BRS Sherpa Review 2018

Just when you think the Aussie camper trailer manufacturing industry is on its knees, along comes something to brighten your day... in more ways than one.

The BRS Sherpa is the brainchild of Ben Souter, a 30-something carpenter by trade who launched Redhead, NSW-based BRS Offroad a couple of years ago after building a few campers and caravans for other brands.

First off the rank was the Track Trailer Topaz-sized Pursuit Platinum hybrid camper, priced around the $70,000-$80,000 mark.

Utilising similar cutting-edge construction, top-notch fittings and innovative design, the recently-released BRS Sherpa is a slightly more affordable proposition, from around $60,000.

But it's also a lot smaller, lighter and therefore more capable off-road. Although up close, it appears bigger than the stubby 10ft body length suggests, probably because the roofline is almost as high as a full height touring caravan's with the optional rooftop tent fitted.

Aimed at serious four-wheel drivers who want something that will last the distance in rugged terrain, while providing a certain level of style and comfort, the BRS Sherpa joins a select group of premium, locally-built, off-road ‘micro’ campers, that include Track Trailer’s pioneering Tvan, the featherweight Xplor from Ultimate Campers and Patriot’s bullet-proof X1.

Teardrop in looks only

The minute you set eyes on the boldly-designed, jacked-up BRS Sherpa, it’s clear this fledgling NSW manufacturer has set out to do a few things differently.

With striking black/orange paint highlighting curved and edgy CNC-cut body panels, custom-made side entry doors to the interior ‘bedroom’ and a rear, lift-up tailgate hiding the outside kitchen, the Sherpa borrows heavily from 1930s teardrop camper design. However, the execution and RV technology are pure 21st century.

Taking into account the light sub-1000kg Tare and desire for 'class leading' road clearance, a 150mm x 100mm x 4mm RHS centre beam runs the full length of the bespoke galvanised chassis, that in conjunction with the aluminium sub-chassis provides a solid backbone for the Sherpa's off-road ambitions.

Adding to its off-roadability are standard Cruisemaster XT trailing arm/coil spring suspension (air suspension is an option), a Cruisemaster DO35 coupling, and 17 x 8in CSA alloys with BF Goodrich all-terrain rubber and 10in brakes.

Fully insulated, the compact body consists of a ‘top cone’ made from a 20mm thick fibreglass/honeycomb composite material, with the lower section using a different metal composite (double skinned 3mm marine grade alloy panels with an air pocket), bolted to the sub-chassis made from the same 5083-grade alloy.

The large vault-like, side entry doors are made from a similar fibreglass/honeycomb composite, with plexiglass windows, to help keep overall weight down to 880kg Tare (960kg with the roof-top tent), with an ATM of 1600kg and 90kg unloaded ball weight.

Go-anywhere camper

Ben Souter reckons the BRS is designed to “go anywhere” that your 4WD will go, and while that's not entirely true, it certainly cleared everything in its patch behind a modified Nissan Patrol on some tricky terrain at the Jakem Farm 4WD adventure park just outside Adelaide.

Most impressive was the extreme rear departure angle that ensured it never got hung up on steeply-angled dips, and ensured it cleared a reasonably deep water crossing with greater ease than the tow vehicle...

Like all good off-road campers and caravans, the water tanks and plumbing are well hidden from view underneath so there’s little that can be damaged if contact is made. If you did get bogged, extracting the rig would be made easier with a sturdy welded tow hook at the rear.

The body is further protected by a liberal covering of Raptor coating, and our review camper had an optional ‘Stone Stomper’ mesh guard fitted along the drawbar, to keep any flicked up stones at bay.

Gas-free set-up

Befitting it’s premium price tag, the BRS Sherpa comes standard with the latest off-grid technology including an Enerdrive 125Ah lithium battery system, with 40amp DC-DC charger, 20amp AC charger, 200 watt roof-mounted solar panel and smartphone monitoring.

There's also an Eberspacher diesel hot water/space heater, hooked up to a five litre, built-in diesel tank and 200 litre water bladder.

Most of this equipment is neatly housed in the front toolbox, with the spare wheel located underneath in its own closed compartment and two 20 litre jerry can holders nearby. It leaves few options for external storage of chairs, tables, tools, etc – a problem with most teardrop designs – other than on the roof or on top of, or under the bed.

Externally, the review camper was also fitted with a reverse camera, and TV and radio aerials, but what really stood out was the attention to detail in regards to build quality.  From the neatly rivetted orange ‘BRS’ cut-outs and rubber-sealed doors and inside lockers, to the sturdy built-in canvas flyscreens around the doors and fuel-filler-style receptacles for the hot/cold flexi-hoses, fit and finish was hard to fault.

Super quick set up

While it’s off-road ability is like a compact camper trailer, the BRS Sherpa has more in common with a caravan when it comes to setting up.

“We thought we’d build a small little pod that you could just jump in and pull up for the night… and it would be a hard shell so there would be no real opening of it,” is how Ben Souter explained the Sherpa's design philosophy.

So after a hard day’s off-roading, you can simply pull over and a few seconds later be curled up in bed, fully protected from the elements.

Add a few minutes to pop the roof on the optional, $4700 Alu-Cab roof-top tent, fold out the standard fox-wing style, Alu-Cab Shadow Awning (it covers one side of the camper plus the rear kitchen, with the support poles only necessary in strong winds) and to set up the QuickPitch shower tent (no base included) on the opposite side.

It’s a big climb up on the fixed length, removable ladder to the roof-top tent, so although this option will appeal to families, we wouldn’t recommend it as a sleeping option for really young children.

Another potential, family-unfriendly aspect of the BRS Sherpa is the lack of a suitable storage spot for a portable toilet, so you’ll probably need to find room in the tow vehicle if you want to carry one.

The BRS Sherpa also lacks rear stabiliser legs, so we assume that the jockey wheel is sufficient to keep the unhitched camper balanced with people on-board.

User-friendly outdoor kitchen

The rear tailgate that lifts up to access the outside kitchen doesn't provide much shelter, so you’ll need to pull out the wraparound awning if it’s raining around dinner time.

However, the rest of the kitchen looks as solid and thoughtfully designed as other parts of the camper, including a pull-out bench that drops down to a nice height for food preparation, and also supports the two-burner metho cooker that packs neatly away in a dedicated slot when travelling.

The two Dometic 30 litre slide-out drawer fridges for food and drink, are located either side of a storage tub, that also pulls out and drop downs as required. There's also a pull-out tray in the top section that could be used for dry food and utensils.

For washing up, there's a slide-out under the bench with a plastic tub, not far from a retractable hot-cold sprayer. There's also a 600mm kitchen light, to go with two other external lights.

Potentially the fiddliest aspect of the BRS Sherpa is the QuickPitch shower tent, which drops down over the driver’s side door to provide some privacy when showering or changing. There’s another retractable shower hose close by, but no shower base so you’ll need to carry a mat of some sort if you don’t want to bring mud into the camper.

Cosy cabin

The BRS Sherpa has remote central locking doors, with just a push on a key fob required to open them. There’s manual override if the powered system fails, and the doors open fully and are held in place by built-in rubber straps.

There’s also a stainless ladder that pulls out from a cavity under the door to assist climbing into bed (although energetic types will jump in without it).

Teardrop campers can be claustrophobic, but it's surprisingly airy inside the Sherpa despite a 'floorspace' not much bigger than a queen bed. Part of the reason for this is the high curved roofline (there's enough headroom to sit up in and get changed) and a large curved, front window to let in some light.

Other than the door windows, the only other source of natural light are two small marine windows on either side, which can be popped out and replaced with mesh versions (stored in wall nets) when extra ventilation is required. There's also built-in canvas mesh screens to keep out the bugs on balmy summer nights when the doors are open.

Also with the ability to provide a breeze are two Sirocco fans, mounted near two flexible reading lights at the front of the bed. A recessed front panel also contains the ducted heating vent, along with temperature controls, switches and two 12V sockets (there are another four USB points inside).

Interior storage options include two 'nooks' behind the upper vinyl foam backrests, with two more behind the lower backrests. There are also two metal cabinets at the base of the bed, which could hold some clothes, with an open ledge above them.

The 150mm thick, queen sized foam mattress felt pretty comfortable, and just long enough for my 187cm frame to stretch out. The two, lounge-like back rests provide decent support for watching the fixed 21in HD LED TV at the foot of the bed, or when listening to some tunes from the Fusion audio player with two internal speakers.

Summing up

The BRS Sherpa isn't the first pod-style off-road camper, but it's an impressive new entrant in the micro-hybrid camper category nonetheless.

Backed by a five-year structural warranty, it also inspires confidence in the product when you know the prototype has been subjected to extensive real-world testing, with some improvements subsequently made to the production version.

The steep asking price for such a compact camper will deter many, but the world of possibilities opened up by this tough little camper should prove irresistible to discerning buyers.

Specs: BRS Sherpa 2018

Overall length: 4450mm
Body width: 2060mm
Body length: 3000mm (3800mm including toolbox)
Travel height: 2250mm (2500m with roof-top tent)
Tare: 880kg (960kg with roof-top tent)
ATM: 1600kg
Ball weight (Tare): 90kg
Chassis: 150mm x 100mm x 4mm galvanized RHS with alloy sub-frame
Body: Fibreglass composite and marine grade aluminium
Suspension: Cruisemaster XT trailing arm coil spring, twin shocks per wheel
Wheels/tyres: 17x8in CSA Raptor alloys with 265/75 BF Goodrich KO2 AT
Brakes: 10in electric drum
Battery: 125Ah lithium
Solar: 200W roof-mounted
Fridge: Dometic 30 litre slide-out drawer fridges
TV: 21in LED HD DVD
Hot water/space heater: Eberspacher with five litre diesel tank
Fresh water: 200L
Price: From $61,290 plus on-road costs. $66,840 as tested including optional Alu-Cab roof tent and Stone Stomper stone guard.
Supplied by: The Dirt Offroad Campers, Mt Barker, South Australia
More info: BRS Offroad