With the explosion of new camper trailer manufacturers over the last few years it is comforting to know that Cub have been making camper trailers at their factory in Sydney for over four decades. The trailer we tested here, the Cub Supamatic Escape was first designed in 1983 and while it certainly has evolved the fact that it retains the basic design of the original says that they got it pretty right first up.
The Supamatic Escape has the same basic principle of a fl ip over camper and is designed for on road use. Cub has off road models and we will be reviewing them in upcoming issues. The Supamatic has a lightweight but strong construction that allows quite a large amount of internal space.
The design is a clean but boxy shape with deep sides that has a towing height of 1.4m travelling on 15inch wheel and tyres. Construction is a monocoque design with galvanised steel panels welded in the corners and to the chassis, creating a unibody construction with the body bracing the chassis.
Suspension is a 7-leaf design and 65mm wide with the second leaf wrapped around the eyes (army wrap) and rebound springs to help lessen bounce. Independent suspension is offered as an option.
The length of the trailer is 2.4m (+drawbar). Up front on the draw bar it has the gas bottle, spare tyre and winch
for opening and closing the fl ip over lid. More on this later! The lack of extras on the drawbar helps to lighten the drawbar weight on the tow ball considerably. Tow ball ratings are a moot point with camper trailer manufacturers often stretching the truth, claiming they are
much lighter than they really are. Cub claims the ratings for the Supamatic is 65kg and with an overall weight of only 595kg we can believe it. While we didn’t weigh the Supamatic it was light enough that I could pick up the front of the trailer.
simple process. First drop down the stabilisers on the rear corners, open the rear hatch, undo the latches and start unwinding. It is quite simply the easiest design we have come across. Once the lid becomes the fl oor, adjust the feet to suit and straighten the canvas and the trailer is ready for use. You could literally be having an evening beer or wine in a matter of minutes. The model we had was optioned with an electric winch, but the winding mechanism was so easy that it really is not necessary in most situations. Closing is again extremely simple with the home designed winding mechanism. Before I tried I was slightly interested if it would take the stresses but it works a treat.
Internally there is plenty of floor space with an open length of 4.8m and width of 1.9m. The internal floor space is quite large by comparison with other trailers and with the vinyl
floor everything is easy to keep clean. With a high roof and 3 large windows in the sleeping area and a side and rear scenic window ventilation is a feature
and helps to keep the heat down inside. You can choose either two single beds/ queen or a double bed floor plan and there is a storage cabinet between the single beds and at the end of one of the beds. The trailer has both 240v and 12v power. The trailer comes with a standard awning and front wall with more walls an option. The kitchen is a slide out stainless steel affair with a 2 burner/ grill stove that has to be connected to the gas bottle every time you wish to use it, a 60L water tank with hand pump over the sink and two fold down storage areas. Alongside the kitchen is an optional slide out pantry drawer that is handy for keeping all the essentials close at hand.
Overall the Cub Supamatic Escape is an easy trailer. Easy to tow, easy to set up and easy on the wallet. Lightweight yet tough construction and a history of over 40 years manufacturing makes this trailer one that you need to look at of you are going to travel the black top without breaking the back or budget.
