Eco Tourer Off Highway (shower/toilet)

CLEAR HORIZONS

Here's a question: What do you do if the RV style you desire is one that's smaller to tow than a caravan but doesn't have canvas or screened walls like a camper trailer? Well, believe it or not, there are answers. One of them appeared a few years ago in the form of the Eco Tourer. In a nutshell (which is sort of what it is, with wheels), the low-profile Eco Tourer was designed to be easy to tow and open up to have the living area of a small caravan.

In its initial form, the Eco Tourer, with double or single beds, was similar to a camper trailer of fibreglass sandwich panel construction. It had a moulded fibreglass top hinged at the rear that lifted at the front. The front and side walls hinged up to fill the gap for an instant solid wall camper.

Since the original Eco Tourer (which is still available), three other models have been born - a shower/toilet model, and two Off Highway units, with and without a shower/toilet. You might think that a versatile camper/caravan like this would be popular, and you'd be right. According to Aidan Saggers of 7th Street Caravans, Newcastle, NSW, "the little campers sold like hot cakes at a recent show".

Indeed, when calling in at 7th Street Caravans to collect an Eco Tourer for a photo shoot, we were lucky to secure the Off Highway shower/toilet model as it was the only one that had not been sold.

DREAM TO TOW
When folded up, the Eco Tourer Off Highway shower/toilet model measures 7ft 2in (2.18m) in height, and has a streamlined look. Although essentially rectangular, it's mostly curved at the edges, and from the side it has a gentle wedge shape.

The drawbar is 'hinged' and can be folded up, saving about 3ft (0.9m). For this reason, there are two jockey wheel mounts, one at the front of the drawbar and the second further back behind the hinge pins and between the rails. The latter is a real shin saver.

In a camper this size, you wouldn't expect much external storage, but there is a small front boot and an offside front bin containing two 4.5kg cylinders, plus a Thetford toilet cassette at the rear nearside.

In its Off Highway configuration, the Eco Tourer has a number of additions compared to the sealed road model. These include a heavy duty chassis with greater ground clearance, a battery and charger including an Anderson plug connection, a stone deflector on the drawbar, heavy duty bearings and 12in electric brakes.

It might seem complicated, but setting up the Eco Tourer is very straightforward. Two clips at the front of the roof section are released and the riser mechanism, located near the entry door, is operated by a hand winch or cordless drill.

Assisted by gas struts, the two side walls fold out into position and it is then a matter of stepping inside and lifting the front wall.

Although the roofline has a different-to-usual profile, it's possible to fit an optional awning that covers about half the side of the camper.

OPEN WIDE
Maximising space is one of the design challenges for fold-up campers and caravans such as the Eco Tourer, especially when it comes to storage spaces and items such as showers and toilets. The Eco Tourer addresses this well. Although not particularly large, there are many storage spaces in all kinds of places. The shower cubicle, with head room of 6ft 3in (1.9m), was able to be fitted into the rear corner by lowering the cubicle floor and creating a 'bump' in the roof. The best part is there's no additional setting up required, as the door is fixed in position and the upper overlapping walls move with the top of the Eco Tourer.

A portion of the bathroom includes a small wash basin set into a vanity cabinet just outside the bathroom door. It's equipped with not only a tap and basin, but two cupboards and a towel rail fitted to the wall. The only thing missing is a small mirror. A second water tank is a standard feature on the shower/toilet Eco Tourers.

Like with any RV design, there are going to be compromises, and in this rig, it's with the bed position. In the non-shower model the bed occupies the centre, but in the shower/toilet model the amenities are in the nearside rear corner. The double bed is fitted in the opposite corner, restricting access to one side.

In a van of this size, the bedhead won't be exotic, but the Eco Tourer does feature two overhead lockers, a hinged shelf behind the bed and a storage area underneath. Lighting is taken care of by two halogen ceiling lights plus two reading lights. An additional feature is the towel rail on the offside wall.

Naturally, the slatted timber bed base lifts for access to the general storage area underneath. Also fitted into the bed base are the hot water heater controls - accessible, but not located in an obvious position and potentially easily forgotten about.

A wardrobe is fitted next to the vanity cabinet. It cannot be used when travelling, though, because it folds over when the roof is lowered.

As all good RVs should have, the Eco Tourer has a well appointed kitchen with a three-burner cooktop, stainless steel sink/drainer and a 90L Dometic fridge. There's no grill or conventional oven, but a microwave has been fitted into the cabinet by the entry door.

There are two cupboards and three drawers in the main kitchen bench. On the opposite side is a small pantry, large pots and pans drawer, and a floor locker. In keeping with the sloping roof, there are stepped overhead lockers on both sides above the kitchen area.

Up front, the dinette, with a three-window view of the outdoors, has a few clever features of its own, such as the multi-fold table, storage box behind the offside seat and under-seat storage.

THE BOTTOM LINE
It's not hard to understand the appeal of the Eco Tourer, it being a reasonably compact towing package, and unfolding to provide a good sized interior with hard walls all round.

With an ATM of 2270kg, it is not particularly light but can still be towed by a variety of vehicles, with the real bonus being a relatively low profile - good for those who like to make an effort for the world's climate, and doing a bit of, dare we say, eco touring.

LIKED:

I WOULD HAVE LIKED:

7th Street Caravans
52 Seventh Street
Boolaroo, NSW 2284
(02) 4958 6770
www.7thStreetcaravans.com.au

For more information, including your nearest dealer, visit www.ecotourer.com.au