200 series camper suggestions?

[catastrofe]

Here’s a link to a thread I created in Expedition Portal containing all the current info about Kimberley Kampers. I have a Kruiser S3 on order, expected to ship in April.

Kimberley Kampers USA

Having just ordered a Kimberley, I'm starting this thread to post information about KK USA. US Distributor: Kimberley Kampers USA David Bates 937-303-5833 www.kimberleykampersusa.com dave@kimberleykampersusa.com

expeditionportal.com

 

[Bomar]

Great thread @catastrofe and congrats on your S3. We love our Karavan.

I think once people see these they will understand the difference in build quality. Plus support is unmatched in industry.

 

[stolikat]

There is one for sale over there right now...

Kimberley Karavan 2011 X series - $55,000 - SOLD

I'm upgrading to a Kimberley S3 Kruiser so I am selling my beloved 2011 X Series Karavan. I put in a link to my photo gallery so you can see all the amazing (sometimes crazy) backcountry places this rig has taken me. https://bgarland.smugmug.com/Photography/Kimberley-Karavan-Images/n-vHdNw...

expeditionportal.com

 

[1world1love]

look at the Kamper it is exactly what you want. Kimberley has 5 different models to choose from.

The kamper is soft sided though, right? I think if we were going to go with a soft sided and spend that kind of money, we would go with a Patriot X3.

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm always debating right sizing. What works for one trip may not work for another. Then there's the personal aspect of it.

My camping buddies are all on an off-road trailer kick at the moment. Couple of us have full sized travel trailers that work great for home base type exploration of backcountry. But we're getting into multi-day off-road overlanding trips that need to support families with kids. Off-road performance with all the weight onboard starts becoming an impediment while also tackling technical trails. Hence some want for smaller off-road trailers. That'll likely present its own challenges but perhaps solves some other things like glamping gear storage and water handling.

I'm holding off on an off-road trailer and still think I can overland with a family of 4 with car alone. Lightweight gear and light weight RTT (GFC Superlite). Building an off-road trailer with buddies at the moment. Will be watching how they manage that before I make any further decisions.

 

[Bomar]

The kamper is soft sided though, right? I think if we were going to go with a soft sided and spend that kind of money, we would go with a Patriot X3.

@1world1love I would just do yourself a favor and check both out. They are both camper trailers but quality and built is different for sure.

I know my old Kamper was 13 years old and showed very little wear and I have been around several Patriots and not the same.

They are in same ball park and I know I could put mine up in half or maybe 1/4 of the time. In a Kimberely Kamper you could be in dry in less than a few mins maybe 5 mins putting kwik awning. Also you get an attached en suite...which you don't even have the option with a Patriot. I researched a Patriot a lot and even sat down with Justin at SEMA a few years ago but couldn't pull the trigger on one and glad I didn't.

 

[1world1love]

@1world1love I would just do yourself a favor and check both out. They are both camper trailers but quality and built is different for sure.

I know my old Kamper was 13 years old and showed very little wear and I have been around several Patriots and not the same.

They are in same ball park and I know I could put mine up in half or maybe 1/4 of the time. In a Kimberely Kamper you could be in dry in less than a few mins maybe 5 mins putting kwik awning. Also you get an attached en suite...which you don't even have the option with a Patriot. I researched a Patriot a lot and even sat down with Justin at SEMA a few years ago but couldn't pull the trigger on one and glad I didn't.

Yeah, and therein lies the rub. I’m not buying anything without seeing them in person first, which makes it difficult.

We talked to Justin at OE a couple of years ago and almost drove away with an X1 then but we decided to wait.

I think we decided on a smaller teardrop style off-roader like a Hiker or SoCal or Timberleaf, Escapade, etc. We’ve looked at just about all of them and the build quality is mostly comparable.

We get by just fine with just the truck as it is, but my kids are getting older and we are looking ahead.

 

[TeCKis300]

Question for you guys that own an off-road camper or trailer.

Travel trailers are complex beasts subject to earthquakes, and very often in need of service and repairs. How have you found the experience with these off-road trailers? The aussie ones often have tiny sales/support networks, so owners have no real recourse for support because of distance. I think? How would an ownership experience be for a non-DIY person that is my buddy looking for one?

 

[Bomar]

That is where I think Kimberley shines. Even when they shut there doors when I owed my Kamper I found parts. Dave Bates is a huge asset and even worked on some older S classes from years ago.

The ownership is easily reached and what few issues I have had them jumped on and sent me parts. I know Dave has flown out to clients in past to fix his other trailers.

Huge plus they have KKOG what is the mud for KKs. Those guys are great but you have to own one to be on site.

 

[Romer]

I have had my Karavan for 5 years and the Kamper for 5 years before that. I have had very little go wrong and the majority of parts can be sourced right here in the USA. Water pump died on my Kamper, ordered it online and had the same part number in two days

Only thing I ordered from the factory was the design upgrade for the rear struts. Mine were fine, I just wanted the new model. To save cost on shipping, they put it in the next unit being shipped and Dave them shipped them from Ohio when they got here.

I accidently shorted the hot water controller in my Karavan and also bought the same unit here. Upgraded my Battery monitor to Blue tooth to work with the app on my phone and got it here.

The factory has always responded to my e-mails telling me what and where to source things or to answer my technical questions

 

[Fisher23]

The Black Series looks like it's slowly getting there. They are still dialing it in, and I'm not sure on the weight?

Touring car,Pop-Up Campers,Expedition trailer,Black Series

The factories and warehouses of Black Series are founded in Australia, China and United States.Black Series integrates camper R&D, manufacturing, and vehicle testing, as key to its camper brand.

www.blackseriescamper.com

 

[highfructose]

I've started the search for a solid camper for my 200. Something small (19-23ft and less than 6K lbs). I'd like to use it as a base camp when we travel. The only thing stopping my wife from really enjoying our little "adventures" is the lack of facilities. Hotels with a dog is a pain in the rear. The idea of her in a RTT actually made her laugh out loud. I really want a 4 season trailer, so I'm looking at fiberglass. I originally had my eye on the casitas, but then I found Oliver trailers. Holy cow, these are nice! Not to mention, they fit the new "Yacht" theme quite nicely. Even found this thread:

Land Cruiser 200 Towing thread | Oliver Travel Trailers

@TeCKis300 even got an honorable mention.

Any other options out there I need to be aware of?

My experience has been that you want the smallest camper you can get by with. For us that’s a casita.

the larger the camper, the less likely you are to hook it up and go.

complicating things further: buy once cry once. But don’t always assume the higher price tag means more quality. Part of why airstreams are expensive is marketing. Part is nostalgia. Part of it is how manual labor intense its manufacture is. It’s not all quality you’re paying for.

imo the “land cruiser” of campers is an Oliver.

 

[tincan45]

Nice to see this thread resurrected. I've decided to hold off a while longer, but I'm fairly certain I'll be going with Oliver eventually. As tempting as it is to go bigger, I'm really leaning toward the smaller Elite I. For me, they check all the boxes when it comes to a quality 4-season camp-and-go. Getting over 6K on the 200 seems have diminishing returns. FWIW...I've been watching the secondary market on these religiously and it's crazy (even before covid) what they go for.

 

[TeCKis300]

My experience has been that you want the smallest camper you can get by with. For us that’s a casita.

the larger the camper, the less likely you are to hook it up and go.

complicating things further: buy once cry once. But don’t always assume the higher price tag means more quality. Part of why airstreams are expensive is marketing. Part is nostalgia. Part of it is how manual labor intense its manufacture is. It’s not all quality you’re paying for.

imo the “land cruiser” of campers is an Oliver.

I agree with much of your thoughts here. To help complicate things, it's going to vary for different owners. Funny thing on the Airstream forums, the sentiment there is often to buy your last trailer first. Meaning don't start with a smaller trailer. Get right into the one you really want, because that's what owners tend to do - start small and spends loads of money upsizing 2-3 trailers later. Another version of buy once cry once. Also, buy the trailer you really want, then buy the tow vehicle that's necessary, as trailer ownership last beyond cars, which for Airstreams can be very true.

To your point, adventure trailers may be different. Size plays a huge part in the ability to access and camp.

On quality - there's little argument that an Airstream could be a lifetime trailer due to it's all aluminum construction. More vintage ones are on the road today than any other brand. Considering that most white box trailers have a 10yr expected lifetime, that may not be that hard. I think what you're getting at is that Airstreams are similarly fitted with many of the same standard issue Dometic and other crap parts that may not stand the test of time. With lots of complexity that things can and will fail. Add the earthquake factor when one is in motion, and yeah, owners should not be deceived into problem free ownership.

There are some overlanding trips that I wish for a smaller adventure trailer. Olivers are very high up my list and I don't disagree with your takeaway at all.

 

[catastrofe]

My experience has been that you want the smallest camper you can get by with. For us that’s a casita.

the larger the camper, the less likely you are to hook it up and go.

complicating things further: buy once cry once. But don’t always assume the higher price tag means more quality. Part of why airstreams are expensive is marketing. Part is nostalgia. Part of it is how manual labor intense its manufacture is. It’s not all quality you’re paying for.

imo the “land cruiser” of campers is an Oliver.

I respectfully disagree. We currently own a 2019 Casita Spirit Deluxe. It’s a great build for the money, but it’s too small for two small adults (5’ 4” and 5’ 0”) with a medium size dog. We camp an average of 5 nights per month and took a 6 week trip last summer. That’s when we realized we needed something bigger.

We looked at both Oliver models and they’re essentially Casitas on steroids (the company was founded by former Casita employees). Much better build than an Airstream, but zero off-road capability. Not even forest service roads...the suspension just isn’t up to the task.

If we wanted to stay strictly on pavement, we’d have purchased the Oliver Elite II. That’s how we ended up with a Kimberley.

 

[DPA200]

Yup. All the comforts of home and it goes almost anywhere the landcruiser does. Hot showers, Heat. Heaters on the water tanks, Toilet, inside and outside kitchen
View attachment 2612500View attachment 2612501View attachment 2612502View attachment 2612503

My Kimberley Kamper interest is officially sparked. Nice they actually have quite a US owner presence that speaks so highly

 

[DPA200]

How cold do you think you’d camp? We have a Conqueror UEV490 and it shines everywhere except the cold but we’ve been out to the low 20°s at night and it did fine. I’ve found a few little work arounds can go a long way but going out with sustained below freezing for more than overnight would be a no go. If you want to dip into your power supply there’s always heated pads for reservoirs and heated cables for freeze prone plumbing.

Before we got the Conqueror we entertained a Bruder for a hot minute but skipped for the same reasons you did. I’ve heard tell there are few of them here in the states and I’d like to see one in person just to satisfy my curiosity.

Some good ideas for the water line issue. It’s not an all the time thing to camp that cold. Just have had a few trips where it got in the 20’s and though the tank doesn’t freeze, the lines freeze quite quick. At that point I could then have a full water tank, but not have a way to get the water out til it warms up and the lines thaw. I know a guy local here that’s fried 2 water pumps on my same model trailer because he didn’t drain the lines overnight then turned the pump on in the morning. I have my workarounds if I am knowing it’s gonna be a cold trip, just would be nice not to have to worry about this.
On both the patriot and Turtleback Facebook groups I browse on I must have seen 20+ people with the same complaint or question about winter camping

 

[Fisher23]

I respectfully disagree. We currently own a 2019 Casita Spirit Deluxe. It’s a great build for the money, but it’s too small for two small adults (5’ 4” and 5’ 0”) with a medium size dog. We camp an average of 5 nights per month and took a 6 week trip last summer. That’s when we realized we needed something bigger.

We looked at both Oliver models and they’re essentially Casitas on steroids (the company was founded by former Casita employees). Much better build than an Airstream, but zero off-road capability. Not even forest service roads...the suspension just isn’t up to the task.

If we wanted to stay strictly on pavement, we’d have purchased the Oliver Elite II. That’s how we ended up with a Kimberley.

If I remember right Oliver's are priced around 50k to 60k a little less than but closer to Airstream pricing.

I thought the Kimberly Kruisers run a whole different price range from $85k base to 180k+ for the "T" series, isn't that correct?

They are nice but can get into 6 figures.

 

[Romer]

So when fully deployed my Karavan has as much room as that Oliver, the innovation is its packed down small and fits in a normal garage. The Kruiser mentioned above is a much bigger unit with a lot of luxuries. Nothing like the Olivers, more like a Hilton on wheels But I like to wheel and wanted something that would fit in a garage

It only takes a few minutes to set up unless you want to put up the awning, then add a few more minutes. I also have the Bunk option, but never have used it. Just figured why not in case I do. It turns the seat on the right into a Bunk bed for kids. There is also extensions for the bunks and I havent laid on it to see how an adult would fit

It tracks real well with the 200 on and off road. These are made in Australia for people who go out for months at a time in the outback. They are members of a Mud like forum (Like Bomar said) but you have to own one to be a member

Like vehicles, this is all about personal preference. I had a Jayco Baja Offroad pop up that was nice except it would fall apart on forest roads. Just not the right build quality. Then I got an Adventure Trailer and RTT. Although nice, I wanted more comforts so I bought a used 2002 Kimberley Kamper that still looked like new in 2010 and when I sold it in 2015. The quality of the Kamper sold me on the brand. Like I said they build for long term in rough terrain. Then I bought a Karavan new direct from the factory the end of 2015 and received it just before Xmas 2015. I have never been disappointed or regretted my purchase and now have owned and wheeled two Kimberley's over 11 years. My only regret is I haven't taken it out enough, but that will change when I retire next year.

I am not sure what these sell for now with a US distributor as I bought direct from the factory before there was a US distributor

I can really see the value in the Olivers Elite and would have taken a good look when I was buying. I still would have gone with the Karavan

I was spoiled with the Kamper parking it in my garage and my requirement was that it has to fit in my garage as well. They are expensive and weather wears anything down no matter the quality. I also wanted something I could wheel, set up quickly, was comfortable with a toilet/shower/heat and would out live me in build quality. Your requirements are likely different

It all comes down to personal preference

 

[tincan45]

So when fully deployed my Karavan has as much room as that Oliver, the innovation is its packed down small and fits in a normal garage. The Kruiser mentioned above is a much bigger unit with a lot of luxuries. Nothing like the Olivers, more like a Hilton on wheels But I like to wheel and wanted something that would fit in a garage
View attachment 2614552
It only takes a few minutes to set up unless you want to put up the awning, then add a few more minutes. I also have the Bunk option, but never have used it. Just figured why not in case I do. It turns the seat on the right into a Bunk bed for kids. There is also extensions for the bunks and I havent laid on it to see how an adult would fit
View attachment 2614553View attachment 2614554

It tracks real well with the 200 on and off road. These are made in Australia for people who go out for months at a time in the outback. They are members of a Mud like forum (Like Bomar said) but you have to own one to be a member

View attachment 2614570

Like vehicles, this is all about personal preference. I had a Jayco Baja Offroad pop up that was nice except it would fall apart on forest roads. Just not the right build quality. Then I got an Adventure Trailer and RTT. Although nice, I wanted more comforts so I bought a used 2002 Kimberley Kamper that still looked like new in 2010 and when I sold it in 2015. The quality of the Kamper sold me on the brand. Like I said they build for long term in rough terrain. Then I bought a Karavan new direct from the factory the end of 2015 and received it just before Xmas 2015. I have never been disappointed or regretted my purchase and now have owned and wheeled two Kimberley's over 11 years. My only regret is I haven't taken it out enough, but that will change when I retire next year.

I am not sure what these sell for now with a US distributor as I bought direct from the factory before there was a US distributor

I can really see the value in the Olivers Elite and would have taken a good look when I was buying. I still would have gone with the Karavan

I was spoiled with the Kamper parking it in my garage and my requirement was that it has to fit in my garage as well. They are expensive and weather wears anything down no matter the quality. I also wanted something I could wheel, set up quickly, was comfortable with a toilet/shower/heat and would out live me in build quality. Your requirements are likely different

It all comes down to personal preference

That Karavan is really nice! Thanks for sharing the pictures. If I didn't mind dragging a trailer on narrow trails, that's probably the only way to go other than a small off-road utility. Like you said, it all comes down to personal preference and intended use.