Why did you sell the Camprite?

[Burnsy]

We really like the look of the camprites for our family (2 kids) and it is currently on our wish list for in a couple of years.  I see a fair few people have been selling them to change over to a different layout camper.

Does anyone wish to share their reasons for changing over, what they found founding limiting about the camprites and what they liked (with a family and touring in mind)?

[Captain]

Hi Burnsy,

I still reckon the Camprite is arguably the best camper trailer on the market for families. But having said that, its not without its compromises. Now the biggest isssue for us after 4 years has been packing it for a trip. Some of these issues are due to how we stored it, but others are relevant to all. We kept the Camprite outside, under a tarp, down the side of the house. To access it, I had to move it to the driveway and remove the tarp. While this only takes ~10 minutes, it does stop you from simply checking anything inside quickly. The following compromises are common to anyone;

- have to set up to access internal storage, or crawl under bed area.
- need to use poles to setup awning, no ability to have a pole-less awning (does have a beach umbrella holder, but that is too small when it rains)
- struggled to close Camprite with all bedding setup (if only there was 2" more height in the roof section!)

I found the following things the really great points of the Camprite over other campers when I was buying:

- bedding stays set up for 4, can sleep 6 inside with bunks,
- carries 2 kayaks and 4 bikes with no need to unload when setting up for an overnighter,
- genuine no compromise offroad, will go anywhere you can drag it
- full metal outer cover, no covers to rip by branches, fully dustproof

I occasionaly regret selling my Camprite, but the reality is I can get my Quantum to the places I took the Camprite. Granted the Camprite will ultimately go further, but the reality is I haven't done a trip that you could take a camper and the Quantum couldn't make it - the Quantum is also a genuine offroader and it already has plenty of scratches to prove it.

Another reason we sold the Camprite is that after 4 years of ownership, we wanted something that was quicker to setup and had a few more luxuries. While the Camprite is very, very quick by camper trailer standards, it simply cannot compare to the Quantum - only the roof latches to undo and your done. Plus the added luxuries of the Quantum (shower, toilet, heater, a/c, great kitchen etc...) in a package only just over 1m longer than the Camprite (with bikes on) and we were sold.

I store the Quantum inside my garage (have a triple) and you can walk inside it whenever you want. To pack it up, I get the fridge running prior and the food goes straight into it and the pantry. All the clothes get packed into drawers, all this without stooping over or having to drag a camper outside. May seem trivial, but it means I do not hesitate to take it away even for a single night, have done that on many occasions now where I know I wouldn't have bothered with the Camprite due to the hassle to pack (soft aren't I  ).

I have only had the use of the Quantum for 11 months and I have already racked up 51 nights away, a testament to how easy it is to pack up for a trip. When I bought the Quantum, I only had 4 "must-have" criterea, amongst the standard stuff like offroad ability etc... , but I should have added being abe to access storage without "opening" as a "must-have", not just a "like".

- outside kitchen (had a Windsor Rapid before and know we do NOT want inside kitchen)
- rollout awning (after Windosr and Camprite, the rollout was a must)
- shower/toilet, must be accessable without popping the roof (so good for roadside stops for my wife and daughter)
- sleeps 4 inside (hopefully my kids will migrate to a tent soon!!!)

Point being, the Camprite actually ticked most of my boxes and the only downside was the lack of toilet and the rolllout awning, plus the packing issues. We try and do a LOT of camping so any camper trailer will never be in the same league as a caravan for ease of packup, but we didn't want a caravan again. So the cross-over camper was the perfect choice for us, I am lucky enough that it was within our budget.

If I couldn't have had my Quantum, I would have stuck with the Camprite rather than have another Windsor Rapid or Jayco style camper. Have "been there, done that" and the compromises of them are such that, IMHO, the Camprite is a better choice.

Cheers

Captain
 

[cm4x4nut]

For us the main reason for letting go of the Camprite was due to tearing the medial ligament in my left knee.

There was one stage in packing up the canvas, where you stand at the end of the trailer and lean over the main bed and pull the bed canvas back over the top of the bed that would twist my knee just enough to cause the stabbing pain. This was not really an issue if we were going somewhere for a week, but for touring and the repated set-ups, after a couple of nights, I could hardly walk. I tried various ways to do it differently, however none were very successful.

It got to the point that we only used the camper once in twelve months and we had to make the decision that if we wanted to continue camping, the camper had to change. After spending time with Teabag and Gronk in the past and seeing how happy they were with their kimberlys, we went to the showroom just prior to christmas to have a play with setting it up and down. This could be done pain free and so sold us straight away......the rest is fast becoming history.

As with Captain, for a young familly, I think it is the best compromise on campers available.......there are however compromises.

Cheers, Craig

[Bird]

For us the main reason for letting go of the Camprite was due to tearing the medial ligament in my left knee.

No surgery can fix this??

[cm4x4nut]

No surgery can fix this??

Not bad enough for surgery at this stage, apart from the odd twist, I have no other problems with it anymore

[Bird]

Not bad enough for surgery at this stage, apart from the odd twist, I have no other problems with it anymore

Bugger, seems such an expensive thing to have to sell trailers etc for bad knees, I know all about them...

[Burnsy]

Thanks for the replies guys, some excellent points to consider.  I too do not want a carvan and know exactly what you are talking about with setup for packup Captain.  Even winding the Jayco up and down is a pain and I am building a carport high enough for it to remain up when at home to help with this so that packup, and monor maintenance do not get put off.  At the moment the jayco suits us with a 5 month old howver storage and accesability is an absolute pain.  We have overcome it at the moment by setting up a large dome tent alongside the rear bedend at the end of the awning that everything has been put in whilst camped and this has made for an excellent storage and change room.  I am currently chasing an RV3 or similar tent to use for this which can also be used for tenting when required.  These are cheaper and quicker thn an awning and do not remove the shaded awning space we enjoy.  I think if I was to take a saw to the jayco and cut 400mm out of the guts of it and rotate one bed end to be lengthwise
(other could stay short for the girls) it would be a better option.

It is good to hear the posatives about the camprite as looking around certainly makes me think it is the ideal compromise for us - I think the oztent would still be a feature of llonger stays with three girls as pack lightly and Erin are mutually exclusive and the 3 year old cetainly follows mums lead when it comes to clothing and accessories.  Not that I am complaining as I consider myself lucky to have a wife who is happy to get away as often as we can.

[WilSurf]

and had a few more luxuries.

A few more he said. 

[GeoffA]

Hi Burnsy,

I know it's not really what you asked, but............

If you're looking for something to take a family, maybe also take a look at a TrakShak. They're probably about the same size as a Camprite when packed, but much more living space when set up, and just as capable off road. Not a lot of poles or internal framing etc to put up.

We had one when our kids were younger, and it was great for us.
2 x QS beds off the ground, hard cover when packed, with room inside for all bedding.
Ours had 3m x 3m internal floor space (on the ground), which gave plenty of shelter when the weather turned.
Internal or external cooking..........leave it on the tail gate, or you move it where you want it.
Plenty of storage in the trailer, with easy access from front or rear.
Only 3 pegs for an over-nighter, and access to your food/cooker on the road.

Sold ours for a combination of reasons.
The kids got older, and my mum was getting very frail and needed care, so we weren't able to use it.

Just a suggestion.........

 
Geoff

[JCOJ]

We too had a Trak Shak and thought it was great.  Two fridges and heaps of storage space to carry extra things like the portacot.  There are five tubs that come with them - one each plus the big one for food so it was all very organised!  The extra room underneath was just more storage space for when we were set up at camp.

We sold our to upgrade to a hard floor.

[V8TL8]

All good points above.

I guess all campers/caravans are a compromise, you just need to decide what you can live without.

We bought ours from Captain, in just under 20 months have done around 35 nights in it. Would have done more but for family problems …

Each time you set it up, it gets easier, after a while you think: when did we do that, it's up already!
Last month at Hoffman's Mill the wife had the luxury of a solo setup!
We leave ours in the large brick shed out back the house.
At the end of each trip, we set it up, quick clean, than pack up and ready to go for the next trip.
Only need to load the fridge (in the car), clothes and the food. The rest is all in the camper, ready to go. We can access the camper from the tail gate to get to our stuff if we need to. In addition the thing I like about the TL8 as opposed to the TL8s models is you can put stuff in the side storeage lockers from outside, and then get at them from inside later.

We did have a mattress egg shell cover which made it harder to fold up the camper but lately don't use that anymore and only use sleeping bags on the mattress. Pillows and sleeping bags go on the floor. Never closed so easily before. Could easily pack more stuff there if we need to. However it is just us 2 adults.

We only use the annex or awning for more than 2 or 3 nights, just use the awning on the Patrol.

Having said that, the flies at Hoffman's mill last month were terrible and we are tossing up to go with a small Oz-tent or a gazebo type affair that we have seen others use for cooking.

We manage to store everything we need in the camper, either in the nose cone box or under the bed.  We don't use the roofracks on the camper or the bicycle rack, so plenty more could be packed.

Things we don't like:
Can't really lock things up if we leave the camper to travel during the day (they come with us in the Patrol)
Canvas can be heavier to set up / take down when it is wet.
The wife hates cooking outdoors when there are flies…(and I don't want a caravan.....!)

We tend to do shorter stays, our longest was 2 weeks to Karijini and back, so each time we take less and less with. We take the portapotti each time but haven’t used it in months, DEC long drops, CPs or the bush are fine by us.

You could consider hiring one for a weekend?

Chris

[cm4x4nut]

Things we don't like:
Can't really lock things up if we leave the camper to travel during the day (they come with us in the Patrol)

Chris

Hey Chris, One thing I did with ours is to put some rivnuts into the ends of the steps and loctite some eyebolts onto the rivnuts. We then used a couple of long shanked padlocks that would thread through the zipper eyelets and the eyebolts. Whilst it would not stop someone from getting in if they really wanted to, in order to get in they would have to damage something. Our hope was this would mean the opportunist theives would move onto an easier target. We never had anything go missing after doing this.

Craig

[Captain]

...In addition the thing I like about the TL8 as opposed to the TL8s models is you can put stuff in the side storeage lockers from outside, and then get at them from inside later....

Hi Chris,

Not many TL8's have that mod, I had Mat install the internal access hatch and in typical Camprite style, they did such a good job you would have thought it was there from the beginning 

Glad to see you are still enjoying the Camprite, as much as I love my Quantum, I still miss the Camprite - but great to see its getting a good workout.

Cheers

Captain

[shanegtr]

I tend to agree with alot of comments that have already been mentioned. Packing can be a pain unless you open it right up. The storage space inside can get a little limited for long trips, but theres heaps of room for the bulky things like porta potties, cot for the bub, clothes washing tub etc... on the floor. I want to imporve the kitchen setup on mine by installing some proper draws instead of the plastic kmart ones that are in there now. Closing the lids can get a little tight with all the bedding made up, but its not too bad if the pillows go under the bed with setup. I've also found the seal that goes between the two lids can be damaged easily so you need to be aware of it when latching the lids down. For us I belive its the best camper for kids out there - we did consider the trackshak but decided that our kids wont want to sleep in a queen bed together for ever so the two seperate beds of the camprite was a better option and something that we would likely hang onto for longer.

[V8TL8]

Hi Mark

Well that had me fooled and I thought it was standard, so it is even more custom than I thought!
Great feature though. All the small bits I know I will later need to access from inside the camper, we put ‘em in there until later: rags, books, soap, mosquito coils, thongs, whatever. The Quantum looks and sounds like a fair impressive setup. We saw one in Tom Price with QLD plates behind a 200 series, it seems quite a bit longer than you would think, but very impressive looking.

@ Craig,

that sounds like a worthwhile mod, would you mind posting up some pikkies of this, that would be kinda useful. Don’t have a rivnut tool (yet!) but may have some other uses for it later. Anything that makes it harder for those who don't want to work for it, would be a good idea I reckon.

Chris

[cm4x4nut]

@ Craig,

that sounds like a worthwhile mod, would you mind posting up some pikkies of this, that would be kinda useful. Don’t have a rivnut tool (yet!) but may have some other uses for it later. Anything that makes it harder for those who don't want to work for it, would be a good idea I reckon.

Chris

Chris,

Just went through all my photos and this is one thing that I do not any photos of. If you put the steps down you will see the 40x40mm end cap of the RHS that is used for the step frames lines up exactly with the position of the zips for the door when put up. I put the eyelets for the locks there.

Sorry I have no piccys.....and with no camper anymore, I can't get any

[V8TL8]

Craig, no worries. I will sort something out, it's a good idea.

Chris