need help

[Toolara]

Hi, We are in the market to buy a camper and were told about this great site. So I would really appreciate some advice about two campers we are looking at. The first is the Adventure Camper which has great storage but I'm concerned about the gap between the camper body and bed tent area when it rains. Has anyone experienced any problems with the rain blowing into the kitchen area and does it get very hot in the sleeping area???
The other camper is Cameron's Camper. I like it but my husband is not sure what the electrical system is like. Can anyone advise us on that one???
 

Many thanks,
Lou & Stevo

[BigJules]

Lou, both of those are well proven designs, so you will find plenty of people happy with each of them.

The Adventure Camper design is startling, and personally I can't bring myself to prefer it over side or rear fold soft floor setups.
The electrical setup in many campers below the top end versions can be anything you want usually, so if you don't think their sysetm is what you want, tell what you DO want and no doub they could accommodate you.

My suggestion is for you to try them both out. Rent or borrow them for a weekend and see what you like and don't like about the design and features.

Also, there are plenty of other good brands outside SA if you're after a new or second hand unit. What is it you're looking for in a camper?

[Toolara]

Thanks for that info Julian. We have been to countless Camper shows over the last few years as we originally had a basic side fold camper with a 16ft room which we found a pain to set up. We have mainly stayed in caravan parks so setting up on caravan sites with a side fold is extremely frustrating. But as you probably know once you start to look it can get very confusing as to the 'right' camper. We have two growing kids, so a bit of room is required and something that has good storage and isn't too hot to have an afternoon nanna nap. You obviously love your Adventure Camper but like I said I was a little concerned about it when it rains. Do you put a tarp over the whole lot or isn't it necessary? We live in Qld so hiring the two we like could pose a problem.

[BigJules]

Oh, I just presumed you were is SA becuase of the two campers you selected. You have heaps of choice right nearby then.
A 16' tent is going to be hard work, up and down, plus trying to find a place that you can fit in.

Why not consider a front room option? I'd be going to the showroom of a couple of the QLD boys and picking up something with a good kitchen and 9' or 10' tent, plus the front room, then you'll have lots of space within a small footprint.

I don't have an Adventure, I can't bring myself to like them, though I have no reason to bag them.

Does it have to be new?

[Pebble]

We did have an Adventure our first trip was to Cairns and it absolutely poured down with rain. I don't think we watered the camper in properly (was our first proper new camper) so we did have a little leak in one corner of the tent, but ever since that trip not a problem at all....I think the Cairns rain watered it in better then we ever could have.
I certainly don't remember any leaks in the kitchen area (I think there is an extra flap that goes over that gap you're talking about? Unless my Husband had something made, I can't really remember!). Here is a picture from that trip, unfortunately don't have any better ones...


And a drier trip, had some sort of foraging ants join us in bed that night! From memory they found the gap between the tent and bed or something! Glad they weren't bitey ones because they were big!


But in the end the design wasn't quite right for us. Hubby thought it was a bit too fiddly getting the bed case out and packing it back in etc. We found our next camper the All Terrain was much more suitable for our needs and a bit quicker / easier to set up (and didn't have any gaps for ants that I could see lol). But everyone is different because we kind of went from you beaut to more of the basics, after having it all I found I didn't actually want or need a kitchen sink and an electric tap etc!

So you will find opinions are as different as the number of camper trailers out there and of course everyone will love the one they've got...until they buy the next you beaut thing! I'm sure you will figure out a design that works well for you. In any case the Adventure had a really good resale value, after a year we didn't lose much money on it at all!



As of now we're trailerless yet again, hoping to set ourselves up with just a Troopy, although I have my doubts on that!

[Pebble]

If you look at the two trailer designs though, one with the tent part out the side, the other with the tent part out the rear. Really to me it seems they both would have a similar footprint once you take the awning into consideration.....with the All Terrain the awning is out the back, with the Adventure the tent part is where the All Terrains awning would normally be. Just pointing that out because perhaps side folding / back folding isn't such a big difference? I think setting up in caravan parks can be a pain regardless of what you've got.  I guess it depends which way you like to face and weather the trailer is easy enough to turn around by hand.

[monahanajj]

Great post Peeble!

You've got me thing now...

[Paul and Bern]

  Hi Toolara and welcome.  We have a 12 foot with extra annex etc and I agree van parks are a battle.  This pic is at Mission Beach and you can see the conc slab poking out from under the annex.


That is the whole setup up, we had to pre-book a large site, but it was a family do and we had 3 sites in a row.
We have been on smaller sites but you can only use what you can get up, and it's a pain with small sites and concrete as I don't want the main area on the slab in case it rubs the floor, (we do have shade cloth under it though).

Basically what I'm getting at is what Jules said, be prepared to haul the trailer round by hand a bit to fit, ask for the larger sites (no cheek no xmas pressies), or pick sites, (like we did at the bottom pics), where you can gain a few inches on a corner, or maybe look at a trailer that can be used with or without the extra rooms occasionally.

Plenty of good reasonable trailer mobs is Brissy, Trackabout, Customline etc who can add rooms either out the back or drawbar sides, or is it a Shak that sleeps them like 4 separate rooms.  The other options for the growing independants is maybe a good tent for them which could sit under or partly under the annex. 

I have to agree a 12 footer is a dilemma in finding floor area though.  The bottom pics are at the Cairns Coconut van park.

On the electrical side, new, some have a standard, but most will provide, if possible, what you ask $ for.

Not trying to tell you what to do, but sometimes I get an idea and forget to look at alternatives so hope it helps, and space vs accessories like kitchens and storage etc is another thing..  sometimes you've just got to try them.
  Paul