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Equipment Tests > Sugar Glider Camper Trailers
Sugar Glider Camper Trailers
Issue: February 2009
Words and photos by Robert Pepper
When a camper trailer is named after a small, furry marsupial that glides from tree to tree you'd expect it to tow pretty well.
Just like its cute cousin, the Sugar Glider camper trailer does indeed glide around forests, although only the ground. That's thanks to the Sugar Glider suspension, evolved over 19 years. The design is independently sprung, so bumps on one wheel don't affect the other to the same extent you'd see with a live axle. The system uses coil springs with generous travel, and Koni shocks. The wheels are set toed-in slightly for better directional stability, and that's also adjustable. Clearly the design works, because top-end trailer manufacturers Ultimate and Bushmaster are Sugar Glider customers.
Our test showed the 860kg tare Sugar Glide to be a beautiful tow in all conditions, from windy bridges, windy back rods, corrugations and dirt tracks. Top marks for high-speed towability, but when things start to get rough there's a problem or two. Not the suspension, but the clearance. The spare is underslung in front of the axle, and in principle that's not a bad place for it to be, low down, and not intruding on storage space. Should you get a flat in a tough situation it may be hard to access, but even with a flat you could drag the trailer forwards a couple of metres to better ground to jack it up.
The offroad problem is that the 235/75/15 tyre hangs down too low and will definitely be damaged, or snag as soon as you start any serious low range work. Then consider the departure angle is limited by a fibreglass tub, which would be damaged by rocks, and the winch assembly at the front which could foul rear-mounted spares at offroad angles, and does prevent the car door opening at most angles. All up, while the suspension is top-notch and the chassis is also tough, those problems mean this version of the trailer isn't for low-range territory.
Having the spare underslung means there's lots of space up front, with a huge storage bin and a very comprehensive four-pot stovetop complete with a grill, one of the bigger and better cookers we've seen. In addition the cooker is well wind proofed on two sides already, and as it isn't in the pull-out kitchen drawer doesn't take up any room there. The cook has two taps readily accessible as well, with the front one able to take tall water containers. There's more storage under the beds, accessible by lifting the gas-strut supported bed base, or by dropping a latch if the camper is packed away. There's a lot of room in the pull out kitchen drawer with the table extension in place, but the access hole is on the wrong side for the cook. You can even find room for rubbish bins next to the 9kg gas canister, but there's no specific facility for jerrycans; they have to go in the front storage box. Two 62L water tanks are standard, and in an unusual move, the sink tap has its own water container built-in to the slide-out, which leaked. Like many campers, the sink drain plug is just a hole so when you drop the water out expect to get your feet splashed.
There is a very neat storage compartment for long thin things like fishing rods and tent poles at the front. An interesting option for fishos is a $1500 boat loader that can be operated by one person, suitable for tinnies up to 3m long plus a small outboard motor mount. Another option is solar panel. Included in the price is a canvas awning and poles, carried under the bed. The awning does not include walls.
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While storage is plentiful, none of the compartments have tie-down points, dividers or any real means of stopping things sliding around. Removable divides would be good so you can take the bulky stuff if you need to. Most of the drawers and lids, especially the kitchen pull-out, lack handles. The front bin is great, but can't be opened at the same time as the cooker lid is open as the two lids foul. The winch strap also needs to be loosened for the storage lid to be opened.
Setting up the camper is straightforward; undo latches, flick over the base unit, and up comes the canvas, no pegs as it's a hardfloor. A couple of latches were misaligned which made life a little harder. Then you go inside and extend a few poles. The hard one is the one over the bed; the technique is to lie on your back on the bed and push it out with your feet. Effective, but inconvenient. However, the advantage is that the extended poles give much more headroom at the front end when compared to campers which just use non-extending poles that must be short enough to fold down without compressing. At the back there are no vertical poles at so it lacks rigidity in high winds. The canvas did not seal completely around the base unit, a problem in wintry or dusty conditions. In general, fit and finish isn't market-leading, but serviceable.
The trailer does need to be set up on very flat ground, with the main unit also flat. This is because the flip-over section tends to have its forward part touch the ground first. It would be better to design the camper higher, and rely on the ability to vary the height of the feet under the flip-out floor so it could be more tolerant of uneven terrain.
Minor points that would make life easier are a couple of external 12v supplies for camp lights, some interior pockets for storage and interior clip-on lights. There is one interior light but it's low-mounted, not a reading light. On the plus side, when the camper is in travel mode the access panel for the under-bed storage flips down to make a table or bench chair, something always useful for those roadside stops.
While we have our criticisms of the Sugar Glider many of them relatively easy to fix - such as tie-downs, extra 12v sockets -- or can be worked around. We discussed this report with Sugar Glider and they were very open to the idea of improvements, already committing to fix several of the more difficult issues such as the vulnerable underslung spare, location of the winch, storage improvements, a suspension lift and a few other points. As it is now, the Glider's retail price is $21,000 which puts it at the less expensive end of the market for its size. With a few refinements this could shape up to be a very good value camper as it has several notable positives such as the suspension and storage areas.
Hitch me up
Navigation and hitching a trailer have one thing in common. They are the activities most likely to lead to marital stress. Sugar Glider won't help you find your way, but they can help with a new offroad hitch. Overlander had a sneak preview of a prototype (not fitted to our test trailer) and while we're yet to test it for real, we do agree it looks easier to use than the competition; there's no pin to exactly line up. Watch for more details when it is released.
Words and photos by Robert Pepper
When a camper trailer is named after a small, furry marsupial that glides from tree to tree you'd expect it to tow pretty well.
Just like its cute cousin, the Sugar Glider camper trailer does indeed glide around forests, although only the ground. That's thanks to the Sugar Glider suspension, evolved over 19 years. The design is independently sprung, so bumps on one wheel don't affect the other to the same extent you'd see with a live axle. The system uses coil springs with generous travel, and Koni shocks. The wheels are set toed-in slightly for better directional stability, and that's also adjustable. Clearly the design works, because top-end trailer manufacturers Ultimate and Bushmaster are Sugar Glider customers.
Our test showed the 860kg tare Sugar Glide to be a beautiful tow in all conditions, from windy bridges, windy back rods, corrugations and dirt tracks. Top marks for high-speed towability, but when things start to get rough there's a problem or two. Not the suspension, but the clearance. The spare is underslung in front of the axle, and in principle that's not a bad place for it to be, low down, and not intruding on storage space. Should you get a flat in a tough situation it may be hard to access, but even with a flat you could drag the trailer forwards a couple of metres to better ground to jack it up.
The offroad problem is that the 235/75/15 tyre hangs down too low and will definitely be damaged, or snag as soon as you start any serious low range work. Then consider the departure angle is limited by a fibreglass tub, which would be damaged by rocks, and the winch assembly at the front which could foul rear-mounted spares at offroad angles, and does prevent the car door opening at most angles. All up, while the suspension is top-notch and the chassis is also tough, those problems mean this version of the trailer isn't for low-range territory.
Having the spare underslung means there's lots of space up front, with a huge storage bin and a very comprehensive four-pot stovetop complete with a grill, one of the bigger and better cookers we've seen. In addition the cooker is well wind proofed on two sides already, and as it isn't in the pull-out kitchen drawer doesn't take up any room there. The cook has two taps readily accessible as well, with the front one able to take tall water containers. There's more storage under the beds, accessible by lifting the gas-strut supported bed base, or by dropping a latch if the camper is packed away. There's a lot of room in the pull out kitchen drawer with the table extension in place, but the access hole is on the wrong side for the cook. You can even find room for rubbish bins next to the 9kg gas canister, but there's no specific facility for jerrycans; they have to go in the front storage box. Two 62L water tanks are standard, and in an unusual move, the sink tap has its own water container built-in to the slide-out, which leaked. Like many campers, the sink drain plug is just a hole so when you drop the water out expect to get your feet splashed.
There is a very neat storage compartment for long thin things like fishing rods and tent poles at the front. An interesting option for fishos is a $1500 boat loader that can be operated by one person, suitable for tinnies up to 3m long plus a small outboard motor mount. Another option is solar panel. Included in the price is a canvas awning and poles, carried under the bed. The awning does not include walls.
read on below advertisement
While storage is plentiful, none of the compartments have tie-down points, dividers or any real means of stopping things sliding around. Removable divides would be good so you can take the bulky stuff if you need to. Most of the drawers and lids, especially the kitchen pull-out, lack handles. The front bin is great, but can't be opened at the same time as the cooker lid is open as the two lids foul. The winch strap also needs to be loosened for the storage lid to be opened.
Setting up the camper is straightforward; undo latches, flick over the base unit, and up comes the canvas, no pegs as it's a hardfloor. A couple of latches were misaligned which made life a little harder. Then you go inside and extend a few poles. The hard one is the one over the bed; the technique is to lie on your back on the bed and push it out with your feet. Effective, but inconvenient. However, the advantage is that the extended poles give much more headroom at the front end when compared to campers which just use non-extending poles that must be short enough to fold down without compressing. At the back there are no vertical poles at so it lacks rigidity in high winds. The canvas did not seal completely around the base unit, a problem in wintry or dusty conditions. In general, fit and finish isn't market-leading, but serviceable.
The trailer does need to be set up on very flat ground, with the main unit also flat. This is because the flip-over section tends to have its forward part touch the ground first. It would be better to design the camper higher, and rely on the ability to vary the height of the feet under the flip-out floor so it could be more tolerant of uneven terrain.
Minor points that would make life easier are a couple of external 12v supplies for camp lights, some interior pockets for storage and interior clip-on lights. There is one interior light but it's low-mounted, not a reading light. On the plus side, when the camper is in travel mode the access panel for the under-bed storage flips down to make a table or bench chair, something always useful for those roadside stops.
While we have our criticisms of the Sugar Glider many of them relatively easy to fix - such as tie-downs, extra 12v sockets -- or can be worked around. We discussed this report with Sugar Glider and they were very open to the idea of improvements, already committing to fix several of the more difficult issues such as the vulnerable underslung spare, location of the winch, storage improvements, a suspension lift and a few other points. As it is now, the Glider's retail price is $21,000 which puts it at the less expensive end of the market for its size. With a few refinements this could shape up to be a very good value camper as it has several notable positives such as the suspension and storage areas.
Hitch me up
Navigation and hitching a trailer have one thing in common. They are the activities most likely to lead to marital stress. Sugar Glider won't help you find your way, but they can help with a new offroad hitch. Overlander had a sneak preview of a prototype (not fitted to our test trailer) and while we're yet to test it for real, we do agree it looks easier to use than the competition; there's no pin to exactly line up. Watch for more details when it is released.