When we first discovered the British-designed Opus camping trailer back in 2013, its combination of compact pop-up construction and comfy interior design made it one of our favorite campers of the year. Since then, the Opus has gotten a few extra tricks up its sleeve, including a motorcycle mounting system and an all-new tent inflation system. With its integrated Air Poles, the new inflatable Air Opus trailer tent sets up in about a third the time of the original.
The original Opus trailer already offers a very nice mix of compact, pop-up construction, gear-hauling versatility, and well-equipped interior. US-spec standard and optional equipment includes a wraparound couch, kitchen with stove, sink and refrigerator, cinema system, portable toilet, electric heating, and air conditioning.
The Air Opus system adds extra fast-pitching convenience so that campers can go from towing to relaxing in a matter of minutes. For the new design, Opus has stripped out the hard tent frame and replaced it with Air Poles that inflate with the help of an integrated electric pump powered by a 12-V leisure battery. So the owner can flip a switch and watch the pop-up tent inflate to life in just 90 seconds.
The Air Opus requires a few manual steps before and after flipping the electric pump on, so there's no remote control like the ScarabRV, but the inflation system makes it that much easier to go from driving to the campground to relaxing at camp. According to Opus, the entire set-up process for the 13.5-ft-long (4.1-m-long), six-berth Air Opus model, including laying out the interior equipment, takes just five minutes, down from 15 minutes for the pole-frame version. And that's an extra 10 minutes that can be spent getting the fire going, unloading other gear, getting out on the trail, dropping a baited hook in the water, or just sitting in a camping chair and enjoying the view, drink in hand. At the end of the trip, quick-release valves let the air out so that the Air Opus folds down for transport about as quickly as it went up.
In the US, the Air Opus is available as an option and can be added to any existing Opus model, meaning that all the usual packages are available on the Air version. An Opus rep tells us the Air tent has a slightly higher ceiling than the standard frame tent and more window and skylight space for better views and natural light.
Opus debuted the Air Opus at last year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon and has been busy showing it at various trade shows since then, including a US debut last month and a UK appearance at this week's Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show. It plans to get it to market around April of this year and is now accepting pre-orders. The Air Opus is available as a US$2,499 option on US-market Opus Camper models, which start at $18,999. Opus is also offering a $1,995 add-on inflatable extension awning that fills from the Air Opus's electric pump.
UK packaging, pricing and options are different from those in the US, and the Air Opus starts at £15,495 (US$19,290) for a complete basic trailer.
Take a look at set-up and teardown in the video below.
Source: Opus Camper
