Egg-shaped Explorer stuns showgoers

It looks like a cross between a Boeing 747 and a giant egg on wheels. But for the 30,000 or so spectators who attended the Melbourne Leisurefest show last week, it was undoubtedly the most unusual and eye-catching of the hundreds of caravans on display.

When caravancampingsales.com.au dropped by the Designer Vans Australia stand on the Friday, the Desert Sands Explorer prototype was surrounded by a horde of intrigued bystanders, with around 15 eager people at one stage queuing up for a peak inside the curvaceous camper.

Wangaratta, Victoria-based Designer Vans has been manufacturing a range of more conventional looking caravans since 2007 and was approached about three years ago by Aqualine Industries, which builds shower units for Designer Vans.

Aqualine had developed the shape of the Explorer about 15 years but not developed it beyond the body shell, so a plan was hatched to utilise Designer Van's manufacturing expertise to develop an off-road production version.

According to Designer Vans' Scott French, the Explorer's design was inspired by the shape of an egg and the aerodynamic benefits that offered.

"There’s actually 75 pieces that go into the making of it, but effectively it's two shells joined together," French explained. "(The body is) GRP fibreglass, double skinned, and the walls are 40mm thick, with a urethane infill."

The composite body sits on a Duragal chassis with 100 x 50 x 3mm main rails, and runs Cruise Master off-road coil suspension with a D035 hitch.

The compact interior features a pop-top roof to increase headroom, while the pointy-shaped, marine-style double bed in the front of the van has been extended far enough to accommodate a six foot person. 

There's also a small kitchen with a sink, 90 litre fridge, three burner cooktop, and microwave, a cafe style dinette, and a shower and cassette toilet in the rear.

It has three, 62 litre water tanks, hooked up to a hot water system. The cabinets are made from timber but the floor is fibreglass for easy cleaning.

The prototype has been extensively tested in Outback Australia, clocking up around 20,000km so far in a range of adverse conditions.

French says the Explorer's compact and lightweight design makes it ideal for outback touring. In off-road configuration the 5.8m long (overall) camper has a 1100kg Tare and 1600kg ATM.

"This is the first prototype, the one we’ve been doing all the testing on,” explained French. "We have our first production models coming off the assembly line now."

"It’s not for everybody, but for those who want to go offroad and have all the comforts from home, it fits them perfectly."

Furthering its off-road capabilities, the Explorer comes with a good 12V system comprising two, 110aH AGM batteries, battery charger and monitor, 12V sockets, LED lighting, and DVD and CD player.

After its introduction earlier this year, Designer Vans had sold 12 of the off-road versions, priced at $58,000. An on-road version is also available, priced at $42,000.

As for the endless attention the Explorer attracts wherever it goes, French had this to say: "If I charged admission for everybody who walked in I wouldn't have to worry about selling them!"

See the Designer Vans Australia website for further details.