Behind the Brand: Wedgetail Campers

Wedgetail Campers have traditionally been most popular among retired and semi-retired travellers, but the Wedgetail team, Darren Houston and Lucas Newitt, tell us they’re increasingly popular with a younger demographic.

In part that’s due to the brand’s development of a dual cab model, a design challenge that Wedgetail took their time to get right. Now they’re ready.

“Enquiries about dual cabs have been going on for a long time,” Darren says. “We have taken our time because the quality Wedgetail are known for is the one thing we are guaranteed to keep, that and being Aussie-made.”

“We know that, if it is made in Australia, by our own hand, then there is no diminishing return for the customer and that the product will last,” Lucas adds.

“We want customers to go home with a full heart. Some customers pick up their campers and they’re crying. We ask, what’s wrong? And they’re having tears of joy, they’re overwhelmed by the emotion.

“One of the beauties of the job is that, with customers, you can talk about their dreams and it’s not hyperbole. You’re talking about actualities, not hypotheticals.”

Their commitment to quality results in a camper that can last a customer a lifetime, the Wedgetail team say.

“A Wedgetail is going to last for them,” Darren says. “They won’t have to repurchase. We have long-term customers from way back, still going true with their Wedgetail. We have couples exceeding three and four years of full-time living in our campers.”

It’s something you could view as a lifetime project, tailoring your very own Wedgetail as you go to suit your changing needs. As Lucas explains, “You can get in a basic Wedgie, and later you can modify it right up to the Ritz. Customers can bring them to us and we can retro-fit parts, no worries.”

Pre-loved Wedgetail campers also retain their value over time, the team tells Camper. And if your situation changes, there’s no reason the Wedgetail can’t follow; over the years, the one slide-on camper can be fitted to endless tray-back utes, or even to a trailer.

To ensure the quality Wedgetail aspire to, Darren has, since taking over the business in December 2018, computerised parts of the process.

“When I stepped in, the first investment was a CNC router in-house,” Darren says. “That’s computer numerical control. Imagine a sheet of aluminium that you want to cut a star out of. You can draw it on a computer then have the CNC do it with precision, rather than have someone do that every time.”

There’s also been investment in some other machinery, like pressers and folders. But, Darren says, “The fact Wedgetail Campers are custom-built means they still need that human touch, that tradesman ability.”

They always will, he says.

For more information, go to www.wedgetailcampers.com.au