Here at Cub Campers, adventure courses through our veins and runs deep in every heart. This is what inspires us to make great camper trailers like the Longreach LE. If you want a camper trailer that’s easily set up within a matter of minutes, the Longreach LE may just be your match. It is the luxury, deep-sided family camper trailer for off-road adventures—but more on that later.
Our Longreach LE, fully set up.
When you’re touring on the road, you’ll be driving long distances. When you reach your destination, you’ll want to spend as little time as possible on camper trailer setup. One thing that can help with this is investing in a Longreach LE. There are also many tips and tricks available to smooth the process. We’re talking about enhancing comfort, maximising storage space, and optimising safety. Roadtest these camper trailer setup ideas and see how they go. Here’s how to set up a camper trailer the smart way.
Ways to enhance camper trailer comfort
In terms of comfort, the Longreach LE is the closest thing you’ll get to a caravan. Its creature comforts include a gas hot water system and shower, an extra-thick pillowtop mattress, a headboard, and many electronics (including a fusion stereo and subwoofers!). These are among the highlights, and these are completely separate from the standard inclusions. If it’s comfort you’re after, the Longreach LE will provide.
Did we mention that the pillowtop bed comes with mood lighting above? Mood lighting!
Nevertheless, you can always do more to enhance your comfort as you shift from stop to stop throughout your tour. Here are a few quick tricks to make your time away even more comfortable.
Add an instant closing screen
Virtually all Australian properties come equipped with a flywire door, so why shouldn’t you treat yourself to the same courtesy in a camper trailer? Instant closing screens are a surefire way to keep out flies, mozzies, and other flying critters. All you have to do is fit a magnetic strip mesh screen to the entrance of your camper trailer.
Instant closing screens will have mesh (or flywire) surfaces.
These screens are weighted at the bottom, and their two magnetic strips will lock the screen shut after it’s been opened. Attach one strap to the mesh screen’s side, and the other to the camper trailer tent. The strong magnets will hold up the mesh screen. All you’ll have to do from here is enter and exit at your leisure, protected from bugs all the while.
Add a sun screen
…not to be confused with sunscreen. If you have an old, portable gazebo kicking around, bring it along. Why? Well, it makes for a pretty good sun screen! All you’ll need to do is position the gazebo so it’s 20 centimetres above your camper trailer roof. This will provide a protective barrier that will take the worst of the sun’s heat. Hence, your camper trailer will have a cooler internal temperature. Simple! (Psst: most portable gazebos aren’t that heavy. Their frames are hollow, so they look heavier than they appear. Also, you won’t need to pack a huge model—if you’re at all concerned about storage space.)
Portable gazebo!
Improve accessibility
Camper trailers are elevated above the floor, so stepping in and out of one will not be an ergonomic experience. You can improve this, however, by adding a small step just below the entrance. It doesn’t have to be a ‘real’ step, either! Your options include an up-side-down storage container—which, funnily enough, you can also use to store your camper trailer gear—two bricks, or a sturdy wooden plank. This may not be a necessary addition, but it can make the world of difference to campmates with decreased mobility.
Install a weatherproof clothesline
Travelling around the country with dirty or wet laundry weighing you down? Ain’t nobody got time for that! If you have not been blessed with drying weather, attach eye bolts atop each end of your awning poles. From here, thread a long, strong string through each eye bolt (or however many you need to form a continuous line), and voilà: you have an undercover clothesline.
Ways to maximise storage space
If you’re touring Australia in the Longreach LE, you won’t be strapped for storage space. In fact, this camper trailer has pockets of storage space hidden all over. In and around the pillowtop bed, you’ll find a four-drawer cupboard, bedside storage compartments, storage compartments under the bed and behind the bed head, as well as a locker box. As if that weren’t enough, you’ll also find storage spaces in the pull-out kitchen, including a cutlery drawer, a utensils drawer, three large multi-purpose drawers, a side shelf, and a pull-out drawer for your fridge. Enjoy all the external storage too, which includes a pole carrier.
Flip the bed to find the bed storage divider!
If you still want extra storage space—or if you’re not (yet?) blessed with a Longreach LE—there are other ways to maximise what you have available. After all, if you’re touring the country, this will be a momentous journey. You may need more things at your disposal than you realise.
Use an old backpack as a bin!
First things first: you’d want to make sure this is a backpack no longer in use. It’s going to be a rubbish bin, it will likely stink over time, and the smell may be stubborn against however many runs through the washing machine. That being said, using your old backpack as a bin is far more eco-friendly than binning the bag itself. Attach it to the spare tyre, secure its grip by tightening the straps, and zip up the rubbish away. This keeps your discarded food scraps out of reach of wasps, bees, or flies who would otherwise flock to inspect the mess. It also negates the need for a rubbish bin, freeing up more storage space.
Take advantage of your kitchenware
What are pots and pans made for if not holding food? Use this to your advantage when they’re not in use. Pots and pans are spacious enough to store crockery and cutlery, as well as smaller pots and fragile foods (such as tomatoes or eggs). You can also store dishcloths and sponges inside mugs. If you’re storing used dishcloths or sponges, just ensure to clean your mug first before drinking from it!
Repurpose your shoe caddy as a pantry
Unless you’re Imelda Marcos, you may not need a whole shoe caddy for its intended purpose. Why not repurpose this storage space as a pantry? There should be ample room for your nonperishable items, such as your herbs and spices, pasta and rice, as well as your larger utensils. Slide these into the pockets! To maximise your storage space, consider storing your spices in zip-lock bags rather than their original and more bulky containers. This is a way to keep everything together and within easy reach!
Ways to optimise camper trailer safety
If you’re in a Cub Camper, you’re in safe hands. That being said, there’s always more you can do to optimise your safety. Breeze through our final camper trailer setup ideas and bring better peace of mind to your touring adventure.
Secure your awning as a storm is dawning
If the weather bureau is predicting storms, you may want to further secure your awning using hose clamps. Place one above and one below the awning wingnut, and then tighten the screw. This will give your awning the best defence against storms and galeforce winds, preventing damage and slippage.
Unzip with ease
Travelling with kids or people with decreased mobility? Make the zipper safer and more accessible for everyone. Tie a long string through the eye of the zipper, securing the loose end with a fishing weight. This will ensure the zip won’t get stuck on the camper trailer roof or flap in the wind, out of reach. A gentle tug on this string will allow shorter folks to zip and unzip with ease.
Night visibility that won’t wake the campmates
Camper trailers are small spaces. Like it or not, you and your campmates will be getting at least somewhat cosy with one another. This makes it difficult if you wish to get up for something in the middle of the night. How can you move and activate lights without disturbing someone who’s out like a light? We’re not sure, but glow-in-the-dark tape strips are a great start.
Place glow-in-the-dark tape strips around camper trailer doors, along the floor, or on sharp corners or steps. Charge the tape in the sun and it will glow all night long. Not only are these strips something of a lighting solution, but they also alert us to more dangerous pockets of the camper trailer that we otherwise wouldn’t notice at night.
Level off your camper trailer
Finally, when we’re pulling up to our destination, it’s natural to happen upon an unlevel parking spot. The earth is not a manmade invention and it’s prone to erosion or sloping. To remedy this, consider purchasing levellers, which you position beneath your wheels. These are great when your camper trailer is sitting on an incline. Levellers will stabilise your camp setup and prevent indoor items from literally falling victim to gravity. It also means your indoor camp table will not feel like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
One last spruik
We have already harped on about our amazing Longreach LE, which we are incredibly proud of. This luxury model is so great, however, that we believe it deserves one last shout-out. If you want all the creature comforts of a caravan but something that’s still light enough to tow, we urge you to get on the Longreach LE pronto. It has everything you could need, and it’s ideal for offroading. You wouldn’t believe that such a loaded product could compact as well as the Longreach LE does. It compacts so tightly that you can store it pretty much anywhere.
The Longreach LE (not set up this time).
In this model, many of the camper trailer setup ideas discussed in this blog post are already built-in—especially from a storage perspective. This is an offroading beast wearing an outfit consisting almost entirely of secret storage pockets. Give this luxury family camper trailer a whirl. It’s ideal for touring and long-term road trips.
