I wrote a huge reply to this and lost it.
IMO the three I would look at are :
Adventure Campers - lowest and biggest bed on the market. Huge kitchen and boat loads of storage. Made in SA
Patriot - light weight (700kg dry). Uses a Hannibal (IMO best on market) roof top tent instead of a conventional camper trailer style. Large kitchen VERY fast setup. Can fit 37" tyres
Southern Cross - Just tough no messing around. Plenty of options Aussie made trailer and tent.
Import trailers - They should be banned IMO. I've seen heaps of them damaged and broken down and abandoned in my travels. I know of two people who've ripped the drawbars off them whilst towing.
Import tents. You get what you pay for. I never used to believe it but now I own a Hannibal safari roof top tent (HJT18) I know the difference and its HUGE. I now also own a southern cross extended center pole tent too for those times the roof top isn't practical. A few of my mates have also gone from chinese centre pole tents to either the southern cross or the freedom (made in NZ) centre pole tents. Difference is HUGE. I have people with cheap (inc the ARB) roof top tents asking about my Hannibal all the time. The difference between a good tent and a cheap one is peace of mind sleeping through a storm no wondering if the tent is going to lead or tear.
Hard floor campers. Don't even consider them they're ****. You walk on the floor and the flex and bounce. You want soft floor preferably removable or non existent.
Don't get too big of a tent - you cant set up a 20ft tent the same places you can set up a 9ft tent. You really only need a place for a bed a little bit of dry storage and a place to stand and get changed. Aside from that you're out side. Get a good awning &/or tarp for a mess are incase of wet weather or heat. Kids when they get to about 10 are better off in their own centre pole tent than in a huge tent with mum and dad. Privacy for both parties.
Get a trailer with good suspension. Towing a trailer with leaf springs and no shocks sucks. IMO independent (with leaf or coil - air if you can afford it. Don't look at the alko torsion rubber ****) is the way to go. a good off road hitch even if you're not towing offroad. Far more secure both towing and preventing opportunistic theft.
Kitchens. Bench space is king. You can set up a stove on a separate stand in seconds. Like wise a sink. Make sure you can get to the fridge without having to close the stove or any thing stupid like that. Camping is a compromise - make sure you make the right compromises. Make sure the kitchen can be accesses easily and quickly. IMO side access kitchens are best - especially if your someone likely to want to do road side stops for a cuppa / lunch whilst touring. Stainless is nice - but it get hot in the sun and very glarey. Also most are made from thin sheet in china. Consider drifta kitchens - ply and aussie made.
Solar 160watts of portable solar will save a lot of hassles. LED lighting kicks ass over gas lantern (though I always carry gas lantern and extension pole)
In all honesty if you're spending less that $25-30k on a camper brand new then you're buying crap. (unless you're buying complete bare bones)
A decent 7x4 trailer is $1500+ offroad rated independent suspension is $2k+ Decent tent is $5k. Decent kitchen is $1500ish. That's $10k already. Start chucking in things like battery systems, charging systems, fridges, water tanks, gas plumbing, showers, spare tyres, storage boxes, draws etc etc. $25k starts to sound reasonable.
Most people I know who've built their own say its cost them $15k plus a tonne of time and a heap of head scratching and redesigns/rebuilds. Most also tell me they would never build it again knowing what they know now when they consider what you get off the shelf for $25-30k
You can finance a $30k camper over 7 years for under $100 pw at todays rates. This said $5k per year goes a long way towards a 4-5 start holiday each year. I'd choose the camper but its food for thought. Having said this the camper will at least have some asset value to sell at a later date should you wish.
I'll own a patriot by the end of this year. I've looked at campers on an off for 5 years but never been in the right position to buy. I'll be buying a patriot sans tent and putting my Hannibal roof top on it. I'm attracted to the smaller foot print, cleaver design, no frills all out toughness, price and weight. I'll be giving it curry towing it around the high country.
Good luck with what ever you go for. IMO though buy once buy right. Check out the camping shows.
IMO the three I would look at are :
Adventure Campers - lowest and biggest bed on the market. Huge kitchen and boat loads of storage. Made in SA
Patriot - light weight (700kg dry). Uses a Hannibal (IMO best on market) roof top tent instead of a conventional camper trailer style. Large kitchen VERY fast setup. Can fit 37" tyres
Southern Cross - Just tough no messing around. Plenty of options Aussie made trailer and tent.
Import trailers - They should be banned IMO. I've seen heaps of them damaged and broken down and abandoned in my travels. I know of two people who've ripped the drawbars off them whilst towing.
Import tents. You get what you pay for. I never used to believe it but now I own a Hannibal safari roof top tent (HJT18) I know the difference and its HUGE. I now also own a southern cross extended center pole tent too for those times the roof top isn't practical. A few of my mates have also gone from chinese centre pole tents to either the southern cross or the freedom (made in NZ) centre pole tents. Difference is HUGE. I have people with cheap (inc the ARB) roof top tents asking about my Hannibal all the time. The difference between a good tent and a cheap one is peace of mind sleeping through a storm no wondering if the tent is going to lead or tear.
Hard floor campers. Don't even consider them they're ****. You walk on the floor and the flex and bounce. You want soft floor preferably removable or non existent.
Don't get too big of a tent - you cant set up a 20ft tent the same places you can set up a 9ft tent. You really only need a place for a bed a little bit of dry storage and a place to stand and get changed. Aside from that you're out side. Get a good awning &/or tarp for a mess are incase of wet weather or heat. Kids when they get to about 10 are better off in their own centre pole tent than in a huge tent with mum and dad. Privacy for both parties.
Get a trailer with good suspension. Towing a trailer with leaf springs and no shocks sucks. IMO independent (with leaf or coil - air if you can afford it. Don't look at the alko torsion rubber ****) is the way to go. a good off road hitch even if you're not towing offroad. Far more secure both towing and preventing opportunistic theft.
Kitchens. Bench space is king. You can set up a stove on a separate stand in seconds. Like wise a sink. Make sure you can get to the fridge without having to close the stove or any thing stupid like that. Camping is a compromise - make sure you make the right compromises. Make sure the kitchen can be accesses easily and quickly. IMO side access kitchens are best - especially if your someone likely to want to do road side stops for a cuppa / lunch whilst touring. Stainless is nice - but it get hot in the sun and very glarey. Also most are made from thin sheet in china. Consider drifta kitchens - ply and aussie made.
Solar 160watts of portable solar will save a lot of hassles. LED lighting kicks ass over gas lantern (though I always carry gas lantern and extension pole)
In all honesty if you're spending less that $25-30k on a camper brand new then you're buying crap. (unless you're buying complete bare bones)
A decent 7x4 trailer is $1500+ offroad rated independent suspension is $2k+ Decent tent is $5k. Decent kitchen is $1500ish. That's $10k already. Start chucking in things like battery systems, charging systems, fridges, water tanks, gas plumbing, showers, spare tyres, storage boxes, draws etc etc. $25k starts to sound reasonable.
Most people I know who've built their own say its cost them $15k plus a tonne of time and a heap of head scratching and redesigns/rebuilds. Most also tell me they would never build it again knowing what they know now when they consider what you get off the shelf for $25-30k
You can finance a $30k camper over 7 years for under $100 pw at todays rates. This said $5k per year goes a long way towards a 4-5 start holiday each year. I'd choose the camper but its food for thought. Having said this the camper will at least have some asset value to sell at a later date should you wish.
I'll own a patriot by the end of this year. I've looked at campers on an off for 5 years but never been in the right position to buy. I'll be buying a patriot sans tent and putting my Hannibal roof top on it. I'm attracted to the smaller foot print, cleaver design, no frills all out toughness, price and weight. I'll be giving it curry towing it around the high country.
Good luck with what ever you go for. IMO though buy once buy right. Check out the camping shows.
