Canvas Care and Camper Trailer Maintenance
General Maintenance of your New Southern Cross Camper Trailer
Before taking off into Australia’s sometimes very challenging outback countryside you should carry out general maintenance and checks on your camper trailer as you would with your car before and during undertaking a long road trip and after times of storage.
Canvas Care:
When you first take your new Camper Trailer home - Season the Canvas and stitching.
This is how it’s done: Firstly, pitch the tent in the backyard (the kids will love this!) You have to either let the night air get to it or use the hose, and then LET IT DRY! LET IT DRY! Very important that bit! No using a pressure cleaner either!
The reason for doing this is to ensure the canvas and the cotton stitching swells and fills the holes made by the stitching.
Water leaking into your camper? This natural phenomenon is called wicking. It’s a downside of any canvas product where canvas panels are sewn together. It's easy to fix by using a seam sealing product such as a wax stick. We already have extra protection in these areas by having an additional seam tape on the roof to further prevent water access.
No storing the camper trailer with damp canvas. If it is raining, make sure you get to air the tent as soon as you camp again. Damp canvas packed away means mould or mildew. You have to protect your canvas, and these two evils can break down the canvas.
Air the canvas regularly, once every two months. Once a year wet it down to keep it dry inside.
Guano, (or Bird Poo) is supposed to mean good luck if it drops on your head but it is not “Canvas Friendly”! Get rid of it! Remove it from your canvas with toothbrush, cloth, and fresh clean water. No scrubbing, and no harsh chemicals. You don’t want any chemicals destroying your waterproofing.
We repeat, do not let your canvas be in contact with any chemicals, or anything that falls into the category of animal, vegetable or mineral. If you do have an accident – fresh water, you know the rest.
If you are travelling near coastal areas check your zips, oil them up with WD40 on a cloth, and only on the zip please. Wash that salt off and also concentrate on the windows, soft brush first and clean fresh water.
You’re home! Check the canvas, it has stop-rip technology, but accidents do happen and we provide a repair kit so do it now. Do the above and remember to store all the tent poles and pegs well away from the canvas.
General Camper Care
- We suggest if you do not have a garage, cover your trailer with a car cover or tarp.
- Recharge the batteries every month.
- Make sure you drain out any water tanks and water cans.
- Inspect and adjust your wheel bearings and re grease before a trip, and after a dip.
- Always check your lights, and carry some extra globes.
- Wash down the underside of the trailer
- Make sure you have the correct tyre pressure for the load carried and that your spare is also inflated.
- Don't overload your trailer!
If you are unsure of how much load you can carry, call us and we’ll talk you through it as every model or variant is slightly different.
