2004 Kamparoo purchase

ljkup

Adventurer
Well after spending 6 months tossing the idea of a pop up around, I stumbled upon a Kamparoo! My wife and I have been using our AE46 to haul camping gear (now for sale: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/148088-CO-Aluma-AE46-1600) and our Kodiak canvas 10x10 but wanted to get off the ground.

During a side tracked Craigslist search for Toyota Hilux trucks, I came upon this camper hitched to one. 24 hours after emailing the poster if he'd be willing to sell the Kamparoo in the background, it sits in my driveway.

It is very clean with some canvas repairs where they seem to have problems with the Kamparoo hinges.

Future plans include on board power (open to any and all suggestions on how to do this). On board heater (have a camp buddy now) with line running to 10 lb tank. Again, open to all suggestions!

Shake down run will be this weekend.

On to the pics:
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Vinman

Observer
Congratulations on your purchase.
I recently bought a 2002 Weekender that looks identical to yours.
Sadly I won't have possesion of mine until this Winter as the deal was the seller (family friend) gets to use it until the end of this season.
 

Xrunner

Explorer
Congratulations! Good to see another Colorado owned Kamparoo... yours has several rare options like the raised bed with side accessible storage and slide out.

The side tears are pretty common from not paying attention when folding it up. One thing I've found that helps is to make sure the bolt heads are facing out with the threads and nuts facing in. You can also add another layer of canvas on the outside of the hinge to protect the walls if it's still a problem.

For canvas repairs and upgrades I've used Mountain States Tent and Awning in Loveland and they did a fantastic job for a reasonable price. Talk to Kathy and she'll definitely remember doing the work on mine.
 
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pennieslj

Observer
Congrats on the Kamparoo, we love ours. Make sure both doors are open when you are folding the trailer. It makes it much easier to tuck the canvas around the frame.
 

WFOORBUST

Active member
Good find. Not easy to come buy. Can I ask what you paid? I just picked up an Aussie swag in Eagle Colorado after looking for a Kamparoo without any luck.
 

alia176

Explorer
Congrats dude! It's a good platform to work on. Mine started out the same way and here's what I've done to the 2002 Weekeder Transcontinental.
-changed axle to Dexter axle with electrical brakes and mechanical parking brake
-Espar diesel heater with 7day programmable Tstat and retrieve fault codes
-locally made slipper springs, 1000#/spring
-large, more useful Contico plastic box
-led strips warm white inside and outside
-spare tire winch system from my 80 series Land Cruiser
-Fulton jockey wheel
-solar battery charger
-battery
-shurflo pump for sink faucet and a spigot for showering
-shurflo faucet, ditched the hand pump faucet
-two insulated ten gallon tanks directly over the axle, equalized
-Ecotemp water heater for showers
-235 75 15 tires
-bike fork skewers for three bikes on the rack
-cig lighter sockets everywhere
-small fuse distribution block for six circuits
-7 pin RV plug
-Tregg hitch
-Osram map reading light with aperture, 20" neck so that either person can read before going to sleep.
-Fuel/water jerry can rack
-Wooden box for holding pots/plates/propane bottle/etc. This was a "quick project" before a trip and still going strong since '07!!!

Future plans, in no order:
- extend tongue and build an alum box, similar shape as the one from Kimberly Kamper
-parking brake handle and installation
-relocate battery to rear, behind axle to help offset longer tongue
-new and improved pull out kitchen drawer with SS sink, etc
-better access to Ecotemp and a better shower setup
-rear recovery points

More to come as I think of it.....




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Vinman

Observer
Congrats dude! It's a good platform to work on. Mine started out the same way and here's what I've done to the 2002 Weekeder Transcontinental.
-changed axle to Dexter axle with electrical brakes and mechanical parking brake
-Espar diesel heater with 7day programmable Tstat and retrieve fault codes
-locally made slipper springs, 1000#/spring
-large, more useful Contico plastic box
-led strips warm white inside and outside
-spare tire winch system from my 80 series Land Cruiser
-Fulton jockey wheel
-solar battery charger
-battery
-shurflo pump for sink faucet and a spigot for showering
-shurflo faucet, ditched the hand pump faucet
-two insulated ten gallon tanks directly over the axle, equalized
-Ecotemp water heater for showers
-235 75 15 tires
-bike fork skewers for three bikes on the rack
-cig lighter sockets everywhere
-small fuse distribution block for six circuits
-7 pin RV plug
-Tregg hitch
-Osram map reading light with aperture, 20" neck so that either person can read before going to sleep.

Future plans, in no order:
- extend tongue and build an alum box, similar shape as the one from Kimberly Kamper
-parking brake handle and installation
-relocate battery to rear, behind axle to help offset longer tongue
-new and improved pull out kitchen drawer with SS sink, etc
-better access to Ecotemp and a better shower setup
-rear recovery points

More to come as I think of it.....




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Sounds like an awesome build, we're going to need to see pics.:D:D
 

alia176

Explorer
Sounds like an awesome build, we're going to need to see pics.:D:D

Thank you, you're too kind but I wouldn't call it an awesome build per se, just doing things along the course of a typical ownership by an anal engineer :) As you know, the folks on this board just can't stop tweaking things!!!

The Weekender is truly a great platform to start out with IMHO. Basically, a fresh new palette for you do whatever you wish. I have a family of three and back in '07, our daughter was one year old so the pack N play fit nicely in the vestibule. Now, she's nine and she sleeps on an adult size cot on one side, blocking off one of the door (U.S. driver side).

I wanted to see what this thing can do so in '08 I joined up with the fellas from UT and we ran Beef basin, SOB hill, Elephant Hill and Lockhart Basin trails. The "Roo" did great but it was an extreme example of what it can do and one that I don't need to repeat on purpose. I was impressed beyond belief at it's capabilities and so will you. The Tregg hitch is perfect for my application and truly enhances the trailer towing experience through rough terrain.

I don't want to siderail the OP's thread so PM me if you have any questions.

Ali
 

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alia176

Explorer
Some of my ideas on CAD. These files are PDF so click on them to see. This is still a WIP but I'm honing in on what I need vs want. The tongue length is still TBD, trying to see if I can get away w/o extending it at all.
 

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alia176

Explorer
A pic of the setup in the early days! We went to Holbrook, AZ to look at some Petroglyphs and was very, very cold. Mr. Buddy heater was used to keep us warm but I couldn't relax knowing that CO could be an issue. I installed a CO monitor inside but still, my baby was one year old at the time. The trick I found out was to simply leave the heater on pilot with a tiny flame all night and that kept the chill out. The Espar heater went in after we came home from that trip!
 

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ljkup

Adventurer
Thanks for all the awesome information everyone. Shake down trip this weekend up the Poudre canyon couldn't have gone any better. The bed is incredibly comfortable and with a Buddy heater it was plenty warm during the nights that reached 35-38 degrees. I definitely want to install a battery with solar option for lights and interior outlets. Does anyone have a recommended way of doing this?

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 

alia176

Explorer
Thanks for all the awesome information everyone. Shake down trip this weekend up the Poudre canyon couldn't have gone any better. The bed is incredibly comfortable and with a Buddy heater it was plenty warm during the nights that reached 35-38 degrees. I definitely want to install a battery with solar option for lights and interior outlets. Does anyone have a recommended way of doing this?

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You're at a good juncture to figure out what all you need now and for the future. So, think about what 12volt devices you're planning on installing and where. Eventually, you'll need a battery, fuse block, solar panel+controller, etc. For example, I HAD to have a 7 pin plug for battery charging and trailer brakes. Both of my tow rigs are wired with 7pin and all of my trailers have 7pin plugs. Even though this is a light weight trailer, having extra braking power is a must for me.

Just some food for thought.
 

LexusAllTerrain

Expedition Leader
Thanks for all the awesome information everyone. Shake down trip this weekend up the Poudre canyon couldn't have gone any better. The bed is incredibly comfortable and with a Buddy heater it was plenty warm during the nights that reached 35-38 degrees. I definitely want to install a battery with solar option for lights and interior outlets. Does anyone have a recommended way of doing this?

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So how is your buddy heater working for you in the cold , what size do you have to warm such a big tent!
 

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