Birth of My Kimberley Karavan

[spressomon]

Were there two of you picking up Kimberly Kampers at the same time? I remember meeting a couple guys who were on their way home from the docks with their new trailers a few years ago at In-N-Out Burger at the bottom of the "Grapevine." Was that you?

Yes that was us...small world getting smaller all the time! Redline and I picked up our KK Sports RV trailers at Long Beach on January 25, 2009 and then drove them home to Reno up over Donner Pass in a snowstorm! Christened them properly .

And Brad was a big help through the process!

 

[spressomon]

No problem for us. Bruce has a local friend that is picking it up and taking it out of the port/customs. We are just meeting them in Long Beach at his place to take ownership and get the training.

For whatever reason our's were held up in customs for 2-3 weeks. Whereas we were told typically its just a matter of a few days. We never did learn what the ordeal was all about. It all worked out in the end. But as I imagine you are right now Brad, we were like 2 kids at Christmas only to be told we had to wait a few weeks after to open our presents

 

[Redline]

Were there two of you picking up Kimberly Kampers at the same time? I remember meeting a couple guys who were on their way home from the docks with their new trailers a few years ago at In-N-Out Burger at the bottom of the "Grapevine." Was that you?

I knew it had to be Spressomon and me, but when you named the location there was no doubt. Two and a half years already, wow.

Great for you Brad, can't wait until you show us all how great it is.

 

[Tucson T4R]

Thanks. I sure hope I don't have the same experience with customs delays. Not sure if I have enough underwear to get through the stress.:elkgrin:

 

[wyojoe]

Yes that was us...small world getting smaller all the time! Redline and I picked up our KK Sports RV trailers at Long Beach on January 25, 2009 and then drove them home to Reno up over Donner Pass in a snowstorm! Christened them properly .

And Brad was a big help through the process!

You're right, the world just keeps getting smaller all the time. It's amazing to me the places I go where I run into people I know or people who know someone I know. It's also amazing how I find people years later that I only had a brief discussion with in the past. I just joined this forum recently, but it's cool to run into folks I've already met on here (even if we only met briefly years ago).

I knew it had to be Spressomon and me, but when you named the location there was no doubt. Two and a half years already, wow.

Great for you Brad, can't wait until you show us all how great it is.

It's hard to believe it's been that long already. It seems like only a few months ago I saw you guys there and asked about your trailers. After you told me about them, I looked them up online and learned quite a bit more about them. They impressed me at the time (and still do). Same with the Karavan. I hope you guys have had some wonderful experiences with your trailers and that you get plenty of opportunity to use them.

I ended up buying a Jumping Jack trailer at the end of last year. I know it's not designed to go where your trailers go, but it allows me to have room for my whole family while still being able to get away from the crowds. If I needed to, I'd even be able to transport one or two ATVs to get further from the crowds (but I'd have to get the ATVs first). I've had a few opportunities to use it already, but this past weekend was basically my first time taking it in the dirt.

 

[Tucson T4R]

Joe,

I drove into this year's Overland EXPO on some decently rugged back roads through the Santa Rita mountains South of Tucson, One of the guys had a Jumping Jack trailer and it did just fine.

The point is to get out there, with whatever works for you and your family.:victory:

 

[wyojoe]

Joe,

I drove into this year's Overland EXPO on some decently rugged back roads through the Santa Rita mountains South of Tucson, One of the guys had a Jumping Jack trailer and it did just fine.

The point is to get out there, with whatever works for you and your family.

Brad,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. Don't worry, I'll be getting out there with my Jumping Jack in a couple of weeks. I'm glad to hear that Jumping Jack trailer you mentioned did well on that trip. My biggest concern with it is the width, since it's at least a foot wider overall than my truck. I haven't yet had any trouble with it because of that, but it still concerns me.

I took my trailer on a fairly easy trail over the weekend, and it did fine. I just have to get used to having it behind me when I travel. Half the time when I have it behind me on the highway I forget it's there because it's quite easy to tow. I need a little more time with it off the highway. A few weeks of vacation this summer should get me some time to get used to towing it, hopefully with some of that time on some backcountry trails throughout the west.

Edit: Great pictures, by the way!

-Joe

 

[rockman]

tear-drop

You know, I looked seriously at the Karavan earlier this year. Didn't pull the trigger though because I wondered how much the family would really use it and since my choice of tow vehicles is either a 2500 Suburban or a Jeep JKU. I thought the JKU, even though it has a Hemi, wouldn't be happy pulling it.

So, I ordered a tear drop that is taking way to long to be completed. I don't mind camping, somewhere between minimalist and fully kitted out, and the tear drop I have coming will be pretty far up the scale, but I know darned sure my wife (and kids) would prefer Glamping!!!

Looking at your Karavan, I think I made a mistake!!!



Congrats on your very excellent Karavan.

JPK

JPK ,

I would be interested in hearing about your tear-drop or if you have any photo's of it .
I'm over here in Oz and we don't have tear-drops here . I am looking at building a grass-hopper tear-drop ???? ,but on a land-cruiser Ute chassis , same sort of concept buy a bit higher off the ground .

Cheers Jim

 

[Tucson T4R]

Is the proud father accepting visitors? I would love to see/touch one of these.

You bet. Visitors are welcome. :sombrero:

Do you plan to be in Tucson anytime soon or do you want to try to hook up when I am bringing it back from Long Beach? Depending on how rushed the schedule turns out to be, that could be an option.

 

[stjjames]

 

[Inverness]

Visitors?

You bet. Visitors are welcome.

Do you plan to be in Tucson anytime soon or do you want to try to hook up when I am bringing it back from Long Beach? Depending on how rushed the schedule turns out to be, that could be an option.

While in SoCal. When are you going to pick it up?

 

[Tucson T4R]

It depends on when it breaks out of customs. Right now the guess for when I will be picking it up is the weekend of July 23 - 24.

 

[CLK Foxhall]

Congrats on a great trailer!

What are the dimensional specs (length, width, height, weight)?

Specifically, the info (not in metrics) one would need to evaluate the trailer,... to a potential tow vehicle.


Cheers!
~CLK

 

[Tucson T4R]

Congrats on a great trailer!

What are the dimensional specs (length, width, height, weight)?

Specifically, the info (not in metrics) one would need to evaluate the trailer,... to a potential tow vehicle.


Cheers!
~CLK

I plan to tow mine with my 2004 4Runner Sport with the V8. My 4Runner has a 6000lb tow rating so I don't expect any problems.

From the KK website:

Only 1580-1680kg Tare, (3704 lbs)

ATM for Karavan & X-Series is 2000kg, 2200kg for the Limited Edition. (4409 lbs)

Typical Liquids (water diesel) add 200kg when full and Jerry Cans add 20kg each. (441 lbs)

Options add additional weight ( example Airconditioning - 35kgs approx, Batteries can add up to 100kgs) (A/C 77 LBS)

Drawbar varies from less than 140kg to over 260kg on drawbar. (308.6 lbs to 573 lbs)

For the lesser drawbar weight, the water tank is located in the rear. The loading of the front multibox needs to be controlled to achieve the maximum drawbar weight required.

Note that experienced off road travellers prefer a heavier drawbar weight for best control in both on and off road conditions. We design our Kamper trailers to 12-15% drawbar weight.

Kimberley Kampers does not make a recommendation for vehicle selection or matching to our products. This is the responsibility of the Dealer as individual vehicles can have variation in specification.

There are customers who are satisfied with their vehicle choice who have lighter vehicles such as: VW Toureg, Toyota Prado, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Pathfinder. However, we make no warranty on performance or suitability on a specific vehicle. Your Dealer will assist you with this.

DIMENSIONS Kimberley Karavan™

Travelling Length (mm) 5190m (17.02 ft)

Width (mm) Mudguards 1950 mm Body 1870mm (6.4 ft)

Travelling Height (mm) 2190mm (reduced to 2150mm for garage) ( 7.2 ft)

Height after deflating tyres for entry into garage 2150mm (7 ft)

Wheeltrack (mm) 1620mm (5.3 ft)

Ground clearance (mm) 450mm (17.7 in)

Opened overall Length 6510mm (21.35 ft)

Opened inside length 4950mm (16.24 ft)

Opened inside walk height 2100mm (6.89 ft)

Bed Size 2100mm x 1600mm (6.89 ft X 5.35 ft)

 

[CLK Foxhall]

Thanks.

My vehicle has a very short wheelbase (90"), so when considering trailers, length is a relevant factor. HP & brakes are not a problem.

My quick maths puts the Karavan at about 17'.

Again - Congrats on a Great Trailer!


Cheers!
~CLK