Off road campers - suitability for purpose

No but we did buy a Cub Supavan Stockman in Feb & have loved it. We're in our mid 50's, I have chronic knee & foot issues & thought it would be difficult getting on & off the bed, especially as we replaced the mattress with something far more thicker, comfortable & very soft. At first it was a bit daunting getting on & off but since then have worked around my issues without any problems.

The criteria when we bought the CT was that I had to be able to live in it for up to 2yrs while we travelled & worked. The Cub SS has fulfilled this in every way. Sleeping under the tent is not an issue, & setting up can be achieved in 5 mins (excl annex). When we had the very hot summer nights here last month we slept in it & the ventilation was excellent & we were very comfortable.

I would recommend that whatever you get make sure it's truly off road capable if that's what you're after & is quick & easy to set up. If it's just the 2 of you I'd forget a soft top/floor CT, keep it simple & look for a hard floor etc.

I'm not quite sure how successful the Avan's are as there always seem to be plenty offered 2nd hand. I would say you would have a helluva lot more room with the Cub than the Avan, which are very confined inside. Kimberley & Conquerer CT's are also very good & worth a look. If you're doing a lot of travelling get the best you can afford, you don't want to be cursing something you don't like or wishing you had something you did.

G'day Pelikan

Sorry, don't know anything about the Bushranger Joey so can't comment.

We had a 2006 Avan Cruiseliner before our current off-road rig. We loved it but found it wasn't up to what we wanted to do, which was just what you want to do.

If I could pidgeon-hole it, I would say it's a fine east coast National Parks camper, and in that respect we did some great trips.

But it's low-slung and long and as a result has poor entry and exit angles. We took it from Sydney to Carnarvon Gorge via blacktop all the way except for maybe 100km of good unsealed road. It wasn't the unsealed road that was the problem, but central QLD's bouncy sealed minor roads. The microwave met us at the door one day, all the joinery needed tightening after the trip and the three long hinges for the fold-up sides had 6 inch long cracks in them at each end. We don't drive hard, but it's just not built tough enough for what you and we want to do.

After that one trip we realised it couldn't do what we planned to do, fixed it and sold it to offset the cost of our current off-road rig, a Kimberley Karavan.

It's great - compact for towing, roomy when set up, comfortable, rugged, goes where the car will pull it. If you're on a restricted budget, it is, well, expensive - though second hand ones offer good value IMO. At 2.2 tonnes all up it's heavy but we find our 120 Series diesel Prado takes it where we want to go - the Kimberley, GRR, Mitchell Plateau, Kalumburu, Purnululu, Pilbara, Tanami Rd, Oodnadatta, Strzlecki and Birdsville tracks, east to west via the abandonded section of the Gunbarrel, dirt roads and station tracks out back of Arkaroola and many, many forest roads and firetrails in the Great Divide in NSW and Vic High Country. So we think it's pretty good :-)

Something lighter and less expensive, perhaps, isthe Quantum from Australian Off Road Campers. I believe they go pretty well anywhere too, but do your research.

Can't think of other non-canvas campers or hybrids but I'm sure they're out there - others here can no doubt help you.

Cheers

Hi Pelikan and welcome to the forum.
Wow! we could talk about so many things that you can plan for & there'll be a million different opinions out there. I had a CampOmatic (copy of a Kimberly) but sold it as we still preferred our OzTent. I'm 73yo now & just upgraded my tent, still trying to keep young. We do a lot of very remote camping all over Oz.

However, with any camping plan, study the maps carefully. There are a million places you can see & to drag your accommodation with you.

A good strong vehicle & strong camper trailer will go almost anywhere with experience and care. I advise not to underestimate the ruggedness of some places you will discover. The GR Rd is all about tyre pressures and speed . . . get these right & it's not a problem with the right gear. This applies to most dirt roads and remote tracks.

My first consideration with trailers is strength, crawl underneath and see the suspension: axel assembly, springs, shocks & tyres. You do need good road clearance. Then waterproofing & dustproofing both underneath & on top . . . . there will be deep water and many k's of dust ahead.

As to all the configurations of kitchens, living comforts and erecting & folding up, canvas quality . . . it's almost endless. But you will get what you pay for, & having said that, if it's good quality and looked after, you will almost get your money back when you sell it back home. There are 4 or 5 top of the range campers worth a look . . . they are all good but different

If I may make one suggestion. We have always carried our good Trailblazer fridge in our wagon . . . . when we go away from camp our fridge/food/drink is with us + the fridge battery (the auxiliary). The battery is then being charged almost continuously + the fridge is in the shade, inside. Fridges can be a real issue and another story for another day.

Being ex boaties you would be well aware of Whitworths marine for bitsn'pieces. Good value. Half the fun is in the planning. Good luck with the adventures.

Ciao
Cocka

Well I will throw another one into the mix, The Grand Tourer, by Adventure Offroad campers.
We recently purchased one, I think it has to be the best trailer camper design out there.
The bed doesn't require a ladder and is bigger than a king size, it also has a full length kitchen on one side and a massive storage area on the other.
It has a roof rack mounted and whatever is on the rack, stays on the rack. There is no need to remove anything when setting up.

Pelikan - what's your budget approximately, do you want to cook inside, and what are you towing with?

Hi Guys,

Sleeping not under canvas will mean you are looking for a "crossover". A crossover is part camper trailer and part caravan. There are many brands of these but the problem is that many of them cost more than a caravan itself. They however have far better cross country performance than a caravan and more like a camper trailer in this regard.

Look at a Kimberley Karavan, Vista RV, Aussie off road Ultimate, Complete Campsite. New they will all be over $30K but s econd hand one might not be.They are however worth a look. I made my own version for $9000 and it was great. They all have shower toilet inside, Sleeping inside and you can cook inside and out. The main cooking facility is outside. The all have great off road performance and can be easily towed by your vehicle.

You could also look at a small Trakmaster or supreme getaway caravan. Both of these are towable and have great off orad performance. They will be cheaper than a crossover as well.

Hi Peter,
Try and go to a caravan & camping show - then you will be able to compare a few and hopefully find which one suits you the best.
Leanne