Now they are going to a show

[RobertRyan]

Island Campers from Tasmania have decided to go to the mainland and show their TC's They have built a Lance like TC with a Slideout,that was on a F350

Tassie slide-ons head north

Tasmania’s Islander Campers will have a small display of its high-quality fibreglass slide-on campers at the Victorian Caravan Supershow, from February 24-29.

Located in the northern Tasmanian coastal town of Penguin, Islander Campers recently became a member of the Caravan Industry Association of Victoria, paving the way to be an exhibitor at one of Australia’s largest caravan shows for the first time.

On display in Melbourne will be a Leven 2.4 TS (shower/toilet) model sitting on the back of a single-cab Holden Colorado ute, as well as a lighter and more compact Little Henty slide-on, which has a Tare weight of around 400kg and is designed for week-end getaways.

One of seven variants available, the Little Henty display model will have a 2.4m long body with side door, kitchenette and double bed.

RV manager Daniel Bambridge said with its sloping pop-top roof that boosts interior height to 2.0m the Little Henty is “quite unique”.

“It looks high compared to a flat-roof pop-top of course, but then there's the advantage of more space. You don’t have to get on your hands and knees to get in them… I’m 6ft 4in and I can still stand up inside with room over my head,” he said.

The slide-on campers can be fitted to most of the popular single and dual-cab utes available.

Bambridge says the Islander slide-ons are of “superior construction” to similar models on the market, featuring one-piece, CNC-cut, insulated sandwich panel walls and roof and a galvanized chassis, all produced in-house.

He said Islander has just started using the ‘infusion method’ to produce the fibreglass moulds, effectively reducing the weight of the roof by 50 per cent while also increasing strength.

Prices for the Little Henty start at $15,999 whereas the larger Leven, which is jam-packed with features including a kitchen, electric pop-top roof, toilet/shower, battery system and cab-over double bed, starts from $40,249.

One of a handful of RV manufacturers, and possibly the biggest on the Apple Isle, Bambridge said Islander already delivers around 50 per cent of its output to the mainland, thanks largely to “word of mouth” marketing from Tassie owners heading north.

In business for around 30 years, Islander Campers is a division of Penguin Composites, which started out building kayaks and canoes in the mid-1970s before expanding into a diverse range of composite products for the architectural, mining, marine, transport and recreation industries.

As well as slide-ons, Islander builds caravans, fifth-wheelers and truck camper bodies as well as the impressive Innovan camper.

The enterprising business has even built a SnowCamper for arctic regions -- a type of fibreglass igloo that can be dragged behind a ski-doo!

Little Henty



Innovan TC. There is also a trailer version that can be towed as well.

Leven TC

Innovative and Trailer

[RobertRyan]

Sabconsulting wrote:
However, a 30ft long, 8ft wide, 7.5 ton, cabover truck with air brakes and retarder is a bit different to drive to your average Ford Fiesta people learned in. So in the '90s they changed the rules. New drivers now have to pass an additional test to drive anything over 3.5 tons gross. At the same time they brought in tests for towing trailers, which also makes sense.

90% or more vans you see in Europe are under 3.5 tons for this reason.

Steve, as you know not the case here, As trucks can get very heavy

[sabconsulting]

Yes, vans towing touring trailers are common in the UK and Ireland - but they are mainly operated by Gypsy / Traveller groups; many coming from Ireland.

The Ford Transit, either as a van or in DRW flatbed configuration is a telltale sign.

The 3500kg and 7500kg weight limits are interesting and have changed over the years.

Until some time in the '90s a regular car license (like I have) covered you to drive any 4+ wheeled vehicle up to 7.5 tons gross weight.

However, a 30ft long, 8ft wide, 7.5 ton, cabover truck with air brakes and retarder is a bit different to drive to your average Ford Fiesta people learned in. So in the '90s they changed the rules. New drivers now have to pass an additional test to drive anything over 3.5 tons gross. At the same time they brought in tests for towing trailers, which also makes sense.

90% or more vans you see in Europe are under 3.5 tons for this reason.

I have considered buying a 7.5 ton 4x4 van which is basically an MDT with a van body on the top - giving a 4 ton payload - plenty of capacity for building a 4x4 camper. My driving license covers it. But there is still the question of other costs and restrictions.

Anything over 3.5 tons is subject to more expensive road and bridge tolls. I have heard of more than one European country either considering, introducing or already having an electronic road toll system where cars can buy a ticket, but vehicles > 3.5 tons are considered in the same category as 18-wheelers and need to rent or buy an electronic unit that charges by the km. This could turn out to be very expensive and inconvenient if travelling across Europe on vacation.

There are also many 3.5 ton weight limit signs appearing in villages or towns to prevent commercial trucks taking short cuts. Also, in the UK, all vehicles have to undergo an annual safety test. This is fairly cheap for cars and many garages offer the service. For vehicles over 3.5 tons I understand you have to go to an official government testing centre instead. I've heard of these being very picky about things (e.g. the orientation of signage on the rear of the vehicle).

Steve.

[RobertRyan]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Are you talking Europe or Australia?
Never have seen van towing a travel trailer in Europe. Not to mention that 7+ passengers vans there are as rare as Prevost in US.
Horse hauler? Not in Europe I know.
Have to admit, going to Australia and renting RV for couple of months is high on my bucket list.
Made few internet friends there and although I don't think I would love to live there permanently, it sure sounds like place worth seeing.

In Europe,have seen quite a few. Had a Van towing a Caravan, pass me on a A- Road. I was doing 70mph. Steve, Sabconsulting could add a few more details. They are common.. Not Passenger Vans, but commercial ones towing Caravans. In a trip around the US in your fall I saw roughly two large Class A's, that was it.So observation at times not the best method.
We tow using SUV's and Pickup Trucks
Here is a small listings for used and some new 3.5 ton and 7.5 ton models by a UK site
Horse box 3.5 and 7.5 ton listings on UK site

Stock photo, typical really.

Interior of an upmarket Horsebox

[Kayteg1]

Are you talking Europe or Australia?
Never have seen van towing a travel trailer in Europe. Not to mention that 7+ passengers vans there are as rare as Prevost in US.
Horse hauler? Not in Europe I know.
Have to admit, going to Australia and renting RV for couple of months is high on my bucket list.
Made few internet friends there and although I don't think I would love to live there permanently, it sure sounds like place worth seeing.

[RobertRyan]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Would be interesting to compare statistics from different continents.
From what I know in Europe anything over 3.5tons (7700 lb) require commercial DL.
Than Mercedes station wagon is on top list as RV tow vehicle.
I think the motorhome pictured above are much rarer in Europe, then Prevost conversions in USA, as I put quite a few thousands km in Europe and have not seen one even close to them.

You will find Vans are the top tow vehicles, large cars are next on the list.. It is not a Motorhome as you know it, but a " Horse Box", it has horses in a separate section. Human living area air conditioned Quite a few producers in Europe, there are many more of them than any Prevost convertors.They use Volvo, Scania, MAN, IVECO and DAF chassis

[Kayteg1]

Would be interesting to compare statistics from different continents.
From what I know in Europe anything over 3.5tons (7700 lb) require commercial DL.
Than Mercedes station wagon is on top list as RV tow vehicle.
I think the motorhome pictured above are much rarer in Europe, then Prevost conversions in USA, as I put quite a few thousands km in Europe and have not seen one even close to them.

[RobertRyan]

Kayteg1 wrote:
I like the practicality of flatbeds and campers with extra storage, but again "cultural" differences are hard to bypass.
In US flatbeds are unpopular as they don't look good at grocery or liquor story 😄
I had custom, short bed F250 with famous 7.3l and it took me a year to find a buyer for 1/2 of blue book value.
Also fuel is relatively cheap in US and most owners don't mind to burn more of it to avoid hassle with pop-up.
Still comparing to Europe where VW Wanagon is a dream for may - this is very nice selection.

Do not know if a Vanagon is a " Dream", more a Campervan, they are everywhere . 50% of European RV's are Motorhomes of some description
These are dreams

[Kayteg1]

I like the practicality of flatbeds and campers with extra storage, but again "cultural" differences are hard to bypass.
In US flatbeds are unpopular as they don't look good at grocery or liquor story 😄
I had custom, short bed F250 with famous 7.3l and it took me a year to find a buyer for 1/2 of blue book value.
Also fuel is relatively cheap in US and most owners don't mind to burn more of it to avoid hassle with pop-up.
Still comparing to Europe where VW Wanagon is a dream for may - this is very nice selection.

[sabconsulting]

Very nice.

Thanks for the pictures Robert.

Steve.

[RobertRyan]

JoeChiOhki wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:

Geewizard wrote:
Those would never sell here in America because they don't have slide-outs, fireplaces, chest freezers, jacuzzi tubs, and fit on a 1-ton dually. :W

LOL!

We are spoiled, aren't we?
But economy makes people rethinking their lifestyle.
Not longer then 8 years ago in topics about Smart cars most would say "you will never see me in one of those"
Now I see more and more Fiats on our roads.
Few more years of this economy and the camper above will become luxury as average American will be tent-camping. 😉

I just see more former Californians on our roads here in Portlandia. Fiats are still rare as smart cars, even with the influx of former Californian hipsters.

We do have lots of Subarus, though :p.

Also got a lot of old Ford pickups (70s, some early 80s), as well :).

There is a lot of variety as regards base vehicles here. Lance Campers Australia, has these on their website. Yes even the Ford is a flatbed

[JoeChiOhki]

Kayteg1 wrote:

Geewizard wrote:
Those would never sell here in America because they don't have slide-outs, fireplaces, chest freezers, jacuzzi tubs, and fit on a 1-ton dually. :W

LOL!

We are spoiled, aren't we?
But economy makes people rethinking their lifestyle.
Not longer then 8 years ago in topics about Smart cars most would say "you will never see me in one of those"
Now I see more and more Fiats on our roads.
Few more years of this economy and the camper above will become luxury as average American will be tent-camping. 😉

I just see more former Californians on our roads here in Portlandia. Fiats are still rare as smart cars, even with the influx of former Californian hipsters.

We do have lots of Subarus, though :p.

Also got a lot of old Ford pickups (70s, some early 80s), as well :).

[Kayteg1]

Geewizard wrote:
Those would never sell here in America because they don't have slide-outs, fireplaces, chest freezers, jacuzzi tubs, and fit on a 1-ton dually. :W

LOL!

We are spoiled, aren't we?
But economy makes people rethinking their lifestyle.
Not longer then 8 years ago in topics about Smart cars most would say "you will never see me in one of those"
Now I see more and more Fiats on our roads.
Few more years of this economy and the camper above will become luxury as average American will be tent-camping. 😉

[_DJ_1]

I like the flatbeds as you can do a side entry. I think Four Wheel Camper here makes one. I'd get one if I wasn't so darn old!!!

[Geewizard]

Those would never sell here in America because they don't have slide-outs, fireplaces, chest freezers, jacuzzi tubs, and fit on a 1-ton dually. :W

LOL!