Tent Tour - Home Is Where You Pitch It | Doin It Down Under - Lap of Australia

[@johnn4842]

Hi Guys - my wife and I are 72 now but have been camping for most of our married life. Back in the late 1970s we used tents and then a Cargill Caravanette which was a precursor to today’s camper trailers - without the paraphernalia. We had a two burner gas stove which sat on a collapsible stainless steel frame which we still use. We have three children and they loved the lifestyle. After the kids got “too old” to come camping with us, we tried a variety of travelling strategies. When we reached our mid-60s we decided to go back camping with a goal of travelling around Australia. We bought a tent and, for two years, we covered much of the Gascoyne and Pilbara in WA. Like Brad, I didn’t want to trail anything. But we soon found out that erecting a tent properly, which means pegging it down securely at every stop, was OK on our front lawn but a different ball game in the rock hard earth of northern Australia. So we bit the bullet and started looking for a camper trailer. We immediately hit two large hurdles - cost and weight. I am a fan of Colin Chapman of Lotus fame who once quipped “for better performance - add lightness”. Most camper trailers weigh anything from just over a tonne (empty) to 2 tonnes. This is because they include stuff we didn’t need like brakes, independent suspension, 100+ litre water tanks, slide out kitchens, masses of electronics, and so on. We had all our camping gear so didn’t need most of that stuff. So we searched the internet and found a company on the Gold Coast who sold just the tent which could be bolted onto almost any trailer. Despite costing $600 to freight it to Perth, it was very inexpensive. Then I had a local trailer manufacturer build me a 6 X 4 trailer strong enough to trail over corrugated roads (I have no intention of taking my rig rock hopping). We beefed up the springs and axle and used a deeper cross section for the chassis. Once again the cost was smallish. I built three full length drawers for the trailer which ran on nylon runners (using Drifta’s approach). I carry water in three 10-litre jerry cans and have a 20-litre jerry can if we are going to be off-grid for more that three days. Fully loaded, the trailer weighs less than 500kgm - which includes the water. So it is a breeze to tow and I can manhandle it around if I need to set up in a tricky spot. Additionally, we bought the “shower tent” which zips and velcros onto the trailer tent. I eventually solved the inadequate tent peg problem by buying a cordless drill and a set of long coach bolts which are great for pegging down up north. We started out using our car awning as the “annex” for the tent but eventually acquired a gazebo which I can set up and pull down by myself. We drive a Toyota Kluger AWD and have set the back up as our kitchen, We have an auxiliary battery, fridge and a self built frame into which we slide sealable plastic boxes for food, crockery, cutlery, washing up and we have room for tools. The rear seat is our clothes cupboard. We have set it up so that we can get at everything by moving at most one object which is pretty much a must when camping. No-one wants to have to spend 10 minutes moving stuff to get at the item you want then another 10 minutes repacking. We have a 200watt solar panel mounted on the roof of the car and, with the necessary electronics, we can charge our auxiliary battery from the alternator and/or the solar panel, So far we have covered 80,000km around Australia and it is still going strong. The all up cost was around the $8,000 mark.

[@elysian95]

Back in the 1970s when Fairlanes were the tow vehicle of choice.

[@davidjohn9006]

Running, OzTent Rv3-lite, with front room/sides…. Using drifts poles …. Suits me as a single traveller, with 2x people, still roomy enough…. And yes, I’m not into "towing", just a bit xtra time to pull over, throw up the OzTent/peg down, setup, 30 minutes average. No tent, too wet, whatever … np…. Suv 4x4 Everest fitted out for sleeping, all gear, shelved and stored. Roof-pod-capsule (Rhino) takes most extra gear/stuff not all inside the beast. Anyway thanks for showing/sharing your setup 👍🏼

[@Jackie4FreeSpeech]

We have nearly the same as you, keep it simple and your always have fun, happy and safe journeys

[@northvicbricks]

I'm looking to buy a tent and I found this video very helpful. Really enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@sarahjane9517]

We're a family of 4 (soon 5) & we just bought the RX4 LOVE IT!!! Its small enough to force the kids to play outside but big enough to sleep comfortably.

[@doinitdownunder3828]

That's so good! We love Oztent so much. :) Alannah

[@ricmoffet6843]

We went from a caravan back to a Campomatic Hardfloor campertrailer, and we are very happy with it. It is an 1980 model, in immaculate condition. It doesn't have a kitchen on board, we just use our camping gear, portable stove. and portable 3 way fridge We have had 4 vans before, but we downsized to a small car and got away from the expense of running a big diesel, and big van. Have done more trips with the camper then we have ever done with the last van. We have saved ourselves approx. $7k a year running costs, and put that money into having really enjoyable holidays. We are retired but, we prefer to keep our home, as a home base, so only tour for a couple of months a year, plus camping for 5 days every 2 weeks..

[@saronboots5471]

We love camping, all 4 of us, dad Mum 17yr & 10yr olds we have a Zempire Pronto 10 v5 and we love it, has plenty of space, nice and warm in winter.

[@simonwang7918]

Hi. I have just got RV5 plus. Same price as RX5. We choose RV5 plus because we are the users of RV1 for a few years. We love RV tents. It come with a fly. And I just ordered side and frount penels.

[@gunny4082]

Thank you KZbin recommendations. The Mrs and I run a Darche 1300 swag and love it. We borrow a mates camper trailer from time to time but we love the swag too much and not spending millions on fuel.

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Awesome! Yeah we are so glad we went with the tent and not towing... Alannah

[@philcahill3598]

Thanks for your review, I'm currently looking into this tent, and selling our camper, as its just too much work setting it up for just the two of us now, so long as this tents full waterproof I'm sold👌

[@vincentmaree9782]

Enjoyed this, OZ Tent is great.

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Oztent really is, and Drifter (where we bought it) were super helpful too. :) Alannah

[@elysian95]

When your not towing it saves a heap of stress, wear and tear on your vehicle and money on fuel. tents rule!

[@mackenziechayman]

I’m loving this video guys 😍 and your intro is the best !!

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Thanks Mackenzie! :)

[@TheDl1000]

Good choice with drifta they have a great range of gear sure drifta can help out with the tent repair but curious about what happen to your trailer Cheers

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Drifta and Oztent were both great about the repair which was so nice. Camper caused way too many issues! Alannah

[@LongStraightLines]

Very enjoyable vid guys! Just wondering if you're going to make s warranty claim on the fly? This has happened to a few Oztent owners now so maybe they need too have a look at it. Looks like you're having a wonderful adventure.. plenty of great memories being made 😎

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Yes we made a warranty claim and received a new one, though we haven't used it to the extent that we did with the old one so we've had no issues so far.

[@timcanoeing]

Heyo, what are your little bedside table/stools?

[@woolengrappler]

I really like thus tent, but idk about the vents. Do you have to go outside the tent to adjust the front door ventilation and rear window ventilation? Seems to be a design oversight if you can’t adjust them from the inside.

[@marinakitto6567]

What do you use for lighting please?

[@pauldelazzer84]

Hey guys, just curious what made you go from the camper trailer to the rx5? I have a soft floor camper trailer but now it's just me and my 6 year old boy so it's way too big. Thinking of going back to a tent

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Hey! We haven't uploaded the video yet but the camper was falling apart from day 1 and it wasn't worth the stress anymore... We were really disappointed with it so once we got it fixed at the dealership we sold it and got the RX5! :) Alannah

[@pauldelazzer84]

That's a shame you got a dud camper trailer! Mines been no hassles but its too much for just me and my boy especially when we only do 1-2 nighters. I wanna go back to a tent. Love the oztents but Id have to get roof racks. I was thinking the RV5 with side panels and back my ute up to the front where I'd have the fridge permanently and cook from there so your literally just setting up the tent and bedding. I got a while to think about it though!

[@doinitdownunder3828]

@@pauldelazzer84 It was a shame, but it taught us some valuable lessons haha. That actually sounds like a really cool idea. We always backed the car into the front so we had close access to all our food. Priorities! Hopefully we can all get out and camping again after these restrictions ease hey.

[@michaelnugara1]

Thanks again for the vid. Looking to get an rv4. Hey what's your self inflating mattress like? Does it deflate at all? Cheers Mick

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Yay to getting an oztent! We love our mattress, it got a hole after about 3 months, but with a 12 month warranty we ended up with a new one and it finished the trip off for us perfectly!

[@michaelnugara1]

@@doinitdownunder3828 thanks for the info 👍

[@Ausenditcrew]

Are you guys still using this tent? I'm currently looking at one myself. Have you had any other drama since the fly went? Is it worth the money for the long run living out of 8 months a year?

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Hey! We still use it and still love it. No other dramas whatsoever! We did a full 6 months in it and while it did change our travel style (not as many overnight stops) it was so worth it as we could go anywhere without a trailer. ☺️

[@bluedunn374]

Why not run the Camper Trailer? Surely that’s more comfortable?

[@michaelnugara1]

Hi and thanks for the vid. Quick question. So does it leak without the fly? Thanks Mick

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Hey :) Tent definitely doesn't leak. It does get a bit of condensation and the fly helps with that, but we never had a leak.

[@michaelnugara1]

@@doinitdownunder3828 thanks mate

[@PFSred]

What was the reason for getting the rx5 over the rv4? I’m looking at getting the rv4 for myself and my partner and our little one. We have been so used to having our rooftop tent and swag but now need a bit more room

[@doinitdownunder3828]

The RX5 had the sunroof and the fly and everything all included. I'm curious to know what you ended up with? :) Alannah

[@PFSred]

We ended up getting the rv5. Haven’t had a chance to use it but as soon as we can we will lol. I’ve bought the extra poles to pitch the roof or the awning and we didn’t want all the add ons just yet as we have a gazebo

[@doinitdownunder3828]

@@PFSred Yeah awesome! The extra poles will definitely help. Would love to know how you go. I can't wait to go camping again!!

[@jamesbracken9062]

Is that friendly beaches? Looks real familiar

[@chloedan1597]

Love the set up guys! How long does it take you to set up/pack away the tent?

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Maybe 15 minutes for the tent, just beacause there's so many bloody pegs!

[@catmichael7820]

Can you please make a video showing set ups and time as well as break down and time. Ta.

[@catmichael7820]

Why did you go with oz5 instead of 4?

[@jarradrumbold]

Hey what brand mattress is that and what size?

[@doinitdownunder3828]

Hi! It's from Anaconda the brand is DUNE and its a Queen :) The red one, its better quality.

[@jarradrumbold]

@@doinitdownunder3828 Thank you.

[@TasHikingAdventures]

aint finished a aussie tour unless you do tassie too! hit me up when ya do.

[@doinitdownunder3828]

We've finished and definitely did Tassie, I'm just about 2 years behind in editing videos haha!

[@TasHikingAdventures]

@@doinitdownunder3828 yeah im behind in editing and uploading i got new pc so now i dont have a editing program ;(

[@Tommy-Gunnns]

My camper trailer took a back seat after buying my oztent 🤣

[@rotory26]

What happened to the trailer Bradley

[@kenscanlon7661]

“ Livin the Dream”Been thinking about a Camper Trailer but really appreciate the ease and functionality of my RV5, 🦘🇦🇺