Caravaning and Camping.

[Butterbean]

What do you guys reckon is a reasonable budget for a camping trailer?

 

I like the idea of having a trailer fitted with everything, ready to go.

Not planning to go overlanding, mostly sites with 220V

 

My thinking on requirements:

-Bed(2 Adults)

-Fridge/freezer? (Powered from Camping site Mains?)

-Gas stove

-One battery for night time lights

-Packing space for chairs, tables, kids tents

-Ideally it would have its own fold-out canopy

On the used market, you're looking at around 50-60k for something that'll have all those things. Jurgens, campmaster/challenger, Venter, will all have options. I think most sellers heavily over value their trailers too so i would negotiate fairly hard.

[mazambaan]

What do you guys reckon is a reasonable budget for a camping trailer?

 

I like the idea of having a trailer fitted with everything, ready to go.

Not planning to go overlanding, mostly sites with 220V

 

My thinking on requirements:

-Bed(2 Adults)

-Fridge/freezer? (Powered from Camping site Mains?)

-Gas stove

-One battery for night time lights

-Packing space for chairs, tables, kids tents

-Ideally it would have its own fold-out canopy

 

I don't have a camping trailer but have had plenty of experience with trailers. Research then try for a recognised name; Buzzard for me, say but plenty good ones; some not so much.  Axle rating then chassis strength is key. Once you get it, service the wheel bearings and check all bolts, or have it done.  Always have a spare wheel and a set of bearings on a long trip. Er, always double check that the jockey wheel is securely up.

[Vetplant]

I don't have a camping trailer but have had plenty of experience with trailers. Research then try for a recognised name; Buzzard for me, say but plenty good ones; some not so much.  Axle rating then chassis strength is key. Once you get it, service the wheel bearings and check all bolts, or have it done.  Always have a spare wheel and a set of bearings on a long trip. Er, always double check that the jockey wheel is securely up.

 

Easter Weekend or last working day in December is always eye opening how many people with trailers stand on the side of the N1 highway with failed wheels/bearings.

 

The trailers stand in the car port for 11 months and people just load it and drive. These trailer wheels fail before they even depart GP due to the neglect. 

[Thug]

For off-road trailers have a look through the classifieds at 4x4 community. 

 

Some extremely knowledgeable folks over there.

 

https://www.4x4community.co.za/classifieds/showcat.php/cat/16

[The Ouzo]

I don't have a camping trailer but have had plenty of experience with trailers. Research then try for a recognised name; Buzzard for me, say but plenty good ones; some not so much.  Axle rating then chassis strength is key. Once you get it, service the wheel bearings and check all bolts, or have it done.  Always have a spare wheel and a set of bearings on a long trip. Er, always double check that the jockey wheel is securely up.

* Bearings - Learn how to take them off and regrease yourself and make sure the tools you need are part of your carry for trips. - Been there done that with a boat trailer. Its never nice when your trailer wheel overtakes the car.

 

* Jockey wheel - check, double check, tripple check each trip. If you can create a locking mechanism to keep it up incase the normal mechanism works loose.

[JJDT]

We did basic camping for years just with a normal Venter Trailer with tent, chairs, gas bottels, stretchers etc. We started off with a Coleman Cooler Box that keeps ice longer intact to have meat freezed for longer periods. It worked well untill we bought a camping freezer that uses 220v as we never went off grid to justify the 12v/gas units. The cooler was relegated to "Fridge" duties to have milk and cold drinks cold and some things that do not require a freezer.

Most of the stuff was kept in the trailer and the only thing that was added was clothes and food. The freezer would fit nicely in the rear of the Touran. We went camping for about 10days during Decemeber and never had any issues.

The benefit of regularly camping is that you decide what works for you. With time you will soon realise that most stuff that you carry extra is rarely used or never at all.

[Pure Savage]

Cool thread

[Pure Savage]

 

See did not get many shots of the van during the holiday, but we had 9 days on unheard of weather on the garden route.

 

 

Lake was like this every day of the holiday, my upper body was broken.

Edited April 20, 2021 by Pure Savage

[Bomberman]

What do you guys reckon is a reasonable budget for a camping trailer?

 

I like the idea of having a trailer fitted with everything, ready to go.

Not planning to go overlanding, mostly sites with 220V

 

My thinking on requirements:

-Bed(2 Adults)

-Fridge/freezer? (Powered from Camping site Mains?)

-Gas stove

-One battery for night time lights

-Packing space for chairs, tables, kids tents

-Ideally it would have its own fold-out canopy

This is my same thought, what I can see from the second hand marked around 50 000 - 70 000 should get you a really full setup. 

[Long Wheel Base]

What do you guys reckon is a reasonable budget for a camping trailer?

 

I like the idea of having a trailer fitted with everything, ready to go.

Not planning to go overlanding, mostly sites with 220V

 

My thinking on requirements:

-Bed(2 Adults)

-Fridge/freezer? (Powered from Camping site Mains?)

-Gas stove

-One battery for night time lights

-Packing space for chairs, tables, kids tents

-Ideally it would have its own fold-out canopy

I have not used these guys myself but I was interested at one stage and they were recommended to me by more than one guy. You can also rent from them, I believe.

https://www.gtoffroadtrailers.co.za/

[Vetplant]

I have not used these guys myself but I was interested at one stage and they were recommended to me by more than one guy. You can also rent from them, I believe.

https://www.gtoffroadtrailers.co.za/

Definitely going to do the Rental thing before I buy. Thanks

[Butterbean]

This Facebook group has very regular postings of used trailers... If that's what you're planning to go with...

 

The conqueror compact posted today is a winner - a little older but should have all the bells and whistles you're looking for....

 

https://m.facebook.com/groups/Kampwa/?paipv=0

[Stretched@Birth]

 

See did not get many shots of the van during the holiday, but we had 9 days on unheard of weather on the garden route.

 

 

Lake was like this every day of the holiday, my upper body was broken.

Which lake is this?  We spent many December holidays camping and boating on the Swartvlei, at Trails End caravan park.  I look at your photos and yearn for an early morning slalom ski on perfect water.  Alas, I ski'd for the first time in years on Easter Sunday, thank goodness Monday was a holiday as I needed the day to recover from stiff and sore muscles...

[The Ouzo]

Which lake is this?  We spent many December holidays camping and boating on the Swartvlei, at Trails End caravan park.  I look at your photos and yearn for an early morning slalom ski on perfect water.  Alas, I ski'd for the first time in years on Easter Sunday, thank goodness Monday was a holiday as I needed the day to recover from stiff and sore muscles...

yeah those shots of the boats on the perfect water at the crack of dawn stirs things up in me, but I'll probably be like you a not be able to walk for a few days if i were to ski now.

 

since this is a camping thread this story goes well here.

Many years ago as 2 families we did the garden route with caravans. To end it off we spent the last night up in JHB camping on the grounds of the boating club we belonged to. We ski'd that night until we could not safely see anymore and then woke up the next morning and were ski'ng again before sunrise.

Man how I long for those days. 

[Kranswurm]

Its been an interesting one, and i dont think that one solution fita everyone.

 

For us, i need my car to be a car during the week, as its a key part of the work i do. Adding a bunch of stuff with big roof racks and storage would null that.

 

Then, we live in a complex. So no garage to quickly take things off, hell, even going from flat to car park is a walk... So having the trailer packed and ready to go is amazing. We literally carry down clothing, food, and pillows. Everything else is packed.

 

We just this past weekend got roof racks for bike, as i dont want them on the trailer.

 

The trailer can be a haale but we decided early on that we wouldn't try to fill it to the brim, so packed its only 600kgs and is braked, so it tows like a dream...

 

I think there are so many 4x4 and overland okes who dislike trailers, and for good reason. But for us it works perfectly...

And this is travelling really light

 

On our way to Gcwihaba Caves and Tsodilo Hills via Kubu Island from the South.

 

Click on the pic to enlarge

Edited April 22, 2021 by Kranswurm

[Pure Savage]

Which lake is this? We spent many December holidays camping and boating on the Swartvlei, at Trails End caravan park. I look at your photos and yearn for an early morning slalom ski on perfect water. Alas, I ski'd for the first time in years on Easter Sunday, thank goodness Monday was a holiday as I needed the day to recover from stiff and sore muscles...

This is Island Lake, the one on the way to Hoekwil.

 

Was really Misty for about 3 days at the lake, lucky no other boats to hit while pottering around.

 

 

Another decent morning for a ski.

 

 

I thought after 11 days of skiing 3 times a day on the garden route I would have some muscles etc. Wrong. Went to ski on Zekoevlei and my arms abs back are still killing me

Edited April 28, 2021 by Pure Savage