Enthusiast III
- 616
- First Name
- Paul
- Last Name
- Wilkinson
- Member #
-
17317
In the interest of sharing and promoting cost effective and (somewhat) creative ideas I thought I would document my budget trailer build here.
Recently we were contemplating the purchase of a roof tent to be coupled with our VW Amarok pickup. Initially we were both enthusiastic at the prospect but having looked at some demo setups the limited 'living' space and access issues - height, lifting a child, going for a pee in the night) - had us reconsidering them altogether. That and of course the cost of purchase for something like a Tuff Trek 1.4 Deluxe with Awning coming near 2k with roof bars etc included.
Still craving that semi-outdoor experience and tempted to buy a cheaper quality, smaller used model I was checking out the ads on FB Marketplace and Ebay when I happened across something I hadn't considered. While not strictly Overland friendly I could see it's potential as outdoor accommodation and thought that with some work and with a limited budget it could be used with the truck.
Welcome to the CombiCamp 2000 Sport - a compact trailer tent designed in the early 60's and sold pretty much as originally made right up to the present day. Made in Denmark to a high quality these still command good money and have a following worldwide.
Our example was manufactured in the early 1980's and is the smallest 'Sport' model offering a full sized 150x200 bed (large roof tent size) as well as and additional equivalent living space. The option al awning provides an additional 4mx3m area. In totoal that's an area of 5mx3m or 15m2.
For it's age it is in remarkable condition. Although there were issues to attend to:-
- It has a single hole in the canvas due to wear and tear.
- The canvas needed reproofing.
- Someone had fitted a trailer board to bodge the electrics.
- Minor fittings were missing.
Here is the trailer as collected. Cost at this point £400.
It tows beautifully but due to the low height bounces a little sometimes. More on that later....
The beauty of the CombiCamp is the speed with which it can be erected. The main unit takes under 5 minutes to go from trailer to fully functional tent / sleeping area thanks to the simple all-enclosed hinged design. Check out the first few seconds of this later model. The design is virtually the same but the Sport doesn't use the locking bars.
The unit folds from front to rear.
And with the optional awning....
All in all it creates a huge space for the size of the trailer. It also offers a rack on top which can be used to carry bikes, storage boxes etc.
The trailer runs on 8" wheels and is unbraked as it weighs under 750kg .
Work so far has included:-
- inner bed tent and mattress washed
- Inside bleached
- Canvas cleaned (some stains remain, but after 40yrs most things have marks/scuffs)
- Body cleaned
- Trailer board removed
- Canvas liberally re-proofed with Fabsil
- Breakaway cable replaced
- Electrics tested on the truck via adapter
My immediate plan is to rewire the original tail lights and markers. I have good feeds to the rear so a sealed junction box and a bit of TLC should have them reinstated soon. I have a new number plate to fit.
AND THEN THE MADNESS BEGINS....
I Googled to see if anyone had done a suspension lift on a trailer tent before and oddly there were very little hits. Game on then!
To level the trailer with the truck I need to lift the main unit a few inches to correct the lean front to rear. But if I lift the truck, as is my intention that will need a couple more inches adding.
The trailer runs on a solid axle with torsion bar units mounted on plates to the chassis. It's quite substantial under there for a light trailer.
A riser/spacer between the plates and chassis should be easy with some box section and longer bolts. Add a pair of 10" Mini wheels (same 101.6 stud pattern) and matching farm trailer tyres and we should see an easy lift.
I plan to use Weller Sport steel wheels to match the modulars fitted to the Amarok.
The only considerations I can see are that the tent base (roofrack) will need some additional corner support/extensions and the awning skirt will possibly need extending to adjust to the additional height.
At least that's the plan so far. I am chasing an original camp kitchen setup which goes on the drawbar and can be used in situ or removed and used elsewhere.
Am I mad? Who knows?
Answers on a postcard to:
The Funny Farm
Lift All The Things
Overland
UK
Recently we were contemplating the purchase of a roof tent to be coupled with our VW Amarok pickup. Initially we were both enthusiastic at the prospect but having looked at some demo setups the limited 'living' space and access issues - height, lifting a child, going for a pee in the night) - had us reconsidering them altogether. That and of course the cost of purchase for something like a Tuff Trek 1.4 Deluxe with Awning coming near 2k with roof bars etc included.
Still craving that semi-outdoor experience and tempted to buy a cheaper quality, smaller used model I was checking out the ads on FB Marketplace and Ebay when I happened across something I hadn't considered. While not strictly Overland friendly I could see it's potential as outdoor accommodation and thought that with some work and with a limited budget it could be used with the truck.
Welcome to the CombiCamp 2000 Sport - a compact trailer tent designed in the early 60's and sold pretty much as originally made right up to the present day. Made in Denmark to a high quality these still command good money and have a following worldwide.
Our example was manufactured in the early 1980's and is the smallest 'Sport' model offering a full sized 150x200 bed (large roof tent size) as well as and additional equivalent living space. The option al awning provides an additional 4mx3m area. In totoal that's an area of 5mx3m or 15m2.
For it's age it is in remarkable condition. Although there were issues to attend to:-
- It has a single hole in the canvas due to wear and tear.
- The canvas needed reproofing.
- Someone had fitted a trailer board to bodge the electrics.
- Minor fittings were missing.
Here is the trailer as collected. Cost at this point £400.
It tows beautifully but due to the low height bounces a little sometimes. More on that later....
The beauty of the CombiCamp is the speed with which it can be erected. The main unit takes under 5 minutes to go from trailer to fully functional tent / sleeping area thanks to the simple all-enclosed hinged design. Check out the first few seconds of this later model. The design is virtually the same but the Sport doesn't use the locking bars.
Code:
<iframe width="858" height="664" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x4TgP12IvLA" title="Combi Camp Valley (2009) demonstration video (1/3)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>And with the optional awning....
All in all it creates a huge space for the size of the trailer. It also offers a rack on top which can be used to carry bikes, storage boxes etc.
The trailer runs on 8" wheels and is unbraked as it weighs under 750kg .
Work so far has included:-
- inner bed tent and mattress washed
- Inside bleached
- Canvas cleaned (some stains remain, but after 40yrs most things have marks/scuffs)
- Body cleaned
- Trailer board removed
- Canvas liberally re-proofed with Fabsil
- Breakaway cable replaced
- Electrics tested on the truck via adapter
My immediate plan is to rewire the original tail lights and markers. I have good feeds to the rear so a sealed junction box and a bit of TLC should have them reinstated soon. I have a new number plate to fit.
AND THEN THE MADNESS BEGINS....
I Googled to see if anyone had done a suspension lift on a trailer tent before and oddly there were very little hits. Game on then!
To level the trailer with the truck I need to lift the main unit a few inches to correct the lean front to rear. But if I lift the truck, as is my intention that will need a couple more inches adding.
The trailer runs on a solid axle with torsion bar units mounted on plates to the chassis. It's quite substantial under there for a light trailer.
A riser/spacer between the plates and chassis should be easy with some box section and longer bolts. Add a pair of 10" Mini wheels (same 101.6 stud pattern) and matching farm trailer tyres and we should see an easy lift.
I plan to use Weller Sport steel wheels to match the modulars fitted to the Amarok.
The only considerations I can see are that the tent base (roofrack) will need some additional corner support/extensions and the awning skirt will possibly need extending to adjust to the additional height.
At least that's the plan so far. I am chasing an original camp kitchen setup which goes on the drawbar and can be used in situ or removed and used elsewhere.
Am I mad? Who knows?
Answers on a postcard to:
The Funny Farm
Lift All The Things
Overland
UK
Last edited:
