Tambo Omeo

WHAT WE LIKED

• Storage for large items
• Sturdy construction
 
NOT SO MUCH

• No 12V pump
• Limited standard lighting

It’s not unusual to read about Tambo campers that have gone around Australia. In one case a Tambo rolled several times, yet remained relatively unscathed. That must be the ultimate test for any offroad camper, proving the marque’s mettle better than any expert opinion.

Keith at Tambo says that the new Omeo design is a direct result of customer feedback.

“We’ve been asked many times to develop a walk-up style camper with outside lockers and heaps of living and storage space,” he said. “When we pressed our customers it became apparent that they wanted to spend a maximum of $20,000. We gave this challenge to our friendly engineer who refined a design we started in 2005.

“The end result was the Omeo. It builds on the proven robust and reliable performance of the Cooper camper and adds secure organised storage lockers down the side of the trailer plus a walkway for easy bed access.”

The front walkway idea, also utilised by Complete Campsite trailers, is an elegant design allowing north-south entry to the bed in a side-fold camper. It also makes for a tent that’s a metre wider and provides significantly more storage than your average box trailer.

What’s nifty about Tambo’s take on the idea is that, without sacrificing quality, the company has produced a beautiful machine for less than $19,000 with everything you need, and nothing you don’t.

The guts of the Omeo, a heavy-duty 50x50mm steel chassis with a long drawbar, are made with DuraGal. The camper body is made from zincanneal steel, coated in ‘easy to touch up’ enamel.

Offroad electric brakes are standard, and necessary as the Tare weight is 920kg. With a nine-leaf rebound spring suspension system, the trailer’s ATM is 1500kg, giving you almost 600kg of payload.

SMART STORAGE

All of that capacity isn’t wasted, nor is opening the camper required for access. You can get to all of the storage pretty quickly inside or outside the camper.

Up the front is a large steel toolbox, which is great for mucky stuff. The walk-up area is good for throwing bulky or long items like coolers and hi-lift jacks – basically, temporary storage.

But our favourite part on this camper is the large storage bay under the bed, accessed secondarily by twin doors on either side of the camper. It’s large enough for several swags, and perhaps a bicycle, though we didn’t try fitting one.

One of the trade-offs of buying a higher-end camper these days seems to be the loss of a ‘bulk’ storage area; somewhere perfect for larger, bulkier items. We like that the Omeo gives the best of both worlds, with plenty of smaller lockers around the outside of the camper, bolstered by the storage bay and a huge roll-out drawer next to the kitchen in the rear of the camper.

Powder-coated and installed on heavy rollers, so that it can easily carry its own weight and all of your gear, it rolls out next to the powder-coated kitchen.

The kitchen impresses too, with a large pantry with locking door next to a drawer and space for a Lido stove (optional, because who doesn’t already have a stove?), and a long stainless-steel extension. The sink is a simple tub and Trojan hand pump.

Both the water and gas lines connect to the kitchen via certified quick connections. An 85L water tank feeds the hand pump and there are three jerry can holders up front for further liquid storage.

SUMMING UP

Everything on the Omeo is built right, using the right materials. There are a few things that ‘would be nice’ on a camper made to this standard, like 12V water pump or more lighting straight from the factory, but we like the fact that we’re getting good value for money from this camper.

It has heavy-duty materials, quality fittings and design ideas that work, and it’s nice to know that you’re supporting an Australian builder who builds every camper by hand in a Melbourne factory.

Most of all, it’s nice to know that, should we roll this thing in some hairy accident on an outback road, we have a good chance of rolling it back over and carrying on.

Tambo Campers is located at 2 Woodbine Court, Wantirna South VIC 3152. Ph: (03) 9801 9222. Website: tambocampers.com.au