When What’s Up Downunder told us we would be towing the JB Caravans Scopion Sting on Summer Series in Nov 2017 to the Eyre Peninsula in SA (read more about this gorgeous region here),  we were so excited.  We had heard amazing things about their caravans, especially their off road options and couldn’t wait to ‘live it’ & ‘breath it’. 

Before we headed on tour, the Caravanning with Kids family headed to Melbourne to get a full hand over from JB Caravans.  WOW.  Wow, this van was HUGE!  We had not towed a full off road rig before and the height of this caravan was a lot higher than that of our own.   This beauty stands at approx. 3.3m high, which enables it to have all the amazing suspension underneath.  This  van is tall and it does have some weight behind it, (Tare 2880kg) but once you hear all about what it’s got jam packed in it, you will understand why.

At the front of the van there is a huge oversized tool box.  Split into 3 sections. In the middle there is room for 2 x 9kg gas bottles, on the left side is a large slide out big enough for BBQ, fridge or alike, and the right is a smaller slide out big enough for your generator. Behind the tool box sits a pipe big enough for fishing rods, tents/annex posts, etc. and directly behind this, is a huge full width tunnel boot. All our goodies were stored in there. Down the side of the van there are 3 water tank fillers enabling you to carry 225lt of fresh water.  Two tanks which are used for general water, 1×95 and 1×65 shower, toilet, washing machine etc., and one tank for fresh drinking water which holds 65litres. This tank is connected to a water filter and has a separate tap next to the kitchen sink. While we are talking about water, this van is fully self-contained. It has a grey water tank which you can empty once you get the chance, meaning you can do a lot of “off the grid” camping. The toilet cassette is standard, and just above it is an outdoor shower.  We love this feature as showering our kids outside is always a bit of fun and less chaotic than inside the van.  On the rear of the Scorpion Sting you will find your spare tyre.  This really highlights the size of these big boys,  16×8 inch rims with a tyre profile of 265/75R, a massive off road tyre, beautifully positioned under the JB Scorpion Sting logo. Two jerry can holders at the rear with lockable chains are fitted as well. At the rear on the left hand side the caravan houses a ¾ “L” shaped tunnel boot. The ¼ that is lost is due to 2 draws under the bunks. Another great piece of storage area perfect for the kids shoes and games under the bottom bunk.

A bracket to hold a TV on the outside, hooked up to the Fusion sound system with all the leads is quite handy to have if you are choosing to just chill and sit and watch some sport. The outside table is housed next to this and the front door and a LED blue light handle, all covered by a 6 meter awning.   All the fittings and power outlets are where they need to be. Eg: the kettle plug will reach the socket and sit on the table.  We have found some caravans have not thought to much about this, however JB Caravans have all these features covers and located in all the right positions.

Once you get up into this van the words come out again. WOW. Light, bright, and beautiful would be some of the words that summed this van up. A large full sized queen bed with storage to the sides and above and you can lift the bed for extra storage. Not all of the under bed is storage though as you lose about ¼ of this room for a gas heater.  A first for us and a very special feature.  The vent for this comes out from under the bed, and quickly warms up the van and on those super cold nights when you want to feel like you are snugged up home, you can pull the roman blinds down.    An “L” shaped leather lounge was lovely for the 4 of us to sit around, very comfortable and roomy.  The table has a handle underneath that allows it to move in and out and side to side. The table also drops down enabling you to make another bed out of it.  A full size Dometic fridge, which with kids you really can’t do without. A bathroom and toilet and separate shower compliments the shape of the bathroom, two small cupboards one above and a larger one below. A high towel rail was great for our towels and we would have added another rail for the kids.  A washing machine which can be used with little water on board is always handy after many clothe changes.  Double bunks complimented by a personal DVD player and head phones for each bunk. The parents also get head phones if they choose to watch their TV inside. Two fans sit above the windows that are either side of the master bed. Connected to 12 volt power these fans will circulate the air if it’s a hot day.  Above the master bed is a 12 volt extractor fan that when you open it, it sucks out some of the hot air. This vent has a rain sensor on it so if it rains it will automatically close, not getting your bed wet.

If you have the cook top bench placed flat you have more than ample bench space and we loved that the large kitchen was on the side of the entrance door.  Something that we had not thought about before, but was pointed out to us:  having your kitchen facing the entrance means that you do not have your back turned when you are preparing in the kitchen.  A great safety observation from one of the convoy members.  A standard cooker with 3 gas plates and 1 hot plate. The space just keeps going and going.  The fusion entertainment system is second to none. Having a phone charger in-built into one section, you can access your phone via blue tooth and play the music from your phone while it charges.

You can run the Dometic Fridge, the TV, Microwave, Entertainment System. You can also charge your phone and lap top, with the lights on. You can do all of this simultaneously. Now you can do all of this because of the 2000 watt inverter, a Red Arc battery management  system, which is all powered by the 450 Kw of solar on the roof! WOW (again) this will keep your two batteries filled to the brim with power. With a 4.4 tonne cruise master ATX suspension, dual axle, bar work on the sides of the van and underbody protection this van is built to go full off road.

Take a tour inside with Ashlee:

A fully backed 3 year manufactures warranty adds to this impressive van.

The Caravanning with Kids family give this caravan a massive thumbs up!  If you are looking for a FULL off road that will take you and the family to places most other vans won’t with a comfortable, spacious and luxurious interior…then this is the van for you.  Giving you the comforts of home, even when you are in the remote outback!

CHECK OUT OUR Review on What’s Up Downunder here:

Have you checked out our shop? You will loads of cool goodies in there…including these awesome Bamboo Travel Mugs!

 

 

Pin It on Pinterest