Rise of the $100,000 camper trailer

Remember when a camper trailer was the next step up the social ladder from a tent?

It got you off the ground, above the snapping jaws, out of the ‘tents only’ camping area, and made you feel superior when you towed it, before resetting your sights on the next step up the family holiday ladder – an entry level pop-top caravan or hybrid camper.

If that’s your life’s plan, it’s time for a re-set, because thanks to COVID shortages, top-spec Australian-made camper trailers and their equivalents are now nudging $100,000 or more, with more price rises potentially to come before you can expect delivery in late 2023 or early 2024.

And don’t look to China for much relief, as they have their problems too, thanks to raw materials shortages, compounded by greatly increased international shipping costs.

The latest round of 2022 price increases further highlights the cost of getting off the ground on your next holiday, with some premium camper trailer models with 'Australia Made' stickers posting price increases of 20 per cent or more over the past two years.

For example, at Victoria’s recent Mornington Great Outdoor & 4x4 Expo, 2022-model Track Trailer Tvans were advertised between $66,940 (Tanami) and $99,460 (Murranji), with the second-from-top Tvan Zenith priced from $90,140 -- that's $13,420 more than the special 20th edition Zenith of 2019.

Then there was last year's fully loaded, 25th Anniversary Ultimate X25 tent trailer priced at $95,000; almost $40,000 more than the Ultimate X20 we looked at a few years earlier.

Bruder’s cheapest teardrop-style EXP-4 extreme off-road camper now costs $97,790; or close to $40,000 more than when it launched in 2019.

And the new Melbourne-built, go anywhere Geotrek Trek-XP camper trailer that boasts an innovative ensuite was priced at $79,500 in mid-spec form in late-2021, but that could prove to be a bargain when the more expensive, premium-spec XT model is set to arrive later this year.

Big-buck glamping trailers

Meanwhile, pricing for the Queensland-built Patriot X3 camper trailer now starts at $72,990 ($3000 up on 2021 prices), but a few desirable options like lithium batteries, fridge, bbq, etc, will push it closer to six figures.

That's also the case for other premium Aussie campers – the Mountain Trail EDX, OffLine Campers Raker, BRS Sherpa, Kimberley Kamper Platinum, Terratrek TTE – which currently start around the $60-70K mark, but are likely to go higher if expected price increases from suppliers during 2022/23 are factored in.

Then there are the imports. With top-line Chinese-sourced canvas-topped campers like MDC’s new Robson XTT Double Fold camper trailer with its diesel heater and external ensuite and Stoney Creek’s latest Gen 2 models priced under $40,000, and even 12ft full-height Chinese hybrid caravans caravans below $60,000 despite retail prices doubling in the past four years, it makes you re-evaluate your holiday options...

Demand driving prices

So what else is pushing tent trailer prices into off-road caravan territory?

Eagle Outdoor’s Marketing Manager, Emma Pitt, said demand for upper-spec Ultimate campers like the X25 has increased in the wake of COVID restrictions.

She said saved money from cancelled overseas trips and the availability of cheap finance had both been major drivers of the trend.

”We announced the X25 model in March last year and all 25 examples had been built and sold by December,” she said.

“Demand for Australian-built camper trailers has been especially high during COVID times because of short supply, while without lockdowns, imports were readily available."

In contrast to most of the local industry, Ultimate prices haven’t risen, although the cost of some options had because of cost increases by their suppliers. Demand across the whole range had seen deliveries often pushed out to late 2022, she said.

Running out of time, not money

Track Trailer’s Marketing and Distribution Operations Manager Lloyd Waldron, said its recent price increases of Tvan and T4 Hybrid vans had been driven by the cost and scarcity of third party components that have led to extended build times.

"Around one third of a Tvan is metal, be it steel or aluminium, so when the cost of these materials increase, it's passed on to us,” he said.

Buyers running out of patience after two lost COVID years are also prepared to pay up for their dream Aussie-built camper.

“We have noticed a lot of people entering the camper trailer market and for some it’s a matter of the ‘ticking clock’... it’s now or never," he said.

They're also more willing to pay for the security of not breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

"Many buyers are prepared to pay more for a high quality product, rather than risk a failure that could ruin their delayed holiday," Waldron said.