2014 CTOTY: Complete Campsite Hard Floor Anniversary

A luxurious offroad camper dedicated to functionality and quality.

COMPLETE CAMPSITE HARD FLOOR ANNIVERSARY REVIEW

It is nice to know that in this challenging world, where quality is often compromised by price restrictions, you can be sure that Complete Campsite will never succumb to the pressure. The camper trailer experts make premium campers to the highest manufacturing and design standards.

Currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Complete Campsite has released a range of limited offerings to commemorate its success. The Complete Campsite Hard Floor Anniversary is a showpiece of Australian talent that fills you with patriotic pride in every nook and cranny. There’s no arrogance; it’s more like regal sophistication in a bloody-tough offroad camper. There are no frills, just straight out practicality and quality.

The outward appearance is subtle but sensational, utilising a high quality silver painted finish with imaginative decals and black trims. It’s full of ease and functionality, at the same time oozing luxury and comfort.

STRENGTH AND CONSTRUCTION

The Hard Floor Anniversary has a long list of functional features built on a solid galvanised chassis. There are anti-rust and wear coatings in abundance that resist grit blasting from outback tracks.

On the road, the unit is compact and very bush-worthy. Its solid chassis is supported by a vehicle Components Cruisemaster trailing arm independent suspension with coil springs and dual gas struts to each side. It has 12in drum brakes and 17in wheels and tyres with attractive alloy rims as standard. There are four stabiliser legs to ensure stability when disconnected from the towing vehicle.

Packing the trailer for a trip is no problem, with easy access to the large toolboxes. There’s a large storage drawer located under the bed that can also be accessed via the rear tailgate.

INTERIOR DESIGN

There’s a full kitchen with pantry that swings out from the kerb side of the trailer, as well as an 80L Waeco fridge. The neat, simple and elegant stainless steel kitchen features state-of-the-art manufacturing and design. It provides a three-burner gas cooktop, stainless steel sink with hot and cold running water and plenty of storage and utensil options.

A smooth but strong and easily-accessed drawer for the Waeco is a sensible addition. To complete the cooking options there’s a Weber barbecue on the right hand side that pulls out for grilling and roasting, a most welcome alternative when you live away from home for long periods. Lunch on the road is no problem, with kitchen and pantry appointments immediately accessible.

POWER AND ELECTRICS

There are plenty of power options to keep the rig going, with a 40amp battery charger, 400W pure sine wave inverter, 20amp DC-DC charger, uSb ports, LeD lighting, 240v and 12v power alternatives.

A portable fold-out solar panel and a full battery management system showing state of charge are also featured. Water is supplied from a 120L internal water tank with external and internal pumps for flexibility. Three jerry cans are packed away as reserves. There’s also a Webasto diesel hot water system with ducted heating to keep you toasty warm on that cold alpine night. The anniversary model supplies twin 4.5kg gas bottles to feed the cooking utilities.

Opening the camper is an easy one-person affair, and can be done with ease by campers of all shapes, sizes and genders. The tilt is ably assisted by premium stainless steel gas struts, and an electric winch keeps things really easy.

CAMPING FEATURES

It opens to reveal a large living area, and there is very little internal assembly required —just the placement of two pre-set poles. The full-length external awning is also easily erected and allows a full set-up to be completed in around 15 minutes. The premium quality, Australian-made canvas tent features an insulation blanket on top and big airy windows with full awnings and midge-mesh flyscreens.

The zips are backed up with PvC in case of leakage. There is an optional kids’ room available, but Complete Campsite recommends the more multipurpose Oztent, which they will modify and attach to the camper canvas. That way it can be used independently of the camper trailer.

The hardfloor itself has a fully enclosed, hard-wearing vinyl surface with a complete seal to keep nasties at bay. A set of bunks for the kids will easily fit inside and can be stored on top of the 5in innerspring mattress with its full canvas swag cover.

There’s tonnes of room for storing clothes in the huge drawer under the bed, as well as magazine, wallet and accessory pockets in the canvas. The unit is wider than its closest competitor, giving it an advantage in storage convenience. We still can’t work out what makes the canvas so appealing, but grant Joyce, owner of Complete Campsite, tells me it’s a company secret, and that he would be forced to kill us if he told us.

INTERIOR

The quality keeps on coming, with keyed-alike compression locks all around, a good storage/kayak rack on top with strong tie-down points, a swing-away spare wheel mount, carpet lining to all compartments, reading lamps, an extended drawbar to cater for the huge amount of storage, firewood racks, pole carriers with poles and much more.

With such a presentation, it’s no wonder that Complete Campsite has built a name providing premium quality in the Australian camper trailer market. Congratulations on 10 years of success from all of us at CTA. We look forward to many more immaculate presentations in what will obviously be a long and successful Australian future.

To discover the Complete Campsite Hard Floor Anniversary's final score, be sure to check out Camper Trailer Australia magazine #73. Why not subscribe today!

COMPLETE CAMPSITE HARD FLOOR ANNIVERSARY RATING

PHIL LORD: This is a well-executed camper trailer with the right blend of features, quality and good design. I like how the power and water systems are all integrated and simple to use.

I don’t like having to constantly source more supplies when set up at camp, so the fact you can top up your water supply, if you’re camping near a creek or river, is fantastic. The kitchen is a pearler, spacious and with heaps of storage, and the large fridge/freezer is great for families.

JOHN "BEAR" WILLIS: The awning is terrific, different material to the rest of the camper, more lightweight and manageable to set up. Love the Weber — you can roast, grill and fry. The set-up is quick and easy thanks to the winch system, and the ensuite is excellent.

The quality of finish is exceptional, as per usual when you’re talking Complete Campsite. The build quality is also excellent, and the presentation of the whole camper is beautiful. And offroad, this thing is tough. It’s got good recovery points, a solid chassis, good suspension, good size and weight and 12in electric brakes. It also has a low centre of gravity with good clearances. I’d be more than happy to haul this down the toughest tracks.

The innerspring mattress is queen size — bigger than that of the direct opposition — and the camper in general is very liveable with great specs, lots of extra comforts like hot water and space heater, and the kitchen is terrific. As for self-sufficiency, it’s got 99% — all it needs is me!

DAVID COOK: I liked how the winch could lift the floor, which enabled the camper to be moved about without having to completely pack it away. The use of lighter non-canvas materials for the awning was also new.

All the angles and clearances are excellent, the hitch is fine and the clean underside is not just good for fuel consumption (clean air movement) but also avoids snagging sticks and other items in the bush.

The inner drawer for clothing was a bit shallow, and trying to pack it up against the bed simply makes things non-accessible when the camper was closed. The location of the doors permits the use of bunks at the end of the floor for children, making this camper more family-friendly than an Aussie Swag.

This has “wow” factor, with quality finish and plenty of features. Any Complete Campsite product will have a good resale value and be in high demand.

MIKE PAVEY: This is an excellent touring trailer with heaps of comforts and plenty of innovation; moisture seals on the ensuite zip, and the ensuite design, thermal roof and the pump-from-stream option. The finish is excellent. It’s got a substantial chassis, Zincanneal body work and top quality components. The Rhino stone protection to the drawbar is excellent.

This is longer and heavier than the average tourer at 5.4m and 1380kg dry, so it’s not as nimble as some. but it’s easy to set-up, and includes excellent tub storage with slide-out drawers, kitchen/pantry/fridge as well as the front platform for storage. It’s a well-built, packaged camper with plenty of comforts — and good resale value.

Call to enquire: (02) 6171 3645.