Hitched up and heading off..

01Why a camper trailer..

This trip mixed good bitumen with gravel and a few tracks where a big van would have been hard work. A camper trailer sits low, sets up quickly and leaves the 4x4 free for the fun bits once camp is up.

It also means everything has a place. By day two you stop packing and start just putting things back where they live.

02Hitching up right

The first hitch-up of any trip is slow, and it is meant to be. Coupling, chains, electrics, brakes, lights, then a walk around to check every one of them again. It takes ten minutes. It is the best ten minutes of the trip.

03On the bitumen

The 200 Series settled in with the trailer behind it. You feel the extra weight when you pull away and when you pull up, so everything happens a bit sooner: braking, indicating, the gap you leave to the car in front.

Towing rewards patience. Do everything a bit sooner and a bit smoother, and the trip looks after itself.

Towing also uses more fuel, so we planned shorter gaps between fill-ups and did not pass a decent servo on the long stretches.

04Off the bitumen

When the road turned to gravel, we slowed right down and kept it smooth. Corrugations shake everything, so we pulled over after the first stretch to check the hitch, the load and the trailer straps. One strap had worked loose. Ten seconds to fix, and a good reminder of why the checks happen.

Dust was the other surprise. It finds its way into everything, so anything you want to stay clean goes in a tub with a lid.

05What we would do differently

We pulled into camp under the gums with an hour of light left, which felt like plenty until the camper, the awning and dinner all wanted doing at once. Next time we leave earlier.

And we would practise reversing the trailer at home before the trip, not at the campsite with an audience and a running commentary.