Folding stuff

Adventure Offroad Campers' Grand Tourer is Tonka tough, innovative and fitted with all the goodies to make life nice and easy in the Outback.

Not everyone wants to lug around a caravan. And for some, even the most adventurous of rough-road caravan is just too mild. For these people only a camper trailer will do - one that'll survive the rough and tumble of Outback travel, and be comfortable enough to suit even the fussiest camper.

For years now, Adelaide-based Adventure Offroad Campers has been building its distinctive slide-out bed style of camper trailer and tray-on camper. The products are practical, capable and comfortable and they've been tried and tested in the harshest environment on earth - the Australian Outback.

The company offers a range of camper trailers to suit all tastes, needs and budgets, from the entry-level Daintree ($20,700) to the Cape York ($24,900) and the Pilbara ($32,674). But Adventure claims its customers wanted more.

More bells, more whistles. Enter the range-topping which features absolutely everything on the Adventure options list, and a few more things besides.

At $39,300 it isn't cheap, but it's easily one of the best, most compact and capable and indeed luxurious camper trailers on the market, and is excellent for quick getaways or extended adventures.

Talking technically

Smaller than some flip-top style campers, the Grand Tourer, which has a body length of 2.3m and a travel height of 1.5m (or 1.8m to the top of the awning box), has a few tricks up its sleeve. Open up the unit and, with the cost optional extra room in place, there's more than 23.75m2 of sleeping and living accommodation. And that's huge.

With a Tare weight of around 950kg and a tow-ball download weight of about 95kg, the Grand Tourer is one of the lightest, most compact camper trailers on the market. It's also the only camper with an awning that can be erected independently of the rest of the camper trailer - perfect for escaping the sun during a quick-stop cuppa. It gets better, too. The Grand Tourer's kitchen, unlike other campers, and like the awning, can be quickly and easily accessed when stopped on the side of the road - it runs the full length of the camper, and offers awesome storage and bench space.

Built to eat-up the rigours of Outback travel, the Grand Tourer sits on a tough 50mm x 50mm powder-coated chassis which has been fitted with a Coupler Tec Electronic Rust Prevention unit. It's also worth noting that all of the zinc anneal steel panels (1.6mm - strong and lightweight) used in the construction of the camper body are pre-drilled before being powder-coated to lessen the chance of rust.

The Grand Tourer is shod with 265/75 R16 Mickey Thompson Baja Radial MTX rubber and sits on a beam axle, rated at 1500kg, and a nine-leaf spring set-up with shock absorbers to help damping and rebound. Electric brakes are standard.

Off the beaten track the Grand Tourer is just so capable. We dragged it along high-range dirt roads and down rocky, low-range tracks and it never missed a beat. And the clip-on flexible stone deflector is probably the best we've seen on any rough-road camper.

The inside story

Where the Grand Tourer sits out from the rest of the Adventure range of camper trailers is in the sheer amount of gear that's been loaded into it. It comes with two 60W mounted solar panels which can be tilted to catch the sun, a 120 amp hour battery, four-burner stainless-steel cooker, a shower with Flojet pump and marine-grade carpet on the cargo deck and rear panel, plus loads more.

The drawbar-mounted chequer-plate box (which is dust sealed) holds a 60-litre Engel fridge/freezer. There's also a solar-powered and filtered fan to suck out hot air from around the fridge and keep it dust free. The front storage box is broken into compartments and can hold two Jerry cans or a portable generator.

Combine that with the side storage compartment (opposite the kitchen and running the full length of the camper) and you've got a massive 2000-litres of storage space.

What sets the Grand Tourer, indeed the whole Adventure range of campers, apart from its rivals is its innovative slide-out bed system. The bed, which is king-sized, slides out from a rear compartment in the camper before swivelling through 90 degrees and being locked in place. The tent, which sits on top of the bed when stored, can then be unfolded and set up - ventilation is via huge fly-meshed windows. Total set-up time is around 15min.

Head to Adventure Offroad Campers to watch a video of the camper being set up.

The truly great thing about the Grand Tourer is the way that you can access, or set up individual sections independently of everything else, making it more user-friendly than any flip-top style camper trailer. The awning is a stand-alone unit and can be erected to protect the kitchen area in a matter of seconds.

Accessing the kitchen is easy, too. Simply undo two latches, fold down the side panel and then swing the cooker into place. Easy. Or, you can ignore all of that and just set-up the bed. It's versatile, flexible and quick.

All lighting for the camper is courtesy of LED strip lights which offer great light, draw minimal power and will last for absolutely ages.

In the end

Adventure Offroad Campers' ingenuity and years of Outback travel experience is evident in the practicality and quality of the Grand Tourer. It's the perfect camper trailer; self-sufficient, capable and incredibly comfortable. And it's ideal for an adventurous couple, or a family, looking to explore the more remote parts of this Big Brown Land. Indeed, the Grand Tourer's unique features set it apart from every other camper trailer on the market. So if you want to take the road less travelled and absolutely must have all the bells and whistles then head to Adventure Offroad Campers, where all the hard work has already been done.

The Adventurous range

Those who like the look of the Grand Tourer but aren't too keen on the price are well-catered for at Adventure Offroad Campers. The Daintree camper trailer (which starts from $20,700) is a great starting point and better suited to weekends away. Another $4200 gets you the Cape York, a better kitchen and a lockable drawbar-mounted storage box. Fork out another $7K and you'll get the formerly range-topping Pilbara. And it comes with just about everything that opens and shuts.  

Alternatives

The Grand Tourer is unique in the camper trailer marketplace, but these alternatives are well worth a look …

Kimberley Kampers Platinum
Comment: A conventional flip-top camper; it's the camper most dream of owning.
From: $43,480 + ORC
Telephone: (02) 6681 6994
Email: sales@kimberleykampers.com.au

Ultimate Campers Odyssey
Comment: Interesting design; awesome quality; great off the beaten track.
From:  $39,800 + ORC
Telephone: (02) 4472 9110
Email: info@ultimatecampers.com.au 

Article published in Caravan + RV magazine, Autumn 2007. Words Isaac Bober, photos Guy Bowden.