Opus Camper

Think of a traditional, Jayco-style camper trailer, but imagine it folds-out from the centre, rather than slides-out from its ends.

Add versatility, like zip-off walls, opening into an enclosed annexe, and a luxurious club ‘sky’ lounge with a panoramic 180-degree view.

Now visualise it all unpacking from a compact box trailer weighing just 825kg empty, but with a huge carrying capacity of 615kg, with the potential for much of it to be loaded onto its purpose-designed roof.

What you’ve got is the Opus Folding Camper, a new take on a 40-year-old idea that becomes more and more appealing the more you look at it.

Basically, when it all boils down, it’s a super-light, soft-roof, hard-floor camper that is causing a stir in camper trailer circles priced from $22,450 for the entry-level Classic.

Unlike a growing number of Chinese competitors in this competitive price range, Opus campers are based on an original UK design that in turn was inspired in the 1990s by Australian campers.

Opus founder Jonathan Harris reportedly drew his inspiration for the camper’s novel concertina roof some 15 years ago from the folding sun and rain-shields commonly used on children’s prams and pushers.

Australian versions, that feature a number of design differences to their UK counterparts, are put together in Braeside, Melbourne, by RV equipment specialist Purple Line Australia, with around 50 per cent local content.

So things like the Opus’s galvanised steel chassis, furniture, tent and electrics, are all locally sourced and manufactured.

Five separate models are offered for 2015 – ‘Classic’, ‘Ready to Roll’, ‘Family’, ‘Full Monty’ and ‘Adventurer’ – with the $24,450 ‘Ready to Roll’ most closely corresponding to the camper we sampled in late-2014.

All variants have two double beds with inner privacy tents, a club lounge that converts to an extra bed, a tunnel boot, 12V LED lighting and 240V power outlets, a fire extinguisher and an awning.

For 2015, standard Opus equipment for ‘Ready to Roll’ models comprises seven-leaf spring suspension, override brakes, 15-inch alloy wheels, an Al-Ko off-road coupling, drop-down Al-Ko stabilisers, a built-in sink with recessed tap and a mains water connection.

However the Adventurer ups the ante with the option of heavy duty Cruisemaster independent trailing arm suspension and a tougher chassis with a 1800mm-long, 100mm x 50mm extended A-frame, along with electric brakes, a Trigg articulated hitch and a 200mm Al-Ko flip-up jockey wheel.

A 98Ah deep-cycle battery system, 12V power outlet, a two-burner cooktop, a 50 litre water tank with stone protection and a large lockable storage box with lockable side doors and a fridge slide, plus twin jerry can holders alongside the single 9kg gas bottle ahead of it on the drawbar, complete the standard spec.

Viewed packed down, the Opus is not much larger than a regular box trailer, but it only takes 10 minutes to unpack its full potential as a roomy and surprisingly functional camper.

Simply drop the four Al-Ko corner jacks, release the four over-centre latches holding the bi-fold metal bed bases with their built-in roof racks, fold the bases out to each end with the assistance of their gas struts, connect supporting struts to the base of the beds and then step inside to tension the hoops that support the 400gsm poly-cotton tent.

A few more simple housekeeping tasks are then required to complete your set-up, including positioning some of the kitchen fittings and arranging the bedding and cushions in place.

Finally, unzip the huge windows in the walls and roof and let the outside flood in.

Large double beds at each end provide sleeping for four, but what will sell the Opus to many campers is its luxurious U-shaped leatherette club lounge that can form the centre of both indoor and outdoor seating by simply unzipping the entire wall along the door side.

Attach the standard awning – or optional annexe tent – to extend your living space and all of a sudden the little box trailer that you started with has become a surprisingly roomy home.

Each bed has two storage pockets and there are two ceiling lights, complemented by a portable third light that can be fixed in the bed area for reading.
And if you want to sleep two more inside, the table drops down to provide another bed.

The inside kitchen is simple, but functional and all models but the Classic now come standard with a plumbed stainless steel sink and storage shelves and a two-burner gas cooker.

A low shelf to the right of the door is the intended location for an optional 12volt camping fridge.

A gas two-burner stainless steel external kitchen that slides out from the rear bed of the camper is an option that most XT buyers will want.

Storage inside is quite good with floor-level cupboards, but the 98Ah deep-cycle battery and the on-board charger are housed in their own exterior locker compartment in the left rear flank, along with a 240 volt inlet socket.

VERDICT

The Opus camper trailer is an innovative take on the traditional Jayco wind-up slide-out camper, but offers the true ‘under canvas’ camping experience that these fibreglass-roofed models lack.

Competitively priced and reasonably well equipped, it will appeal to many young families looking to transition from a tent to a wheeled RV that can be towed behind almost any vehicle.

WE LIKED:
>> Clever, mould-breaking design
>> Quick set-up
>> Light weight for towing
>> Interior style and space
>> Excellent payload

NOT SO MUCH
>> Inevitable wet canvas pack-up
>> Small interior storage
>> External kitchen not standard

OPUS CAMPER TRAILER ‘READY TO ROLL’

Travel length: 4.9m
External body length: 5.85m
External body width: 2.0m
Travel height: 2.96m
Interior height: 2.28m
Tare weight: 825kg
ATM: 1440kg
Ball weight: 70kg
Body: Steel
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanized steel with 100mm x 50mm A-frame
Suspension: Seven-leaf off-road springs
Brakes: Al-Ko 10-inch electric
Wheels: 15in, six-stud
Fresh water: 1 x 50 litre
Battery: Single 98Ah
Solar: Optional portable panel
Gas: 1 x 9kg
Cooking: Two gas burner gas cook top
Microwave: Optional
Fridge: Optional top-loading 45L portable 12v
Toilet: No
Shower: Optional exterior shower
Lighting: LED
Price (Ready to Roll, ex Melb): $24,450
Contact: Opus Camper, Braeside, Victoria