Camp In Comfort Journeyman

WHAT WE LIKED
>> Domestic height galley
>> Well engineered all round
>> Absolute quality throughout

NOT SO MUCH
>> Seat bottoms lack contouring for comfort

The general build quality of the Queensland-built Journeyman places it well above the ‘not another camper trailer’ status into one that’s best quantified as a ‘head turner’.

Its design has been really well thought out and those thoughts put into an engineering process that has resulted in a trailer that will brush shoulders with the best of them at any of the caravan and camping shows.

Where it might fall behind in comparison is in the price department, which is not necessarily a bad thing as it presents with plenty of ‘bang for the buck’.

GLASSY DESIGN

The internal design of the Journeyman is very modular, flat and square in shape with the specific purpose of being capable of collapsing into a low profile lot that results in a similarly low profile, packed trailer ready to tow. The modules are manufactured predominantly of fibreglass.

Step inside and the U-shaped, two person dining suite is the first fibreglass module you’ll see. Located against the offside of the trailer, it has nicely-finished, personal lidded compartments for each of the seats which lie opposite each other.

I could imagine reading glasses, writing utensils and the like living in here permanently and with the compartment lids closed they make an ideal arm rest.

The seat backs have stainless steel frames which hinge so that they fold flat when ready to pack down the tent top.

And should you wish to use the area as a sitting lounge, the large table top can be folded up and locked against the tent top poles.

Also, underneath one seat is a portable toilet and the other seat has an external box for a set of drawers.

SMACKS OF QUALITY

One thing you notice on further investigation of this trailer is the quality. There are no rubbish hinges or crappy catches. Any part that swings or locks shut has purpose crafted stainless steel hinges and custom built catches.

The afore-mentioned drawers are sheet metal with heavy duty roller slide kits. Really, quality just does not get any better than this.

The galley has a base box fixed to the floor, which houses a large pan draw (something you struggle to find in some home kitchens) and a rebate in its top so items don’t fall out.

A crockery (do they use crockery in off road trailers?) unit opens to its front and items sitting on their edges easily slide in and out. This is handy as stacking items on top of each other gobbles up valuable storage space in caravan and camping kitchens.

There’s also a cupboard face here, loaded with the switchgear for lighting and the necessary voltage gauge. It opens to reveal neat and simple-to-follow wiring looms and the associated fuse blocks.

The galley top packs away by resting on the floor between the permanent base and the opposite dining suite, hinged on a pair of stainless steel arms.

When lifted it’s pinned against the nearside wall offering a home kitchen-like bench height of 900mm. It’s at this point you have to remind yourself you’re standing in a smallish camper trailer with a full dining room and kitchen and not outside in the elements like your neighbouring camper trailer users might be!

Flush mounted in this galley top is a single bowl sink and drainer and a two burner cooker with slide out griller sits rebated at bench top level when packed away.

The cutlery drawer pulls out from the face of this unit and once again, is metal in construction for durability.

ROOM TO SLEEP

The full double bed sits in part over the forward section of the main trailer box and the rest of the bed base is the fold out trailer hard top once it’s been opened.

That forward section of the trailer box has an aperture that holds the fridge/freezer that rolls out to provide easy access for those preparing food at the galley, as well as others reaching in through the door for a cold drink when outside under the awning.

To give more internal volume under the canvas an ingenious frame swings into place and adjusts up for sidewall tension while spacers push the roof tight.

The front and end walls are vertical and have a lot of height so once inside the deception of being in a very large camper trailer or caravan is complete.

While this frame system might take a few more minutes to fully erect than the average camper trailer, the increased space offered will be worth the small amount of extra effort expended.

The 12oz canvas tent sides feature windows with quality insect mesh and zip up flaps that act as awnings if required. The tent roof is constructed from 15oz canvas.

MORE CLEVER STUFF

The internal engineering feats performed inside of the Journeyman, pale into insignificance in comparison to the outside. If you have just a tad of engineering know-how in your genes you will be like a kid at a cup cake stand when you get down to the nitty gritty here; you won’t know where to start. We’ll try.

The main body chassis is galvanised heavy duty RHS steel and at strategic points the box section is mounted down onto it, buffered by rubber spacers.

Tucked up under the floor is a quality stainless steel water tank with a large bung for flushing if required.

The suspension consists of a pair of swinging trailing arms loaded with air bags and shock absorbers with electric drum brakes. No shortcuts in the tyre department either, with Cooper Discoverer A/T rubber fitted to the rims.

The fibreglass external body has plenty of contour in the mouldings to give it a good amount of rigidity, and there are a couple of access doors behind which tools and the like may be stored.

Hung off the back of the trailer are two lockable battery boxes constructed of checker plate aluminium, one each side of the spare wheel. This wheel is bolted to a frame that hinges down when unlocked so the tyre will slide off rather than be lifted hence avoiding any back strain.

When the tyre is locked in position for travelling its release bolt from the host frame is not accessible to would-be thieves.

Many camper manufacturers store annexe poles in PVC tubes, but Camp In Comfort put theirs in a lockable rack on the hard top. Invariably extendable poles collect water that cannot dissipate in an enclosed environment so the roof is a best place for these.

How come these guys thought of this? To our knowledge, no-one else has.

The extendable drawbar has three modules fixed to it. One is fibreglass and has a lid on its top for accessing the same EvaKool fridge located from the inside prior to the tent top being erected.

Another unit constructed of checkerplate aluminium has two doors for easier stowage and stacking and better access to gear when trying to retrieve it.

On the opposite side another box holds a portable gas cooker so you can have a cuppa on the run without having to lift the tent tip to access the kitchen.

The door on this box has a unique sliding rail set that allows it to be accessed when the tent top is deployed.

In front of these three boxes is a pair of 4kg gas bottles and a strut that supports the hard top once it’s deployed to utilise the bed inside.

A unique (yes, yet another engineering feat) design on the drawbar is a separate stem on which the jockey wheel is not only fitted to alleviate clutter on the main drawbar stem, but allows the latter to be extended in or out to suit various tow vehicle rear door lengths when they’re opened. (Do these guys sleep at night or sit on a drafting board!)

And don’t you just hate it when you knock your elbow against some of the clutter at the front of the camper while trying to apply the park brake! Not anymore. This brake lever pulls out forward to apply the brake rather than up and back. End result; more leverage and less strain on the shoulders and arms.

Throw in an external jerry can holder, air bag inflation valves so you can level the camper if required either for towing or sleeping and a host of other things that no one else seems to think of and you have the Journeyman from Camp In Comfort.

Oh, I forgot to mention the eye catching folding step that would do any boilermaker proud!

VERDICT

This trailer comes in at a price above the average but as we mentioned, there’s nothing average about the Journeyman.

While we might turn our motor vehicles over every few years, this is the type of trailer that you hang onto for many more of fun and recreational pleasure.

A sudden family might throw a spanner in the works (did we mention the full tool kit supplied?) but there’s ample awning space to make a home for a few more bodies if required.

Yes, this one’s a head turner and the excellence in design will make it spin.

CAMP IN COMFORT JOURNEYMAN

Overall length: 4.35m              
External width: 1.85m        
Internal height: 2.05m and 1.65m       
Nameplate tare: 735 kg
Nameplate ATM: 1060 kg
Ball weight: 95 kg              
Cooktop: Lido Junior M two burner with griller tray                       
Fridge: EvaKool                     
Gas: 2 x 4 kg                           
Freshwater: 85 litre standard with option of further 40 litre             
Suspension: independent swinging arm with airbag and shock absorbers
Price: $44,450
Supplied by: Camp in Comfort, Wynnum Plaza, Queensland