Australian CamperTrailers
national meet at Batlow 2013

monday

12volt, batteries & solar panel workshop

Shane Adams of Jamie's Touring Solutions along with wife Nikki are keen camper trailer owners & members of the Australian CamperTrailers Group. Shane presented three workshops again this year, the first on 12volt power, solar panels & batteries. This is a topic which is discussed within the group & very often misunderstood. To get hands on, face to face information from a professional is a great asset to the group members.

Shane explained the different types of batteries, their uses in off road vehicles & camper trailers which can be very different to normal everyday car batteries. The usual camping application is a high draw over a number of days using a 12volt fridge, camp lights & perhaps a Cpap.  

Recharging 12volt batteries can often be a problem when camping away from 240volt power. Solar panels are becoming more common these days as a means of recharging 12volt batteries in the bush. Shane showed the different types of panels available, setting up a panel to the optimum size for your requirements & how to include a solar regulator into the system between the panel & battery.

DC-DC chargers have become very popular also & Shane showed how they can be included into the system to charge the remote camper trailer battery from the vehicles alternator when travelling.

It was pleasing to see most had a good grasp on the subject at the end of the workshop.

cuppa & chat

Carol hosted a cuppa & morning tea for the ladies to meet each other. While some arrived with a cuppa in hand, most showed the knitting, crocheting or craft projects they had been working on. Of interest was Jenny Peisley's camper trailer quilt she had made & was donating to the Wednesday evenings auction in aid of the Batlow Rotary.

biscuit decorating for the kids

Alice Chaffey & Michael Wookey held a kids biscuit decorating workshop. As you can see by the photos this activity was a big hit with the kids putting their young imaginations into the designs.

camper trailer walkabout

Dave Cook hosted a camper trailer walkabout. Members gave a brief talk on what they liked about their camper trailer, points they didn't like & modifications they have done or they would like to do to make camping all that more enjoyable.

silk handkerchief painting

 Marie Pennykid provided the opportunity for several members to participate in painting their own silk handkerchief with instructions of how to do it. Members could choose their own design.

cobb workshop

To the tune of the show must go on, Gus Skinner & Richard Wheatley jumped into the saddle to start the Cobb workshop in the absence of Jill Skinner who was with Sharon Wheatley in hospital with Rhiaan's suspected broken arm. They showed how the popular Cobb Cooker can be used in camp as an alternative for cooking a range of food traditionally cooked in the camp oven with the use of heat beads as a heat source. The Cobb can be used as an oven, a barbecue, a smoker or a stove.

When Jill finally arrived the boys were showing how to prepare the evening dinner & went through the steps of what was needed, lighting the heat beads, placing the chicken in the Cobb & placing the lid on top.

led lighting 

Shane Adams presented a LED lighting workshop showing the different types of lighting available, the beam they threw & also the intensity of light produced. In recent times there has been huge advancements in LED lighting technology which is a bonus for us camper trailer owners. The increase in quality has laso seen the price fall. Shane showed what was now available from LED flexible strips with self adhesive backs to those on adjustable velcro backing which can be placed anywhere. Of interest was the green LED strip light used when insects were a problem at night. The benefit of LED lighting is they draw little power from the battery.