AOR reveals Sierra box camper

Caloundra’s AOR has joined the RV rush into the rapidly growing ‘Box Camper’ market with its new 14ft overall length Sierra due for public release at the Sydney Caravan Camping Outdoor Lifestyle Expo from September 20-22.

The emerging category, which has become the hot button with increasingly time-poor off-road travellers, effectively replacing hard-floor camper trailers, was pioneered around five years go by Melbourne’s innovative Van Cruiser with its Outlaw series.

It has since been joined with a growing avalanche of models from (since discontinued) Coromal-Windsor, Zone-RV and soon by Northcoast Campers, which is finalising development of a smaller and lighter variant based on its Sniper X. Industry giant Jayco also has its foot in the market with its latest 1228kg, and $23,990 J-Pod Outback and $36,990 CrossTrak.

Although related to the basic teardrop campers that date back in Australia to the 1930s, the thing the latest and higher tech box campers have in common is their much greater off-road and remote area ability, thanks to their more rugged underpinnings and the adoption of many of the latest construction techniques and energy storage solutions.

AOR’s Sierra will actually be a collection of three models – the macho-named Platoon, Fighter Jet and Desert Storm – designed to be optioned up as your family grows.

The company’s pre-launch publicity, which includes some computer-generated external images, cites them as being perfect for 4WDing, fishing, boating and for off road enthusiasts. Designed and built by AOR to include "state-of-the-art electrical and water systems and 4WD equipment", they will be marketed as "the perfect extreme discovery machine".

Priced from around $50,000 (or less than AOR's current entry level Odyssey) the AOR Sierra will be 4300mm long (including drawbar) by 1950mm wide and 2150mm tall, and is expected to weigh just 950kg (Tare) with a generous 850kg payload.

Thirty-three diameter tyres on 17-inch wheels plus a steeply-raked rear end, should deliver extreme off-road capability, with a quoted rear departure angle of 40.7 degrees – ample for conquering Cape York’s infamous Telegraph Track.

Large external storage bins and a flexible 2 + 4 interior bunk layout will allow Sierra models to be tailored for different travellers' needs, from solo to family explorers.

AOR will simultaneously market what it calls its Sierra Summit system of compatible products, such as roof-top tents designed to work with a unique new roof rack system.

AOR founder Steve Budden has built a successful business reading the industry tea leaves and acting on them to anticipate consumer trends. Given the head start AOR has given some of his rivals in this emerging market, it may appear that it's coming late to the party, but looking at its specs, it looks likely to be one of the most significant participants.