Supreme SR2 slide-on 2005 Review

Slide-on campers, currently experiencing a mini-boom, have had something of a chequered history in Australia. Ideal for the many ute and traytop owners, slide-ons have always been a small section of the recreational vehicle (RV) market, but one with a devoted band of followers.

Slide-ons are excellent for a couple of people who don't want to tow, yet don't really want to deal with a full campervan or motorhome.

They are also excellent for offroaders who want to take some of the comforts of home along with them, without having a trailer behind.

Manufacturers have come and gone as the slide-on market has waxed and waned, but a few have persisted, one of those being Supreme Caravans. Supreme is a Vic-based manufacturer of mostly caravans and pop-tops, both onroad and offroad, and the slide-on units feature as almost a side line, albeit an interesting one.

The pop-top Sunray is Supreme's latest design for the slide-on market. Actually, that is not quite the correct term, because Supreme refers to the Sunray as a "Tray-Body Camper", because it is designed specifically for a tray-bodied truck, not a conventional ute.

A distinct advantage of the Sunray tray-body camper, and the reason it won't fit a ute, is its base width of 6ft 8in (2m), which allows the design team maximum flexibility. The pop-top, while reducing features such as overhead storage space, provides a much lower travelling height, thus keeping sideways ‘rock and roll' to a minimum, also allowing for low bridges.

Sizing it up
Available in four different designs, the Sunray is available in various lengths, depending on the host vehicle. CW's review unit, lent to us by Scott Bewley from Camden Caravans in Sydney, was the SR2 model, with an overall length of 12ft (3.65m), side door entry and double bed in the Luton Peak.

Alternatively, the SR1 and SR3 units are slightly shorter at 11ft (3.4m) in length, with the SR1 being a two-berth, side entry door configuration and the SR3 being a three-berth, rear entry door setup. For larger vehicles such as a Ford F250, the 14ft (4.3m) SR4 offers all the comforts of home, including an onboard shower and toilet.

With a Tare weight of 620kg and a body length (sans Luton) of 7ft 3in (2.2m), the SR2 is ideal for a Ford Falcon or Holden one tonner tray truck. It's built the same way as Supreme vans, with a meranti timber frame and aluminium panelwork around the outside. A "skirt" of aluminium checkerplate protects the lower wall area. Windows are the familiar tinted Galaxy acrylic hopper-variety and the entry door is the equally familiar Camec triple-locker. An optional draught sheet is available for the overhead area.

As might be expected with a small slide-on, there is not a great deal of external storage - just one storage locker at the nearside rear that gives access to the dinette underseat area. This also contains the SR2's battery and charger. Also at the offside rear is the locker for the 4.0kg gas cylinder.

External lighting is prolific for a diminutive rig, with both a grab handle light and a nearside wall light as well. While on the subject of lighting, the running lights have a lead that plugs into the normal towing socket of the vehicle.

Setting up the SR2 is no real problem at all. Once the holding straps (these vary from vehicle to vehicle) are taken off, the corner legs can then be lowered to take the weight of the rig. Once high enough, the vehicle can then be driven away and the SR2 lowered to an appropriate level.

Our review SR2 was fitted with wind-up legs, which take a few minutes to wind down, but Scott told us that in the near future, both electric and hand-operated hydraulic legs will be available.

We liked the alloy fold-out steps that clipped on below the door and stayed level at any height we chose for the unit. Unclipping the pop-top roof may be a tad tricky for the vertically challenged.

There are some slide-on units that due to their size suggest a cramped feel, but the SR2 manages to avoid this, mostly through a combination of the pop-top, a reasonable amount of floor area and a light interior colour scheme. When stepping through the entrance, we were greeted by a relatively simple layout: towards the rear is a small dinette, with the kitchen bench occupying the offside wall and the double bed in the Luton.

The pop-top lifts up easily enough and there is one screened window in each wall of the gusset for good cross flow ventilation. In addition to the gusset windows, there's a large window in the rear wall, a smaller window behind the kitchen sink and similar windows at either end of the bed. All have curtains, nets and pelmet covers that are attached with Velcro.

Naturally, the kitchen isn't particularly big, but whipping up meals shouldn't be a problem. The Dometic 90 litre fridge that is raised above floor-level sits between the main kitchen bench and the bed.

Alongside, in the bench itself, sits a two-burner cooktop sans grill, with a stainless steel sink taking up most of the rest of the space. Cooking odours are removed by a Swift fume extractor. Microwave oven lovers are catered for, with a Samsung unit underneath the cooktop at a reasonable height.

We were surprised that with such a small amount of bench space, the cooktop was without a hinged lid. Both hand-pumped and mains pressure taps supply water to the sink.

Kitchen bench storage is reasonable with a cutlery drawer, second small drawer, larger pots and pans drawer and two-door cupboard under the sink. Above the kitchen bench are a couple of small overhead lockers.

With contoured foam seats and backs, the dinette will seat two comfortably and three at a pinch. There's not a lot of lounging room, but you can put your feet up if you really want to. As with the benchtops, the swiveling table has a laminated top and moulded timber edges. The table is square, but with one corner cut off, which reduces the table area somewhat, but makes getting to and from the kitchen bench easier.

The underseat storage area can be accessed by two floor locker doors at either end of the dinette and there's also an under-cushion hatch as well.

Measuring 6ft 7in x 4ft 6in (2m x 1.4m), the innerspring mattress sits on a ply base, and the ceiling height above the bed is about 3ft (915mm). Because it is a fair height from the slide-on floor, the bed can be accessed by a large step that is built into the floor. Not ones to waste any available space, Supreme has designed this step with a hinged lid to hold the water tank.

Tucked into the corner between the bed and entry door is a small hanging wardrobe, which gives bedside cabinet space to the person sleeping on the outside, and a small shelf above the dinette - useful for items such as keys, torch and wallet.

Lighting is all 12V: there are two halogen reading lights for the bed, one for the dinette and two overhead round fluorescents - one above the dinette and one above the bed. The kitchen bench is highlighted by both a fluorescent fitting and a downlight under the rangehood. As with a few brands, Supreme has unfortunately placed the 12V fuses in a location that better suits manufacturing rather than the user. Located on the rear wall under the dinette seat, it does make them somewhat awkward to get at.

Power points are fitted at either end of the kitchen bench, and there's a TV antenna connection above the fridge.

The bottom line
Supreme has done a neat little job with their SR2 slide-on unit. For its size it is roomy, with a relatively practical layout. Items such as the box step to get into bed and a good array of light fittings add greatly to an already well designed interior. Given the nature of both the ute and slide-on design, there is not going to be a great deal of storage space, but for people who want to travel fairly lightly or just want a weekend escape machine to go with their tray truck, the SR2 is ideal.

Contact Supreme at 1289 Sydney Rd, Fawkner, Vic. For your nearest dealer call them on (03) 9357 3555.

Supreme SR2 slide-on
Manufacturer: Supreme Caravans
Frame: meranti timber
Cladding: aluminium
External overall length: 12ft (3.65m)
External tray-body length: 7ft 7in (2.3m)
External width: 6ft 8in (2m)
Advised Tare weight: 620kg
Cooktop: Spinflo two-burner (four-burner is standard)
Fridge: Dometic RM2350
Microwave oven: Samsung
Lighting: 12V fluorescent and halogen
Price (as reviewed): $23,200

We liked:
- Interior layout was well designed with room to move
- Step gives good access to bed and makes use of storage for water tank
- Large gusset windows give plenty of ventilation
- Lighting has well located fittings for variable purposes
- Ease of fitting slide-on to ute
- Folding alloy step is light but strong and practical

We would have liked:
- Small bedside shelf on front side of bed
- Better 12V fuse location - awkward to get at
- A bit more sandpaper on the inside of cupboard edges