It was all a bit rushed. I’d dropped it on Discoverer’s Brenden Samuels that I’d accept his offer of a camper loan at short notice, but he’d obliged. A couple of things weren’t quite right, as he pointed out. The scissor lift at the rear of the pop-top was rattling due to something working a little loose and the gap between the awning’s holder and the camper body had not been sealed due to the haste with which the VW had left the Discoverer premises. The latter was important as the weather forecast wasn’t great for the weekend we’d planned to take the camper away. Leaving the side-door slider open in the rain would have resulted in an indoor water feature. We had a minor one when the VW was parked at my place before we left for Narrabeen (on Sydney’s northern beaches). I’d had the roof up as we loaded the vehicle when the rain started. As I lowered the pop top and the canvas sides folded inwards a short stream of water came through the zip and puddled on the seat beneath. Once the roof lid was firmly in place it was fine. The operation of the roof itself was child’s play. Well, for an eight year old it was easy to push it up into position; the retraction required dad’s added strength to allow dangling legs to reach the camper floor once more.

Bed time was a cosy affair, although I’m not sure about the integrity of the curtain tracks after heavy prolonged use of the camper. Insect screens on the side sliding windows meant we could keep some ventilation going in the downpour. In the Discoverer twin-bed layout the two singles are joined by a centre piece (one of the backrest cushions) from north to south.  This meant no hip or shoulder disturbance from ridges that are present with versions that have a rear passenger seat (in an east-west pattern) as part of the bed construction.

One thing to note is that the shorter of the two occupants should sleep on the driver’s side of the bed to allow anyone more than six-feet tall to dangle freely beyond the end of the mattress. I’d really like to see an interior remote release usable with the bed in position to open the tailgate for true morning has broken moments but that’s beyond affordable reason in a campervan.

Once the bed is made up, under bed access – obviously the main storage area in a camper – is difficult which kind of promotes putting the bed away. Hardly a major chore, even for the younger section of the market that spends the most time in camper vans. If you want to eat off the table it’s compulsory and while that’s also a simple operation the upright storage of the table top behind the driver’s seat means that you cannot recline said pew beyond the vertical either, dependent on the legroom you require.

Hanging space is limited to a unit between the table top storage and the sink/fridge stack in this variant. Personally I like the fact the rear seat/bed area on the driver’s side is not restricted with further cupboards. Cooking on the swing-out stove/microwave unit is straightforward and pleasant to avoid filling the van with carbon deposits if you’re not deft with the hot oil.

So quick-spin verdict is one of minor success. One of these days I will stop getting out of the driver’s door to go round and enter the camper via the side door, too.

Category: Reviews
Written: Thu 01 May 2014
Printed: May, 2014
Published By: