CAMPER TRAILERS

One of the great benefits of club membership is the amount of advice and firsthand experience that is freely available as several of our members found out when they went looking at camper trailers.

Camper trailers come mostly with a hard floor that folds out to the back or a soft floor that folds out to the side and have a wide variety of add-on accessories. Both have their good and bad points and you can buy new or used. Prices range from under $1,000 used (although at that price they look more like a pie cart than a camper!) to well over $20,000 which is a lot of money for what is basically only a trailer with a tent on top!

In the end it gets back to individual wants and needs and how much you are prepared to spend.

But if you are looking for maximum storage space and room then the soft floor camper is hard to beat. Several of our members decided this was the way to go and started off looking at complete new camper trailers advertised in 4WD magazines and in the Trading Post. Not only did these vary greatly in price they varied greatly in quality with one looking like it was made from recycled beer cans with about as much off-road capability as a shopping trolley with wonky wheels, despite assurances that it was a "true blue off-road performer"

The next step was to look at getting an "off-road" trailer built by a specialist trailer manufacturer and then have a canvas maker build on the tent section. It was felt this would result in superior quality at a better price.

Wrong!

Most of the trailer manufacturer's ideas of an "off-road" trailer varied greatly as did their specifications for such things as springs, hitches and steel. For instance some said the trailer must be hot dipped galvanized to protect against rust whilst others said that process causes the metal to warp and weaken. So whilst your trailer may not rust it may simply fall apart!

Then it was found that whilst many of the canvas makers did very good work they lacked a good knowledge of how to put the tent together. Again there were conflicting opinions with some stating an eight ounce canvas was adequate whilst others insisted on twelve ounce canvas. There was also varying quality in the way the tent section was attached to the trailer.

Talk about confusing. Buying a simple camper trailer was proving a lot more involved than was first thought. Especially since our members had plenty of camping gear and were not looking for all the bells and whistles. They just wanted a camper trailer that would take all their camping gear, which was very strong but quick and easy to put up and take down

After several months of looking, and almost giving up, another member suggested we have a look at Trackabout Trailers built by Hank Rojek and it was here that we benefited from first hand experience and advice. Hank is not a club member (yet) but he has raced off-road and has participated in trips with several of our members over many years, including a trip to the Kimberleys last year.

Hank bought a new camper trailer - the off-road shopping trolley type - for his Kimberleys trip and unfortunately it literally fell apart with the spare wheel and other bits and pieces falling off along the way.

On getting home Hank decided he could build a better trailer and so using his off-road experience, he set about designing and building the Trackabout trailer, which is undoubtedly the best money-for-value camper available in Australia today and highly sought after by members of 4WD clubs.

The trailers are made from pre-galvanised steel, have extra long, strong draw bars, heavy duty axles and leaf springs with wheels to match your vehicle; a serious off-roader that won't fall apart! The tent is made of 15 ounce canvas, has several innovative features, six large fully screened windows for hot weather and comes in sizes to suit. You can buy a standard model or have one customised to your specifications by including a second spare wheel, water tank, pole holders, battery box, gas bottle holders, various numbers of jerry cans, a kitchen unit and a tool box.

Trackabout trailers offer a great off-road trailer at a price well under others on the market that lack the quality and the refinements. And because of Hank's association with the club he offers members a very generous club discount.

KAMPERS KITCHEN