For our 2005 Trek Test, we focused on how easy it was to kamp with our new Bedouin Annex in a long term stay in a coastal environment with high wind, rain and sand blowing. To make it more interesting we took a unit with the Quad Pod on the front which has been designed for the USA King Kamper market.

We travelled for 800kms (each way) from Ballina up the Queensland Coast, just north of Round Hill Head (which is very noticeable in the photos) to arrive at a typical section of Queensland beach for our kampsite of 7 days.

Our weather was 2 days of rain, 2 days semi-overcast, and 3 brilliant days. The wind blew at 20- 30knots for most of the time (much less at daybreak). This minimized the amount of sandflies (biting midges) with virtually no mosquitoes.

It was perfect weather to test our new canvas designs.

The kamper we took was our 2005 SportsRV Quad with these options: Khaki and Sand coloured canvas instead of the standard Silver, Tropical Roof, Full Bedouin Annex with Canvas Mesh Walls, 40liter Engel Fridge/Freezer, Diesel Powered 2 kW Heater, LED Lighting, Hot Water system, water adaptor direct to water tank, rear swing away 2 x Jerry can holder, 140Ah AGM Batteries, 2 x Rak Saks for roof rack, 2 x 30W Unisolar Panels, Polaris Magnum 330 Quad Bike (We did not use the heater as it was never cold enough.)

Travelling there

Although we travelled over reasonable roads except for the last 50kms, we hit most road features fast and hard looking for weaknesses.

The kamper towed very well - there were no surprises here. The ball weight was just under 200kgs with the 300kg Quad bike loaded. With the quad bike on board the unit weighed just over 1300kgs with 80liters of fuel (2 x 20liters on roof rack in flat marine style containers), 70liters water, 300kg Bike, 40liter Engel and canvas options included.

The suspension travelled well. There was no sign of bottoming out with the bump stops. We got bogged in some soft sand in transit across a sand pan but hadn’t deflated the tyres and took the section too cheaply. After deflating the tyres and winching out, we had no further difficulty for the rest of the trip and did some tight manoeuvring across several soft sandy stretches and up reasonable sandy hills.

At the end of the trip, there is a gouge in one of the fibreglass mudguards – repairable though. The rest of the bodywork is excellent and the clamshell front Pod/stone deflector worked very well.

We averaged 16 liters/100kms and suffered no mechanical problems or punctures.

Kamp Setup

There were 2 adults and 3 children and a visitor for a night. Photo below shows the camp setup. The campfire is located on the right.

The wind was 20-30knots coming directly into the front A Frame wall of the kamper. You can see the waves in the bay and the tension on the Bedouin flaps.

We slept the 2 youngest boys (4 and 6) on the floor of the kamper as there were small sand crabs (about 20-30mm long) running around and they didn’t fancy the tickling at night. The eldest 8 year old slept in the annex without any disturbance. We used the thin self inflating mattresses by Pro-lite, standard size, and a lightweight sleeping bag each with a separate small pillow.

The Bedouin Annex is much larger than the standard Kimberley Annex and we really enjoyed the added space with the family for long stays. The position of the door gives space between the door and the kamper end wall. We positioned a dining table and chairs here. We used the 1.2m LED light in the annex. At sunset, you may be concerned that the Annex LED will provide enough light but it is fine once night sets in.

Kitchen and Living

Photo shows the internal room of the Bedouin Annex, with Isabel standing behind the stainless steel slide-out sink with 4 burner + griller. The hot water unit is on the floor on the RHS.

We operated with solar power only charging the 140Ah of batteries. The solar panels are 2 x 30W Unisolar flexible panels that fold up to the size of a computer keyboard. The produced a maximum current flow of 3.9A (combined) and were moved from North East to North West corner Bedouin walls once a day. The Engel Fridge Freezer consumed about 25Ah per day. The LED lighting and water pump use little power; about 4Ah per day. At the end of the 7 days, the AGM batteries were sitting at 11.9V. The system was still working fine. Ideally another 30W panel would give more sure capacity but I was out to test the system.

Calculation of the average power in and out over 7 days	Starting Capacity	Power In	Power out	Closing Capacity
Summary of energy balance	140Ah	7 days x 5 peak hours ave x 3.5 A = 122Ah	7 days x 30Ah = 210 Ah	50Ah or less approx 35% capacity

We travelled very light with food in general, but this was the first time we took the smaller 40liter fridge for the family. The photo on the right shows the packed layers of the fridge. We purchased plastic tubs from Woolworths that fit exactly into the fridge wire insert when you trim slightly on two sides.

At the bottom is the meat, then a tub with tomatoes and vegetables, then a tub with dairy. This system worked well with no damage to the food. As we caught fish, we loaded the filets into the tub with the most room. We did change our beverages from beer to wine and some spirits which lessened the fridge load.

The Coleman hot water system spent most of its time on the dining bench beside the sink and we used it for dishwashing water and any other general hot water. This was a big time saver to boiling the billy. We tried using the hot water for the coffee plunger but kept getting an “over temperature” alarm when more then a cup of water passed through. Apparently, this is the design of the unit, so the billy is still the best here. Our larger “emu egg rings” (save energy by protecting the flame) on the 4 burner cooker did not work effectively. They need to have a slight change to the design.

With the quad bike pod on the front of the kamper there is very limited storage for food in the kamper. (other models have either a large Uni-Pod or Gullwing Storage). We stored this in the back of the vehicle and moved the plastic storage boxes inside the kamper for the duration.

Conclusions

We really enjoyed this trip, made ll the better by the most comfortable kamper so far. With the Quad Pod in lieu of the Uni-Pod storage, there is limited storage available which means you have to use the back of your vehicle and optimize the 40 liter Engel. When the Quad Bike was off the trailer, the large open platform was great for general storage and this is where we placed our food and general kamping items.

However, the fun with the Quad Bike plus the accessibility it gave us on the long beach was worth the trade off. This is a purpose-built kamper for both motor bikes and quad bikes.

The Bedouin Annex was easier to erect than before. It is easy to secure the 4 pegs. We erected it with out any cross-kamper spreader bars and then introduced one to strap the overhead LED light for the first 3 nights and added the rest after the rain poured down. The walls went up very easily and look good. The draft skirt worked fine. The ‘D” shaped front door is practical as it rolls up lengthwise and can be pulled back and tied very quickly.

We had no major pooling of water and no leaks. The strong wind tested the tropical roof. At the end of the 7 days, the corner on the windward side had peeled back a little (see photo on right) but did not come off and we did not adjust or touch it the entire time. We had equipped the test roof with tie down straps as a safety measure in case there was a problem during the test. However, I did not secure them on the wind side and did not need them.

The swing away Jerry can frame in the rear (located on the driver’s side when in kamp) was very easy to access and well away from the enclosed annex. Personally, I prefer this to the front storage of fuel. The locking catch needs modification. The safety pin needs a design change. There is already a design change with a camber adjustment so that the swing away bar can be aligned with the weight of the jerry cans to perfectly locate the rear locking hole.

We were lucky to be able to get beach worms for bait and catch a good supply of fish. The full moon was a bonus and the family had a great kamping trip!

Postscript: Unfortunately the track to this kampsite passes through private property after the National Park with cattle yards close to key gates (locked). The owner does not want the exact location and route published so the opening map shows the general area only.