Patriot Campers X2 Trailer

When Patriot Campers arrived to the U.S. market from Australia in 2017, they brought with them a cache of excellence, including the Offroad Camper Trailer of the Year award, having won four years in a row. One of their camper options is the X2, a trailer designed and built to be compact yet fully capable for any off-pavement adventure.

Patriot Campers’ X2 suits an active lifestyle in a versatile, lightweight package that allows for a self-sufficient style of adventure travel. The X2 weighs in around 1,400lbs dry – our test trailer when fully loaded was approximately 1,800lbs – and features an aluminum monocoque body mated to a hot-dipped galvanized steel chassis that includes a rear hitch receiver, for mounting a bike rack, as well as recovery points should you need to get unstuck. Pulling the trailer is a cinch, utilizing an all-terrain drop-on coupling system that functions much like a max coupler but is far easier to mate to the tow vehicle. I really like how simple this system is to use, though my big concern is parts availability should there be a failure in the field as max couplers and regular hitch mounts are far easier to find in the U.S. than this set-up.

Walking around the trailer you’ll find a myriad of thoughtfully designed features that merit its award-winning design. Up front is an adequately sized storage box with an upper, divided shelf with lock-in front metal flap to keep items securely in place. The front lid also houses an easily accessible fire extinguisher.

Each side, including the rear, features a vast amount of storage to accommodate pretty much everything a family of five could need for a weekend or week-long adventure. On the driver side, an intelligent Redarc battery management system controls all power within the trailer with a six-switch system to turn on/off specific LED lights in the main or rear cabin as well as other features including a Bluetooth radio tuner with integrated speaker system and several USB charging ports for mobile devices. There’s also a two-burner stove with all propane hosing pre-installed, and the propane inlet is easily accessible at the rear of the trailer.

In the rear there’s an enormous volume of storage as well as a slide-out that allows for a 53-quart fridge and features a massive pantry and compact silicone sink that slides in and out of the main slide-out and tucks up underneath the pantry when not in use. On the outside of the rear of the X2 are two dry boxes for placing wet clothes and shoes, with vents that allow air to pass through to quickly dry those items in transit. There are also additional 12V charging ports integrated into the rear driver side area above the dry boxes.

An 18-gallon water tank, mated to a pressurized water pump, provides adequate water storage and mates to a Smartec water heater that provides instant hot water for cleaning dishes or taking a shower at basecamp. And speaking of basecamp, a Rhino-Rack Platform rack, specifically designed for the dimensions of the roofline, provides an exceptional flat surface for placement of a roof-top tent and optional changing room.

The X2 wouldn’t be a proper off-pavement camper without a fully capable suspension and that’s one of the gems of this trailer. An innovative X-Cruise independent suspension provides exceptional travel, both on and off-pavement, and it is quite stout and beefy to take a pounding. Ten-inch electric brakes provide plenty of stopping power.

 

My only complaints with the trailer, and most of them are negligible, are the plastic hinges, the relatively “small” water tank, the wheel arm that must be manually put in place on the front hitch drawbar when disconnecting the trailer from the tow vehicle, and the fact that the wiring doesn’t appear to charge the battery system while in tow. The hinges should be sturdier than plastic, preferably aluminum given the trailer’s monocoque aluminum body, and I’d like to see an option to increase the size of the water tank. I also found the wheel arm a slight inconvenience, with better options currently available in the market that easily drop down into place. As for the wiring, I’m not sure why our test trailer didn’t charge while being towed and presume the capability is there to have it wired to allow for this. That said, there is an integrated Anderson connection in the hitch drawbar and an additional Anderson connection near the Redarc battery management system that allows for solar panels to charge the battery while at basecamp.

The Patriot Campers X2 is a fine product and at a starting price of $24k, it’s not cheap. However, it’s also apparent this trailer is worth every penny and, if you’ve got the dough, you would be hard-pressed to find another trailer at this price that compares to the quality, design and features of the X2.

Learn more and order your Patriot Campers trailer exclusively from Exploration Outfitters by visiting https://explorationoutfitters.com/.

OutdoorX4 Magazine – Promoting responsible vehicle-based adventure travel and outdoors adventure