COMPLETE CAMPSITE BYRON CAMPER TRAILER REVIEW

THE LAST 10 YEARS have seen the Australian camper-trailer industry grow, mature and diversify very successfully. NSW's Complete Campsite, a member of the Australian Manufactured Camper Trailers Guild, is a company that has moved with the times, with a soft floor, hard floor and hard-top campers all part of its production fleet.

QUALITY CONSTRUCTION

Introduced in time for the recent Sydney Supershow, Complete Campsite's hard-floor Byron is the latest addition to the range. At first glance, this trailer looks to be a very neat and tidy unit that has plenty of features and is more than a little pleasing to the eye.

Closer scrutiny reveals the Byron is built on a 50x50mm box section DuraGal chassis, with a 100x50mm drawbar up front. Riding on independent trailing-arm suspension with coil springs and shock absorbers, the camper has 16in steel wheels and 12in offroad electric brakes.

The water tank is also of interest because while these are often mounted between the chassis rails, the Byron's is located inside the trailer, under the bed. Not only does this position provide good ground clearance, it also leaves space for an optional under-body storage area, accessible when the camper is opened up. Al-Ko corner stabilisers are used all-round.

At the pointy end, a Hitchmaster DO35 handles all the hitch requirements while the drawbar rails support a 10in ratchet-driven jockey wheel, two 4.5kg gas cylinders and three jerry-can holders (with two jerry-cans supplied) and a tool box. Everything is protected by a mesh stoneguard and a rubberised coating applied to the front of the trailer.

Above the chassis, the bodywork, panels and doors, are made from Zincalum panel, while the fold-over floor section and large front-mounted storage box are made from aluminium. Sikaflex adhesive is used on all joints and seams, while all the doors and relevant body sections have pinch-weld seals and all compartments feature compression locks.

UP IN NO TIME

I have to say, setting-up the rear-fold Byron is a breeze. Just undo the roof and floor clips, release the winch and lift the roof/floor over. With the hard floor levelled and in position, it's then a matter of extending the internal hood bows, opening some windows and pegging a few things out.

Setting up the front and side awning does take a little longer, but can be done by one person without a problem. A smaller overnight awning is also available and there are plenty of options for annexe walls and extra rooms.

My review trailer came with an optional tropical roof - useful in hot and cold climates.
In terms of packing up, a remote-controlled winch can be used to close everything. Apart from making the lifting job easier, the process can be stopped half-way through to make sure all the canvas is neatly tucked away, which is much easier than when the roof/floor is folded right over.

The stainless-steel kitchen bench and the 60L Engel fridge sit on a slide-out. The kitchen bench, which slides out and swings around to sit along the side of the trailer, comes with a three-burner cooktop and a stainless-steel sink. There are also fold-out benches at either end.

A couple of drawers provide storage for cutlery and the like, with more storage in the form of two deep drawers in the front bin beside the fridge.

In the sleeping department, the 1900x1500mm (6ft 3in x 5ft) innerspring mattress sits on a posture slat base and is surrounded by windows on three sides. There are also LED reading lights on both sides, plus curtains across the end of the bed.

Lifting the bed base reveals the water tank housed underneath, as well as another sizeable drawer and two 100Ah batteries in a side compartment. The mattress also comes with a zip-up canvas cover.

The Byron is well equipped in terms of electrics. The trailer is wired for 240V and 12V, with two outlets, a 25A battery charger, 150W inverter and 12V switching all neatly fitted into the front offside compartment. Solar panels are an option, and may be a good choice for extended stays in the bush.

SUMMING UP

A look under the Complete Campsite Byron reveals everything to be clean and well built, and it's packed with plenty of features above the chassis. It quickly become evident this Australia-made trailer is fully equipped for life on and off the road. The knowledge and experience of the Complete Campsite team really shows through here.

In addition to its construction, one of the key attractions of the Byron is the fact it's so quick and easy to set up - which is definitely a winner after a long day's travel.

Source: Camper Trailer Australia #53

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