A lot of people are concerned when you start talking imported campers that they are just not up to the task. They come in by the container load with a different sticker on it and put it out to market, that’s it.
Good mates here from Mars Campers reckons their stuff is seriously up to the task and he’s put it to the test. Five thousand kilometres in the last three weeks coming from Melbourne all the way up here to the tip of Cape York
We’ve done Battle Cape road out to Weipa and most of the Tele track, hundreds of kilometres of corrugations, river crossings, right up to the very top and parked on the beach right at the tip of Australia
Let’s go and have a good look at some of the features and see why this thing has done as well as it has.
One of the big things Mars try to push is making camping a simpler experience, not having to worry whether your campers going to make it down that track or fighting with it just to set up camp for the night.
The way they have done this is by putting a lot of intelligent design into the little features that most people overlook, for example, the kitchen they have revamped it, ditch the old clunker cooker and they have gone for a high-end gas unit that isn’t going to rattle around on all the corrugations, it’s freed up more storage space giving more room for cutlery and cups.
Underneath the suspension is your typical independent twin shock coil design, the guys from Mars have actually bumped it forward a couple of inches and it’s done a couple of things; The first things it’s lighten up the ball weight making this a pretty good option if you are towing with a coil sprung SUV like a Prado or Ford Everest
The other thing it’s done is freed up storage space and with that they have been able to put in a second additional battery, which gives the Mars a high capacity allowing you to keep all those vital accessories running even longer without having to fire up the 4-wheel drive or crack out the solar panel
Now we have not long finished up the tele track and there are a couple of things that have made this stand out. One of the big things is it’s obviously got a lot more higher ground clearance then some of the other offerings on the market.
The hassle free of forward folders (forward folding campers), there are a couple of bedding options too of course there is the main one folded over, you’ve got the big bed set up for mum and dad and for when the little kids are coming along too you’ve got the lounge area that actually converts down to a second bed or in the case of Mars for this trip, you can chuck your best mate there too, of course a privacy screen is included too.
One of the biggest selling features for Mars too is that it includes all the bells and whistles, like the big boat rack which is great for your tinny’s but you can put bulker items up there, like kayaks and push bikes too and if you are going to do a tough trip like we have done, a couple of hand tools a few bolts and off it comes and you can go down tighter tracks.
Now one of the things I mentioned before is that it’s got the big gas cooker, but one of the things I really like is that there’s plenty of storage space.
The guys from Mars are known for working hard and smart and I reckon there’s a few ideas twirling around in Mars’s head already, the boys don’t know it yet, but we are planning another trip next year, I’m gonna see what they bring, see how hard it’s gonna go and see if I can break this one
There is no doubt that Mars is one the most polished campers I’ve come across, but when word gets out about how bulletproof these things are, I reckon you are going to start seeing a few more around the campfire.
