Time to Roam Magazine Issue 3 - June/July 2013 | Page 34

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tried + tested camper review

light trailers for those with smaller cars
and heavier trailers for those who want to
go off road. We try to cover the gamut of
experiences that people will cover with
a camper.”
They also offer a 9 foot tent with all
aluminium poles which has been very
popular with the “grey nomads” and those
just wanting a fast easy setup. It is available
on any of the Blue Tongue range. The guys
obviously hit the right note in their quest for
value for money and sold over 300 campers
in their first year in business. Production
has remained at the healthy level of 300-400
units per year since.
Most sales go to NSW but they have been
finding a ready market in Queensland and
Victoria and in the next 12 months plan to
start attending shows in Queensland to
support their new dealer outlet there.
The one non-Australian aspect to the
Blue Tongue campers is the tent, which
is imported. Using this as their basis the
guys began researching campers and have
continued to modify their products in line
with customer feedback and their own
experiences with them.
The Blue Tongue range features seven
different campers, from $3500 to $10,500
in price. The tent essentially remains the
same and it’s the nature of the trailer
underneath which determines the price. If
you want no more than to stay in caravan
parks on major highways then the bottom of
the price range is likely to suit, essentially

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www.timetoroam.com.au

as a tent transporter, but for those who want
more gadgets or want to go offroad and so
require tougher suspensions and a heavier
chassis, then the range can encompass that
as well.
“It’s an ever evolving product line,” says
Andrew, “and we’ve just released our new
trailer to try to offer more space for our
customers.”
The latest addition to the range is the
Trekka, which, like all the trailers from Blue
Tongue, is a side-fold soft floor in which the
canvas tent pulls off the side of the trailer and
the vinyl floor sits on the ground next to it.
It is designed as either an off-road or
semi-off-road trailer with mechanical brakes,
smaller rims with highway duty tyres and
seven-leaf slipper springs on the semi-off
road units. The off-road versions come with
electric brakes, all terrain boots on larger
rims and eye-to-eye shackle spring sets.
Essentially the Trekka trailers offer a
range of features not available all together in
other Blue Tongue campers. This includes
increased storage, fridge slide, luggage
racks, bike racks and a drawer which
slides through the middle of the camper to
access internal storage capacity and can be
accessed outside. It’s much more heavy
duty construction all round, topped off with
enamel paint rather than hammertone for a
more durable finish.
There are three kitchen options with
a basic powdercoat finish, a 304 grade
stainless steel set-up and a top of the range

slide-out stainless steel unit with two-burner
cooktop and griller.
There are two choices in colour: a grey and
a blue with grey roof.
There is a choice of three tents, all free
standing and requiring pegs and ropes only
for windy conditions.
Option 1 has a 25 square metre tent with
side awning to accommodate four or more
people.
Option 2 covers a huge 40 square metre to
sleep eight or more
Option 3 covers 20 square metres with
aluminium poles for easier set-up for up to
four people.
All have external walls and flyscreens
available to enclose the awning, with some
ground level windows featuring lower half
clear poly windows to prevent splash from the
ground wetting the interior in heavy rain.
The trailer is assembled to order to suit the
customer and the waiting time is between a
day or two, or up to a month, depending on
demand and the level of fitout.
These are smart looking and well finished
campers, able to take you into the bush with
security. Features such as space for up to
four jerry cans in a lockable compartment,
rear mounted spare and silver polyurethane
coated 14 ounce canvas roof to reflect up
to 98 per cent of UV radiation and heat for
internal comfort make these well equipped to
take on the Outback.
As with all Blue Tongue campers they
offer full electrical fitout as an optional