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TYPES OF CAMPER TRAILER

    Currently at the moment there are three main types of camper trailer with many variations upon the three themes. I’ll just go through them quickly with a brief description and what Connie & I see as the advantages & disadvantages for long range touring in the western deserts.

Soft Floor Campers

    These are the least expensive types of camper trailer and for many serve as a stepping stone before investing in something else. Basically they look much like a standard box trailer with a large thick covered bag sitting on top of them. The principle is simple; that big soft top is actually a large canvas tent arrangement that folds out while still attached to the trailer. The main double bed is usually placed on top of the trailer shell and the tent folds up on top of it when it is packed away. These set-ups usually give you plenty of room under cover and once you learn how to erect them and pack them up are reasonably efficient in general.

Advantages

• Great range of makes & models to suit every budget
• Usually have some sort of integrated kitchen set-up with a gas stove
• Better for families with kids, more room under cover for sleeping
• Best option for longer term camps, not packing up every day
• Usually the lightest smallest campers – better on fuel

Disadvantages

• In wet weather there is a lot of wet canvas to pack up, bed needs plastic cover
• Usually a two person job to fold them up easily
• Needs a ground sheet to put the tent on. Can get messy in the wet
• Can suffer from dust quite a bit as they are not a sealed unit

Hard Floor Campers

    For the dedicated 4WD traveller, the hard floor camper is the most popular in our experience. These models are easy to spot. They don’t look like a box trailer at all. They are usually a fairly solid-looking design with very little to indicate how they work if you are unfamiliar with them. If you look at the rear of the trailer you will see some sort of hinge set-up so the top half of the trailer can flip over backwards and become the hard floor of the integral canvas tent. It is a simple principle well designed for bush use and has stood the test of time.

Advantages

• Extensive range of makes & models
• Erected they stay the width of the vehicle & trailer, good in the bush
• Usually have a pull-out kitchen set-up with gas stove & sink
• The hard floor gives a nice eating area free of mud if the weather is bad
• Easy to carry firewood if you need to due to hard top
• Best suited to couples

Disadvantages

• The better quality units with bells & whistles run into big money
• Manufacturers put too much extra gear on them making them heavy
• They can be difficult to pack up if you are not fit enough
• The canvas folds onto the bed, needs a plastic cover sheet if canvas is wet
• Suffer from a little dust, but not bad in general

Hybrid Campers

    The best way to describe these is simply as a small caravan the same width as your vehicle, that about sums it up. Not much else to say really.

Advantages

• Very good in bad weather, go inside & shut the door
• Best suited to couples
• Best of the three in regard to dust
• Ever-expanding range of makes & models available, these are the newest trend
• They are a small caravan that can pretty much be towed anywhere if you are game enough

Disadvantages

• Most expensive of the camper options
• Not much good for a family with kids
• Tend to be heavy as people put lots of gear in them – uses more fuel
• Can be difficult to get around in tight tracks
• More prone to scratching from scrub

Mick Hutton
Copyright: August 2021

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