Camper Trailer Australia Issue 156

There’s been a lot of time spent on the tools over the last few months, which means I’ve been getting down and dirty with some DIY camper trailer mods. To save money I designed what I thought was a great camper, commissioned a local trailer manufacturer to build it, then I fitted it out to tackle some of Australia’s remotest tracks. Changes needed to be made. It was too heavy, too spacious and generally impractical for the way I like to camp — simply and comfortably. By far the biggest benefit to performing your own modifications is the mountain of cash you’ll save, meaning you have more to put towards the next big adventure. The internet and YouTube have played a huge role in empowering people to tackle DIY projects and…

When your 4WD and camper trailer suddenly lose momentum even though the wheels are still spinning, spitting up sand, mud or snow, do you have what you need to get out of this situation? With the help of Greg Smith from Ironman 4x4, we’ve been able to come up with a list of things you need to make your recovery safe and simple. RATED RECOVERY POINTS The recovery points on your 4WD and camper trailer need to be rated AND mounted correctly because hooking a snatch strap to a tie-down point or tow ball is wrong and potentially deadly. Tie-down points are made from thinner steel and bolted to the chassis using underrated bolts and aren’t designed to cope with the extreme forces in play when snatching or winching. Greg explains, “Rated…

It wasn’t long ago that probably around 80 per cent of camper trailers sold in Australia were sidefold softfloors. They were the basic notion of a camper trailer — a tent on a box trailer. They were simple, as people had lower expectations of the luxuries they wanted when camping, and easy to make. Virtually everyone who could weld and knew someone with a sewing machine was knocking them out at one time. Not so any more. The venerable sidefold softfloor has all but disappeared from most manufacturers’ lineups. They say customers don’t want them anymore, that they want forwardfolds, doublefolds, or hybrids. They want bells and whistles — battery management systems, stainless steel kitchens, hot water and space heaters, ensuites, trailing arm suspensions, lithium batteries, you name it. “THEY'VE CAPTURED A…

MARLIN CAMPERS TRAILER Tare 280–450kg ATM 750kg SuspensionSlipper or 5-leaf AL-KO eye-to-eye springs Brakes None Coupling 50mm ball or AL-KO offroad Chassis40 x 40mm or 50 x 50mm Drawbar100 x 50mm Body Checkerplate floor and zinc anneal sides Wheels6-stud steel Tyres 235/75 x 15 All Terrain StyleSidefold DIMENSIONS Body size 1830/2130 x 1830 x 400/500mm Length 3600mm (std drawbar) Tent floor size 2000/2100 x 1800/2400/2800mm ACCESSORIES Gas cylinder4kg ring Water60L poly tank plus 20L jerry can(s) CooktopOptional Kitchen Optional Drifta laminated ply Battery ArkPak with optional battery PRICE AS TESTED $5550–$14,990 WARRANTY Two years ENQUIRIES Marlin Campers 12 Dyer Crescent, West Gosford, NSW 2250 Ph: 0409 887 927 E: steve@marlincampers.com.au W: marlincampers.com.au camper.hemax.com More pictures Specs to compare…

Holidays end, but the financial impacts of overindulgence last forever. If you apply more self-control on the road, post-camping life becomes a whole lot easier, as does camping itself — suddenly there’s no guilt and no premonitions of the sacrifices you’ll have to make to scrape through afterwards. Not only that but the less money spent each day, the longer the trip can last before your budget is up. We’ve been travelling around the country since July, setting out with the aim of limiting our expenses to extend our holiday and safeguard our financial future. We’ve managed to limit our regular spending to less than $800 a week, without compromising our experience on the road — here’s how. LIMITING FUEL COSTS For many active travellers, the largest expense is fuel. Towing or loading…

1. AVOID FALSE ECONOMIES Cheap can mean nasty. And even if you can have the item replaced under warranty, it might be a while before you can make it to the vendor, and in the meantime you may have to pay more to get by (for example, if your cooktop or fridge go bust, you may need to buy meals out or stay at caravan parks). Similarly, if you head remote on rundown gear, hoping to get more life out of it, it could break on you in the middle of nowhere, where you’ll be forced into paying outback prices to replace it. Bottom line, sometimes paying more now saves you from paying again later. 2. KEEP RECEIPTS Take photos of receipts as soon as you make a purchase and file them in…