ABOUT US
Kerfton was formed by Barry Trippit with the purpose of producing a well designed, attractive and functional camper trailer that works well for families
and those wanting more living space in a compact format.
I am an engineer with over 30 years of experience working across a range of industries. My primary area of expertise is in structural performance and strength which has widespread applications. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in product development across a huge range of industries. From consumer products and packaging to sporting goods, railway equipment, oil and gas processing, aerospace, composite products made from fibreglass and carbon fibre and even the design of underground mines.
Around half my career was spent working in the automotive sector which has been a great background for developing a camper trailer. I first worked for a couple of engineering consultancies and then forming my own business in 2002. Starting my own business was the best thing I’d ever done, and the most daunting. No more fixed income, if the customer doesn’t like the work - you don’t get paid. But that business grew over time and is still in operation today, although I sold it after working in it for over a dozens years. I took all the money from that sale (and a bit more) and invested in the development of my own product, and Kerfton was created.
Barry and brother
OUR FOUNDATION
Barry and son
I’ve been camping for longer than I can remember.
My father was one of the first members of the Landrover Club of Victoria. Growing up, we always went camping during holidays, and that created some great family memories.
Now that I have two children, I want to generate the same memories and experiences for them. I’ve always lived in the city, but I must have inherited some sort of camping bug from dad. Every now and then I get itchy feet and just have to start planning a trip.
Sometimes it's just a weekend into the High Country, other times only a trek halfway across the country will do. Cape York a couple of times, Kimberley twice (last time testing a Kerfton), Simpson desert, Tanami, Pilbara, all up the West Coast and East coast and a whole lot of other places between. Australia is just beautiful.
EXPLORE THE COUNTRY
DESIGNING FOR FORM AND FUNCTION
Form is an important part of almost all the products we purchase as consumers, from a toothbrush to a vacuum cleaner. When it comes to motor cars aesthetics is one of the highest contributing factors to our purchasing decisions and satisfaction. Few would buy a car or a 4x4 if it looked like an ugly square box. And yet, almost all camper trailers are exactly that - ugly square boxes.
We put a lot of time and effort into designing the shape and function of our camper trailer. It has to look great and function properly. We did hundreds of high quality computer renders to get the shape right. Then we built a full-scale model of the trailer out of polystyrene foam. This was so we could look at it, walk around it, touch it, and check that the shape and styling were right before making adjustments. We built mockup steps just to test if they were easy to climb and descend.
Our kitchen and fridge slides are absolutely unique. They allow the kitchen and fridge to be stored in the living area while traveling making the trailer quite compact. When set up for use they leave the large living area totally free of rails or tracks; a design we have patented.
Convenience and good design are extra important when camping with a family. Family camping just seems to take a bit more effort. So we don’t want to set up extra tents and beds for the kids or convert seats into beds every night. And while they’re still young it’s best to have them inside at night. I also want to prevent any fighting by having the kids beds separated. We’ve used a layout that achieves all of that. Everyone gets a proper bed, and all bedding stays made-up, even when traveling. It works well.
