australian campertrailers national meet

past events

Glen Innes national meet 2014

Australian CamperTrailers
national meet at Glen Innes 2014

monday

12volt, batteries & solar panel workshop

Jamie's Touring Solutions Shane Adams was along once again with wife Nikki & baby Indy. They are keen camper trailer owners & members of the Australian CamperTrailers Group. Shane's first workshop of the week was an overview of 12volt systems centered around camper trailers as well as the tow vehicle. This is a topic which is discussed within the group online & very often misunderstood. To get hands on, face to face information from a professional is a great asset to the group members.

Shane explained the different types of batteries, their uses in off road vehicles & camper trailers which can be very different to normal everyday car batteries. The usual camping application is a high draw over a number of days using a 12volt fridge, camp lights & perhaps a Cpap as well as chargers for computers, cameras & phones.

Recharging 12volt batteries can often be a problem when camping away from 240volt power. Solar panels a common these days as a means of recharging 12volt batteries in the bush. Shane showed the different types of panels available, setting up a panel to the optimum size for your requirements & how to include a solar regulator into the system between the panel & battery.

DC-DC chargers have become very popular also & Shane showed how they can be included into the system to charge the remote camper trailer battery from the vehicles alternator when travelling.

It was pleasing to see most had a good grasp on the subject at the end of the workshop.

ladies cuppa & chat

Carol hosted a morning tea for ladies to meet each other. Some arrived with a cuppa & cake in hand, while others were keen to show the craft projects they had been working on.

hema ipad mapping

Kevin Beckwith hosted a mapping workshop using Hema maps for iPad. Hema's topo 1:250k & 1.1million touring maps are available as an iTunes download for iPad's providing GPS navigation for 4wding & touring with the advantage of a larger screen size over the smaller GPS units.

Using the mapping offline with the iPads inbuilt GPS will show your location on the maps. You can also record a track log of your journey along with waypoints. Handy POI (points of interest) are included such as campsites, caravan parks, dump points, toilets, information centres, 24-hour fuel outlets.

Online you can check what the weather will be like by accessing weather forecasts, such as a three day outlook or overlaid rain radar.

camper trailer walkabout

Dave Cook hosted the popular camper trailer walkabout once again. Members gave a brief talk on what they liked about their camper trailer, points they didn't like & modifications they have done or they would like to do to make camping all that more enjoyable.

dream pot

Donna Zwerus hosted a workshop on the use of the Dreampot which also gave her the perfect opportunity to cook her nights meal. The Dream Pot consists of a double layer insulated outer pot with one or two stainless steel inner pots & lids which can be used as saucepans. The cooking process is very simple. All you need do is place the ingredients into the inner pot & gently boil on your stove for the required short time based on the recipe. Then place the inner pot directly into the Dream Pot & close the lid. The thermo cooking process now starts by cooking the food in the residual heat. No further monitoring is required during this process allowing you the convenience of going about other tasks or while you are travelling. Your meal cannot burn, boil over or overcook. After the necessary thermo cooking time in the Dream Pot the meal is ready to serve.

auction night

The auction night has now developed into its own night after starting as a few items auctioned off during the bands break on the Wednesday night at the Nyngan national meet. Rob, Kevin & Jason auctioned off a total of fifty-five items donated by members & businesses in aid of the Glen Innes Showground Trustees who were fundraising for the showground grounds upkeep. Local auctioneer Terry Tevelde did a fantastic job.

A big thanks to Australian CamperTrailers Group members who donated items, Marty & Sue Alsford, Bob & Jann Wood, Rob & Carol Sanderson, Kevin & Kathleen Beckwith, Phil Selman, Doug & Jenny Peisley, Mal & Cyan Lacey, Dave & Joy Wilkinson, Peter & Nicky Gosper, Daryl & Barb Walker, Tim & Julie Howard, Dale & Burnie Alford, Bob Sposton, Richard & Sandra Monk, John & Penny Heath, Keith & Carol Brown, Ken & Olga Rumble, Bruce & Barb Simpson, Doug & Joy Dunnet, Trish & Ed Flood, Dave & Heather Huthance & local Mick Hottes.

Businesses donating goods included Ark Trailer Parts, Peggy Peg, Redarc, Outback Now & Best Water Filters.

All up the group managed to raise $2,785.