Aussie Swag Ultra Series 11

Aussie Swag Campers has been in the camper trailer business since 1985, and owner Noel Fernance says it is the second oldest camper trailer manufacturer in Australia. The company has also operated a camper trailer hire service for a number of years, and it’s this experience that has led to designing new, innovative trailers.

The lightest model in the Aussie Swag range is the Challenger, with the Rover and Rover LX basically the same, except for independent suspension.

At the top of the tree and the subject of this review is the Ultra II, which is structurally the same as the others, but with a longer drawbar.

Getting under the Ultra reveals a 4in x 2in (100mm x 50mm) hot-dipped galvanised steel chassis. At the front, the similarly-sized drawbar runs right back to the front suspension mounts. It’s obviously a tried and true design that has worked well for Aussie Swag.

Trailing arm independent suspension is fitted with coil suspension and shock absorbers. Fitting between the A-frame of the drawbar is the spare wheel in a cradle that can be easily winched down.

Although other sizes are available, 16in wheels are usual on Ultra models. Hubs are six-stud and the stub axles, fitted with parallel bearings, are removable. Brakes are the drum, of Al-Ko electro-magnetic design. In Noel Fernance’s opinion, when set up properly, electrically-controlled brakes cannot be beaten for efficiency.

Naturally the 127 litre water tank is fitted underneath the chassis at the rear and is protected by a galvanised steel sheet. The lockable water filler sits behind the nearside wheel arch

The Ultra II has a busy little setup on the drawbar. Right at the front are the all-important Treg hitch, ratchet hand brake and 10in snap-up jockey wheel. Behind is the stone shield, and Honda EU10 generator in its own little compartment in front of the vented fibreglass fridge box that contains an 80 litre Waeco fridge.

On the offside are two 4kg gas cylinder mountings and on the other are two jerry can holders. Between the fridge box and camper trailer body is the cleverly designed slideout kitchen.

Above the chassis, the trailer body is built from zinc annealed steel, painted with a two-pack epoxy enamel. The roof/camper floor is a composite fibreglass panel painted the same colour as the body. Atop this is the galvanised roof rack that doubles as a height-adjustable floor frame. A solar panel or two is an option.

The main part of the tent has four large screened windows with canvas flaps and two doors. There’s the usual awning on the nearside and over the drawbar at the front, but the smaller awning on the offside is dual functional, because it is reversible and can be used on the nearside for overnight stops.

Being a rear-fold camper trailer, the Ultra II takes minimal time to set up. For quick travelling stops, setup time is less than five minutes. But the ‘Full Monty’, including all the awnings, will take a little longer. The Ultra II also comes with a ‘tropical roof’, a second canvas roof that forms a breezeway between the two roofs and acts as an insulation layer.

Something worth a mention is the variable height poles. Instead of the usual hand screw to set the height, the extension poles have an internal cam, which means just twisting the pole halves to fix the height.

Most rear fold campers have a slideout kitchen hidden at the front of the trailer, this kitchen is different. From the box on the drawbar, the stainless steel bench slides out and swings around to fit against the trailer. Above the kitchen bench, a stainless steel pantry drawer also slides out and has a substantial amount of storage space, including a cutlery drawer. It’s very neat, and obviously one built from experience. Should the kitchen be slid away without turning off the gas, a cut-off operates automatically.

Fitted onto the kitchen bench are a Spinflo four-burner cooktop and grill, together with a stainless steel sink and drainer. Under both the cooktop and sink is a generous storage area. Behind the kitchen bench, a Velcro-attached PVC sheet protects the canvas and trailer side from cooking spatters and water splashes. Also behind the kitchen bench is a recessed 12V light.

The comfortable two-piece queen mattress sits on a base of waterproof PVC foam board. The lower half of the mattress is high-density foam with an ‘egg carton’ foam on top. Lighting is courtesy of two gooseneck reading lights.

The Ultra has something I like to see in many camper trailers: a canvas pouch or fold-out shelf to keep those little nighttime items handy – book, glasses, torch, even a bottle of water. Under the bed, in the lined ‘bed’ of the trailer, is the pole holder and a large slideout drawer with a small safe for personal items.

There’s a fair bit of technology in the Ultra II. Apart from the usual 240V and 12V items, there is also a 1kW sine wave inverter and 40A battery charger.

At the nearside foot of the bed are the 240V and 12V circuit breakers and fuses. When travelling, the trailer is wired for a separate charging from the tow vehicle. The deep-cycle AGM batteries are stored in an unusual position – behind the bed at the rear of the trailer and mounted sideways – not something you could do with a more conventional lead acid cell!

Having the inverter onboard means you can use a few more items when travelling, such as the laptop and TV, but it does mean the temptation of adding more weight. It’s good to see that Aussie Swag has opted for the more expensive sine wave unit rather than the cheaper square wave, which would limit the type of electronic items you can use.

Summing up

Clearly, there’s been a great deal of design thought and experience put into the Ultra II. It has just about everything you might want for a self-sufficient but comfortable camping trip.

The well designed kitchen and flexible awning setup are assets and the trailer weight slots easily into the medium 4WD towing class. Its price puts in the upmarket bracket, but as Aussie Swag and others have discovered, that’s what many travellers want these days – to ‘rough it’ in style!

Aussie Swag Campers, Moonbi and Deakin sts, Strathpine, Qld 4500, (07) 3881 1903, email ausinfo@aussieswag.com.au, website: www.aussieswag.com.au

Manufacturer      Aussie Swag Campers

Model          Ultra Series II

Advised Tare      1160kg

Advised ATM     1600kg

Advised ball weight     130kg

Price as reviewed (Dec 2004) $32,970