Beyond the backyard!

Nick had a few days off during the school holidays, so we did a quick trip out to Roma - which had been on our wish-list for a little while.

It was good to test our most recent modifications on the road - and beyond the backyard!

We were up early to finish packing.  As usual Bandit tucked himself into Elmer several hours before departure, so we wouldn't leave him at home! 

In the days when we camped in tents, with various gear stowed in our trailer, we had a number of boxes and pretty much knew where each one went.  We are still working on a plan for the camper trailer but saw progress this trip.

Our new packing method streamlined our roadside lunch stop at Dalby, which was great.  Chairs and a table were easy to access and Nick's shelf proved very handy. We all appreciated a break from the cars (Erin drove hers as a practice for solo camping) and a stroll along the river.  There were many water dragons basking in the sunshine and some that dropped into the water for a swim!

Lots of bright ideas!

It's a bit over a year since we bought our camper trailer and exactly a year since our last proper trip in it (out to Yowah) - though we have enjoyed quite a few backyard sleep outs since then. 

Nick and I really like how easy it is to set up the camper.  We tried a few mattress options and think we'll stick with the current one of a low profile innerspring sofa-bed mattress on top of our 4WD mats, with a foam overlay on top.  (The layers stay in place when the trailer is folded up for travel).

The storage box has great capacity but lacks organisation. 

At the time of buying the trailer, we had grand plans of perhaps setting up a kitchen inside the box area.  We've gone off that idea but would like more structure to our packing/storage.

Top collage pic shows the storage box in use for our first overnight stay.  You can see the previous owner fitted a shelf to the driver's side of the box only.

Nick fixed two shelves to the passenger side of the box today.  The larger of these also has a hinged section for additional bench area.  It may be a good road-stop food prep area.  We'll have to test it!

The main mission of the day was to buy and install a solar panel.  We've talked about getting one for ages but the budget always had more pressing demands. 

Nick's done a lot of research the past few days.  He found a local supplier offering great prices - so today's panel, cable and charging regulator were purchased for just under $200.00.  Fingers crossed our new acquisition works as well as we expect it to!  There is space on the roof of the box for a second solar panel, if we decide to buy another one. 

Nick's final task was to bolt the wooden box to the jerry can holders and fix the spare wheel to the front of the box.  (The gas rings were removed early this year).

Everything's looking good for a camping trip - beyond the back yard!