Setting up the camper.

[xcvator]

What about gas struts or air rams with a small compressor ?

[Nay-DMAX]

What about gas struts or air rams with a small compressor ?

Not sure I dont know alot about that sort of thing. Is that what BrettB did with his was it for opening the initial tent part?

[SEADOO]

2015 Lifestyle Elite Walkthrough 10ft soft floor.

I'm 44 and 180cm.

It does require the wife and I to seto up the tent with the front awning attached and set up.

It'll take around 10mins for the tent, another for the front awning.

Then I like to send the wife and kids away and spend the rest setting up by myself.

[NewieCamper]

Our 12ft Austrack soft floor is pretty easy to set up. I'm 180cm and agile enough to do it alone, although a little help from the nearest bod is handy for keeping the awning poles near vertical while running out the ropes.

Pack up is similar. I have done it plenty of times while my wife keeps the kids busy elsewhere. Takes about an hour to fully pack up solo or 20 min with proper help, as opposed to someone trying to help but getting in the way. I do prefer to pack up solo though if time permits.

Having said all that, it will be up for sale soon. Caravan is so much more pleasant to pack up when wet.

[Nay-DMAX]

Our 12ft Austrack soft floor is pretty easy to set up. I'm 180cm and agile enough to do it alone, although a little help from the nearest bod is handy for keeping the awning poles near vertical while running out the ropes.

Pack up is similar. I have done it plenty of times while my wife keeps the kids busy elsewhere. Takes about an hour to fully pack up solo or 20 min with proper help, as opposed to someone trying to help but getting in the way. I do prefer to pack up solo though if time permits.

Having said all that, it will be up for sale soon. Caravan is so much more pleasant to pack up when wet.

Our tent is 9ft Austrack but not on austrack trailer but I just cannot get it open and closed off and on the trailer it is too heavy and too high for me. Once it is open I can peg it and do the poles and awning if I had to would just take awhile but I cannot get it to that stage anyway.

[xcvator]

Not sure I dont know alot about that sort of thing. Is that what BrettB did with his was it for opening the initial tent part?

Yes and he set up the Tanami for me the same way, made it easy and quick

[Sixtys Guy]

I used to setup our Cameron Canvas Concept Camper with awning on my own. I'm 190cm..... we now have a Southern Cross Canvas Camper. I can set the main tent up on my own easily, but no way can I set the awning up on my own. Usually my 8yo son helps, just need an extra set of hands.

[nab]

We have a 2005 Jayco Dove. I'm 6'6 and the missus is 5'2.

I can set it up solo no problems including awning but no way my missus can.  She can do most things except pulling out the bed ends and pulling the canvas down. It sits around her head height and she doesn't have the upper body strength/leverage to do it. Also we have an innerspring mattress that weighs a lot compared to the foam one so she also works hard to get the bed supports in. But other than that she could set it up herself.

If we had a standard on road model I reckon the missus would be able to do it (although slowly...).

Awning can be put up by one person (much easier with 2 though) but packing it away would be a right pain in the arse by yourself. The rest of the camper is easy to do solo. No walls at all. Awning issue could be sorted with the Fiamma style though.

[chester ver2.0]

ex goldstream owner i can do it in about 40 mins by myself including bed flys (have that if not using the flys)

I am 5,11 the only bit i struggle with is getting the poles under the bed ends as you have to support it with your shoulder and if you lean the wrong way you push the bed end partially back in

[LB]

We have a KK, I'm 5'4 and could set up by myself if I really had to but it would mean up and down the step stool a lot. It helps a lot that the Kwik Awning stays on and is not as heavy as normal canvas. I can easily attach the walls with the zippers if required on my own. Packing up is harder I'm am just not as strong or as tall as my better half. To be honest if I had to do it all by myself I would probably just throw a tent in the boot. We are looking at a hybrid down the track but that's more $$$$$$ then I have to get the one I want.

[JCOJ]

We have a caravan and I'm 188cm - not that height matters at all unless you want to pull the awning down (but we do have a pole thing to grab the pull out handle for my short wife - but she just jumps to grab it!).

By myself from turning the car off to being fully set up including the awning would be under 10mins, with the family helping about 6 minutes.  The longest thing for me is getting the van level with a spirit level with my OCD!!

[GUEY]

Jayco Swan Outback with all bag awnings.

Male 171cm. Is that short or compact? I do take a ladder

Set up on my own easy. Had plenty of practice as the wife is usually off talking to someone "more important"

Pack up I can handle pretty easy on my own bar the main awning. Easier with two to roll it up.

[AUSA]

Pioneer Mitchell
Me -175cms

Camper open and ready for cooking/sleeping - 3 minutes by myself
Quick awning up and pegged - 5 mins by myself
Full awning if staying longer than 3 days - 30 mins two people (so many poles haha)

[Raym]

Our tent is 9ft Austrack but not on austrack trailer but I just cannot get it open and closed off and on the trailer it is too heavy and too high for me. Once it is open I can peg it and do the poles and awning if I had to would just take awhile but I cannot get it to that stage anyway.

I no longer use the Camper, I am setting up the ute for solo touring. However mine is also a home built trailer with an Austrack 9ft. Always set up  & packed down by myself. Base is hinged & on struts and tilts to side tent folds off. To fold tent of just lift the base and unfolding is easy then pull base back down and finish setting up. Awning always stays attached. Used a small ladder to set up awning. Only used one end wall on occasion as a wind barrier. 

Ray

   

[Nay-DMAX]

I no longer use the Camper, I am setting up the ute for solo touring. However mine is also a home built trailer with an Austrack 9ft. Always set up  & packed down by myself. Base is hinged & on struts and tilts to side tent folds off. To fold tent of just lift the base and unfolding is easy then pull base back down and finish setting up. Awning always stays attached. Used a small ladder to set up awning. Only used one end wall on occasion as a wind barrier. 

Ray

 

Thanks Ray had not thought of that option as I also cannot close the lid part myself but without the tent sitting on it perhaps I could. Our trailer is off road so the height is also an issue for me. Our awning and storm cover stay on all the time and we often use both side walls if needed for shade. Always pretty much use the kitchen side wall.

When there is the two of us my partner gets the trailer level then we open the top take out what we need from in the trailer and close it. Take cover off remove what is stored under there and I help him unfold the tent, he then goes about pegging the floor and doing the internal pole set up. Whilst he does this I lay out the poles for the awning set our chairs up and the ozpig if time. Once the tent is up I set up the dog beds and we get the kitchen opened up. Together set up is quite good and we have a routine, he can set up on his own but as mentioned I cannot. Thanks for the tip

[Bird]

Thanks Ray had not thought of that option as I also cannot close the lid part myself but without the tent sitting on it perhaps I could. Our trailer is off road so the height is also an issue for me. Our awning and storm cover stay on all the time and we often use both side walls if needed for shade. Always pretty much use the kitchen side wall.

When there is the two of us my partner gets the trailer level then we open the top take out what we need from in the trailer and close it. Take cover off remove what is stored under there and I help him unfold the tent, he then goes about pegging the floor and doing the internal pole set up. Whilst he does this I lay out the poles for the awning set our chairs up and the ozpig if time. Once the tent is up I set up the dog beds and we get the kitchen opened up. Together set up is quite good and we have a routine, he can set up on his own but as mentioned I cannot. Thanks for the tip

Sell it and buy a semi offroad van. plenty of room in annexe for dogs or even floor..

[Nay-DMAX]

Sell it and buy a semi offroad van. plenty of room in annexe for dogs or even floor..

Dont have the money to swap over at the moment other things on the list. I dont want the dogs out in the awning and most of the van floors I have seen are not that big and they are not small dogs. We will keep our options in mind for the future. Normally it is no issue as we both set up but when he was feeling unwell would have been good if I could do more of it myself or all.

[petrolburner]

I have a DOT6 camper.

My kids are only 2 and 4 so I usually set it up by myself while my wife occupies the kids.
It can take longer to ensure we have a good spot picked out and the trailer levelled and uncoupled as it takes to pop the tent.

Once the trailer is level and chocked it takes me about 2 minutes to remove the RTT cover and unload the roof, then it takes approximately 5 minutes to have the RTT popped up and fully setup.
The awning does not need to be setup unless you need it, but on my own it would take between 5 and 10 minutes depending if I want to put up the walls or not.

All up after unhitching on my own I can have tent, awning and kitchen setup within 30minutes, pack up is a similar timeframe, it takes longer to pack away clothes and dishes than it does to pack away the camper.

[Rumpig]

KK hard floor...I'm 178cm tall and takes 5 minutes to set the camper up on my own without the awning. The Kwok awning takes me maybe 15 minutes to put up on my own, though I do use a small 2 step ladder to help zip it on in the high spot at the centre, and also use it to chuck the 2 centre poles in...both jobs can be done without the ladder, but it's heaps easier and quicker to use the ladder. I don't put any walls on the awning. Come pack up time....I can pack it up on my own, but it's easier and quicker if the misses is on the opposite side of the camper to shove the canvas in as I fold it closed.

[LB]

KK hard floor...I'm 178cm tall and takes 5 minutes to set the camper up on my own without the awning. The Kwok awning takes me maybe 15 minutes to put up on my own, though I do use a small 2 step ladder to help zip it on in the high spot at the centre, and also use it to chuck the 2 centre poles in...both jobs can be done without the ladder, but it's heaps easier and quicker to use the ladder. I don't put any walls on the awning. Come pack up time....I can pack it up on my own, but it's easier and quicker if the misses is on the opposite side of the camper to shove the canvas in as I fold it closed.

This would be exactly the same if my better half was doing it though our kwik awning stays on so maybe a little less time there.

[Brisbane Puff]

Have a purpose built camper. I'm 5'9" and wife is 5' 4".. Trick is to check the sideways level as we are pulling up if possible, then it's a case of front to rear leveling and winding the stabalisers down on each corner, around 10 minutes. We then pull out the four awnings before raising the top. This takes about 10 minutes all up. Then it's a case of pushing a button and the top is up in a minute. It's then just a case of clipping the bottom of the canvas down. All done in less or around  20 minutes. If we clip on the awning walls, add another 5-10 minutes.

If I do it myself then add another 10-15 minutes to juggle with pinning the outer awning frame down so I can extend the support arms.

So all up with two = 20 minutes from start.

[loanrangie]

Our's is a  dingo with 12ft tent and i can set it up myself in about 10mins but easier with an extra hand although with a bit of rope added i could do it a bit easier on my own.
  That's with awning not attached but that takes another 5-10mins to add with all the poles.