One of the most important factors in choosing a camper trailer that is designed to suit your needs, is the quality of the canvas.

All that sits between you and the elements for most of the time is the canvas. It is impossible to judge on canvas performance until AFTER you have purchased, and yet if it isn’t right, you will be miserable on the trip.

Many people have graduated from swags to tents to camper trailers.

This progression gives you more “space’ each time you step up. And with the right space you get better cooling in summer or warmer in winter. With more comfort comes a better experience.

With the right camper trailer, you can stay anywhere and experience all of Australia. When you find your favourite spot, you can stay as long as you like. It’s your choice and not dependent on facilities or the weather!

Researching your personal requirements can take time. Once someone has travelled and gained experience they get better insight into what their requirements are, but often the purchase has been made.

You have heard the expression “experts make things look simple” and this is so true with the canvas design in a camper trailer. Canvas seems like a mature topic and it can all look similar at a distance.

However, canvas for camper trailers is vastly different to a that for a tent. You are paying much more money and for that money you need a superior design.

Here are 4 fundamental design criteria you should get for your money with a canvas off road camper trailer:

1. Double Layer Roof : Dry, no condensation and no wet canvas on the bed when packing up
2. Air Space around your head: no cold canvas close to your ears and plenty of air flow in hot weather
3. Layout with a convenient flow: Bed to Ensuite, Hard Floor to second Bedroom, Hard floor to kitchen
4. In 25 knots of wind and rain, you can still sleep or read a book with ease! Your Camper trailer is dry and cosy inside!

It’s the design that makes the difference

The first thing to realise with a camper trailer is that it has mechanical moving parts and is a large structure. When erected, a camper trailer presents quite a “vertical face” to strong winds and the elements. There are a lot of forces at play and nature is never to be underestimated!

You might expect we would start with the canvas selection and then move to the design, but it is the other way around. The best fabric for any tent is highly dependent on the design of the tent and the intended conditions of use. The design has to be made to suit the use and the camping conditions, and then, and only then, the materials are chosen.

Design requirements for off road camping in Australia:

• Quick to automatically erect in any conditions
• Dry and comfortable bed
• Wet canvas packs up so that there is no moisture on the bed
• Cool to sleep comfortably in hot nights
• Midge proof
• Snake and vermin proof especially at floor level
• Be able to go from the bed to the en-suite in bare feet in comfort
• Be able to leave windows open for cross ventilation,
• Be able to leave windows open even with an afternoon shower
• Be able to zip up most windows from the inside when required

A draught skirt that goes ALL the way around keeping cross winds out from under the trailer.

Pack up the canvas including the tropical roof, the awning and the second bedroom in one go without unzipping anything!

If applicable, be able to look from main bedroom to second bedroom to check on the kids easily.

If applicable, be able to also zip a privacy door closed between the main bedroom and the second bedroom.

And for shelter and comfort cooking at the outside kitchen:

• Be able to set up an overhead awning quickly in less than a minute
• Be able to give added shelter to the cooking area on at least 2 sides

And then for those very few times you may need on a trip:

• Be able to set up awning and walls in high wind (25knots+)
• Be able to stay up in high winds of 40knots (would need additional pegging)
• Dry and comfortable bed, even when erecting in the rain and after packing away in the rain

To find out more about the canvas Kimberley Kampers use, get in touch here.