Slingshot camper 2005 Review

The combination of light weight and easy towing in a caravan or camper can't always be matched readily to the desire of a user for a quick and easy-to-manage setup, so it's always interesting to see how designers of RVs overcome the problem.

In the case of Slingshot, this desirable situation is achieved through the use of very lightweight components and a simple angled pop-up roof.

Designed and builder Tony Bradley has been producing and selling Slingshot campers from his premises in Scoresby, in Melbourne's east, since 2001.

"My wife Kay and I enjoy camping holidays but we wanted a degree of comfort as well as simplicity, and the one-ended pop-up design came out of that, evolving from a mould that fitted a 6x4 trailer, to where we are today," Tony told CW.

There are two models in the Slingshot range – the original onroad Tourer and the new "dirt road" Explorer, which has some additional features and was the unit CW tested.

The one-size camper body is made from aluminium/foam/ply sandwich panels cut to size, atop Slingshot's own ADR-compliant chassis.

It's strong as well as light, and with a Tare weight of 700kg (600kg for the Tourer), the Explorer is compatible with a range of potential tow vehicles. The chassis is 100 x 50mm full length, fully galvanised and has an extra 150mm of ground clearance over the Tourer.

Al-Ko independent suspension and 15in offroad wheels and tyres (plus a spare) are also fitted. The insulated roof is fibreglass, and the towing height is 1.45m. Well made canvas joins the roof and walls with plenty of windows and heavy-duty zips to let the weather in or out.

Other external features include an 82 litre water tank (59 litres on Tourer) with guard protection and electric pump supply, 9kg gas bottle and front stone guard. A small windout hatch at the front provides extra ventilation for the sleeping area.

A 2 x 3m awning across the rear provides shade and is designed to keep the rain out if camping in a hot climate with the window and door flyscreens uncovered. It was positioned too high for me to reach, but Tony said that it was incorrectly fitted.

I know we say this often, but setting up the Slingshot really is easy. Two clips on the rear of the unit are released and the four-second gas strut lifting system, with a gentle push, raises the roof into position. That's it, apart from winding down the stabiliser legs – no pegs, brackets or winding. It was fine for me to manage solo, and the unit was light enough also to make hitching on to the Bromwich Falcon station wagon a breeze.

At first glance it may appear that the angled roof is restrictive inside, but it's amazing how little it impinges on the internal space.

The business end – kitchen, fridge, electrical system, storage space, etc – is at the rear, the area of maximum height – well over 6ft (1.8m), and even at the pointy end people, assisted by the lower floor level, can sit quite comfortably on the front single beds, fold-out table between them, without their heads touching the roof.

A nice touch is a neat back rest arrangement to make lounging more comfortable. Under the table is a cupboard which can house a porta-potti.

The internal layout of both Slingshot designs is identical: twin single beds (125mm high density foam mattresses) that can convert to a double; a 90 litre Dometic three-way fridge; Smev two-burner cooktop; laminated benchtop; sink and water tank; with heaps of bench space and the fold-out table.

Off site 12V power was supplied by a 38 amp hr battery and 4 amp charger system; my Explorer also had a radio fitted. There's a 12V fluoro light fitted centrally. It's all very practical and unfussy, ideal for people who like to live out of doors as much as possible but still keep their milk and beer cold.

The most popular options are an awning (different sizes are easily fitted to the awning track on the rear of the roof), and the very versatile dropdown tables fitted either side of the rear door. An additional "piggyback" barbecue and sink can be added to the external tables.

The bottom line
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Slingshot, "Australia's fastest camper", as Tony Bradley calls it. For any solo travellers (both genders) it's a really good option, being easy to manage with only two hands, and light enough at around 750kg loaded to suit a wide range of potential tow vehicles. A Slingshot would also, of course, suit a couple who want the same qualities of simplicity, light weight and low hassle touring.

Call Tony Bradley at Slingshot Sleeper Company on (03) 9560 2581 for further details, and see the campers at the Melbourne Caravan Show, starting April 27.

Slingshot Explorer Specifications
Length: 3.4m
Width: 2m
Travel height: 1.45m
Tare: 700kg
Construction: Aluminium/foam/ply sandwich; timber frame
Chassis: heavy-duty galvanised
Suspension: Al-Ko independent
Price: Slingshot Tourer from $14,250, Explorer as tested $18,990

We liked:
- Easy to tow and set up
- Small, compact, fun unit

We would have liked:
- Awning to be accessible for short people (being fixed)