Family camper advice

[Patchkid]

Hi all,

Loving browsing through this forum! What a great resource.

My hubby and I have started researching off road camper trailers and I am seeking advice and experience of the best family friendly off road camper. In the more immediate future we are looking to use it for weekends and short holidays, though we hope to be able to use it for a bigger trip at some point. We have two young children...and that number may increase . I am looking for your recommendations for an off-road camper that will
- be a quick and easy set up
- house 2 adults and at least two children
- have a good level of storage
- be able to be stored outside (no option for indoor storage)
- a good kitchen

Reading through other posts, I realise our budget is very low at 5-10k....but I am hopeful we can get something!

Also, what is your advice about the more expensive ranges as second hand models? I've had a quick look at various parts of this forum and it appears some second hand models need lots up of upgrading...which I fear will not be in our budget after the initial expense.

I have seen similar posts that are dated back a ways...it is interesting how quickly things change...quite a few of the links to off-road brands on similar posts from a few years ago appear to no longer operating...so thought I'd ask for a fresh perspective.

Thanks so much in advance for offering your wisdom and experience


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[Mitch_n]

I was in the same situation a year ago. 2 adults and 2 kids 9 and 13. We ended up buying a seconhand hard floor rear fold offroad camper. It suits us fine. Just got home from a week away in it. Got a set of bunk stretchers for the kids to sleep on the hard floor.  Takes about 5 mins to setup main tent and an extra 20 mins to put annex up.

 It has a pull out kitchen with gas stove and sink with a 12v pump. It has a custom made box on the front with houses the engel fridge in a slide and storage on the other side. Also has storage under the bed.

You will easily get a seconhand one with some mods done like dual batteries,  solar setup and led lighting etc in your budget.

[cruiser 91]

Another thing to consider is camper set up and pack down times.
If camped in one spot for a period of time, longer set ups and pack downs aren't so bad. However, if you're on the move on a daily basis, long times as well as poor dust proofing can ruin a great holiday.

All the best.

 

[Patchkid]

Thanks for you input guys. Mitch, what brand/model did you end up settling on. The kids are 1 and nearly 4 at the moment so space is not a massive issue just yet...but I imagine it will become more of one!


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[barndillo]

I just bought our first camper trailer as the family is getting bigger this year (4 kids come June) and camping will be impossible with the back row of seats down in the Patrol. Even with the monster roof rack.
It was secondhand $1600 
It has a stainless benchtop kitchen and the tent.  Everything else is plain.
The trailer is galvanized and still looks in good nick for a 2001 model.
The tent has some minor damage to the main door fly screen, but I think canvas repairs shouldn't be too expensive.

Keep your eye's peeled bargain's do occur. Especially when their wife is selling it and not sure what they're worth.

[NewieCamper]

We got a soft floor camper with a 12ft tent a couple of years ago, need the extra size for our 3 kids. I looked at hard floors, but was recommended against due to the limited space for 5. I was after relatively easy setup as my wife needed to look after our few month old initially, now he is more independent I've got the setup pretty sorted anyway.

If you do go for a soft floor make sure it is one that is easy to set up and drop. Ours is an austrack and was modified by the previous owners to make it really easy to put up, there is a thread here somewhere on it. Our friends have an ebay special that takes them an absolute age to set up. In comparison, I can put ours up or down solo in around 30min, including annex. Last time I had ours packed up solo quicker than three adults did theirs. The first time I put ours up when camping with them two blokes came over to help expecting the same setup but didn't do much and were surprised (and jealous) how ours went up.

I do need to sort out our storage and kitchen a bit to make that quicker and easier if we are going to do a long travelling trip, but don't have one planned yet and dragging a few tubs out of the trailer first isn't a massive problem when setting up for a few days. 

[Mitch_n]

Patchkid

I got an ezytrail rear fold hard floor. It was 4 years old when I brought it. In excellant condition. Had been rustproofed since new. And came with a heap of extras.

[evolution]

Not sure where you are, But I saw a second hand lifestyle extenda (walkup) softfloor camper on caravancampingsales for under 10k. looked to be in fantastic condition too.
In your budget I would seriously look at something like that, you will get a fantastic camper to the upper end of your budget. 

Cheers
Nick

[TheWall]

Not sure where you are, But I saw a second hand lifestyle extenda (walkup) softfloor camper on caravancampingsales for under 10k. looked to be in fantastic condition too.
In your budget I would seriously look at something like that, you will get a fantastic camper to the upper end of your budget. 

Cheers
Nick

2nd this one. We bought a 3yo Lifestyle Extenda a couple of years back for $10k with dual water tanks (170l), dual battery and they are just rock solid even after heaps of trips inc beach camping...


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