CAMPER TRAILERS
“ CAMPER TRAILERS ARE, TYPICALLY, MUCH MORE MANOEUVRABLE THAN CARAVANS”
INSET: Hardfloor campers are fast to set up for an overnight stop and if you include the awning, you ' re rewarded with tonnes of room.
CAMPER TRAILERS
Camper trailers can be as kitted-out and innovative, or as cheap and cheerful, as you like. If you’ ve got $ 50,000 or more, there are high-end hardfloor trailers with hard-core offroadability, extensive 12V power, plenty of refrigeration and water storage capacity, just begging to hit the bush.
Typically light( anywhere between 1000kg and 1500kg Tare, if not less), a camper trailer is a good option if you like to keep the weight behind your vehicle down and thereby reduce your fuel bill. The lower towing profile of a camper trailer, as compared to a caravan, is said to reduce drag and therefore improve fuel efficiency, too. The inherently lighter weight of camper trailers also makes it more likely you won’ t need to upgrade your tow vehicle.
A new budget camper trailer will inevitably require a fair amount of manual setting up, at least 15 to 30 minutes’ worth. Think canvas awnings, telescopic tensioning poles, etc. A basic hardfloor camper can be bought for $ 17,000 to $ 25,000, while entry-level softfloor campers are available for less than $ 10,000. A softfloor trailer, however, will require even more fiddling and setting up than a hardfloor trailer, but it might be the way to go if you want to‘ test’ your commitment to the lifestyle before writing a larger cheque.
ABOVE: Cooking outdoors is central to camper-trailer life.
TOP: Hybrids offer a nice compromise between caravan comforts and camper trailer offroadability.
Camper trailers are, typically, much more manoeuvrable than caravans, and a good offroad trailer should follow your 4WD almost anywhere, even on the tight bush tracks that’ d trip up an offroad caravan. However, most camper trailers aren’ t known for offering the comforts of home. You’ ll be cooking in the great outdoors, sleeping next to canvas walls, doing midnight toilet runs( unless you’ ve stashed a portable toilet somewhere) and generally living much closer to nature.
The exception, of course, is hybrid campers; that is, rigs that are a kind of cross between a camper trailer and a caravan. These have hard walls( with very little canvas to speak of), a‘ proper’ bedroom, and sometimes small internal kitchens as well as external kitchens. You might even find a little bathroom somewhere. The point of difference, however, is their offroad touring abilities. A good hybrid will be able to tackle all the offroad tracks that an offroad hard or softfloor trailer can.
If you don’ t mind some campsite fettling, want to be closer to the great outdoors, and need to keep the towed weight as light as possible, why not consider a camper trailer? They offer a very different camping experience to motorhomes and caravans, but for a lot of people, that’ s the point – and there’ s nothing wrong with that.
CAMPER TRAILERS LOWDOWN
PROS Lightweight and easy to tow Easier to manage in offroad conditions( but make no assumptions here – not all camper trailers are purpose-built for offroad touring) They offer a more‘ authentic’ camping experience CONS Will probably require you to carry more gear, such as a portable table and chairs Significantly more setting up is required than a caravan or motorhome( depending on the trailer)
ADVENTURES
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