The Evolution and Future of the Modcon Camper Trailer

Remember those family camping holidays of our childhoods, where the car was filled to the brim with camping gear? Our family used to have to take two cars just to fit all our stuff in! 

My father would bash the Holden Premier station wagon down a winding network of bush tracks just to reach the beach. We didn’t have a 4WD back then, so if we got stuck, we just got out the foot mats and used them to drive ourselves out.

But let’s face it, our style of camping has changed so much over the years, and so has many other people’s. 

Bringing along the box trailer

Fast forwarding to the 90’s, we invested in a 4WD and on our first trip away it was filled to bursting. We had our tent, blow-up mattresses, bunks, an esky full of food and 20 litres of water. In our minds, we had everything we needed. 

Yet it didn’t take long to realise that we were going to need something more.

So, this brings us to what I’d call the beginning of the ‘camper trailer revolution’. To begin with, this involved taking a box trailer along with us as well as our 4WD - a trend that many other campers embraced too at the time. 

Towing a box trailer meant that we could take so much more with us on each camping trip. When staying at a caravan park, we could even take the bar fridge (no more slumming it with an esky and ice) and even the kitchen sink.

However, after a while we started to dream about heading off the beaten track to go touring and exploring far flung places rather than mainly sticking to the one holiday spot. Taking the tent and all our gear with us in a box trailer was great for long stays, but because setup could take upwards of 3 hours, we began looking for alternatives so we could be more mobile more frequently. 

It was around this time that the first camper trailers hit the market. Early versions of which were basically just a 6x4 box trailer with what looked like a roof top tent on a lifting base. They were very basic, had no kitchen, no batteries, no water storage and the only access to the storage compartments was by lifting the bed base. 

As more and more of us ventured far and wide to see the Aussie outback, we wanted a bigger living area, better cooking facilities, more water storage and just more storage in general.  

This led us to design and manufacture our very first side fold soft floor camper trailer in the late 1990’s - the Modcon Overlander.

The first generation of soft floor camper trailers 

The Modcon Overlander (ahhh the memories!)

The Overlander was a 7x4 box trailer and had a huge 60 litre water tank with a hand pump on the rear of the camper. It also had a kitchen box with a bench to hold a Lido Junior 2 burner stove on the swing away tailgate as well as a gas bottle holder. 

But the best thing about this camper was its huge 7, 9 or 12-foot room, and you could even get a fully enclosed annex for it. We also manufactured “light off road” models. While these models were suited for traversing rough terrain, beaches and National Parks, they weren’t really made for the rigors of long corrugated roads. They had high clearance but not the strength of a fully off-road camper such as the Overlander. 

The great thing about these soft floor campers was that they were compact, light and very robust, and only took half an hour to set up making them so much better suited to a touring holiday.

The next innovation - rear fold soft floor camper trailers

Modcon’s first rear fold camper - the Solution

Modcon also went on to design the Solution – a unique rear fold soft floor camper trailer, where the tailgate kitchen swung right around and sat against the side of the camper. This gave users so much more wind protection when cooking.

By this stage we were all looking for the next big thing to satisfy our camping desires.  Whilst other manufacturers were following the likes of Aussie Swag and Kimberly Kampers by manufacturing rear fold hard floor campers, Modcon headed in a different direction and developed the first forward fold hard floor camper with seating inside in 2009. 

The rise of forward fold campers

Modcon’s revolutionary Quattro 

These campers really were the epitome of ‘glamping’. They had a swing around-kitchen with an inbuilt cooker and sink plus 120 litres of water storage. 

Because the camper opened up over the drawbar, they didn’t take up as much room in the campsite, so you could fit in more places.  

But the best part was the setup time – in a matter of minutes you could be all set up, relaxing and taking in the view with a cold beverage in hand. 

For many years, forward folding camper trailers have held the limelight.  That’s not to say that they haven’t changed over the years. Modern forward folding models have more water storage, fridge slides, and pantries that would make a chef proud. 

At Modcon, we’ve stretched the living area with the use of slides to accommodate a bigger second bed, such as was the case with the Modcon FT7. We even designed and manufactured a rear entry model – the Modcon Quattro which had a queen and 2 single beds.

Our recently retired FF1 model promised effortless setup with one person being able to set it up in just 90 seconds. It doesn’t get any quicker than that!

So, what does the future of camper trailers look like?

A Modcon hybrid camper out in the wilderness

The ever-increasing desire to find an easier, quicker camping solution without having to give up the comforts of home has sparked the rise of the hybrid camper (a hybrid camper combines the convenience of a caravan with the outdoor lifestyle and go anywhere capability of a camper trailer). 

Whilst there will always be a place amongst campers for traditional style camper trailers, Modcon is now proud to also specialise in hybrid campers. 

We recently introduced the massively successful C3 and C5 ranges to the hybrid market. The success of these models has proven that it is the product that the Australian RV public was crying out for - a camper which is well made, designed by people that actually go camping, but sold at a price the average family can afford.

Whatever the future of camper trailers and hybrid campers may be, Modcon is excited to be a part of it. Our dedicated team will continue to do research and experiment with new designs so that you and your family can enjoy many, many happy camping experiences together in the great outdoors. 

Want to learn more about camper trailers and hybrids?

Our range of conventional campers and hybrids are engineered to withstand all the harsh conditions our beautiful Australian landscape has to offer, while giving you a comfortable, trouble-free camping experience. They are perfect for grey nomads, young families and couples alike.

If you’d like to see the level of quality you can expect from Modcon for yourself, visit us at your nearest showroom. We’d love for you to stop by. Click here to get in touch with us today.