How to choose the right slide on camper for your next trip

A drawer system and drawer slides are the ideal way to organise your camper trailer, but what if you can’t take your trailer due to the terrain? Well what about a slide on camper?

Aussies love our campers, but even 4WD camper trailers can be difficult to take through some of the rougher Australian terrain. Some hardy 4WD enthusiasts would say that they can take their camper trailer anywhere, but for most of us, towing a trailer through this type of country is too much to take on.

This is where a slide on camper comes into the picture, because it slides on and off the back of your Ute or pickup truck. This means that you can leave it parked at a camp site and take off in your 4WD for the day, hitting the more complex trails and returning to your camper, which is safe and sound at the campsite.

There are a variety of different slide on campers available on the market, but essentially they all provide similar accommodation as a towable camper trailer. You can install drawer runners for easy access to your fridge and other heavy items, a drawer system to organise your clothes and food, as well as drawer slides to keep all your tools in one place.

How to choose the right slide on camper

Your priority is to select a slide on camper that won’t overload your vehicle, so you might need to upgrade your vehicle or you will invalidate your insurance and endanger yourself and your passengers. It’s not just the weight of the camper that you need to consider however, it’s also the weight of everything you include in the camper as well. This means you need to add up the weight of the drawer system, drawer slides and drawer runners, as well as the tinny you strap to the top, fishing gear, water tanks, food, stoves, tarps, etc.

Most Utes in Australia have a 1 tonne payload, but you can investigate increasing this capacity, if you have the budget. It’s essential however, that you don’t carry a weight that is near your vehicle’s maximum capacity, because this will reduce its performance, eat up your fuel and endanger you on 4WD tracks.

For information on quality 4WD accessories, call us on 1300 210 549 or send us an email.