Adventure Offroad Campers

[GraemeL]

Anyone here using one of these?

What do you like and dislike, what mods have you done to make it a bit better?

We recently purchased the Grand Tourer and take delivery in May.



We had a few things added.

Webasto hot water system - hot water to kitchen tap and shower unit.
Fusion MS - RA200 Stereo unit to kitchen - Radio, Ipod dock, USB.
Led Lights - To main tent.
2 Burner Stove - Instead of the 4 burner.
2 draws added to kitchen.
Upgraded Roof Rack - Storage for folding solar panel underneath and Maxtrax mounts underneath.
Storage Boxes - Suspended inside main storage area.
Extra Room.
External Shower.
Storm Flaps - 3 external flaps sewn into the canvas over the windows.
LED Work Lights - One on the front passenger side and one on the rear drivers side.
LED Work Light - Over the cooking area.
Canvas Roof Rack Bag - Water/Dust proof, will store awning walls, extra room and roof blanket.
Canvas Lid - Over rubbish bin, to keep those pesky little critters out at night.
Spare set of wheel bearings.
Solar Roof Blanket.

Now they want to rebadge it as the Grand Tourer Elite Series.

[wiseone]

You'll love the Adventure, as we do!

[Jaysea]

Wow - that is one amazing list of extras on an already fully kitted out trailer.

We have had the cape York for about a year now (second hand) and still love it.  Have a look at my link below for some of the mods I have done. This is a quick summary of my thoughts

+ve
- great with three kids as it is large enough for all of us but still quick to set up? I have even mastered setting it up myself.
- still the best kitchen set up of any CT in my opinion
- storage in and on top is fantastic
- everything else about it

-ve
- the loops and cable you pull to collapse the internal frame can be hard
- our annex roof that rolls out over the kitchen has stretched creating a low point that collect water when it rains.  Means I have to push the water off.
- watch for rust on the roof near the weld points (see my photos for the repair I did)
- not much more

The best fun I have had is slowly improving it. Based on your list I am not sure if you are going to have anything more to play with but I am sure you will think of something.

 Interested what you mean by "suspended shelf"?

Make sure you post some photos when it arrives

[GraemeL]

Thanks for posting.

@wiseone
What model do you have and have you added anything, what are your likes and dislikes?

@Jaysea
The suspended storage are boxes that are suspended from the roof inside the main storage area on the drivers side.
If I can find a pic I will post it.

I am thinking about making a sliding shelf that will fit under the roof rack, in the space between the lids. I like some of the ideas in your build thread, cutting the lid where the battery is and adding dividers to that space, is an easy mod for the technically challenged (Me)

How have others found the tent in the heat and also has anyone been out in colder weather? We have the solar blanket for the main tent and by all reports, this is supposed to really make a difference in the heat.

[welchygq]

Hey,

We also have a GT adventure that we are currently traveling around australia in.  We have a list of mods as long as your arm, everyone has different needs/wants.

The gap between the two lids (under the roof rack) we use to hold 2 poly tubes that hold our fishign rods and spears.
We have modded the wind guard to be stored with the stove instead of in a seperate bag(which you then have to find a spot for), have also done this for the stove support legs.

We didnt like the way the stereo was installed (thought i could do it neater! ) so i did. flush mounted without the dicky "jump out" bit.
Also installed the speakers with more clearance - they arent in the way as much.

Another cheap easy mod is to cut the "floor" section in the storage side.  this allows you to only lift half of the lid at a time, sounds like not a big deal but you will be supprised how much more functional it is.

We also installed a 12v tv booster and antenna setup (i know , i know "thats not camping! , but its different when it is your perminate home)

We also built a custom set of shelves for the storage side to hold our table etc,  we made these out of aluminium tube to save weight.

We aslo found that the rear stabiliser legs left a little to be desired, we could not get them to hold their position no matter how tight they were, so i modified a set of alko legs to do the job.

We have also installed a second 120aH battery and changed the plug int he fridge box to an engel vibration proof plug.

There willbe heaps more but that might give you an idea!

Welchy

[GraemeL]

Thanks welchy,
I like the idea about the lid on the storage side, that was one of the first things I thought of, I don't know why they make it one long section.
The bit between the lids is a bit of wasted space also, I am thinking of having a min cage made up, it would be suspended under the main roof rack and be on rollers. This would give a little more room for smaller lighter stuff.
Another battery is also on the cards, I do have a 105 in the ute but another in the trailer wouldn't hurt.

We haven't done much as far as getting a table, not sure what will fit. I do have a square outdoor green plastic table, the legs just pop into the corners. I was going to cut the table in half and put hinges on it, so it can be folded in half and stored a little easier.

I am interested in the your antenna, where did you mount it and have you any photo's? Bugger what others say about tv, it's handy to have.

How have you found living/sleeping in tent, hot weather, cold weather, rain etc?

Any other hints or tips you can share would be appreciated.

Thanks again

Graeme

[welchygq]

Hi Graeme,

If you have facebook, jump onto our touring page we have set up www.facebook.com/TouringBeforeMaturing and most of the mods are on there under "car & camper mods" album.

When you get you camper, we'd be interested in seeing what the storm covers look like if you wouldnt mind sending us a pic. We ummed and arr'd about it but figured we could add it later, but if you're saying they are sewn in, maybe not. we have though heaps about trying to do something ourselves as that is probably the 1 thing i do wish we had is being able to keep the windows open in the rain, or even for a little privacy with the air flow still coming through.

The TV areial, i dont have pic's yet but i will take one and post it for you and add it on our facebook album. Its a pretty basic setup. We just use the laptop as our tv using a usb tv tuner.

The weather, we bought a solar blanket before we left and it has proven itself already. Its still a tent so it will always flap in the wind. We had 60km wind gusts a few weeks ago for about 8 days straight and had to take the sail and walls down. We didnt sleep well, but nothing you can do about it. I would pack it up if it got any worse wind wise, just with the stress on the poles and the creaking etc. We almost did pack it up one night but it dropped just as we got up.

Season the tent well when you get it. The only fault with the tent design we find is where the canvas meets the tarp floor and we find no matter how well seasoned it is we do still get water on the floor seeping through the stitching. We bought a can of waterproofer and it has certainly helped. We also waterproofed all the other stitching at the same time. We've had ours for 4 years now so it needed to be done.

We do have a little 12v fan for the stuffy nights and while we have been camped up in the caravan park working we gave in and bought a 240v pedestal fan for $20. It again, is still a tent, so will get humid if its humid outside, but windows open and a small fan helps. I dont think it would matter what camper or tent you have, it will always be humid inside if its hot. We only sleep in it so it doesn't worry us too much, we tend to live outside anyways.

More than happy to help if you have more questions. 

[GraemeL]

Thanks for the reply, I will check out facebook page.
As far as the storm flaps go, that is the main thing I wanted, for the very reasons you outlined. I had them made 100mm wider than the window on each side the 300mm longer and they are sewn into the top of the window.

So the Solar Blanket works? It was included in our deal and I was wondering if it would work or not?

[db]

So the Solar Blanket works? It was included in our deal and I was wondering if it would work or not?

if the solar blanket is the silver air cell type they work pretty well in both hot and cold to moderate the temperature. we always put ours on when camping in desert areas, as it makes the cold frosty nights a bit easier, that and a piece of marine carpet on the floor.

[GraemeL]

Yeah its the silver thick one. I might steal welchy's idea and put it on the lid for storage.

Does it take much to season the tent? We have never had anything canvas before so it is all new to us.
I assume you have to attach all of the walls and spare room and then hose it down, is that correct and how often does it need to be done?

Has anyone added LED lighting? I want to add some LED's to the main tent and under the roll out awning. But I want them to be permanent, so I don't have to keep setting them up every time we stop.

[welchygq]

For the LED lighting in the tent we've had a few combinations before but ended up buying the new led strip light that clips onto the inside pole from adventure campers themselves. You just disconnect the plug and pop it back in the tent but leave the light attached to the pole when you collapse the tent. we've had no issues so long as you put it in the right spot on the middle pole.

We've only tested the solar blanket in Carnarvon, WA so far (hot humid nights and days) and we think it has worked. Haven't had it up in the cold yet but hopefully should go alright.

With the solar blanket storage, the only issue where it is, is we used industrial sticky back velcro to attach it and also got the soft loop velcro sewn onto the canvas bag as well. when the camper heats up the sticky glue has run and moved on the door, but its still holding for now. Not sure of how else to attach it but permanently without it looking terrible. But its holding for now, so until it falls off we'll just leave it there.

To season the tent, yeah just set it all up give it a really good drench with the hose (dont use any nozzels just the hose), let it dry completely and do it again a few times. Just keep checking for any leaks in the tent and focus on those areas. If you do it over the weekend, then pack it up dry and maybe pull it out again in a few weekends time again and do it again to make sure. Once it stops leaking you're all sweet. Just do the walls once or twice as they dont really matter so much. The water swells the stitching and closes up the hole from the needle when they sew it. If you still have some small leaks after a heap of tries, then look at a paint on water proofer. Only buy the recommended brand however and follow the instructions otherwise you will void your warrunty. You should be right for a few years yet anyways before needing to re-proof it.

[GraemeL]

Thanks for the info

As far as securing the solar blanket to the lid, grab some 3M Dual Lock of Ebay. It is excellent for things like that and it really sticks, it also holds very securely. Thats what I plan on using and I might get the wife to stitch it onto the canvas bag just to make sure it stays there.

What brake controllers are you guys using? I have never had the need for one in the past and know nothing about them or how to use them.
I was thinking of getting the Tekonsha Prodigy P3, but a sparky I was talking to reckons the are over rated and told me to get a Redarc.

[MarkWear]

This is a pretty old thread, but I thought I would talk about the list of mods we have done to our 2013 GT before we launch into our lap in a few weeks.

-I've added a 2nd Engel fridge into the storage area.  I bought on of the 30L drawer setups.  It seems to work well, and combined with the big fridge on the draw bar we have it covered.  This forced me to upgrade to a 170AH AGM battery.  I got a slim line one from kickass batteries.  Also added an external Anderson plug to receive more solar from a 200w blanket.

-We had a tow bar engineered fro the back under the spare wheel.  This enables us to take a bike rack with 4 bikes on it.  Great modification!

- I removed the standard took box on the draw bar and fitted the boat motor rack as Ive a 3.5 tinny and 15hp Honda outboard.  Speaking of fishing, I robbed the tube idea under the roof rack for fishing rods.

If anyone wants to see pics of our set up, go to facebook and search for "wear on the frog n toad"  I'll add you.