Some people only stay in the best hotels, others love their caravans and yet others think that a tent is the only reasonable solution for a fabulous holiday. Then of course, there are the people who love camper trailers, those rare individuals who simply can’t make their mind up between a tent and a caravan and like something in the middle.
All joking aside, a camper trailer is a very good option for all sorts of holidays, as well as for going out bush, making a camper trailer a caravan/tent hybrid that really works. After all, a camper trailer with a single axle is much easier to tow and reverse than a double axel and it and uses less fuel to pull. All in all, a camper trailer can be a useful piece of kit and is much cheaper than a caravan to purchase, with many of them are designed to go off road as well.
What type of camper trailer do you want?
Your first decision is to decide on the best type of camper trailer that suits your needs. The first type of camper trailer has a swing out tent, uses the trailer for storage, has the option of additional annexes and has a double or queen sized bed directly on top of the trailer. This type of trailer has two different types of flooring – hard or soft. The soft floor usually provides the most floor space, whilst a hard floor gives you a solid, protective surface to walk on.
The second type of camper trailer actually looks like a caravan on the bottom, but has tent like walls that can be wound up (manually or electronically) with a hard roof on top, like on a regular caravan. They actually look like squashed caravans and are easier to erect than the swing out camper trailers, but can be heavier to tow and more expensive to purchase.
Important features of your camper trailer
Convenience: With a swing out camper trailer, it can often take 2 people to set up and take down and you also have to peg out the tent section as well. Some of the newer models advertise that they can be set up by one person, but these will be top-of-the-range camper trailers. The wind up camper trailers are faster to erect and can be accomplished by one person, but again, they are usually more expensive than swing out trailers.
Off road: If you want to go off road with your camper trailer, your trailer needs a heavy duty construction, including suspension, tyres, brakes and hitch. All of this costs more money than a regular camper trailer, so be sure that you want an off road camper trailer, before you spend your hard earned money on something that won’t suit you.
Towing capacity of your vehicle: You need to know the towing capacity of your vehicle, before you make a mistake and buy a camper trailer that is too heavy for you to tow. It is also a sensible idea to consider the age and state of your vehicle and if you are unsure about the capacity of your vehicle to tow a camper trailer, check with your regular mechanic for their advice.
Stone guards: Stones can be flicked up by the camper trailer when driving and break or damage the rear window of your vehicle, so it is a great idea to have a stone guard fitted to the front of your trailer. Quite often this is an extra cost, so be sure to ask whether a stone guard is included in the purchase price or not.
Mattresses: For most people, the reason they buy a camper trailer over a tent is that they have a wonderful bed with a real mattress. So check the type of the mattress comes with your camper trailer and if it is just a foam mattress, you may like to upgrade, but make sure that the bed area is big enough and deep enough to take your chosen mattress.
Kitchen: A swing out kitchen with a sink and running water, gas stove and a food preparation area is everyone’s dream in a camper trailer. Add a swing out food cooler as well and you will be in camper trailer heaven. These usually come as extras or in the deluxe models, but if your budget will stretch, you can’t go wrong adding in as many functional extras as possible.
These are only some of the features in a camper trailer that will influence your buying decision. There is one area that you can be sure of, National Finance Solutions is here to assist you to finance your dream camper. If you are ready to buy or looking for a quote, contact us here or on 1300 13 50 50 and one of friendly team members will be ready to help you.
