Thanks for the helper spring info.
I mentioned roof top tents. I looked over 2 dozen videos on youtube from different makers.
I recently went camping (before and during Corowa) and saw a few in action. We slept in a swag on the grass at Corowa and in the rear of the Perentie elsewhere. We used a motel at the start and at the end and a laundramat ofcourse. Small luxuries. When touring next year I think that would be the norm, i.e., one or two or three nights a fortnight in a motel, hotel or caravan park cabin, and (around) 25 nights a month camping.
Motels can cost $80 and up per night. Ditto cabins with ensuites at Caravan Parks. So the more nights you camp in the Landy the more you save.
I'm rationalising the money side because this afternoon I bit the bullet and brought a second hand roof top "tent" that came up for sale a couple of suburbs away. Serendipity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoibaeRWZ8QIts a hardshell one, a Maggiolina Airlander in tan. I'm sure that when I sell it in 15 or 18 months I'll get back more than half the purchase price, so even if I lose a $800, the price per night works out very cheap -cheaper the more nights we are on the roadside somewhere (50 nights would work out at $16 per night to cover $800).
It came at the right time, as these things do, the same week as rego.
Cool nights. It has a good rep for colder nights which is what you get in the ranges around here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/82328-Buying-a-Maggiolina-Airlander-or-notHot nights... well it looks like it has minimal ventilation, so not so good in summer.
I'll pick it in the morning and then set about getting some measurements for a rack to be made up soon.