Off road caravans or trailer camper?

Pucusok · Newbie

Off road caravans or trailer camper?

Firefly · Guru

Hi Pucusok and welcome to the forum. smile

We have not lived in our trailer but have done a few miles thats for sure.

We looked at the same options as you and ended up buying a Jayco Outback Hawke which sorta gave us the best of both worlds. Its easy to tow, stows most of the gear in the cupboards and is not a great hassle to set up.

This is what suited our needs at the time so we went for it.

Ron and Shirley · Senior Member

We have spent many months on the road in our old Goldstream off road wind-up Campertrailer (similar to Firefly's unit) and back in the '70's a similar amount of time with the family in a soft floor "Tent on a Trailer". There are plus and minuses with respect to both these types of units.

I suggest/recommend that you answer your own question via "try before you buy" as everything seems great/easy on the showroom floor.

Hire one of each type of your favoured units for a couple of weeks and go to three or four different locations during the hire period. Out in the "wilds" setting/packing up a few times, plus living in them for a fortnight, will certainly help you decide which one will work for you.

capt cream bun · Senior Member

Hi Pucusok...and welcome.

Some very good replies there for you to consider i would say. Its Hard to beat first hand experience and even harder to dismiss Ron and Shirleys argument!

You dont give much information on what your plans are really. Is it to be a slow road, maybe permeant or maybe just for a few months???

I am in a similar situation as yourselves except maybe i am a solo. Just one issue that is on my own mind is comfort vs duration. Living for a year or more in a smallish home raises its own issues. My own thinking is the longer the trip the more comfort required to make it a success. The down side to that is the bigger the rig when going off road the more limited you are in what tracks you can handle. Having said that for me its a 19ft off road van ( Brushtracker, Phoenix or Trakmaster ) with most places in mind but not all.

So there you go. Arent easy is it?

ccb

Firefly · Guru

We are spending time with rellies in Darwin who wish to buy a tent trailer and they are hiring one for a fortnight to try it out. We intend to upgrade to a proper van in the next few years and intend to do exactly that before we buy again. smile

barrie · Guru

Currently me and the missus have been living on the road in a COOTA trailer tent since Oct 2009 and enjoying it imensely and are currently in Evans Head NSW.

It 's a personal taste of how ,what to buy and what you intend for it's use so don't rush into buying something have a good l;ook around first,It took us 18 months to find something that suited us

Woodpecker · Veteran Member

HI
Having graduated from tents, camper trailer to caravan and then another caravan. We would stick to the caravan as we stop at mostly free camps when travelling and find it easy when you stop just to level up and unhook.
If you are doing a trip around the block you will find that people will tell you about the best of these spots, most are listed in the camps 5 book ( The Bible )
Woodpecker

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

1. How long will the trip be and how long do you intend to keep it afterwards?
2. What is the tug?
3. Where do you want to go?
4. What is your budget?

Cheers,
Peter

DellieMay · Senior Member

We too, have graduated from a tent to a camper trailer,{Aussie Swag} off roader to an off road caravan. Love them all. It depends on where you wish to go with it. We do a lot of fossicking so therefore need an off road. We sold our camper trailer when we bought our van...but...last week we bought it back. We found we have a need for both. Firefly has the right idea...try hiring one, and see if it suits your needs. Regards Dellie

Denise · Senior Member

Hi Dellie,
I'm interested to hear that you do a lot of fossicking....I had a go at tin scratching in N QLd years ago and sapphires at Glen Innes...and would love to do more. How do you go with it...does it cover some costs or is it mainly for the fun? tell us some stories please.... Cheers Denise

Pucusok · Newbie

Dear All,
Thanks so much for all your inputs. We were going to do hiring before buying but I thought I ask anyway, as I think real long term on / off road experience bits 2 3 weeks of hiring.
We are planning to be away for about 2 years and will be doing both on and off road. During our trip away we are planning to get back home a few times a year for a few days each time to visit the family. Have any of you been on the road for so long? If yes, could you write to me about your experiences? Wasnt it very lonely? What did you do with your house while away?
I can hardly wait to start our trip (which is about a year away) but have so many worries about it as well.
Thanks for all the ideas.

DellieMay · Senior Member

Hi Denise. Sure do lve our hobby. Never been tin scratching,but do try to go to Lightning Ridge once a year ferreting for opal. More often than, we come home with some. Go to Emerald area for sapphires {rarely get any} and to Alice Spring area for zircons. {Always get some.}As for covering our cost.....well.....no. We never sell any. Our kids will have a merry time after we're gone..LOL!!Our fun is in the travelling and camping. We really have met wonderful interesting fellow fossickers in our travels. We sure do have some stories to tell. Nearly always an adventure or two. We are leaving here for Alice on the 1st June. Heading across the Plenty Highway, as we do. That is ,of cause, if all is well with my sister. If there is any way we can help you in fossicking, don't hesitate to send me a pm. Cheers Dellie

Denise · Senior Member

Thanks for your response Dellie...are you going to Mudgee? Cheers Denise

-- Edited by Denise on Thursday 29th of April 2010 09:31:37 AM