The Camping Thread

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by blueoval

you take strapping poles down to the ground to a new level Rob

Ive never seen any almost chemically anchor down awning poles to the ground the way you do.

Great idea I reckon. I'm over belting pegs in then trying to get them out. Give me a rattle gun any day..............

[hayseed]

Prydey, What are you using for Pegs.??

I've been eying these off for a While.
https://www.fullrangecamping.com.au/...g-anchor-kits/

https://groundgrabba.com.au/collections/all-products

But am A Little unsure as to which way to Go..

[prydey]

Originally Posted by hayseed

Prydey, What are you using for Pegs.??
.

https://www.snowys.com.au/hex-pegs

[sgt_doofey]

The Box 2.0!













My 12V power box. Now with remote turn on/off!

I'll be using this to charge devices and run my camp lights off of. (Turn camp lights on and off via remote control)

It has 3 x USB ports, 1 x USB-C port, 1 x cigarette socket & 4 x remote controlled connections. 30A circut breaker for fun!
Switch turns on/off the USB and cig socket. Instantaneous button lights up the volt meter and a screw in connection for the input.

[Beastie]

The wife and I are off to Myall River Camp for a long weekend.

https://www.myallrivercamp.com.au/



Should make for an interesting weekend given the weather forecast...

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Beastie the Barista

The wife and I are off to Myall River Camp for a long weekend.

https://www.myallrivercamp.com.au/

image

Should make for an interesting weekend given the weather forecast...

Arent you worried about the wind tearing the seat off sitting up like that?
We always loaded ours **** forward for that reason.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Arent you worried about the wind tearing the seat off sitting up like that?
We always loaded ours **** forward for that reason.

Nope. I've driven with the seat like that many times and no problem. I have it tied down to the kayak where you can't see.

[blueoval]

Im looking into either an A frame or pop up caravan again.

I need something that is no more than 2.5m in (traveling) height so it fits into my garage. Garage panel door is 2.55m high. My driveway is on an upward slope too so it needs to clear air con, antennas etc on an angle as the van is approaching the garage door before it tapers flat.

Do the Avan A frames leak? Been trying to find out more experiences on them. Expensive for what they are but the storage situation when not i use is important to me. A pop top van is also a possibility but from what I have read they are at least 2.6-2.7m high traveling height which wont work depending on brand.

Not interested in a traditional canvas camper trailer. The Jayco Swan/Hawk I know would work but Im trying to steer clear of as much canvas as possible.

Any advice and help is appreciated.

[Honest Gaza]

The Wife has been hassling me for the last 30 Years to buy a Caravan but I have had no inclination to Tow anything....and we've never really owned a Tow Vehicle.

I finally relented, and last week we put the deposit down on a Ford Everest Sport, and a Jayco Penguin Outback Camper Trailer.

I've got a few Months to get over my 'aversion to towing'

[Honest Gaza]

Originally Posted by blueoval

The Jayco Swan/Hawk I know would work but Im trying to steer clear of as much canvas as possible.

My Wife had the same issue with the Canvas. We went with the Penguin which leaves the Double Bed under the main roof (no slide-outs).

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Im looking into either an A frame or pop up caravan again.

I need something that is no more than 2.5m in (traveling) height so it fits into my garage. Garage panel door is 2.55m high. My driveway is on an upward slope too so it needs to clear air con, antennas etc on an angle as the van is approaching the garage door before it tapers flat.

Do the Avan A frames leak? Been trying to find out more experiences on them. Expensive for what they are but the storage situation when not i use is important to me. A pop top van is also a possibility but from what I have read they are at least 2.6-2.7m high traveling height which wont work depending on brand.

Not interested in a traditional canvas camper trailer. The Jayco Swan/Hawk I know would work but Im trying to steer clear of as much canvas as possible.

Any advice and help is appreciated.

I owned an A'Van for 6 years, I bought it new in 2010 and sold it in 2016, we loved it. We actually lived in it for 3 months while we took a long service leave trip down the west coast.

Our had no leaks what so ever, well there was one little 'leak', because we ran the compressor fridge for 3 months solid the little drip catch tray at the back of the fridge overflowed, it was an easy fix, just put a bit of small plastic tube as an extension on the outlet of the drip tray

You can buy an 'off-road' version now, if I had that option when we bought ours I would have taken it, ours was a bit limited going bush like we like to do

In the 6 years of ownership the only thing that went 'wrong' was the little flue extension from the gas powered fridge fell off, it was a 20 minute job to recover it and re-fit with a tech-screw so it wouldn't come off again

I paid 29k for it new and sold it 6 years later for 22.5K, the purchasers were over the moon with the condition

You will struggle to find an A'Van owner who has had issues, everyone I ever spoke to had nothing but praise. But there was this one bloke we talked to at a Broome Caravan Park who had issues, but he was to blame, some fool told him to pump up the tyres to 60psi when on rough gravel roads so a few things vibrated out of place.

Towing was awesome, 910kg, no higher than the PK Ranger we had at the time, didn't even know it was on the back most of the time

I was able to store mine in a conventional 6x6 house garage

We owned the Cruiseliner 2b - https://www.avan.com.au/our-range/ca.../6-cruiseliner

How they set up and pack up - piece of cake, so simple - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl0V6ex6wSs

This one shows around the van and setting up etc, this one is the same layout as ours was, except it is a Cruiser (no boot and the front) and ours was Cruiseliner (boot at the front) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwBo47n5gvI

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

I owned an A'Van for 6 years, I bought it new in 2010 and sold it in 2016, we loved it. We actually lived in it for 3 months while we took a long service leave trip down the west coast.

Our had no leaks what so ever, well there was one little 'leak', because we ran the compressor fridge for 3 months solid the little drip catch tray at the back of the fridge overflowed, it was an easy fix, just put a bit of small plastic tube as an extension on the outlet of the drip tray

You can buy an 'off-road' version now, if I had that option when we bought ours I would have taken it, ours was a bit limited going bush like we like to do

In the 6 years of ownership the only thing that went 'wrong' was the little flue extension from the gas powered fridge fell off, it was a 20 minute job to recover it and re-fit with a tech-screw so it wouldn't come off again

I paid 29k for it new and sold it 6 years later for 22.5K, the purchasers were over the moon with the condition

You will struggle to find an A'Van owner who has had issues, everyone I ever spoke to had nothing but praise. But there was this one bloke we talked to at a Broome Caravan Park who had issues, but he was to blame, some fool told him to pump up the tyres to 60psi when on rough gravel roads so a few things vibrated out of place.

Towing was awesome, 910kg, no higher than the PK Ranger we had at the time, didn't even know it was on the back most of the time

I was able to store mine in a conventional 6x6 house garage

We owned the Cruiseliner 2b - https://www.avan.com.au/our-range/ca.../6-cruiseliner

How they set up and pack up - piece of cake, so simple - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl0V6ex6wSs

This one shows around the van and setting up etc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwBo47n5gvI

This is the experience I was after. Thanks Trevor

I have literally watched every you tube video on Avan Campers.

The one Im looking at is the Cruiseliner 1D with the Adventure Pack. Like you said, I think the additional off road clearance and the few extra features will come in handy.

https://www.avanadelaide.com.au/curr...adventure-pack

What do you reckon?

I think the US versions of the A frames there are possibly poorly assembled and that could be a problem with leaking? Reports are saying the bubble windows out in the weather are the cause for the leaks. But if Im storing it in the garage I 'should' be ok?

[blueoval]

Another option I will consider is going a proper caravan and having it stored elsewhere. That way we aren't limited in our range of choice.

[Trevor 57]

we sold ours for a proper (pop-top) off-road van, but I had space to build a lean-to off my shed to store it

we paid extra and got an external shower with a gas/electric hot water service, the hot water service was an 'infinity' type, so we could pump water out of a river (with a filter) and everyone could shower and it never ran out, but it had to be an external shower obviously

we also paid extra and got big windows at the front and rear, the ventilation was great

The Aussie versions are built in Pakenham and you can't fault the workmanship, we dragged ours through bush, skull-dragging it at times and never ever had an issue

We saw one come out of the Bungle Bungles, water running out from inside after river crossings and it was fine, the front was a bit sand-blasted

Go the Cruiseliner, you will love the extra space, we also paid extra for external access to under the seats

I modified mine so that the table would fold down for extra space - we ate outside mostly and I got a cabinet maker mate to build a BIG drawer under the bed (access with a door under the bed) so we didn't have to keep lifting the bed up. We used it as clothes storage for our 3 month trip, it was over a metre long and was just under the size of the access door under the bed

Oh, we got a solar panel as well, just noticed it on the pic below lol

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Reports are saying the bubble windows out in the weather are the cause for the leaks. But if Im storing it in the garage I 'should' be ok?

ours was stored inside all the time when not in use - it does help with resale when you decide to upgrade

New van storage

[Trevor 57]

I don't have the pics anymore I used when I sold it, it was over 5 years ago

[Trevor 57]

Goughs Inlet near Shark Bay W.A.

[Trevor 57]

Just before we bought the PK Ranger we had and RTV

[Trevor 57]

One from the trip up the guts to the top end of W.A.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Im looking into either an A frame or pop up caravan again.

I need something that is no more than 2.5m in (traveling) height so it fits into my garage. Garage panel door is 2.55m high. My driveway is on an upward slope too so it needs to clear air con, antennas etc on an angle as the van is approaching the garage door before it tapers flat.

Do the Avan A frames leak? Been trying to find out more experiences on them. Expensive for what they are but the storage situation when not i use is important to me. A pop top van is also a possibility but from what I have read they are at least 2.6-2.7m high traveling height which wont work depending on brand.

Not interested in a traditional canvas camper trailer. The Jayco Swan/Hawk I know would work but Im trying to steer clear of as much canvas as possible.

Any advice and help is appreciated.

We had an A line A frame for a couple of years,great little van,but a bit too small for extended travel.One complaint was the sideways bed,bit inconvenient if first in had to be first out.Sold it and bought an Avan 16ft Leah poptop with single beds,makes for a fair bit of space for its size.Travel height is about 2.3 mtrs and about 40cm higher with the top up.Ours has now got the axle under the leaf springs to give a bit more off road clearance,so,in standard setup would only be a little over 2 mtr travel height.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

Just before we bought the PK Ranger we had and RTV

image

That's a nice annex setup and would make the smaller van much more 'liveable'.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Well, I should be fishing/camping with dad right now but he decided to badly injure his leg just before we left.

Stayed home to take care of the old man.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Beastie the Barista

That's a nice annex setup and would make the smaller van much more 'liveable'.

the annex was good, but I reckon we probably only used the full annex about 4 times the whole time we owned the van. It was a P.I.T.A to put the roof on, it had to slide through tracks while the roof was down, then you had to push the roof up - a bit of hard work

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

We had an A line A frame for a couple of years,great little van,but a bit too small for extended travel.One complaint was the sideways bed,bit inconvenient if first in had to be first out.Sold it and bought an Avan 16ft Leah poptop with single beds,makes for a fair bit of space for its size.Travel height is about 2.3 mtrs and about 40cm higher with the top up.Ours has now got the axle under the leaf springs to give a bit more off road clearance,so,in standard setup would only be a little over 2 mtr travel height.

The Aline A'Van's are tiny, that is why we went with the Cruiseliner

[blueoval]

Im tossing up whether to get the A frame camper (Cruiseliner) for a short time and keep it at home, or just buy a proper Van and keep it stored at a friends place or at a storage facility. Downside with the latter is additional cost per month/year. I just dont have the room where I live or the garage door height is the restriction.

I know the A frame will suit me for a while but the goal eventually is to get a proper van.

[Trevor 57]

The only downsides of the A'Van is that if you spend a lot of time inside the van it could be claustrophobic and no internal ensuite (which is why we sold ours, plus the east west bed means someone has to climb over the other person to get out)

We seriously loved ours, the next van we bought is intended to be our 'forever van'

The re-sale of them is quite good

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

The only downsides of the A'Van is that if you spend a lot of time inside the van it could be claustrophobic and no internal ensuite (which is why we sold ours, plus the east west bed means someone has to climb over the other person to get out)

We seriously loved ours, the next van we bought is intended to be our 'forever van'

The re-sale of them is quite good

Really appreciate your personal comments and experiences on this Trevor.

We both dont suffer claustrobia but we do appreciate plenty of space. An internal ensuite is a better prospect over an external one for the mrs.

But the lightweight aspect of the A frame and easy storage is a huge bonus.

I need to make some decisions.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Im tossing up whether to get the A frame camper (Cruiseliner) for a short time and keep it at home, or just buy a proper Van and keep it stored at a friends place or at a storage facility. Downside with the latter is additional cost per month/year. I just dont have the room where I live or the garage door height is the restriction.

I know the A frame will suit me for a while but the goal eventually is to get a proper van.

Have you considered a Coromal lowline, they have a lower body and higher pop top to make storage easier.
Only real downside is the door opening is shorter than some of the others.

I followed one today and it sat no higher than the bog stock Prado towing it.

Something like this..
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/broa...ght/1285973929

Graham is a friend of mine and a top bloke.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Really appreciate your personal comments and experiences on this Trevor.

We both dont suffer claustrobia but we do appreciate plenty of space. An internal ensuite is a better prospect over an external one for the mrs.

But the lightweight aspect of the A frame and easy storage is a huge bonus.

I need to make some decisions.

there is another mob who make a van similar to AVan, I can't remember their name, they make cars too - Australian

Bolwell - https://www.bolwellrv.com.au/air/

[Tassie f100]

Question for caravan owners.I have bought a project 5 th wheeler which among other upgrades needs a new fridge around 150-180 litre.Quandry is do I stick with 3 way system or should I go compressor type.I have had 2 other vans both with 3 ways and have been very happy with their performance and running cost (virtually always running on lpg)but it seems the go now is for compressor type.my concern is how much battery power would I need for a week or so bush camping