Off Road Caravan vs Camper Trailer

[Chris.]

We are now looking at maybe either a second hand Jayco Penguin Outback or one of the forward folding camper trailers (no manufacturer locked in yet), budget is about 16-18k. The Penguin appeals as it seems to suit a couple & looks to be light & an easy/quick set up. No hardcore off road, just outback roads like the Birdsville, Oodnadatta Tracks etc. For those of you who have experienced both, what are the advantages/disadvantages of them?

[MDS69]

Not quite what your after but this is our experience.
We went from a soft floor off road CT to a OB Expanda.
Pro's
Great being off the ground
More comfort in inclement weather
Good to have everything within easy reach in cupboards and not fishing through tubs.
More water carrying capacity
Fixed solar

Con's
Heavier to tow
Carry more stuff
Restricts places we can go

The only thing I cook inside is toast under the grill or rice/pasta on the cooktop otherwise anything in a frypan is on a butane stove outside or on a fire.

The weight difference between a Penguin and a FF won't be as much as ours. Also both are off the ground probably a bit more storage, more water and room in the Penguin. You could set up solar on the roof for a set and forget system. Saves the hassle of setting up a solar panel as well as security of the panel.
A benefit of both your choices is being able to set up on your own footprint. This is a bonus when doing an overnighter in a roadside truck stop or the like on your way to or from your destination.

I am sure some others will be able to chime in with their experiences and opinions.

[Ragman]

what Tug do you have? many of the cheaper FF have a high tow ball weight.
We have never used a Jayco but they look like a great option.

[Chris.]

Not quite what your after but this is our experience.
We went from a soft floor off road CT to a OB Expanda.
Pro's
Great being off the ground
More comfort in inclement weather
Good to have everything within easy reach in cupboards and not fishing through tubs.
More water carrying capacity
Fixed solar

Con's
Heavier to tow
Carry more stuff
Restricts places we can go

The only thing I cook inside is toast under the grill or rice/pasta on the cooktop otherwise anything in a frypan is on a butane stove outside or on a fire.

The weight difference between a Penguin and a FF won't be as much as ours. Also both are off the ground probably a bit more storage, more water and room in the Penguin. You could set up solar on the roof for a set and forget system. Saves the hassle of setting up a solar panel as well as security of the panel.
A benefit of both your choices is being able to set up on your own footprint. This is a bonus when doing an overnighter in a roadside truck stop or the like on your way to or from your destination.

I am sure some others will be able to chime in with their experiences and opinions.

Awesome feedback mate, thank you. You have clarified a lot of what we want, especially to get off the ground. The solar is also another great option I didn't consider.

what Tug do you have? many of the cheaper FF have a high tow ball weight.
We have never used a Jayco but they look like a great option.

Sorry I should have said that originally, we have an NX Pajero.

[glenm64]

Solar on the roof as a set and forget system ..........
Ive got 400w on my van roof, but dont park in the sun during summer.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[Alan Loy]

Can I just make the point that hours apon hours of corrugated roads will stress your camper.  Even if they are not "hard core"  you need to consider these stresses. 

I would suggest you make sure that whatever you buy will not rattle itself to pieces.

[Chris.]

Can I just make the point that hours apon hours of corrugated roads will stress your camper.  Even if they are not "hard core"  you need to consider these stresses. 

I would suggest you make sure that whatever you buy will not rattle itself to pieces.

Thanks Alan, are you referring to both of my options or are you singling one out as potentially not up to the task?

[GBC]

Penguins seem to be a pretty popular choice for singles and couples doing fringe travelling. They need plenty of reworking and dust proofing to get them to work on tracks. You'll find forward folds are much more off-road biased and able to comfortably handle hours of corrugations, rocks, mud and dust. Having just returned from 4500kms of 'tracks' yesterday I'd be taking the one with the off-road suspension and the dust proofing. Not being wider than the tow vehicle helps a lot as well.

[xcvator]

We went from an outback campers "Tanami" rear fold soft floor full off road camper trailer to a "New Age" Little  Joey . The Tanami is an absolutely brilliant design and built well, it took about 15 minutes to setup on level ground for an overnighter and about 30 minutes to pack up, and you could take it anywhere.
The Little Joey is like night and day for us, I get out of the car and walk towards the back of the van (rear door) on the way past I turn on the gas, at the back of the van I drop the step down, drop down 2 stabilzer legs, open the back door and we're in, that's it 5 minutes.
Weight difference is about 600 kg's, fuel consumption @ 90k/h has increased by about 1 klm/L. Last year we took this van up the Oodnadatta Track, lots of other gravel roads including the Cape Leveque road. The only damage that was done was the fridge door fell off and was repaired under warranty .
The convenience of the van over the camper for us is over whelming, yes there are places we can't take the van, but hey, all of life is a compromise .
On our travels we saw a few "Penguins " and their set up/pack up seemed to be about the same as our camper was.

Not quite what your after but this is our experience.
We went from a soft floor off road CT to a OB Expanda.
Pro's
Great being off the ground
More comfort in inclement weather
Good to have everything within easy reach in cupboards and not fishing through tubs.
More water carrying capacity
Fixed solar

Con's
Heavier to tow
Carry more stuff
Restricts places we can go

The only thing I cook inside is toast under the grill or rice/pasta on the cooktop otherwise anything in a frypan is on a butane stove outside or on a fire.

The weight difference between a Penguin and a FF won't be as much as ours. Also both are off the ground probably a bit more storage, more water and room in the Penguin. You could set up solar on the roof for a set and forget system. Saves the hassle of setting up a solar panel as well as security of the panel.
A benefit of both your choices is being able to set up on your own footprint. This is a bonus when doing an overnighter in a roadside truck stop or the like on your way to or from your destination.

I am sure some others will be able to chime in with their experiences and opinions.

I'd agree with MDS, he's on the money 
cheers Keith

[Alan Loy]

Thanks Alan, are you referring to both of my options or are you singling one out as potentially not up to the task?

Just general in nature as the outback roads can rattle a van to bits if you're not carefull.  Clearly there have been some issues with some of the FF campers but many are fine.  Worth getting some specific feedback if you go that route.

[lloydus67]

Ive got 400w on my van roof, but dont park in the sun during summer.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

Umm why not?

Also I love my forward fold camper, it will go anywhere I want, probably further than the Amarok. I looked at vans but couldn't find any in my budget, that were strong enough and able to be taken to the places I wanted to travel.
Set up on my modcon for an overnight is about 5 minutes and 10 minutes for pack up.
If I want to stay longer and put up awnings and mesh floors etc it takes about 30 mins to set up and about 45 to pack up. Obviously longer if I put all the walls up, shower tent and toilet tent, but then I would be setting up for an extended stay
Lloyd

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[glenm64]

Umm why not?

Coz in summer the van parked in the sun all day is bloody hot.
Mad dogs and Englishmen.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[lloydus67]

Lol ok
I thought it must have been something to do with the panels


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk