It’s hard to go past a fully tricked-up, Aussie-made offroad hardfloor for that perfect mix of comfort and ease of use, and that’s exactly what the Fraser from Complete Campsite is. Sitting at the top of the brand’s two camper hardfloor range, the Fraser is essentially the same camper as its younger brother, the Byron, but with more fruit thrown into the package. And who doesn’t like fruit?
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
As with all Complete Campsite products, the Fraser is manufactured on site at the brand’s factory on the Central Coast of NSW. No corners are cut in the production of this camper, and it shows in the quality of the build and finish — every corner of this camper exudes quality and class.
The chassis is made from SuperGal RHS in 50x50x5mm dimensions, while the body of the camper is Zincalume with an aluminium lid and front storage box to keep the weight down. The body panels are stitched welded with Sikaflex applied to the seams for dust protection and to facilitate flex, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage. The body is primed, with two coats of baked enamel paint applied.
The Fraser is carried by Vehicle Components Cruisemaster coil spring suspension with dual gas shocks, which ate up the occasional rough track we happened upon during our trip to Kosciuszko NP. There’s plenty of clearance with the trailer riding high on the 17in offroad tyres, and there’s a rear-mounted, swing-away spare. The camper is brought to a halt by 12in electric offroad brakes.
Needless to say, with that equipment at play on the underside, offroad performance was excellent. This is reinforced by the DO35 offroad coupling, allowing for plenty of maneuverability on nasty bush tracks. At 1370kg Tare as reviewed the Fraser is on the heavy side, but then again there are lots of extras on this camper and the 2000kg gross weight means you’ve still got plenty of payload to work with.
The Fraser comes standard with a diesel hot water service and cabin heater, which was a very nice touch indeed on those icy Snowy Mountains mornings. And while the service isn’t instant, it only takes around 10 minutes to heat up. There is a second electric water pump to allow you to draw water externally from a river, creek, jerry can or the neighbour’s swimming pool, with that water bypassing the cold kitchen tap and heading straight to the shower and hot kitchen tap.
KITCHEN
That brings us to the kitchen; a slide-out, swing-around affair in marine-grade stainless steel which exudes quality with its exceptional finish and smooth edges. You won’t cut your finger on a Complete Campsite kitchen bench, which, believe it or not, is something other brands haven’t cottoned on to and is my personal pet hate.
The three-burner Smev cooktop is powered by the aforementioned twin gas bottles, which are plumbed through to where you need them, connecting at the kitchen via a quick release bayonet fitting. Handy and fuss-free — just the way I like it. There’s a glass lid on the stove, which serves as a splash-back when cooking to protect the side of the camper (handy if your stirring technique is as spirited as mine) and doubles as additional bench space when the stove is not in use — plenty of room to set the kids to task peeling spuds during pre-dinner prep. Or, in my case, more room to make happy hour cocktails.
The electrically pumped sink with hot and cold mixer tap draws from the 120L internal water tank, which is located within the body of the camper under the bed so there is no chance of damage by rocks or sticks while driving on the rough stuff.
There are two large storage drawers for pantry items, one tall enough to host a box of cereal standing up, while the cold items are kept chilled in the 80L Waeco fridge/freezer. A fold-over bench on the fridge slide increases the available working space, while the kitchen slide also has two bench “wings” that fold over the sink/stove during transit. There are soft-close drawers under the sink to allow cutlery, utensils and plates to fall easily to hand.
INTERIOR
Off the driver’s side is the ensuite tent, conveniently accessed from within the main tent for added privacy. It is a functional ensuite, with two rooms for wet and dry use and a pocket for toiletries plus a loop for your towel.
Back inside the main tent there’s a queen innerspring mattress to facilitate restful shut-eye, which hinges upward on gas struts to expose an under-bed storage drawer the full length of the bed itself, with additional storage beneath that.
To get the camper set-up to this point takes only five minutes, so quick overnight stops are a piece of cake. Alternatively, if you’re staying for a couple of nights as we were up in the Snowies, setting up the generous 2.4m awning will take an extra 15 minutes. It’s made from polyester for improved manageability, as it’s lighter to work with and packs up easily. As anyone who has ever wrestled with a heavy canvas awning knows, this is a wise choice from Complete Campsite. And the best thing about this awning? It doesn’t require guy ropes or pegs — unless it’s blowing a gale. It’s also fitted with skylights over the kitchen, which is a thoughtful touch, particularly when it’s overcast and gloomy. A mesh floor comes standard, and you can option on a wall kit to enclose the space if you’d prefer more internal living space or have older kids who need a bit more room.
THE WRAP UP
I’ve got a real soft spot for hardfloor camper trailers. For me they offer both a true camper trailer experience and an ease of set-up for which I am always grateful. And the Fraser really has got everything you could ask for in a hardfloor; it’s built to go anywhere and will let you stay off the grid for an extended period of time, reliant only on yourself and with all the comforts of home. Of course, it isn’t cheap at $55,950 as standard, but even so is competitively placed against other brands at the upper end of the hardfloor market. You get what you pay for, and in this instance you pay for quality Aussie manufacturing and an extremely well-appointed and comfortable touring camper trailer with all the bells and whistles.
HITS & MISSES
I liked…
I would have liked…
Check out the full feature in issue #89 June 2015 of Camper Trailer Australia magazine.
