries mate ask away

Just be careful of one large issue that all travellers i spoke to have

When you get home "when are we going again" usually comes out of someones mouth in about 10 minutes