JB Scorpion Sting Air 2020 Review

The idea that you can drag a large luxury caravan deep into the bush and comfortably live in it for extended periods is a relatively new concept.

The advent of technology such as lithium batteries, solar panels and efficient LEDs has in part driven this, as have buyers not shy of spending big money so they can travel to remote areas and stay there in comfort.

The up-spec Scorpion Sting Air from big-selling Melbourne manufacturer JB is such a caravan: combining an extensive list of comfort features with a raft of latest technology, all underpinned by a solid off-road chassis and (in this case) airbag suspension.

Heavyweight contender

Of course, having a caravan laden with standard equipment, solidly protected for off-road work and built with a traditional timber frame and sturdy steel chassis results in quite a heavy caravan.

With a Tare close to three tonnes and just over 500kg payload, you’ll need a heavy-duty tow vehicle like a 200 Series LandCruiser or American pick-up to make life easier on the road.

You’ll also have to think carefully about how much gear you can actually bring along in the caravan. With fresh water tanks and gas bottles full, the payload is reduced by half to around 250kg. There’s no lack of room for it all; it’s just you'd have to think carefully about the amount of gear you bring along and how much it all weighs.

Familiar layout

The 21ft 6in (body length) Scorpion’s layout is pretty standard fare. There's a front north-south queen bed, plus centre nearside galley kitchen and centre offside U-shape dinette. The entry door is towards the rear and the ensuite bathroom runs across the tail of the van.

While we can’t comment on how well the fit-out will stand up to holiday 'abuse', it does appear on first impressions to be a well-finished package. Cabinets are CNC cut and they all appear to line up well, and with no rough edges that we could find.

The bedroom area offers good, if not great access to three sides of the bed, and like many modern caravans, there are some handy bedside recesses for reading material and so on.

It’s a simple, elegant way of storing bedside odds and ends, with two-pole 240v outlets also located within the recesses. There's a useful small table top on each side of the bed, along with the control panel for the standard gas heating located close by.

Ventilation options

The 'bedroom' area also gets two large side windows plus a hatch with a rain-sensing roof-hatch extractor fan and two wall-mounted Sirocco fans. This all bodes well for a comfortable night’s sleep on a hot night without the need to run the ceiling mounted 240v air-conditioning unit. Or if it’s a bit chilly at night you can switch on the ducted gas heater.

There's plenty of storage room for clothing in the wardrobes on both sides of the bed, and the lockers above. There are more drawers and cupboards below the wardrobes, and at the corners of the bedroom near the foot of the bed.

Larger items will fit in the storage area under the lift-up mattress, where you'll also find some of the key electronic control units and 12v fuses.

Spacious kitchen 

The kitchen bench is well laid out, with the large single-tub drainer sink set to the right to allow plenty of bench space for food preparation, even when using the gas hob.

While we regularly bang on about the risks of having a microwave mounted too high (handling hot liquids and food overhead is not ideal), it's not a deal breaker in the Scorpion. The JB's microwave is also positioned over the sink, and as the upper cabinetry is inset from the bench, you’re less likely to get hit by any hot liquid spillage.

The kitchen area also offers numerous storage options, including a large pot drawer and multiple lockers and cupboards. There are also two slide-out pantries adjacent to the fridge on the offside for storing non-perishable food.

Multi-function lounge

The U-shaped dinette, on the offside opposite the kitchen, is trimmed in supple leather and has flip-up foot rests, under-seat drawers as well as a  240v socket and two USB ports on the seat base.

The dinette table swivels and lowers on its telescopic leg, so the lounge can be converted to another bed for a grand-child or another guest.

Like the kitchen, there are lockers above the dinette and no shortage of other storage options. It seems like there’s a space for almost anything.

There's also a cupboard to the left as you enter the van, plus two map pockets (one on the rear wall and one above the doorway). The door itself is a two-piece unit with security mesh screen.

The hopper windows in the Scorpion Air all feature integral screen mesh/concertina blinds, plus there are drop-down curtains for the windows around the bedroom and dinette.

Rear ensuite

The bathroom is a pretty straightforward design, with a few luxury touches like a ceramic bowl toilet and sink, and a black rack for toiletries that sits over the shower door. Plus, of course, the obligatory top-loader washing machine.

There’s ample storage in the bathroom too, including a large cupboard adjacent to the toilet on the back wall and some drawers in the vanity unit, which incorporates a large mirror.

The shower stall isn't huge, but should be big enough so that you're not knocking elbows against the walls when having a shower.

Lots of external storage too

The Scorpion’s external storage is well covered off, with a toolbox up front with a slide-out tray on each side and gas bottle storage in the centre, accessed via a hinged top lid.

There's also a large tunnel boot and a tall rear offside storage locker for stuff like camp chairs, plus a firewood rack and two jerry can holders at the rear of the van.

It's all well lit up too for evening set-ups, with an LED worklight at the front and rear plus three LED strip lights to cover both sides of the van. A Polaris reversing camera is also fitted as standard.

Outdoor living

The Scorpion Air is also set up for outside living with a picnic table and outdoor entertainment unit locker (for audio control and TV) under the awning and outdoor shower unit on the other side. The entertainment locker also houses the controls for the adjustable air suspension.

The van’s exterior is well protected for off-road touring, with a front mesh stone guard, side brush bars and checkerplate protection for the tanks underneath. The grippy Cooper STT mud-terrain tyres provide some confidence in flinty, off-road conditions and if you do get stuck, there are two rear recovery points.

the Scopion Air is set up for off-grid camping with a 300aAn Enerdrive lithium  battery system with 480 watts of solar power, and all the main gauges and master switches are housed in a locker above the dinette, including for the 2600W Enerdrive inverter, battery charge monitor and water tank gauges.

Summing up

Fitted with Cruisemaster's top-spec ATX height-adjustable airbag suspension, there's much to like about this van if you plan to spend a lot of the time free camping.

The Scorpion Sting Air has a strong body and suspension to get you there, and the power, water, fridge and overall storage capacity to keep you there for a long time in comfort.

However, the penalty is weight — this is a heavy caravan, which ultimately limits how far you can go in the bush. And while not everyone wants to cook outside, an outdoor kitchen fitted as part of the package could further enhance the enjoyment of luxury-camping in the great outdoors.

Specs: 2020 JB Caravans Scorpion Sting Air

Travel length: 9100mm (29ft 10in)
Body length: 6553mm (21ft 6in)
Body width: 2480mm (8ft 1in)
Travel height: 3100mm (10ft 2in)
Interior height: 1980mm (6ft 5in)
Tare weight: 2962kg
ATM: 3500kg
Ball weight (Tare): 207kg
Body: Meranti timber frame, aluminium composite cladding
Chassis: RHS 150mm A-frame and chassis, galvanised
Suspension: Cruisemaster ATX Airbag 4.5t
Brakes: 12in electric drums
Stability Control: AL-KO ESC
Wheels: 17-inch alloy with Cooper STT 265/70R17 MT tyres
Water: 225L fresh water, 95L grey
Battery: 300Ah Enerdrive lithium
Solar: 3 x 160watt
Air-conditioner: Truma Aventa
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Swift gas/electric 28 litres
Cooking: Swift 1 electric/3 gas hob, oven/grill
Fridge: Dometic 218L 12v/240v compressor
Microwave: NCE 240v
Toilet: Dometic ceramic bowl cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12v LED
TV: 24in LED smart TV
Price: $109,990 drive away (NSW)
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: JB Caravans Sydney, St Marys, NSW
More info: JB Caravans