Metalink SLR Camper

You’ve got to hand it to manufacturers of slide-on campers, given the limited footprint of a 4WD ute tray they’ve got to work with when designing a camper body.

What protrudes over the side risks being wiped off on trees and the same sad finale awaits anything sitting proud of the headboard.

Metalink on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast looks to have come up with the right recipe with its compact tray, side lift roof (SLR) camper, which has as much potential, storage wise as the mind can conjure up.

The SLR reviewed here starts out with a base price of $19,090 and a weight of 330kg. The price in most cases won’t break the bank nor should the weight overload your ute’s rear leaf springs.

As long as you’re careful working out your payload this outfit is ready to fit to a standard LandCruiser or Patrol tray without having to beef up the suspension. Having said that every SLR is custom built and everything, including the outside shape is ‘your call’.

EASY ON, EASY OFF

Structurally, the frame is made from 3mm wall aluminium box section with internal and external sheeting from 1.6mm aluminium.

The overall length of this unit is 2600mm and closed height 1170mm.

The SLR body is affixed to the tray by four heavy duty camber locks and another two hold the side lifting roof in place.

We were told (though we didn’t go through the exercise) that the four lift off jacks with castor wheels will have the SLR off the tray in 10 minutes. That would put your ute back to work in next to no time, including any tool boxes back in place.

The camper body is designed to carry a load on the roof, although the inclusion of two, Kyocera 150W solar panels on the roof of our review unit cut the area by about half.

But with a frame at the front and rear, adding a roller kit will get a small dinghy atop should you be fishing inclined. It will also handle the hassle of getting it down so the roof can be lifted for sleeping at night.

The front and back frames would also make a good base on which to install a roof rack or basket system.

The side walls of the SLR slope in from about half way up, which helps keep the high corners safe from protruding foliage when off road. The bottom half of the back of the shell also slopes, for easy access to the large lockable drawer under the ute tray as well as the towbar area.

The lockable drawer on the unit we looked at is separate from the SLR but still manufactured by Metalink. It would be a great place to stow fishing and hunting gear amongst other things.

The spare wheel sits high on the back, next to the large lift up entry door to the inside sleeping quarters.

The side-lifting roof actuating switch is located inside the rear entry door and consists of an electric drive assisted by gas struts. The angle of the roof can be set at any position to maximise sun on the fixed solar panels when the bed is not being used.

Once in the open position, small awnings over two side windows with screens are held taught by manually placed struts, which should keep a lot of nasty weather at bay.

The entry ladder is a sturdy affair and stowed in a rack slung under the roof in the offside compartment. 

When hung on the rear door sill, it’s an easy climb up and onto the double bed mattress. At the entry in the bed base a couple of doors open to some storage areas and the entry area is large enough to store quite a bit of other gear, such as camp chairs and extra tables, as well as get changed.

MORE STORAGE OPTIONS

Moving to the driver’s side, a door opens to a large compartment sectioned off down the middle from the kitchen located on the opposite side.

The camp table sits in the same rack as the rear boarding ladder and an ampli-mesh fence (fitted to the unit we looked at), was used to secure a second fridge for the new owner.

Also located here is the electronic heart of the SLR, featuring two 120Ah batteries along with a Redarc BMS 1230 charger, which is a 12/240 volt and solar ready unit with a shunt and remote readout.

Fitted up against the front wall, they’re amply protected by removable panels, to prevent any damage from gear sliding around inside.

The wiring throughout the SLR includes safety door alarms that audibly warn when one or more of the doors is not fully closed when the vehicle’s ignition is turned on.

There are also six, 12 volt sockets and the fuse box caters for six outlets.

The kitchen on the passenger door side consists of wide shelves sectioned off from the upright fridge/freezer compartment.

The bottom compartment has a pull out slide holding a gas cooker under a lid (with the option of adding a wind break) and stainless steel preparation area. There’s also a wide drawer underneath big enough to hold plenty of utensils.

A stand-alone compartment holds a 4.5kg gas bottle and the connecting hose can be attached to the cooker when the gas bottle compartment door is closed.

Between the fridge and the front wall is the 75 litre water tank, which sits on its end in such a fashion that it creates a good head pressure of water by simple gravity, all the way to empty. It’s easily filled by putting an adaptor on the outlet and opening the tap and turning on a hose.

However, filling the water tank with anything other than a pressurised hose could create a few problems when camping; as in not being able to lug drums of water and fill the kitchen tank. A screw-out filler port at the top front of the tank would be useful here.

Most internal areas of the unit are neatly carpeted and there are air vents for ventilation when the body is closed up.

Climbing up the rear ladder into the camper, my feet were around vehicle tray level with 2200mm clearance to the top of the canvas-walled sleeping quarters.

Access is over the foot of the bed, which consists of a covered double foam mattress covered by a 10 year warranty.

The whole unit definitely had a quality look and feel about it, right down to the Australian-made 10oz canvas work.

VERDICT

While slide-on campers like the SLR really come into their own on rugged overland trips like the Canning Stock Route, they’re also a good option for those who travel quick and light, although you definitely wouldn’t be slumming it in this SLR.

And if you’re looking for superb quality in materials and workmanship it’s all here in this camper.

Even better, if you don’t like the layout of this particular unit Metalink will design one exactly to your requirements. The company also does other camper configurations, including a ‘GLR’ with front-lift roof.

WE LIKED:
>> Superb finish with quality fittings like toggle switches
>> Excellent storage
>> Open door alarms
>> Level of customisation

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Need pressurised hose to fill water tank
>> Limited interior ‘living’ space

METALINK SLR SLIDE-ON CAMPER

Length: 2600mm
Width: Variable (depends on tray)
Interior height (at camper entry): 2200mm
Tare weight: from 330kg
Body: 3mm aluminium wall box section aluminium and 1.6mm internal and external sheeting
Canvas: 10oz Wax Converters
Options fitted: solar, wiring, kitchen, lift off jacks, rear wheel carrier, internal water tank, rear storage cupboard, gas bottle compartment, mattress, Redarc charger and batteries, internal and flood lighting at rear
Base price: $19,090
Price as tested: $31,395
More info: Metalink, Palmwoods, Queensland