'Carry Me Anywhere'
The Carry Me Camper is a lightweight and practical solution for those who don't want to pull a trailer camper.
Australian 4WD Monthly, words and images by Greg Cartan, March 2004
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Sick of towing a trailer (they're buggers to back of a sand dune)? Carrying too much weight on your roof rack (not good for your vehicle)? Need some extra storage space (who doesn't)? Tent getting a bit much to set up and pull down each day (knees aching)? Then maybe the Carry Me Canvas from Candy Canvas is the thing for you. Phil and Sandra Candy were farmers for 33 years before they got into the leisure business. They are country folk and live by what I call "solid country values". They've built their business on trust and reliability. Their slogan is, 'Made in the country, for the country, with pride'. If they aren't willing to use the gear themselves, they won't sell it. You may have gathered I was pretty impressed by their attitude and approach.
About six years ago, they started building and testing various slide-on units for their Ute. It took about three years of tough bush bashing and a splurge on the rental market to get it ready for market. They're obviously doing something right because they now employ 12 people and have a thriving business.
CONSTRUCTION
The big advantage this unit has over some others is its weight - only 360kg! This gives a lot of flexibility to pack in all those other essentials for your trip. It's 211cm long and 183cm wide, or close enough to 7x8ft. This makes it suitable for both the bigger Nissan and/or Toyota trays and the small Hilux size.
Its roof is roughly at cab-height, so there is no additional wind resistance and it won't knock the fuel consumption about like your pack rack can.
The basic unit gives you the empty shell, the wind-up jacks, ladder, mattress plus the tent. The box is constructed from zinc-sealed steel with a checker plate floor. The standard unit stands 91cm high and offers a large storage area. The wings on both sides have gas lifters and provide easy access.
The doors are lockable, and four lockdowns secure the box to the tray, ensuring no movement, even in the really tough stuff. Phil and Sandra did the Canning recently and had no problems at all.
If you intend to settle in somewhere for a few days, but don't want to pack up to go for a drive, then it easily converts into a freestanding unit. Four heavy-duty (12200kg rated) side-wind jacks are included n the basic price, and they make lifting the unit easy and fast. The winding is really light work; it just takes a few minutes to lift and drive off, and it will sit there, steady as a rock.
To reload you will need to back the tray under the unit in a pretty tight space. This means ' go slow and careful', but with a little practice it's not that difficult, especially when you think of some tricky places you've handled in the scrub.
BED AND TENT
The bed and tent fold out from the top of the unit; the total size of the tent is 396x203cm. The sleeping area is up top and accessed via a folding aluminium ladder. The 10cm-thick mattress measures 198x137cm so you big guys won't have to hang your heels over the end.
And the two large bedroom windows provide plenty of ventilation. The mesh is made of Tentex, which the manufacturer says will keep out sand flies. I hate those little suckers, but they seem to love me!
The tent has front and rear doors, a draught skirt and a ground sheet. If you need to hide from some crappy weather, the space is large enough so you won' trip over yourselves at every turn.
The canvas is 12oz on the roof and 8oz on the walls. Of course, all the pegs, poles and ropes are included in the basic price. Everything folds away easily and then packs nicely on top with a heavy-duty PVC tarp to keep it in place. It looks very tidy.
OPTIONS
You can take the option of a bare box and customise it yourself or you can take any number of options up to a full fit-out. These include a 55L water tank, a fridge slide, dual-fuel stove, a three-door powder-coated pantry with slide out bench, carpet and an electrical package that includes 12/240V power inlets, lights and a second battery.
I was really impressed with the extra-large rear awning. I don't like to feel closed in, so the full-length shade cloth wall really appealed.
THE CANDY FAMILY
Carry Me customers are themselves a sort of extended family. So the Candy's organise an annual get-together for the tribe of owners. This year 38 units converged on Silverton to compare notes, swap stories, have a few drinks and a lot of laughs. It says a lot for the product, eh?