Cape York Wedge Explorer

Cairns-based camper trailer manufacturer Cape York builds a tough, reliable product, but the brand was little known until it was ‘discovered’ by experienced business and marketing consultant Rob Fraser, owner of OzRoamer.

Keen traveller Fraser and the team at Cape York decided they could do business together. Now Cape York builds camper trailers, and Fraser distributes them through OzRoamer. OzRoamer also operates a hire service so people can ‘try before they buy’.

One of its latest products is the Wedge Explorer, so named because of its Tare weight of around 835kg. It’s aimed at owners of soft-roaders, including such vehicles as the Subaru Outback.

The first thing that struck us about the Wedge was the striking blue of the trailer body and the polished alloy doors of the front storage box. It made a nice little change from the galvanised grey of which we’ve seen a bit lately!

The hot-dipped galvanised chassis is built from 3in x 2in (75mm x 50mm) RHS steel, and it rides on independent trailing arm suspension fitted with coil springs and Pedders Foam Cell shock absorbers.

For the 15in x 7in alloy wheels, 60mm stub axles and 3300kg parallel bearings are used while 12in electric brakes are fitted.

The drawbar uses 4in x 2in (100mm x 50mm) RHS steel. Up front is an offroad AT35 coupling, ratchet handbrake, jockey wheel, and handy bracket to store the electrical plug and alloy storage box.

Designed to take a fridge easily, the box has doors on both sides and is lined with marine carpet. Fraser recommends the eutectic Autofridge. Eutectic-style fridges have a refrigeration cycle that is well suited to camper trailer users.

The Wedge drawbar has a fairly clean look about it: the 4kg gas cylinder and jerry can holder are hidden between the storage box and camper trailer body and a polished aluminium checkerplate is fitted to three sides of the storage box and the front part of the trailer body.

The lightweight trailer body is built from 3mm alloy and there’s the usual tailgate to access the trailer when it is folded up. Recessed LED tail lights are fitted and dust is kept out by pinchweld rubber seals. The top of the trailer is 3mm alloy, but the frame for the floor base is made from stainless steel.

Most spare wheels are either mounted underneath the trailer or on the draw bar, but Cape York has fitted a hinged bracket on the rear, which swings out of the way quite easily when setting up the tent.

The canvas work on their camper trailers is something that most manufacturers seem to do well. Cape York is no exception, in fact Fraser says it specifies a “double loop sewn method” for extra strength.

The Wedge has very large windows all round, and all bedroom windows and the nearside ‘tent’ window have internal canvas blinds. The generous awning covers both the front and nearside areas.

THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS

Being a rear-fold camper, set up time is minimal. With the trailer top unclipped, it folds over very easily, assisted by a small but clever piece of engineering: a cantilevered lift. This operates in conjunction with the gas struts.

The awning can be left on the trailer when it’s packed up, so it does not take too long to set up. Another little innovation is the small step that fits into sockets at the nearside rear of the trailer, which enables most people to reach the highest part of the awning.

When set up, the hard floor area measures 7ft 5in x 6ft (2.25m x 1.84m) and has height-adjustable legs. Cape York gets a big tick for supplying decent guy ropes that have both a spring tensioner and a runner that is easy to grab hold of and use.

The all-stainless steel kitchen slides easily into position after you have released the secondary catch – a built-in function to prevent a serious mishap.

Fitted-out with a Smev three-burner cooktop (no grill) and sink (no drainer), the bench also has two drawers and a large fold-out shelf/table.

Unlike other designs, the cooktop and sink face the front of the trailer, placing them in the same operating area as the fridge. The fold-out shelf is definitely a plus.

The 110mm queen mattress occupies most of the lined trailer area. It sits on a reasonably waterproof ply timber base, also lined with marine carpet, with a bit of space on either side for nighttime essentials. Under the bed, which lifts easily, is a spacious, lined storage area.

A single gooseneck reading light is supplied (two are available), which appears as an economic design, but is likely quite practical.

The 12V power is supplied by two 100 amp hour deep-cycle batteries stored in a compartment under the underbed storage area. The battery charger is in the front storage box. Three lights are supplied, one above the kitchen, a bed reading light and a Col fluorescent light inside the tent.

A point of note is that all the electrical cables are run in protective flexible conduit and both those and the water pipes are all neatly strapped up.

It is little points like these that make all the difference when choosing a camper trailer.

SUMMING UP

The Wedge has several clever items that set it apart from a few of its competitors. Soft-roader owners looking for a quality camper trailer, consider the Wedge.

For more on the Cape York Wedge Explorer, call OzRoamer on (02) 9872 6300 or visit www.ozroamer.com.au.

Nameplate Tare weight:       770kg

Advised ATM:            1600kg

Advised ball weight:  60kg

Price as reviewed plus o/r:    $28,390

GOOD POINTS:

Guy ropes with spring tensioner

and easy-to-use runner

Large fold-out kitchen shelf

Attention to safety detail

NOT SO GOOD:

Overall look may not suit everyone