Armadillo buys Customline

Two members of the Australian Manufactured Camper Trailers Guild have become one, with Armadillo Campers recently acquiring fellow Queensland manufacturer Customline.

The previously rival tent trailer brands made their first public appearance together at the Queensland Caravan & Camping Show at Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds, where three campers (two Customline and one Armadillo) were displayed.

Maz McKendrick, who has run Armadillo Campers with her husband Troy for the past six years, said Customline did not go bust and that owner Ian Taylor simply wanted to get out of the business because “they don’t have the passion and enthusiasm any more, which we do”.

Taylor ran Customline for around eight years after purchasing it from a canvas maker who ran it from his backyard from the late-1990s.

After substantially expanding the business to five models, he recently offered the business for sale to the 25 other members of the Camper Trailer Guild.

McKendrick said the timing was perfect as the couple was looking to expand its model range.

“It was an opportunity that presented itself at the perfect time. We just sold our transport company, one door closes another one opens, as they say,” she said.

She said it “saves money and time” to not have to develop new models themselves. “Now we’re four years ahead of ourselves.”

The budget-priced Customline range was also a perfect fit, with on- and off-road campers ranging in price from $9000 to $21,000 slotting in neatly under the the solitary, top-spec, off-road Armadillo Arma-X model, priced from $27,990.

McKendrick said it was important Customline had similar quality standards to Armadillo, including a mandatory Engineering Compliance certificate required of all Guild members.

“It’s a consumer safety net, we have to be what we say we are,” she said. “We’re audited every two years by the Guild by an engineer we don’t though, and it’s about safety because there’s a lot of (camper trailers) out on the road that aren’t safe, because there’s no regulations for (tent trailers).

“There are regulations for caravans and cars, but not for these… They’re (potentially) a one tonne missile at 110 clicks!”

Customline’s use of locally-made componentry including high-quality canvas was also vital.

“(Our customers) are looking for Australian quality because in this country as you know the UV is the harshest thing. You want Aussie canvas and you want a camper that’s built by Aussies because it’s used here,” she said.

The Customline name will be retained but production of all models will soon be moved to a new factory, possibly located between Armadillo’s current factory at Arundel on the Gold Coast, and Customline’s facility in Beenleigh near Brisbane.

“Both names are well known and everybody knows they’re a well-made camper trailer so it’s really just two names coming together under the one roof,” she said.