TESTED: AOR SIERRA ZR CAMPER TRAILER
CONSCRIPTED AS THE MOON TOURS’ SUPPORT TRAILER FOR ITS BULK STORAGE, OFF-ROAD ABILITY AND AUSSIE BUILD QUALITY, WE TAKE THE AOR SIERRA ZR CAMPER STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOWROOM AND HEAD IMMEDIATELY TO THE SIMPSON DESERT …. AND THAT’S ONLY THE START!
THE first dunes of the morning are always the easiest, tyres pressures are low in the cool desert air and the sand the firmest of the day. By lunch it’s a different story and the steep dunes keep on coming, temps reach mid 30°C, the sand soft, tyre pressures down to 13/14psi and all the gear gets pushed to the limits, especially trailers, and this one was being put to the ultimate test. It was day three on the WAA Line in the Simpson Desert, and less than a week before we’d taken delivery of the first Sierra ZR to roll off the production line.
Towing trailers across the desert is frowned upon by many and we don’t recommend tackling the steeper eastern sides of the dunes if you intend to do a crossing, but it’s not illegal. Trent Moon has crossed the Simpson more times than he can remember and knows from experience it’s not vehicles or trailers chopping up the track, it’s people. With the right setup, the correct tyre pressures and the right approach, he wanted to make a point that, in fact, it can actually be done without buggering it up for everyone else.
In all, Trent and Steph have now done more than 12,500km with the camper, rolling into Melbourne none the worse for wear after its outback adventure that not only saw it head across the Simpson, but also to Uluru, Kakadu, the north coast of Arnhem Land and then the Gulf Country, before heading to the east coast and a long bitumen run south.
Established in 2000, the AOR brand has garnished a good reputation for high-quality and reliable campers. The Sierra ZR is the latest offering in the AOR camper range that now numbers 10 separate models, from this relatively small rig to the company’s 19-foot Aurora off-road van.
The Sierra ZR is based on the well-specced Sierra camper which made its first appearance in 2019, but the more basic ZR has been designed and built for those amongst us who already have a long list of camping gear such as a rooftop tent, gas stove, a portable fridge, awnings and more. It also allows the budget-conscious buyer to get into a quality Aussiemade product, adding stuff as his or her wallet and inclination allows. It does come reasonably wellequipped, though – read on to find out more.