Sweet surprise at Leisurefest

Here’s a question: What’s McDonald’s big yellow signs and a camper trailer got in common? Not much really, until recently when the molded plastics specialist and manufacturer of Opalite caravans released a new range of plastic-bodied, cheerful campers.

Spotted recently at the Leisurefest RV and camping show in Melbourne, the Jellybean Campertrailers stood out with their heavy duty, plastic moulded nose cones available in seven bright colours... just like their sugar-laden namesake.

"The fellow who owns the (Jellybean) company makes all the signage for McDonald’s, KFC, Woolworths... He’s a plastics expert, hence these things are made out of plastic,” explained Robert Lilley of Victorian distributor, Geelong Caravan & RV Centre.

The exterior shell is formed from modified poly ethylene. "This exact same plastic is used by Opalite to manufacture Police paddy wagons for Australia wide use and also the McDonald's playgrounds which have been in use for around 20 years; verifying the longevity of the material," Lilley said.

To demonstrate its bullet-proof properties, Lilley proceeded to belt the side of the trailer with a baseball bat, then climbed on top of the roof and jumped up and down repeatedly, with no signs of ill-effect.

"They’re very, very robust, the steel-framed roof has built in roof racks, so you can just throw things on top of the roof," he said.

The standard Jellybean model is rated to "light off-road", while there is also a "genuine off-road with the independent coil suspension, electric brakes with 15-inch alloy off-road wheels in lieu of the 14 inch wheels.”

The pop-top has a "new design, three stage stainless steel lift system,  which is a lot more robust than what has typically been out there in the market, and the cable system is easy to get at".

The interior features a pull-out queen size bed and double bed, moulded granite-style benchtop and sink, dinette sofa which converts to an extra bed, three-gas burner cooktop and 57-litre 12V/240V fridge.

"There’s a whole range of cloth trims, and two furniture styles, mahogany and beech," he said.

Other features include a hot-dipped galvanised chassis, 65-litre water tank, 9kg gas bottle, rear-mounted spare wheel, large capacity tunnel boot, and quick release jacks. The camper measures 3.65m long, 2.0m wide and 1.65m high when closed.

Weight-saving measures include fibreglass honeycomb mattress supports, which are impervious to moisture. "That’s normally done in plywood, which weighs a lot more," Lilley explained. "We have a similar honeycomb structure to reinforce the floor."

The reinforced, steel framed roof has been designed strong enough to fit a compact rooftop air-conditioner, of the style available from Aircommand and Dometic.

Significant investment has gone into the design and engineering of the unique, plastic campers, although they remain "competitively priced", Lilley said.

"The size of investment by Opalite is around two million dollars with a little over one million being attributed to the plastics design," he said. 

Pricing for the Jellybean campers starts at $17,900 for the standard, light off-road model, to $20,990 for the off-road version.


• Got some RV news or released a new product? Email chris.fincham@carsales.com.au