This (yet another) build thread will document (probably mostly for me?) my new Kamparoo Off-road trailer.
I’ve put down a deposit and hope to get it by the end of March. More to come.
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This trailer is based on an Australian design which is called a rear fold hard floor. Cub campers has been making this style since the 50s apparently. In 1999 a company in Alberta began importing them. We actually demoed one for one of our 4x4 jamborees in the mid-2000s. Shortly thereafter this company began producing their own under the kamparoo brand and has been quietly doing so ever since.
The tub is 5 ft wide and about 8 ft long.
When it folds open it is almost double that in length.
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In November I went just south of Edmonton to see them again. I ended up putting down a deposit on a Kamparoo Transcontinental. This will sit on a heavy duty boxed frame and will have trailer brakes and a Max coupler.
It should be ready by the end of March. The galvanized frame just so happened to come in the day before I got there and is number two of a new design that they’ve specced out. The sides and top will be powder coated aluminum panels. The heavy duty axle will be spring over, sitting on simple leaf springs and shocks.
When all is said and done I should be sitting around 900 lb dry weight because of the beefy frame.
I won’t be adding any tongue boxes etc to start. I want to see how the balance is first. The electrical system will be based on my bluetti power box and of course my kitchen is already set up in my truck. It does come with a simple zip on awning, but I won’t be adding anymore since my truck also has one.
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That looks super beefy, dude. And I like the fold out approach. Is the plan to move any kitchen/gear to the trailer or just use it for sleeping?
Nope. Truck is set up and good to go. Trailer is going to be kept light-ish, and is for sleeping, and also for hanging out in inclimate weather since there is a large section at the front when you fold it out which is big enough to stand in, or set up chairs/table.
The trailer interior, as it is, is totally sealed and dustproof, as is the truck. Kitchen slideouts would be added to the outside and thus would have to be made dustproof as well. Also, bear-country camping might make truck kitchen smarter than trailer kitchen, when trailer is actually a tent? Finally, truck is in theory better shock-absorbed for rough terrain, and thus there is less impact on kitchen stuff. I say in theory because the truck and trailer will both be leaf sprung with shocks. LOL. Trucks’s advantage is in longer leafs, and high sidewalls which can be aired down further…?
But it is fun to change things up so let’s see how it goes…
Ordered two key bits yesterday, which will be drop shipped to Kamparoo for install when the time comes.
- Max Coupler:
Many people like the LockNRoll, and there are other nice options as well, but for simplicity and ease of hooking up, I think this one is still the king. (This allows maximum articulation of the trailer/truck connection, for those who are unfamiliar.)
- Ark XO500 Jockey wheel:
This was a spendy piece, but I’ve struggled with moving trailers around for years, even small ones, when they aren’t attached, and it is a royal pain. This trailer is small enough to move around in tight spaces so I wanted to leverage this advantage. ARK is made in Aus, and there are videos of them winching an unattached trailer, on the jockey wheel, through nasty mud and ruts, with no issues. It also has some nice options like being able to drop the body quickly before fine tuning with the jack, a removeable magnetic handle, and a lockable wheel when stowed.
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“The jockey wheel” being those little lawnmower-looking wheels at the end of that extension, holding all the tongue weight? That’s pretty impressive. Lot of stress on those connections.
Looks beefy!
That’s the ones. Except in this case these are 10 inch wheels. I am not messing around this time.
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