Cub Brumby camper trailer review

Following is the review written by Allan Whiting

Cub Brumby camper trailer

Allan  Whiting  has  made  two  Outback  forays  in  the  past  two  years  towing  Cub Brumby camper trailers and has come away very impressed with these capable and versatile models.

On  our  2010  jaunt  to  The  Centre  and  the  Savannah Way  a  test  Cub  Kamparoo Brumby  was  hauled  behind  a  Mitsubishi  Challenger  driven  by  Robyne  and  Stan Gruzlewski,  our Adventure Video Productions  film  crew. As  such,  it  had  a  slightly harder test than did the other five campers, because the crew was continually driving ahead of the convoy, mingling with it doing on-road filming and then having to catch up when  the convoy passed by. That often meant  travelling a  little quicker  than  the others and smacking the odd pothole. Little wonder that at the end of our 10,000km marathon it had a couple of shock absorber rubbers that needed replacing.

The Kamparoo Brumby was the lightest trailer on our six-trailer 2010 Camper Trailer Torture Test and that compact size compromised storage space, but not the living or sleeping  areas.  The  loaded  Brumby,  with  full  80-litre  water  tank,  tipped  the weighbridge scales at only 860kg, with an additional 100kg on  the  trailer coupling. This  light weight was a major  factor  in my choice of  a similar unit  for  the 2011  trip that would be much more demanding.

Another decider was the fact that this hard-floor camper was judged the easiest and quickest  trailer of  the six 2010  test units  to set up and pack away.  It was also the only camper trailer that folded away easily with the awning zipped in place.

The success of the Brumby in demanding conditions encouraged Kez and me to give one a tougher workout in 2011. Our route took in the biggest dunes on the Simpson Desert as  far as Poeppel Corner,  followed by a narrow-track  trip up  the Hay River Track, then the Binns Track, Litchfield National Park and Kakadu. Our towing vehicle was a D-Max crew-cab ute.

The Brumby campers
The  successive Cub  test  trailers were  Kamparoo Brumby Off Road models,  fitted with  aluminium  wheels,  independent-coil,  trailing  axle  suspension  and  override mechanical disc brakes. The chassis were galvanised and  fitted with Trigg  rubber-block  off-road  trailer  couplings  and  a wind-down  spare wheels  (swing-away  spare carriers are optional). The 2010  test  trailer was  fitted with 245/75R16  tyres and  the 2011 vehicle wore 265/70R16 LTs.
Standard  equipment  in  each  Brumby  trailer  included  a  slide-out  galley  with  two-burner stove and sink, with a folding, 12-volt water tap. Each unit also featured a roll-out pantry adjacent to the galley and a storage drawer on the right hand side of the camper.  Also  standard was  a  forward  storage bin  that  contained a  fridge  slide on  the near side and a storage area on the right. The bin lid can be propped open to let the fridge condenser  ‘breathe’  when  the  trailer  is  stationary.  Each  test  trailer  came  with  an optional  small  12/240V fridge,  but  we  checked  that  our  40-litre  Engel  fitted comfortably.
In front of the fridge/storage bin were two, four-kilogram gas bottles and two jerry can holders  behind  mesh  stone  guards.  An  under-frame  water  tank  had  a  claimed capacity of 80 litres and a lockable filler cap. Unlike the case with many campers the Brumby’s water tank was easy to fill. Other  standard  kit  with  the  Brumby  was  a  deluxe  canvas  awning  and  telescopic poles, lift-up bed with under-bunk storage, two 12-volt lights, three 12-volt Hella-plug power outlets, a 15-amp 240V power  inlet and  three 240V outlets. A 100AH deep-cycle battery was also fitted.
The  Brumby  had  a  RRP  of  $26,490,  plus  $1099  for  an  optional  solar  panel  and charge controller.  Options available but not fitted  to the  test  trailers  include a roll-up side wall,  tropical roof, mains water  tap,  innerspring mattress  in  lieu of  foam,  roll-out  right hand  side pantry, swing-away spare wheel carrier and a boat loader.

Two months in the bush in Cub Brumby Campers Our 2011 test route was  the  toughest we’ve ever used for a camper evaluation and many  fellow  travellers  were  amazed  at  the  capability  of  the  D-Max  and  the  Cub Brumby. We managed  all  the  large Simpson Desert  dunes, driving  up  their  steep eastern  faces with no more preparation  than a drop  in  tyre pressures:  the optimum for soft sand being 16psi front and 20psi rear in the laden ute tyres and 12psi in the trailer tyres. Steep creek crossings in Litchfield National Park saw the trailer coupling bury itself a few times, but we never got hooked up and there was no damage to ute or trailer.
The Brumby’s hard-floor design meant that it could be set up on any reasonably level surface, with adjustable  legs on  the  fold-out  section able  to  compensate  for  rough ground. The hard floor was actually  the underside of the  trailer lid and was covered with vinyl material proved easy to clean.
The lid sprang open with gas-strut assistance and was then controlled by paying out a winch  and  strap  system  that  controlled  unfolding,  allowing  one person  to do  the operation without effort.  A brake on the winch prevented a ‘runaway’ deployment! As the  lid opened  it drew  the canvas and  the  tent bows with  it. Once opened  fully  the tent was tensioned by adjusting the bow lengths and securing with wing screws.
Folding  the Brumby up was  the  reverse operation, with a second person  tucking  in the canvas as the lid was gradually winched shut. One person could do it, using the ratchet winch to hold the lid in position while the tucking was done in stages.
We kept  the awning attached  to  the main  tent all  the time and when we didn’t need the awning deployed we simply  flipped  it over  the canvas  top, where  it acted  like a tropical  roof. When  we  did  use  the  awning  we  found  that  the  suite  of  poles  and spreader bars made pegs and ropes unnecessary, unless the wind piped up over 15 knots. Unfolding  the  tent and  tensioning  it  took an average of  three minutes, with a further
15 minutes to set up and tension the awning. Packing up the basic tent and tucking it under  the  trailer  lid  took  about  five minutes  -10 minutes  if  the  awning  had  to  be dismantled and the poles packed away.  What went wrong with  the 2011 Brumby? Virtually nothing, other  than one missing press stud on the tent canvas, a loose adjustable leg pinch screw and small piles of dust  in  two  of  the  side  bins. We  didn’t  have  time  to  ‘season’ the  canvas  properly before leaving, so we had some moisture show on the inside during rain showers.

The  Cub  Brumby  is  a  medium-priced,  tough,  hard-floor  camper  that  is  ideal  for people  who  want  a  camper  that’s  quick  and  easy  to  set  up  and  pack  away. Our testing indicates it’ll go virtually anywhere a capable 4WD and driver can take it.