Customline Camper Trailers DELUXE OFF ROAD 42 CAMPERTR AILER AUSTR ALIA Word and pics Carlisle Rogers Far left and below left: O pening the Customlin e is a relativel y straightforwar d procedure. Left: The north-so uth bed has a steel base and win dows at either end. Below: The main aw ning is standard (ful l annexe wal ls extra). The Customline Deluxe Off Road is an extreme camper at a factory-direct price. C ustomline Campers owner Ian Taylor showed me a testimonial from one of his customers who decided it would be a good idea to drag a Customline through the Simpson Desert, via the French line, with a few friends. That’s good advertising for a camper trailer that probably cost half of every other trailer on the trip. The company’s top-of-the-line trailer, the DeLuxe Off Road, is simply built right. It doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles standard. That’s just not the way they do it. You get exactly what you want on your trailer and not a thing more, and you pay for what you need, and not a thing more. OFF THE ROAD What makes the Customline DeLuxe Off Road a good offroader is the attention to the smaller details when they are being built. The ATM is only 750kg (520kg Tare), which keeps it light enough, even fully loaded, for 4WDs to tow it without trailer brakes installed. But they’ve gone ahead and installed 45mm square axles in parallel with a 1900kg rating. Overkill in the right places isn’t really overkill. Seven-leaf springs are also fitted standard to cope with outback abuse. The trailer body is made from zincanneal (500mm high sides) to resist corrosion, and the floor is checkerplate, also corrosion-proof and light. Second-hand tyres and rims are provided, which keep costs down, without affecting the quality of the trailer at all. Around the outside of the trailer are a gas cylinder holder, spare wheel, 12V outlet (next to the tailgate), large toolbox up front for extra storage and a jerry can holder. UP TOP Fifteen-ounce canvas is used for the roof and walls, with double-stitched seams and CAMPERTR AILER AUSTR ALIA 43 Customline Camper Trailers DELUXE OFF ROAD Far left and below left: S wing out the tailgat e to reveal th e kitchen box. Left and bel ow: Fifteen-ounc e double-stitch ed canvas is us ed for the wal ls and roof. double-thick canvas on all wear points. A steel bed base is used, with a queen-size foam mattress. The bed also has two more windows at either end, and every window has flyscreens and zippered canvas flaps. A lightweight alloy ladder provides access to the bed. The tent floor is heavy duty PVC, and there are awnings over the bed window and opposite wall window. The former utilises twin levered poles to hold the awning out without the need for guy ropes, while the latter makes a decentsized awning alongside the main awning. Included as a standard item, the main 44 CAMPERTR AILER AUSTR ALIA awning is 8ft (2.4m) x 15ft (4.6m). Swing out the tailgate to reveal the kitchen box, a heavy duty steel box welded to the tailgate providing storage (accessed via velcro flyscreen) and a recessed plastic tub sink. There’s a 70L water tank onboard, too, with a hand pump, and a 4.5kg gas cylinder to fire up your cooktop. tow vehicle, that they can grow into and add options to down the track as they find they need or want them. No corners have been cut in the manufacturing process to keep the price low, or while throwing in a lot of aftermarket accessories. They haven’t falsified the value – they’re just giving you an honest camper at an honest price. SUMMING UP Customline Camper Trailers, 112 Harburg Drive, Beenleigh, Qld 4207, (07) 3807 9599. For information, visit www.customline.com.au ■ At $7,090 ($8,390 with full annex walls), the Customline DeLuxe Off Road is built for people looking for a solid foundation, something that will probably outlast their