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Chatting with Ultimate Off-Road Campers’ owner David Rodgers should come with a warning. A warning that your brain will be subjected to overload by a man whose attention to detail and quest for perfection is now legendary at the company’s head office and showroom in Moruya on the Far South Coast of New South Wales.

We followed David around the production facility after a simple “Hi David, what’s new?” greeting and emerged an hour later with a whole list of production process improvements and tweaks to the iconic off-road camper trailer that’s been made here in Australia for more than 25 years.

Not content with a gong at the Camper Trailer of the Year awards, which Ultimate Off-Road Campers won for being “The Most Comfortable Camper Trailer”, David has set himself the unenviable task of making Australia’s most iconic off-road camper trailer even better in record time.

Our whistle-stop tour of the manufacturing facility started at where the lids are being made. David tells us that the lids are being strengthened and at the same time made lighter by around 3kgs, something to do with carbon he tells us. We nodded knowingly and asked the silly questions — how much stronger? David tells us it will be 3x stiffer and 50% stronger. Ultimate Off-Road Campers models have always had the lowest tare weight of any brand in its niche. Looks like we’re going to put even more daylight between us and the rest!

We’ve barely had time to digest this news   and we’re off to the gull-wings area. They are now reinforced. David opens and closes, and opens and closes. We’re looking up and down as he does it like a game of gull-wing tennis. Game, set and match to the reinforced gull wings.

They do say that as one door closes another opens. And true to form David shuts the gull-wing door and takes us to the area where the main body is being built. He points out the new door. 25mm thicker than previously plus there is one handle with a lock and key and one insider lock too. No more sleeping with one eye open! David also points out that the step into the camper trailer at the door has been made smaller. This was mentioned by the judges at the Camper Trailer of the Year awards. And he listened. But not only listened, acted.

What the hell? We look inside the body and there is a large steel contraption seems to be holding at all together. It’s square. David says, “perfectly square”. It’s a jig. This will further improve the manufacturing process and build quality. We nod. This is just the marketing team. We are not terribly tech minded and really, what started 45 minutes ago with a “Hi David, what’s new?” has us all scribbling notes and taking photos. We haven’t even had a coffee yet.

But the stuff that gets us all hot under the collar is the little things. The logos on hinges. David love hinges and brackets and screws. He loves attention to detail. He shows us that a simple change of nuts and bolts in the lockers leaves a neater fit. We say “yeah, great”….because we’re still looking at the Ultimate Off-Road Campers logo on the shiny hinge.

Ultimate Off-Road Campers’ GT360 competed in the prestige Over $50,000 category at the 2020 event.

The gracious yet bulletproof exterior of the Ultimate GT360 expands, with ease, into a palace offering all-around awning coverage, interconnected internal and external kitchens, an independent kids’ sleeping area, a 130L Isotherm fridge, REDARC electric tech, and pleasant relaxation space. For just under $70,000, this outback tourer, 25 years in the making, will magnetise everyone who does it rough on the roads but classy at camp. So much so, that it took out the subsidiary award of ‘Most Comfortable’ off-road camper trailer.

SCOTT HEIMAN

Score: 76

Manufactured since 1994 on the NSW South Coast, and having one of the most iconic shapes in the industry, Ultimate Off-Road Campers went into voluntary administration in 2018, ‘ultimately’ being purchased by Eagle Outdoors Group. Under new ownership, Ultimate now has access to a wide network of companies to support it to grow, innovate and impress. Perhaps more importantly, Ultimate Off-Road Campers is set to continue to be made in Australia, by Australians. The GT360 cements Ultimate Off-Road Campers’ return to the market with a high quality, luxurious camper from a team that’s obviously committed to continuous improvement.

The Ultimate Off-Road Campers’ range of camper trailer are shaped like an upside-down boat. Indeed, out in Australia’s arid regions, the sight of an iconic Ultimate could readily put you in mind of the explorer Captain Charles Sturt hauling his boat overland looking for an inland sea. So, does the GT360 have the self-sufficiency to get you there and back?

The short answer is yes. For starters, the nose cone alone has an impressive 1,340 litres of storage. Here you’ll find a REDARC RedVision TVMS 1280, two 4kg gas bottles (or you can opt for one 4kg and one 9kg) and space for two jerries (water or fuel). And this cavernous storage compartment still has more space for whatever else takes your fancy. There are two 120Ah AGM batteries to help power the unit, including the 130 litre upright Isotherm fridge. And as for water, you’ll find three tanks: one 110 litre and two 50 litre tanks, one of which can be isolated to serve as a grey water tank if you choose. The hallmark 360 degree awning is made of 10oz Coolabah canvas with silver mica lining complemented by a tropical roof on the cabin. While solar is optional, this camper is hollering to be taken off the blacktop — so you’ll want to factor solar into your bottom line if you have ambitions to follow in Captain Sturt’s wake.

Talking of going bush, the GT360 comes with LT265/70/R17 BFG A/T KO2 tyres supported by Cruisemaster XT trailing arms with Lovell springs and Ironman shocks. Sitting on top of all this, bracing the camper, is a chassis with a central spine of 100 x 100mm with a 100 x 50mm lattice coated in Rhino lining, coupled by a DO35 hitch. As for clearance: well, with 300mm ground clearance to the bottom of the suspension trailing arm, this old soldier could easily leopard crawl underneath the rig with room to spare. Indeed the Ultimate GT360 had the largest departure angle of all campers judged. On inspection, the under body was clean of snags with the lowest point on the chassis being the hand brake.

And if you’re still wondering whether this rig is capable enough to follow you off the beaten track, then perhaps you’d be better off staying at home. With free PCD and wheel track matching, the Ultimate GT360 is ‘Good 2 Go’ wherever your tow tug of choice can take you.

DAVID COOK

Score: 89

Innovation might seem difficult in an off-road camper trailer format that’s been around for 25 years, yet the new Ultimate GT360 blew that away with over 80 new features.

Walking up to the GT360 the origins of the model designation are obvious, with the sweeping 360 degree awning around the camper. This does away with the smaller canopies which ran along each side of the opened camper, providing a huge 42 square metres of shade (with optional canvas extras, the best under the old system was 18 square metres) that includes a roomy new ensuite and the optional longstanding kids’ room beneath the fold-over top.

The awning is sustained by similar flexible support poles to those on previous Ultimates, but with a new and less physically demanding attachment design. Retaining ropes remain attached and are stored in under-awning pockets.

The optional external kitchen, always a bit of an afterthought, has been extended for greater practicality. Its location beneath the window outside the internal kitchen allows the two to operate in parallel, facilitated by the capacity of that window to be opened. The gas locker has been doubled for added storage, the lower body panels are now coated in UV-stabilized Rhinocoat (more difficult to apply but with greater stone resistance), all windows have been increased in size for a lighter and airier feel, the jockey wheel has been relocated for an added 150mm of travel, and plastic coating applied to the internal cables that sustain the fold-over top to prevent them snagging strands of hair.

One of the old complaints about Ultimates was the need to remake the bed each time you opened up, but that has largely been dismissed by the new interlinked mattress design. The permanent mounting of the internal spreaders at one end makes their installation easier and quicker.

The Ultimate GT360 takes up new tech in spaces. It has a Truma gas/240V hot water/space heater system, new Isotherm 130L upright fridge, smart new Thetford three-burner cooktop/sink combo, with decent sized burners for large pots and woks, and the REDARC Redvision TVMS digital electronic control system and 30A battery management system. Add the optional electronic opening set-up and you have quite the modern luxury camper.

Internally the Ultimate GT360 has a look of real quality, with all-new furniture in stark white, with Galaxy benchtop and swivel table and macrosuede upholstery.

The whole camper is now easier than ever to operate, with the huge radial awning requiring just seven minutes to deploy. With relocated tent bows with gas struts, the camper is easier to open and pack up, and it can all be done while standing on the back step.

KATH HEIMAN

Score: 74

Ultimate Off-Road Campers has been turning heads since its campers first hit the roads 25 years ago.  Cementing its place within this market niche, the Ultimate GT360 offers a highly functional 360 degree awning that promises to keep the whole tribe dry, regardless of environmental conditions, under an impressive 22sqm outdoor living space. The roof is now taller to accommodate the increasing height of the Australian population. Meanwhile — for the vertically challenged — there’s a ‘short person helper’ for the spacer bar. So the Ultimate GT360 is ‘good to go’ for the long and the short of us.

The awning provides the immediate ‘wow’ factor for the Ultimate GT360, as does the production quality, evident wherever you look. But additional functional updates to the base model, largely in response to customer feedback, also provide strong evidence that the team at Ultimate takes particular pride in their ability to close the loop between customer and manufacturer. Combined with its high standard of build quality and comfort levels, this camper integrates technologies, such as the REDARC RedVision TVMS, demonstrating a solid grasp on innovation within the broader industry. Ultimate also offer free tyre and PCD-matching to complement the standard Lovell Springs and Ironman shocks on the Cruisemaster XT trailing arm. These quality inclusions underpin the Ultimate GT360’s credentials as a value for money rig which is highly capable for its intended purpose. 

This camper is marketed towards couples or families with older kids looking for some independence. At its bare bones, it gets two adults comfortably off the floor under canvas and (optionally for $1,800) a few kids sleeping outside within an enclosed soft floor annexe. At $69,170 as reviewed, other campers achieve the same effect for less cost, but without the attention to detail and production quality that this Aussie-built offroader offers in spades.  Where budget isn’t the primary driver, the Ultimate GT360 competes as a classy camper, oozing capability, and backed by a committed local team with an Australian wide support network.

TIM VAN DUYL

Score: 73.5

When you head to the outback you tend to only see the big-name campers. The likes of Patriot, BRS, Kimberly, AOR and of course Ultimate Off-Road Campers. That’s because, to handle the real rough stuff, you have to invest in quality. You cannot skimp on build quality if you plan to travel to remote regions. 

Ultimate Off-Road Campers does not skimp on the key components, using 100 x 100mm BlueScope steel for the chassis’ spine and a 100 x 50mm lattice framework to support the composite body. It is galvanised then liberally coated in Rhino liner for durability. The Coolabah canvas is from top-supplier Wax Converters and is 300gsm or a bit over 10oz and carries a five-year warranty. The water tank is robust too with 6mm walls and its own stoneguard. All in all, it’s a quality build made to go the distance. 

As tough as the build is though, it’s also very liveable with a high quality of finish. The composite body is made locally and looks great with its smooth edges, but don’t be fooled by its soft looks; the glasswork is properly thick in the leading edges and around key areas like hinges and walkways. 

All four sides open fully to reveal excellent mozzie screens which are sheltered from the rain by the spring-pole supported extended roof. It’s a well-engineered system that maximises outdoor living opportunity and airflow through the camper without the need for poles everywhere. If you need more sheltered space, you can affix an extended awning as seen at this year’s REDARC Camper Trailer of the Year. 

Recently Ultimate Off-Road Campers made a change to composite panels for the kitchen and cupboards, which not only saves some weight but also removes wood from the build. This is good news; wood is a pet peeve of mine, especially around wet areas like the benchtops. The serving bar, situated above the internal sink, works brilliantly with the external cooking bench. You can quickly pass dishes in or out and it doubles as yet more bench space. 

With huge ground clearance, a low tow weight, heavy-duty construction and a compact body, the Ultimate GT360 will follow you wherever you choose to go. The payload, water and power capacity, and shelter that the easy-to-set-up camper provide will keep you comfortable for days on end. And with the knowledge and reputation behind the now 25-year-old company backing it up, you will sit back with the peace of mind that your journey has only just begun. 

From an original article in Camper Australia, 7 February 2020

EQ [00:00:00] Welcome to the Ultimate Off-Road Campers podcast. I’m Eamonn, I’m the marketing guy. I’m still here after the last podcast, thankfully, after we interviewed the boss, the Big Kahuna himself, David Rodgers. Now, I’m easily excited to be perfectly frank about it. I’m the kind of guy who gets up in the morning and if there’s still milk in the fridge because I’ve four kids, and some of them are like in their 20s and some are teenagers, I’m really excited about the day ahead. You know, if they actually get up and say, I emptied the dishwasher. It’s like it’s Christmas. So easily excited. But that’s not the take away from the fact that I’m spending quality time with Andrew Hearn today and Andrew, many of you will know, you’ll have either been emailed by or you’ll have met him at show. And Andrew is a member of the Ultimate Off-Road Campers sales  team. But I’m super excited. It’s only Wednesday,  I mean, I’m not sure my we can get any better. So Andrew, you’re welcome.

AH [00:00:53] Thank you. Well, I can say it’s good to be a part of the second podcast because first one was awesome.

EQ [00:01:00] Well, that’s it. I mean, like, yeah, everyone knows, like Neil Armstrong was first on the moon. But, you know, everyone likes Buzz Aldrin. You know what I mean. So you make you essentially Ultimate Off-Road Campers version of Buzz Aldrin. So welcome to the podcast again. What we’re going to do, we’re going to chat to Andrew, about things, just stuff that happens in the Ultimate Campers world. You know how we ended up as part of one of the industry’s great sales teams. That was a quick shout out there to the great Steve Smith and John Àrchibald as well. The show year that the guys have had that Andy has been on the road more than Frank Sinatra probably. And over the last twelve months, he’s been everywhere around the country listening to potential new customers and listening to our current owners and stuff like that. So we’ll hear a little bit about that and then we’ll kind of make this up as we’re going along, which is pretty much what we like to do here. So, Andrew, first up, tell us a little bit about your Ultimate Off-Road Campers history. How long are you with the company? What did you do before you got into sales team?

AH [00:01:56] Well, obviously, I’ve I’ve lived in Batemans Bay for 45 years, so I sort of grew up in the caravan industry. I can remember actually when the Ultimate started being in such a small town, it was a pretty exciting thing to have a business like that – another manufacturer, because I grew up in a manufacturing business. So there’s not many of those around locally. So I can remember back in those days and also in my previous business, we were one of the founding members of the Rosehill Super Show. So whilst I was at the show, when Ultimate appeared at the show for the first time and then many, many years go by, and I found myself in a position looking for a job, but being in such a hurry to find a job, because I had never any time away from work from the day I finished and Kim my wife hassled me to go get a job. I was expecting to spend a few weeks at home, probably sitting on my bum doing nothing. And that lasted one day. And he said, I think you should go and get a job. And I just heard on the radio, Ultimate Campers are looking for a position. So I thought, geez, I’ve never had a résumé before. Whipped one of those up, sent it down, spoke to HR and they said, oh, look, we’ll be we’ll be looking at resumes in four or five days time. I think it took 25 minutes and I received a phone call from Jason. So, you better come down, have a chat, which I did. And he said, well, what do you want to do? Well, Nautilus was going, so I thought, oh, something over there.

EQ [00:03:23] So he just pointed in the general direction of what was the Nautlus and said something over there?

AH [00:03:29] Obviously, the owners at that time knew my name and a little bit of my history and obviously said, get that bloke down here. So while Jason sort of led to the thing, there was a goal already put in position. So I came down and spent a bit of time working with the Nautilus and then pretty promptly shipped over to the other side here to the X-series with the current Ultimate Camper and here you go, here’s a team. Make it happen.

EQ [00:03:54] Now what are you doing? What would you like? Tell us what you were doing with the Nautilus.

AH [00:03:59] With the Nautilus. Plenty of little jobs. Just sort of some of the finer detail essentially during assembly. So not in the fiberglass part. Once it sort of started to come together, work around those those finer things, and then obviously once those guys sort of realised that I’d spent a lot of time in that sort of department, a lot of driving, a lot of larger loads, I soon got lumped into towing and driving things. The first time we took a Nautilus to the, or we had a black Nautilus, which now resides in New Zealand. No one was game or silly enough to drive it to the Rosehill Super Show for fear that something would happen. So everyone pointed the finger at me and went here, hook this up.

EQ [00:04:38] If something happens, we’ll sack you. We’re not that worried about it. Yeah, dreadful. I know the feeling, they did that to me.

AH [00:04:43] Especially something that they’d spent so much time getting it to look the way it was a matte black Nautilus. Yeah, those sorts of things. And then came over here.

EQ [00:04:53] So you’re on the X-series, getting under the bonnet of the X-series.

AH [00:04:57] Yep. In the X-series running the team on the floor.

EQ [00:05:01] Tell me about your management style, are you Sergeant Major are you going around with shiny boots saying….

AH [00:05:06] I am a cranky old man when it comes to dealing with too many people, as some of you may be aware, but no, did that for a while and then started to move in this helping out with some of the apprentices and training. Then moved in to doing the handovers. Obviously don’t mind chatting as a lot of the owners may have figured out by now. So moved into that area and coming from a background of a lot of camping, a lot of traveling, caravanning and what have you. A lot of life experience. So where previously the sales team was solely left with the handover sort of task. They made the decision to sort of have a full time handover person. You know, that was a bit of the specialty. And, you know, some quality assurance with the finished product. So I moved into that redesigned or put more structure to a handover and then whilst the guys, John, Steve, Dave are away at shows, started to do some sales here for the walk-ins. So the people that call into the factory, you know, want to come to HQ to purchase rather than go to a show, there was someone here that could talk to them about purchasing.

EQ [00:06:14] And lucky them it was you mate.

AH [00:06:14] So started some sales. So once again ended up with about three hats.

EQ [00:06:21] So is it true that every time the guys went away on a show and they came back, it was quite a few sales and very often, very often there was massive discounts applied? Oh, no joking. I’m joking.

AH [00:06:31] No, I did have a bad habit of that?

EQ [00:06:32] I thought so. I thought I’d just, there’s something you said they mate which is interesting is about being a cranky old man. And as you were talking, I was thinking about and as Steve Smith is a cranky old man, I’m a cranky old man.

AH [00:06:43] We sort of get to that.

EQ [00:06:44] So Graham downstairs is a cranky old man. It’s like it’s like Ultimate Off-Road Crankers is what we should be called.

AH [00:06:51] Oh, this is when we’re at home base. So when we’re away….

EQ [00:06:55] Totally different. Totally different mates, smiles all round. So anyway, so you’re doing the handovers, see, I’m busy interrupting you. You do the handover as you’re getting underneath the bonnet and you understand this product, you understand the intricate bits and pieces of what makes an Ultimate Off-Road Camper. And you’re also getting that experience of face to face working, talking, cajoling customers into the product. So and then then the light light bulb goes off in somebody’s head, probably Steve’s, Steve’s light bulb moment. He says, I have a good idea, which he then takes it aboard as his good idea. And he says?

AH [00:07:28] He says, I think you need to come along at the shows because you seem to like to talk to people and you can sell campers.

EQ [00:07:35] Well, you see, that was kind of like me. Accept one bit’s missing. You seem to like to talk an awful lot. But that was the end of it. There was no and you can sell campers. So I would just like to tell you.  So there you are, you join the team, you now in the sales team you’ve been there for at least I think, what, 18 months-ish? Something around those something around that’s kind of space. And you’ve made obviously a big impact. Thank you for that, that in-depth sort of history of who you are. Now tell us a little bit about the show. So the show circuit this season has been has been good. We’ve done a lot of different shows in Ultimate Campers that we kind of haven’t done before. We’re back in places like Perth and things like that. The Eaglle Outdoors Group has allowed us get into other shows and resource of the shows that we couldn’t have done before. So all over. What is the show season been like this year?

AH [00:08:23] Obviously, this year’s probably bigger than it’s ever been with exactly that. We have now access to shows and Perth is just a small snippet of that. There’s shows in a lot of states which are based around where you have to either have a show room or an agency in that area. So there’s shows. Brisbane, for example, that we’ve never been able to attend before their end of year Christmas show. Your two shows in Perth alone, which the Perth Caravan and camping show this year was by far our biggest show because obviously it’d been roughly 8 years since we’d been there.

EQ [00:08:55] So, Ultimate kind of still looks new if you know what I mean. The product has always kind of looked a little bit different. We get that. So that’s that’s fine. But the fact that we hadn’t been there in eight years and we come back almost makes us look like a completely new. Out of this world product again, right?.

AH [00:09:09] Absolutely. Like, whilst there’s plenty of Ultimates over there in WA to go to a show and you get that large volume of people come in the door who may be new to the industry, there’s nothing out there that looks even remotely close to it. You know, there’s a there’s a lot of your basic style campers, people have soft floors, forward folds and that, nothing looks like an Ultimate. So for them, it’s quite mind blowing. And then when you when you do mention that being around for 25 years and one of the iconic brands in the beginning of it, they’re just blown away. They go, “so, 25 years ago this shape was born”. And to them, they find that quite amazing because it is it is still very much forward thinking and in a very futuristic look. Which no one else has, you know, tried to replicate at this point.

EQ [00:09:58] Now. So this year, obviously, we’ve brought speaking about a supposed the product and where the product looks and it still looks freshness looks new. However, this year David made some enhancements to the range and we’ve seen the launch of the 360. So what’s been the reaction at the shows and what’s the general reaction to 360? I think it’s been pretty positive, but you’re the guy who listens to people face on.

AH [00:10:21] Yeah. You know, even before it went to the public, the opportunity from David to the sales team or to run with ideas or wishes that we’d wanted to do it re-energized us, you know, instead of having a camper that would look ,sure, had advancements in 25 years to have something as fresh and new. And it in reality is probably the the largest change that’s occurred to the conventional Ultimate Camper in its 25 years. So we were jumping around out of our skins even before we got to the first show. So, number one, it re-energized the the sales staff dramatically as in we’re excited. You know, while we’re always been excited to have something drastically new was exciting. And then obviously, the public interest was just staggering. And that that has reflected the fact that, you know, we’re now out in May for sales, which have been quite some time to have that that lead time with build.

EQ [00:11:21] That was a very brief ad there for you better start thinking about buying a camper.

AH [00:11:26] If you want to if for Christmas, We’re talking about Christmas 2020. Not this year.

EQ [00:11:31] I think we counted it up you and I and Steve and even David, there was like 40 something, 50 something different tweaks. And we’ve we talked about it before, so we won’t get into it again from the smallest to the biggest. And we know the 360 word comes from the actual canvas itself being completely wrapped around the product. What’s your favorite tweak? And it could be something small or something big? I don’t care. What’s the wow factor when you go? I think this is a really good one.

AH [00:11:56] Mine is simply the 360 awning. Like, it’s you know, when you work full time, what we do for the very brief moments, we get to get away. We are time poor. You know, you don’t want to be setting up a camp. And I take the Ultimate away plenty of times just on weekends when I can generally up into the Snowies. And you don’t want to be 40 minutes setting camp up, conventional camp up for me, a few minutes to set up. Well, the 360 is just as quick or because of the tweaks a little bit quicker. But now we get that large shaded area in still a five minute setup. So it’s the big thing that excites me. Yeah, sure. Plenty of the little ones. And that’s what adds to the speed. You know, a lot of people asked me every day it shows how long’s it take to set up that one well, there’s a video of me doing it.  For me the 360 was 30 seconds quicker than the conventional. So we’re still super quick. And the quickest by far. But the excitement for me is the actual 360 awning.

EQ [00:12:56] OK. Now, you’ve mentioned you’ve beautiful segue into my next question. You mentioned videos. You have become, yeah look, I’m not saying, I’m not saying, I’m not saying , you know, I’m not saying you’re any kind of, you know, Martin Scorsese here. You know, people aren’t queuing up outside of the theater to look at your next one and a half minute video. But maybe you’ve you’ve done everything this year. You’ve shown people how to cook. You’ve shown people had to take a shower. You’ve shown people how to set up. You’ve shown people how to how to bounce up and down on the bed. You have become a video. You’re viral. You’re viral within the Ultimate Off-Road Campers, you know, fraternity. People wait for the next installment of Andrew Hearn, and you’re a natural like. Go ahead. You know, none of this is scripted. You just pick up your phone and you go…

AH [00:13:42] Well I can say that I owe or blame. This is where it swings – you for this. So whilst most people. Yes, okay. I guess it’s getting back to, you know, relating with the general public out there, the owners, not being scripted. I guess everyone gets a little bit sick and tired of seeing analysts scripted. I made the videos. The man obviously sitting here, Eamonn’s the one who still makes the….

EQ [00:14:11] Stop, stop, stop, stop. We don’t know who said that.

AH [00:14:14] But no, look, I. I enjoy doing the videos. It it brings that lightness to it. Obviously, it shows people come up and go. You know, it’s like they already know me. But it’s more to the point out there. It answers a lot of questions for people, but also it shows people how simple an Ultimate is. I think without the videos, a lot of people would have looked at the 360 and gone, geez, they’ve made that really complicated. And now it looks like, you know, we’re taking which is unquestionably the quickest camper set up in the in the world and made it really complicated. Where through the videos have shown, that’s not the case at all. You know, we’ve tweaked a lot of things and added a lot of things like ensuitess and that. But in true time, we haven’t changed anything. You know, it’s still by far the quickest camper to set up. It’s still the most Off-Road capable camper because of its weight and that it’s always been and no one’s really challenging that. But through the videos, people can physically see it. You know, you can write all you want and you can claim anything you want if you show it in a video real time unscripted, you can see my little errors in it. I see my little errors in it.

EQ [00:15:17] We don’t mate we don’t, we don’t…

AH [00:15:18] Well, people come up and they see that, but they love it.

EQ [00:15:21] You know, it’s that I can see and this is how I’m just a normal person and open close a camper and do all those things and people can relate to that.

AH [00:15:30] So I think I think one of the one of the important things is, is that you do it quite naturally and keep them coming. That’s the main thing. And I think the thing about it is you’re kind of touched on it. You know, from from opening up the big stuff to doing the small stuff. I think people are genuinely interested in, you know, open that locker door and stuff like that. So I think all I’m going to say to you mate is just keep them and keep them coming, mate. I mean, I want a fresh one every week. I don’t care if I’m watching Andrew Hearn walking up a set of steps. It’s all I want. I want Andrew here, walking up a set of stairs. So, I mean, in all the time you’ve been over the show and on the shows and on the road, well, anything funny that’s happened or anything you can show and share with us that we won’t get sued for?

AH [00:16:10] Oh, I’ve got some photos of things we could probably get sued for. But look…

EQ [00:16:15] Show them to me now, show them to me now, so people can’t see them on the podcast. No, go on.

AH [00:16:19] Some other companies struggle to put caravans onto the back of trucks and stuff like that. We’ve seen the bad side to that this year.

AH [00:16:26] Funny things always happen. You know, and going back to the launch of the 360, because we we did manage to keep it such a good secret. Was with great anticipation, we waited for the first Ultimate owner to appear and see the new 360, which we stood back. I’m not going to name names, but he walked inside. He touched his head and reached up because obviously everyone, as David said, and in the list of improvements, it’s 100 mill tall, four inches taller. So, you know, this gentleman standing in there, he’s going there’s so many things it’s like for him it’s a a sensory overload of there’s all these changes that’s very different to mine. I never thought this would happen.

EQ [00:17:09] Did you need to sit him down and pat him down and maybe a glass of water?

AH [00:17:13] I think when he looked out and saw three of us, Steve, John and myself laughing that he realised he’d sort of been caught up in a bad joke. But, you know, it then turned to excitement. So there’s certainly that that sort of stuff. You know, there’s always that banter between the different manufacturers. So, you know, there’s always if we’re all, you know, very sort of prim and proper and didn’t want to talk to the competition and that, shows would be a very boring thing. There is tricks played. An easy way to to get rid of a large group of kids from your site is to tell those kids that these lollies hidden underneath and opposing, the opposition’s pillows in their bedrooms. And then when that occurs, you will see your competitors looking around, seeing who just played the joke. And why do I have 20 kids in my camp up here? So, you know, there is seems plenty of things do happen. You know, we do have a good time. The other funny thing is, is the coffee and donuts challenge that started to occur with our owners. So it was kicked off in Adelaide by Dieter. He brought coffee to me in the site. That was followed by a few larger coffees. And then currently the record stands by Oliver, who runs the owner’s Facebook site. Oli Fullerton stepped it up with large coffees and Krispy Kreme donuts.

EQ [00:18:34] And just for you?

AH [00:18:34] Well, we did share them.

EQ [00:18:37] Generally they’re just for you though?

AH [00:18:38] Yeah, pretty much. I snuck in a few before we handed him around the site, you know. So just, you know, keep it lighthearted. Well, they do have extremely passionate and friendly owners, you know, which I really love. And and it does get commented on it by, you know, people, new people to Ultimate who have had previous campers and say that, you know, your owner’s group are a passionate people and very friendly and very welcoming.

EQ [00:19:01] And they do help us, of course, big shout out to our owners. They do help us sell campers, because when they come to shows, it’s important that if they’re there and they’re hanging about and they’re asking questions or looking at new optional extras we’re bringing out or just getting a little insight into what’s going on next in in David’s mind or whatever the case may be. When they’re there, they do help, because if they’re talking to someone who who who is just interested in an Ultimate and they can get and talk about what they’ve been doing, where they’ve been going, the kind of off roading capability that we have, it actually does help us sell campers because it’s better coming from someone who’s passionate, who isn’t getting paid to be passionate about it. Then I’m not saying mate your paid to be passionate. You are a passionate man. You know what I’m saying, it’s important that those it’s important that our owners understand there’s a place for them there. And, you know, great. Please come. Please tell your stories because it helps us get campers out the door.

AH [00:19:50] They’re walking reviews. You know, where everyone goes. You know, you visit a site or you make a purchase. Please post a review online on my Facebook site or something like that. Well, with Ultimate owner they’re walking reviews, there is as been many occasions when we’ve been at a show where someone’s, you know, they’re getting down to the nitty gritty and there’s a a couple of campers in the running. If you happen to have an owner that’s standing beside you, we’re not opposed to turn around to go “here talk to him, he’s not a salesman. He’s an owner”. Or she’s an owner. And they’ll tell you that they’re not going to hold back. They don’t hold back. But they’re very positive, you know. So some of those sales are not necessarily related to a show. The sales are related to an owner, you know, and their feedback or they may have they may have shown someone in the remotest part of Australia, their camper and they are very, very welcoming. Like everyone loves to show off their Ultimate.

EQ [00:20:42] Andrew, mate, doesn’t surprise me based on your videos, that you’re a natural at this as well. You know, for those of you who think it was scripted, it absolutely wasn’t. I stuck a microphone in front of Andrew and I said, maybe we’ll just make this up as we’re going along. So you are wonderful at this kind of stuff mate. Thank you for sharing your insights with us. You will see Ultimate Campers out on the road as normal next year. We’ve got lots of shows planned in the first three months. Go to the website where you’ll find it on the cleverly named Show web page. And you can also book an appointment to see us at these shows because Andrew will be obviously too busy collecting coffee and Krispy Kremes and talking to other people all the time. So please do make an appointment to see us. We look forward to seeing you out there on the road. Andrew, mate, thanks again.

AH [00:21:27] Thank you Eamonn

Following a hectic year which included the launch of the new GT 360 and the re-introduction of the entry level XTRK to the range, the Ultimate Off-Road Campers team will be hitting the road early in the new year after a well-deserved break over Christmas.

The shows that the company will be attending from January to March 2020 are:

Geelong Outdoor Living Show

17 – 19 January, Geelong Showgrounds, VIC. 

4WD Spectacular

01 – 02 February, Queanbeyan Showground, NSW. 

Newcastle Caravan, Camping and Lifestyle Expo

07 – 09 February, Newcastle Entertainment Centre, NSW. 

SA Caravan & Camping Show

12 – 16 February, Adelaide Showground, SA. 

Moreton Bay Caravan, Campping, Boating and 4×4 Expo

14 – 16 February, Redcliffe Showgrounds, QLD. 

Big Boys Toys – Perth

15 – 16 February, Gloucester Park, Perth, WA. 

Victorian Caravan, Camping and Touring Supershow

20 – 24 February, Melbourne Showground, VIC. 

Let’s Go Gold Coast Caravan and Outdoor Expo

06 – 08 March, Metricon Stadium, Carrara, QLD. 

Perth Caravan & Camping Show

18 – 22 March, Claremont Showground, Perth, WA. 

National Sales Manager Steve Smith said, “Being part of the Eagle Outdoors Group has opened new opportunities for the Ultimate Off-Road Campers brand. We can now attend shows and expos that were out of our reach due to geography, resourcing or budget.”

New this year will be the Big Boys Toys show in Perth in February.

“Last year was a good year for us in WA. We had not been there for years so there was a real interest in the product as being something ‘new’. We’re looking forward to getting back to Perth on more than once occasion in 2020,” said Steve.

Ultimate Off-Road Campers was founded in 1994, and the next 12 months represents the company’s 25th year in business.  The last 12 months has been significant change including several tweaks to the product and new owners in David and Bronwyn Rodgers.

The shows not only introduce the legendary off-road campers to potential new owners but also provide an opportunity to touch base with current owners.

Sale Representative Andrew Hearne said, “We love it when the owners pop by to say ‘hi’ to the team because when they are there and potential new owners are there checking out our camper trailers versus the competition, it’s the current owners who can make the difference.

“They rave about the brand, the quality, the off-road capability. They share stories about being on the track and can really influence a visitor to the Ultimate Off-Road Campers stand. It’s better to hear an owner talk about how much they love their Ulti than somebody from the sales team, who you expect to say all these things as part of their spiel.”

If you are planning to head to a show this year to see one of the most iconic off-road camper trailer brands on the market, we recommend you make an appointment.

Check out the dedicated Shows page on the website for more information and to make an appointment at an upcoming show.