The ultimate camper trailer touring setup guide

The ultimate camper trailer touring setup guide

Whether you are new to the world off camper trailers or a well-versed veteran, there are plenty of tips and tricks to streamline the setup. With many of the top holiday destinations being spread across Australia, it can take many hours or even days to reach them. The last thing that you will want to be doing when you arrive is setting up your camper trailer, especially when you are feeling exhausted.

Heading off with your camper trailer is supposed to be the start of a relaxing getaway. So, start as you mean to go on and use our awesome top tips in our ultimate camper trailer touring setup guide for a stress-free and relaxing camper trailer holiday.

5 Tips to Maximise Camper Trailer Comfort

Owning a camper trailer offers you freedom and comfort as you tour Australia. As with everything in life, there are a few little tips and tricks that you can utilise to further increase your comfort. Whether it’s maintaining perfect humidity or keeping pesky bugs at bay, our top five tips to maximise camper trailer comfort will have you covered.

1. Instant closing screens

Keeping flies, mozzies and moths out of your camper trailer is as easy as fitting a magnetic strip mesh screen to your camper trailer opening. These screens have weighted bottoms and two magnetic strips that automatically lock shut after they have been opened. One strap is attached to the side of the mesh screen with the other being attached to the trailer tent material. The magnets are strong enough to hold the mesh screen in place while allowing you to walk through it with ease.

2. Maintaining humidity

If you want to keep the humidity levels down and your body temperature up on cool evenings, then you can use the interior part of an old tent. This is placed over the bed and will also keep biting insects away from you. Another great thing about using the interior part of an old tent is that it reduces the amount of condensation inside the camper trailer. Typically made from a lightweight cotton fabric, these tent interiors fold up nice and small and can be left on the bed when you close down your camper trailer.

3. Keeping cool

To help keep your camper trailer cool during the hottest months of the year, you can use an old gazebo as a heat repellent roof. You don’t need to carry a particularly large gazebo, and many of them are lightweight with hollow frames. Simply place the gazebo so that there is a gap of approximately 20 cm above the roof of your camper trailer. The gap in between the two prevents the heat from the sun reach in the camper trailer roof, thus keeping the temperature cooler inside.

4. Stepping up

Depending on the make and model of the camper trailer and the mobility level of the people using it, a small step can make a big difference. A medium-sized plastic storage container can be upturned and used as a step into the camper trailer. This storage container can also double up for transporting your camper trailer gear. Two house bricks and a solid plank of wood also work well for creating an easy to assemble makeshift step.

5. Drying off

There is nothing more annoying than having to carry dirty and wet laundry with you while touring Australia. If the weather is not on your side and you need to dry your clothes, all is not lost. Attaching eye bolts on the top of each end of the awning poles allows you to string up a washing line. This lets you dry your clothes undercover when it’s raining and if you have clear sides to your awning, it can speed up the process when the sun is out.

5 Tips to Maximise Camper Trailer Storage Space

When touring Australia in your camper trailer, you will undoubtedly be carrying more than your fair share of accessories and gear. To help you maximise the space available to you on your rig; we have put together our five top tips for maximising camper trailer storage space.

1. Under the bed

The bed in the camper trailer is often overlooked as being a place to store various different bits of gear. To take advantage of this space, purchase PVC pipes in different widths and attach them to the underside of the bed with brackets. These pipes are the perfect place to store tent poles, fishing rods, brooms and parasols. If you have a bed that stays firmly in position, sturdy plastic containers can carry your clothing, bedding and towels.

2. Backpack on the wheel

An old backpack attached to the holder of the spare wheel at the back of your camper trailer can double up as a bin. The fact that backpacks have zips means that you can zip it shut to keep flies and wasps away. It also saves you space by eliminating the need to have a rubbish bin located inside the camper trailer. Simply adjust the backpack straps and place a strap each side of the spare wheel and then tighten them.

3. Pots and pans

Every seasoned camper trailer owner carries a large selection of pots and pans. The great thing about pots and pans is that they have plenty of storage space inside of them. Use larger pots to store dishes, bowls and cutlery and smaller pots for carrying fragile food items such as eggs and tomatoes. Even the space inside cups and mugs can be used for carrying dishcloths and sponges.

4. Kitchen organiser

A shoe caddy is the perfect space saver and organiser for the kitchen area. Instead of shoes, you can place all of your herbs and spices, bags of pasta and rice, and large cooking utensils in the pockets. This keeps surface spaces free from debris and makes everything easy to reach. You can even place your spices and seasonings in small ziplock bags to get rid of the bulky containers that they come in.

5. Under the trailer

Fit a couple of poly tubes on the underside of your camper trailer. Using locking caps, these poly tubes are perfect for carrying awning poles, a TV aerial, fishing rods, torches or anything else that will fit in them. You can also place a small door on your chassis rail to create a concealed compartment for keeping fishing gear inside of.

5 Tips to Maximise Camper Trailer Safety

Whether you’re at home or on the other side of Australia, safety is always at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Our top five tips for maximising camper trailer safety will help minimise the risk of accidents occurring. These are designed to help make things as safe as possible both during the day and at night.

1. Light It Up

Guy ropes can become a menace at night. As the sun sets and visibility begins to fade, guy ropes lie in wait ready to trip you up. You can purchase rope markers that glow in the dark to help you see exactly where the ropes are. They absorb the UV rays from the sun during the day to provide up to 8 hours of light during the evening. It’s as simple as sliding them on to the ropes but it will provide you with clear warnings of where not to step.

2. Be prepared for storms

Modern camper trailers are designed to be extremely strong. However, it doesn’t hurt to add a little bit more reinforcement to your awning poles. This is as easy as adding a couple of hose clamps to each awning pole. Position 1 above the wingnut and one below. This prevents the poles from slipping and becoming damaged during periods of strong winds. Simply place them on the poles, tighten the screw and you’re good to go.

3. Easy unzipping

If you are travelling with children for those with limited mobility, you can make zipping the trailer tent easy for all. All it takes is a long bit of string tied through the zipper eye. On the free end, you can tie a fishing weight to prevent it from flapping around or getting stuck on the roof of the trailer camper. Then all it takes is a gentle pull on the string to pull the zipper down.

4. Night vision

Another great tip for your camper trailer during the evening is to use glow in the dark tape strips. These can be placed around the camper trailer doors, along with the floor space and on any steps or sharp corners. The glow in the dark tape needs a little bit of natural light during the day to charge it up and will provide a soft and gentle glow until the morning. This is a great way to navigate your camper trailer in the middle of the night without disturbing anybody else.

5. Level up

Sometimes, it can be difficult to find a place to park your camper trailer on a level surface. For this, you can purchase levellers that you place under the wheels. If you find yourself on an incline, the levellers can help keep the trailer perfectly level and stable, preventing things from sliding around in your trailer camper.

We hope that these tips will help you make the most of your trailer camper while touring Australia. While not every make and model of trailer camper will require these, they are useful tricks for various types of situation that can reduce stress improve your enjoyment.