An off-road camper trailer  enables you to travel in style and comfort to places that are impossible to access with a caravan and are so far off the beaten track that they will never hear the footsteps of the hotel booking, poolside lounging, latte’ sipping yuppie crowds that inhabit all the so called ‘popular’ holiday destinations.

So if you see yourself as more of an explorer than a holiday maker, if you would rather get sand on your tyres while driving a remote beach with your soft floor camper trailer in tow, than in your shoes trying to hit out of the bunker on the 16^th, and if you would rather your kids wake up to see the sun rising over a far desert horizon instead of to the sound of early morning cartoons in a motel room then the Adventure Kings MT1 Camper Trailer has your name on it!

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A CAMPER TRAILER

The first step is to decide what type of travel you plan on doing and how many people the camper trailer will have to shelter, sleep and feed. With these facts out in the open, your choice on whether to opt for a soft floor camper trailer, hard floor camper trailer or hybrid camper trailer may already be limited.

Just like your 4WD or any other major purchase, it’s important to remember that you will always get what you pay for, and that if an offer looks too good to be true than it probably is. When comparing features on camper trailers start with the build quality of the major componentss. Look specifically at the type and thickness of the steel used in the drawbar and framework, like the incredible 150x50mm chassis on the MT1 Camper Trailer. Pay attention to the quality of the welds and make sure any opening side doors and the tailgate are sealed correctly against dust and water ingress.

Next on the list is the hitch to hook up your camper trailer to your 4WD. There are a multitude of choices on the market in the off-road hitch range. Be sure to look closely at what articulation can be achieved and also how easy or difficult they are to hitch and unhitch, particularly with only one person available. The Kings MT1 Camper Trailer comes standard with the industry-leading Cruisermaster DO35 hitch, which is an absolute ripper!

It’s now time to begin looking at the optional extras that can be added to most camper trailers to really make things comfortable. Don’t be fooled into thinking that these include such accessories as gas bottle holders, jerry can holders, and a spare tyre. These things should all come as standard as it is impractical to go camping without them – which is exactly why the Kings MT1 Camper trailer comes with all these as standard. Some basic accessories that should be considered though are a kitchen, a water tank (preferably plumbed to your kitchen), and a tool box (for extra storage).

A 12V power set-up is also a worthy addition to your camper trailer as it means you can power a fridge, run lighting and power battery chargers for cameras, GPS systems or any other appliances you may take with you. The list of accessories from here can go on and on depending on what you want. It may be something critical to outback travel such as a 2^nd water tank or spare wheel, then again it may be purely aesthetic. Whatever you decide is important to yougive us a shout – we are only too happy to custom design a package especially for you.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND COSTS

This is the best part about owning a camper trailer. Unlike your 4WD, they are quite cheap to run and even easier to maintain. As long as you take care when setting up and packing up, the canvas of your rooftop tent should last for years and will only require a wipe down every now and then to keep it clean. You will probably need to season the canvas before your first trip to ensure it is water tight, but after that it should be o.k for the next ten!

As far as the mechanical side of the camper trailer goes, there are three main areas to look at and you should go over these prior to and during every trip to ensure they are all working correctly. They are; wheel bearings, brakes and electrical signals (brake lights and indicators). As a general rule, wheel bearings will need to be repacked every 5000km of hard offroad use and replaced every 20000km. Brakes are mandatory on all camper trailers over 750kg with the best option being an electric brake system with a controller in the cabin of the 4WD. As with your 4WD, its best to have the brakes checked by a professional as they are in charge of controlling what can amount to over a tonne of dead weight attached to your 4WD, so you want them to work. The electrical signals on most trailers are very basic and thanks to Australian design standards are all colour coded from the connector on the 4WD for easy identification. Be sure to check all trailer lights are working prior to every trip as well as at regular intervals during.

Cost wise, camper trailer registrations vary depending on which state you call home and the weight of the trailer. Check with your relevant government as to what they will be for you. As a guide, the Kings MT1 Camper Trailer, which has a Tare weight of 830kg currently costs about $200 per year to register in NSW. Combine this with roughly $200 a year in servicing costs IF you use it hard off-road regularly and $600 for insurance and the total running costs come in at under $1000 per annum. Now that’s got to be one of the cheapest ways you can find to get away somewhere new every weekend.