ALU-CAMPERS
Alu-Cab is renowned for our range of products that we custom build –aluminium campers being one of them. We build campers in many different shapes and sizes for many different vehicles. However, our primary focus is on Toyota Land Cruiser bakkies. Considered the benchmark in reliability and strength, the majority of our campers are built for Toyota bakkies as these vehicles are the most popular choice for driving in Africa.
Building products to survive thousands of kilometres in the most demanding of off-road conditions, is no easy task. Many products do not make the grade and self-destruct when used extensively off-road. The very reasons why people come to Alu-Cab for their campers. We focus on tough - keeping our campers Simple, Light and Strong.
Simplicity: ‘Keep it simple’ is our motto when it comes to designing and building. One tends to want to carry more and more things with you in the bush. However, experience has proved that very often we don’t need half the items we pack. Bearing this in mind, we now restrict our building plans to meeting basic needs. This approach helps us to achieve a number of benefits, the first being cost. The simpler your camper is, the cheaper it is to build. More importantly, the simpler your camper is, the lighter it is transport, the less there is that can go wrong and the safer it is on the road. Plus, the simpler your camper is the more internal space there is. One way to spoil a good trip is to be constantly battling with all your belongings. The less there is, the less there is to stress over. So again, ‘keep it simple’ is just the answer.
Light Weight: Our basic single cab, flip-roof campers generally weigh in at around 280 to 300 kgs. So provided one does not overload, you can be on the road with a very reasonable weight - considering it’s a camper. The direct advantages of keeping the weight down when travelling off-road are manifold:
Safer driving, with the ability to accelerate to greater speeds if necessary, such as when overtaking.
Easier handling and 4 x 4ing, especially when in deep sand or crossing rivines.
Less strain and wear and tear on the vehicle’s brakes, tyres and suspension.
Strength: This is the main reason we recommend and preferably use Aluminium. Built from welded Aluminium frames, we clad our canopies using aluminium plates that are then glued onto the frames. So the main structure is then super strong - and light – but also with flex. Flex helps to take strains and prevents the unit from just breaking up.
Every accessory added to the camper is also glued to the frame unit. Experience shows the weakest links in our products often tend to come from outside products – accessory handles and locks. Although to day, we are finding better quality product ranges to alleviate this problem.
Our camper roofs are built with the idea in mind that one may need to climb onto the roof or load it. When viewing game in the parks, it’s a safe vantage point for the family with wild animals about. So again, canopy strength to carry the whole family is very important.
The Advantages of Campers: Custom kitted Alu-Cab campers provide a host of advantages, the biggest being for those folk who are always on the move. Our campers are very quick and simple to set up. Literally within minutes you are beer in hand and ready to relax. The same applies to closing down camp. This really takes a lot of the pain out of the trip. As you know a rolling trip is often hard work and when one returns you feel you really need a weeks rest. A camper helps relieve that stress from hours spent setting-up and closing camp.
The other major advantage is safety. When compared with the basic tent, the camper provides greater safety from people [ those uninvited guests ] and animals. Routine activities like changing clothes are made far easier as you can stand upright in your camper. Plus the base of the camper’s beds are on gas lifts so they can fold away, allowing for greater mobility and space inside the campers.
Another consideration is when having to pack a tent after or during a rain storm. This is never fun but again, with an Alu-Cab camper, it’s far less of a problem. So all things considered, it’s the logical choice. More so if you are just a couple travelling together.
