Vicki & Alf’s Camplet

    Like most of us we started off with tents. Firstly small pup tents & then a four man dome tent which we used for the two of us. We still have our dome tent & will probably use it when the camper trailer does not suit.

    We took around 12 – 18 months of searching before we settled on the Camplet. There were a lot of visits to camping shows and surfing the web. The CamperTrailers Yahoo Group was a great help as I could ask questions of others who had already been down the track that we were on.

    Our vehicle is a Kia Rio 1.5 lt. This vehicle is limited with its towing weight and ball weight. We contemplated small caravans but found none which suited our needs. Having been tent campers we enjoyed the idea of having canvas around us. This narrowed down our choice to a CT. The next question was which one. Unfortunately or fortunately there are not many lightweight CTs around. This narrowed our choices even further.

    In February we decided on the Camplet Concorde. Value for money this unit is a real winner, the body is made from fibreglass and is water and dustproof. It has two queen size beds, one of which can be converted into a lounge. Between the beds there is a wardrobe. The tailgate swings out to become the kitchen. The kitchen has a three burner gas stove with a pantry beneath. There is a sink with a tap which has a 12v pump to supply water from a 10 ltr water bottle. There is also storage under the sink.

    In September we headed off on our first extended trip. We had already used it locally & were happy with the results. This trip was to Mildura via Deniliquin (1 night) & Swan Hill (2nights). Our stay in Swan Hill was at Pental Island which was a lovely spot on the banks of the Murray. Pental Island is very quiet & friendly. We then spent 8 nights at Mildura for the country music festival before heading home to Yass stopping at Darlington Point for 1 night.

    The Camplet exceeded our expectations & was far easier than lugging the tent around. We now have more comfort & room both in the car & the camper. The Camplet is good to tow. As stated earlier I only have a 1.5 lt Kia Rio & I did not know that the CT was there. We are not into serious off roading so the Camplet suits us. I would not be too concerned taking it on dirt roads as I already done this at Wee Jasper.

    We had the usual teething problems but once into a routine it did not take us long to set up/pack up. We were certainly quicker than some other CT owners that we saw. We even saw groups of 4-5 people trying to pack up some CTs. Whether this was being unfamiliar with there CT or whatever I am not sure.

    Once we got home we unpacked & then repacked for our next weekend away which occurred a few weekends later.

    Some people would find some of the features of the Camplet to be a bit quirky. I.e. there is a separate floor, a draught excluder to fit and curtains to hang. However having previously used a tent for camping we did not find the separate floor much of a hassle. We bought some of those compressed foam floor panels which we laid down when having an extended stay.

    The curtains can stay in place once they have been installed. They make a nice touch by making the tent section more homely & give added privacy.

    We bought a canvas cover for the trailer & this allows us to leave the draft excluder attached to the luggage rack. When setting up it is only a matter of connecting the push studs. This takes less than a minute. From the design I do not think that it would be possible to have the floor sewn in.

    We have not had any problems with creepy crawlies or joe blakes although it could be a problem. This could & does also occur in a tent & I presume other brands of CTs. We have even had a snake in our house which came in with some wood. There is a skirt around the tent section which lays flat onto the ground & this helps to deter
any unwelcome guests.

    We carry a fold down table, fold down chairs, Gas bottles & some clothing in the CT. Other light items such as bags of clothes go onto the luggage rack. We have an Eva Cool ice box which we put on the back seat & secure with seat belts. Other items fit in the boot.

    Going to/from Mildura we only stayed in any one place for 1-2 nights & we had no problems with packing/ unpacking. It was certainly quicker & easier than a tent.

    Beside the canvas cover we have a spare wheel & holder which is mounted under the CT. We intend to buy a sun awning in the near future.

    There is a gas strut kit available and we intend to fit this in the near future. This will make opening and closing the unit easier.

    The Camplet can be wired for 240V, we only use a 12V 8W fluoro for lighting & it seems to do the trick. At the moment will stick to the 12V lighting as we both like the idea of being self sufficient when camping.

    When the Camplet is set up there is 18 square metres of living space. Most people are amazed at how large the unit is and how small it is to tow.

    The Camplet Concorde usually comes with 10” wheels. Ours however has 13” wheels. This gives us a bit more ground clearance. The new Camplet Savanne is an off road version and comes standard with 13” wheels.

    Overall we are very happy with our setup. We have used it for one night stays for a weekend as well as multiple nights. Every where we camp we have an audience as people are amazed at what comes out of such a small package. All we have to do now is keep modifying to suit our own needs.

  thanks to Alf for a walk around his Camplet