Rick Huckstepp•2 Mar 2017

REVIEW

Condamine Camper

Torn between a caravan and camper trailer? This new Brisbane-built family hybrid could be the answer

Hard floor camper trailers are great for a bush adventure but if you want to take the kids, at least one person will end up on ground level either swagging it or on a camp stretcher in the extended tent.

Travelling in the wild there’s also the hassle of having to supervise youngsters answering the call of nature during the dark hours. A kid wandering around in the dark in the tropics conjures up all sorts of potential dramas…

These are just two of the issues that confront bush campers who prefer to be comfortable while elevated from all things crawling, night and day.

The proprietors of Condamine Campers have drawn on their backgrounds in boat building, surveying and computer software programming to come up with a clever solution for families that want to rough it but without sacrificing too much in the way of comforts and conveniences…

Half caravan, half camper

The four-berth Hybrid has a Tare weight of 1400kg and an ATM of 2000kg so will comfortably tow behind popular mid size 4WDs like the Prado and Pajero as well as dual cab utes.

The chassis system consists of one-piece side rails and a drawbar in hot dipped galvanised 150 x 50 x 3mm rectangular section with a mix of 150 and 100mm cross sections.

The bends where the drawbar meets the chassis frame are double fish-plated for increased strength and the main floor is aluminium to prevent water penetrating from the underside.

A 125 litre poly water tank is suspended between the chassis rails high up and to the rear of the axle centre line.

Stabilising struts drop down rather than swing down as we normally see on trailers, and this gives extra ground clearance in the corners when traversing the rough stuff.

The drawbar has been deliberately left bare so that tail gates of tow vehicles can be lowered without damage to their skin from projections above the drawbar. Hitchmaster’s proven DO35 hitch is fitted along with the Cruisemaster XT Coil suspension from the same company.

Sitting at the front of the main superstructure is an odd looking storage box with an inward sloping front side, designed to deflect projectiles coming off the tow vehicle, downwards.

This lockable compartment is home to a Webasto diesel heater and its supply tank, a pair of jerry cans and two 4kg gas bottles. For legal and safety reasons the compartment housing the jerry cans and gas bottles has no bottom, while the diesel heater has floor and wall protection to ward off dust and dampness.

Power operated pop-top

The pop-top roof has four lock-down catches and with those undone a key fob actuates the worm drives in each corner, lifting the roof until the canvas bellows pull tight.

This is a slow affair so while the roof is rising there’s enough time to unlock the rear fold-down door to form part of the raised hard floor. A bi-folding section also opens to complete the full length of this section then support rails inside are brought into play to pull the side and rear canvas walls taut.

This rear section has a tropical roof that can be pulled into place and its single rope staked to the ground.

The offside wall of the main body has a large hatch that opens to reveal a couple of large storage compartments. From the top of one of those voids the floor of the bathroom removes from its slide and instals on the side of body below an opening three quarter-door supported by struts.

You then swing the door open to reveal the cassette toilet with rotating bowl hung on the inside. The floor is perforated to allow water to escape after the bathroom awning is hooked into place and the hot and cold water with shower rose put to good use.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of setting up the external bathroom, the toilet can be used inside with the door shut and the aperture above the three-quarter door screened off with mesh or solid canvas.

Keep dry in the kitchen

The outside kitchen on the nearside can be sheltered by a large awning which attaches to the roof before it’s raised. The kitchen access hatch is massive with large water and dust-proofing rubber seals all round and there is some shelter for an overnight stop when you prefer to leave the awning in its bag.

The stainless steel kitchen slides out and is supported by struts. There’s a utensil drawer and a flip-over lid on top of the Smev three-burner cooker and sink that provides food preparation bench space. An overhead LED light connects to the bench top for the dark hours.

Three large, sliding condiment and utensil drawers also service the kitchen, with one featuring a closing lid that provides more bench space close to the cooker and sink.

A 65 litre portable Waeco fridge sits on a pull-out/drop-down frame and above this in the body of the trailer are the electronics and monitoring screens.

A double plastic step is provided for easier access inside but a bigger one might be required as ground clearance on this trailer is substantial. Either that or a hand-rail of sorts as constantly grabbing at the door jamb will be detrimental to the cabling and canvas edges located there.

However, it’s good to see the three quarter height, entrance door has a roll down screen and solid canvas to seal off the inside when the roof is erected.

Once inside the queen pillow top mattress sits up high to the left, over the top of the kitchen area with a pair of cupboards for clothes at the front. The diesel heater outlet vents are located here as well.

Adult-sized double bunks can be set up on the hard floor with an access aisle in between. Big and roomy is the best way to describe the sleeping quarters here.

We liked:

>> Spare room floor well off the ground

>> Tough off road chassis and suspension

>> Option of having quick set-up toilet and privacy with added floor and tent for extended stays

Not so much:

>> Needs higher steps to get inside

>> No grab handle around door

>> Extra half hour set-up in the heat of the large awning!

Verdict

Priced at the
pointy end of the Australian camper trailer market, this Queensland-built hybrid camper is really aimed at families who like to head out for more than the annual two to three week jaunt.

It also lends itself to semi-permanent travel and will find favour with those looking for a quality, heavy-duty off road camper that has the comforts and storage space to survive remote living with the kids in tow.

On the downside, the prospect of a half hour extra set-up time in the heat of the large awning is off-putting but Condamine is already responding to feedback and plans to introduce some changes on future models.

2017 Condamine Camper

Overall length: 6000mm

Internal body length: 1980mm (rear room)

External body width: 1880mm

Internal height: 2050mm (with roof up)

Travel height: 2150mm

Tare: 1400kg

ATM: 2000kg

Ball weight: 150kg

Body/frame: Aluminium/fibreglass composite panel, monocoque construction

Chassis: 150 x 50 x 3mm drawbar and side rails/150 and 100mm cross members

Wheels/tyre: 17in CSA alloys/General Grabber AT2 (with two spares)

Brakes: 12in electric

Cooking: Smev three-burner gas

Fridge/freezer: Waeco CFX65 65 litre

Toilet: Integrated flush toilet

Shower: Integrated with constant hot water

Air-con: Optional

Central heating: Webasto diesel heater

Gas: 2 x 4kg
Fresh water: 125L

Lighting: LED

Batteries: 3 x 100Ah deep cycle

Solar: 2 x 200W panels

Price: $64,990 (drive-away Qld)

Supplied by: Condamine Campers, Brisbane, Queensland

Condamine Camper

Tags