Mick & Trish's DIY camper trailer

    from Mick Capuzza
 

    My family & I have been going camping on long weekends for the last 5 years whenever we can . We had upgraded our tents and camping equipment as required, but due to heavy canvas and tent size, it was a bit of hard work. We were at a caravan park in Echuca & a couple drove in with their camper trailer. I never really took much notice until they reversed it in & had it set up in a maximum of 20 minutes.

    I was an instant believer & wanted one, so I started getting prices & doing research & realized what I wanted wasn't going to be cheap. I then decided I could build this, having built other trailers in the past & took on the challenge of converting my old previously built garden trailer to a camper trailer putting on an Oztrail Camper 12 canvas kit.

    I got a bit carried away with it as you will see. My whole intention was to keep the wife & kids as comfortable as possible. The reasoning behind this was they will then go camping more often.

    Features include 5 stud Landcruiser rims, extended draw bar, eye to eye springs, hydraulic brakes, water tank, Hyland hitch, drop down rear legs, tailgate sink, mains pressure water for caravan parks, 80 litre Waeco fridge & home built slide, 100 AH battery pack, on board smart charger, LED internal lighting , 240 volt power, 2 bike rack, removable boat rack, annex, including walls & mesh floor.

    The trailer was sand blasted, etch primed & bitumen coated underneath. I am a plumber by trade, not a trailer builder, but had the necessary welding skills.

    The camper trailer has already seen three long weekends & in 2 weeks time we are heading to the Gold Coast for 4 weeks travelling along the NSW coast, stopping along the way, which will really put the camper to the test.

    We are very happy with it so far & every outing find something else to improve on it.


 

March 2008