Last year’s Camper Trailer of the Year winner, the Patriot X1, returned this year to defend its crown, and did so very successfully. Last year it was the new kid

on the block, but after a hugely successful 12 months it returned with a string of updates and a bold, confident attitude.

There have been a few running changes since we saw the X1 last year. Large mudflaps are now fitted ahead of the wheels to stop debris from peppering the underside, the awning is better-sealed against the body and the kitchen features a better arrangement with the cooker slide-out coming out further and now fitted with

a lock-off. There are new fishing rod holders in the storage area and laser-cut, cut-out branding for the drawers. There’s also a new shelf fitted to the front toolbox to fit a chainsaw and a new position in the offside front locker for the hot water service. Patriot has also changed its tent — from Hannibal to Howling Moon.

The beauty of this camper is its lightweight, compact, tough and thoroughly engineered design — all put together with aircraft-grade quality components. The chassis is an interlocking design that is hot-dip galvanised, and rides on a Vehicle Components independent coil-spring, twin-shock suspension. Everything

ABOVE: When it comes to offroadability, the Patriot X1 will go wherever you want it to.

WINNER

$20-35K OF THE YEAR2014

PATRIOTX1

WITH AN UPDATED LIST OF FEATURES, THE REIGNING CHAMP HAS SUCCESSFULLY

DEFENDED ITS TITLE.

OF THE YEAR2015

44 campertraileraustralia.com.au tradervs.com.au 45The camper you want is now easier to find

is really well-protected from damage on the underside and, if you get stuck, there’s a solid recovery point at the rear. Tyres are Couragia mud terrains encasing 16in steel rims.

The camper body is really the housing for the various storage lockers, electrical management and kitchen, and also supports the roof-mounted tent. It is made of 2.5mm-thick marine-grade aluminium, all laser-cut and joined with surgical precision. The philosophy here is to enjoy outdoor living so, rather than bring everything indoors like some campers, the X1 brings its facilities to the outdoors.

That doesn’t mean you are roughing it — on the contrary. The living area is covered on two sides by the batwing-style awning and the third side by the second bedroom/rooftop tent. The kitchen is on the camper’s nearside, with its fold-down doors serving as bench space and revealing the cooker and kitchen pantry storage. Alongside is the sink/fridge slide, which adds a bit more food prep space and storage for plates and cutlery.

The rooftop tent folds out to a floor space of 1.8x2.4m and features a 75mm high-density foam mattress — and, with the optional Family Package as tested, a 1.8x2.4m changing room/bedroom underneath.

For such a small unit, there is so much storage. For starters, the toolbox up front has room for a generator and now also a chainsaw. The tailgate at the rear of the body folds down to horizontal and serves as a dining table and, like the kitchen benches, is lined in food-grade stainless steel. Housed in the tub are two slide-out storage lockers and a large open storage area on the remaining half of the tub.

On the offside are two storage lockers, one of which houses the Country Comfort instant gas hot water service. Of course, the X1’s signature open storage lockers for wet recovery gear and rubbish bags on the rear corners remain.

Battery management is served by a Redarc unit with 15A DC-DC and 240V chargers, a MPPT solar regulator and a vehicle battery isolator. There’s an LCD monitor to graphically show the state of charge. A 120Ah Fullriver AGM battery is housed in an offside locker and LED lighting is offered throughout the camper.

It’s hard to believe such a little package can deliver so much. Yet the Patriot X1 is like the

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Set-up is done, time to relax; With a departure angle of 52 degrees the X1 is ready for the rough stuff; The X1 has excellent storage facilities up front; Shower and solar ready to go; The rooftop bedroom makes for a comfortable night’s sleep.

JUDGE’S PICK:RON MOONEven forgetting about the good design, superb manufacturing and excellent finishing touches, the Patriot X1 really rings all the bells for me because it would do what I want to do when I go bush. Whether I wanted to drag it along a remote beach, up a mountain trail or across some big desert dunes on an untracked expedition, I know this rig would be up to it!

“The Patriot X1 is like the chocolate mudcake of camper trailers — how do they pack such a dense, flavoursome

taste into so little space?”

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CTA RATES PATRIOT

X1

OFFROADABILITY

SEE

THE VIDEO!

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OF THE YEAR2015

tradervs.com.au 47The camper you want is now easier to find46 campertraileraustralia.com.au

Tare: 700kgATM: 1200kgSuspension: Independent, coil springs, twin shocksBrakes: 10in drums, electricCoupling: VC D035Chassis: 50x100x2.5mm hot-dipped galvanisedDrawbar: 50x150x2.5mmBody construction: AluminiumWheel/tyres: 116in steel rims/ LT285/70R16 Style: Aluminium shell, rooftop tent

> TRAILER

Box size: 1700x3200mmLength: 3220mmTent size: 1800x2400mm

> DIMENSIONS

Gas cylinder: 1 x 4kgWater: 70L (140L option)Cooktop: Lido gas two-burner/grillKitchen: Slide-outBattery: 1 x 120Ah Fullriver AGM (2x120Ah Option)

> ACCESSORIES

$32,990

> PRICE AS SHOWN

Patriot Campers, 8 Ellerslie Road, Meadowbrook, QLD 4131, (07) 3171 1796, www.patriotcampers.com.au

> SUPPLIED BY

CTA SPECSPATRIOT

X1

48 campertraileraustralia.com.au

chocolate mudcake of camper trailers — how do they pack such a dense, flavoursome taste into so little space? The icing, as it were, is the extraordinary process by which it is built, leaving not only a feel of military precision to its construction, but also a sense that it is almost unbreakable.

THE JUDGES’ NOTEPADDavid Cook: For the adventurous, it’s hard to imagine this true offroad camper being beaten. When we turned up to review this camper we were told “there are a few changes from last

year”. We were then given a two-page list. We thought this camper was “the duck’s guts” in 2014, but Patriot shows that you can always make something better.

It’s all there for long-term stays in the bush — plenty of water, electricity and durability of design that will see you through. Detail is excellent throughout, as it was last year.

With 52 degrees of departure angle (beat that anyone else!), most owners will never find this camper’s limits. There is an amazing level of comfort in a very small package and so many new features. I liked the large drawers in the rear storage bay and the king size bed.

It takes 15 minutes for total set-up. The five-year structural warranty is excellent and with a growing dealer network, the X1 gives everything that it promises. This is still a great camper and has only improved since last year’s category win.

Stuart Jones: Really, this little beast will satisfy the demands of many. No, it doesn’t come with great swathes under canvas, but it does come with more than enough. It is simple and tough, and if you are going offroad, it can be pulled anywhere, by anything. To the surprise of a few, grey nomads are snapping this one up, too.

It has evolved from last year and the new addition of a chainsaw shelf is a winner (we all love them, but they stink, are dirty and are always in the way). When it comes to self-sufficiency, this trailer is not overloaded, but is more than adequate. It has a quality battery and Redarc charging system, which compensates for only one battery. There’s heaps of storage to take whatever you need. Some surprises here too — with lots of shade, a kids’ room for shelter from the elements, stereo, hot shower and easy-to-use kitchen, it

does better here than what you would think at first glance.

This is a fine-looking unit and the quality of finish shows all over — the result of superior fittings from quality suppliers. It is strong and is clearly number one in genuine offroadability. This is a lot of camper for the price, plus it comes with a five-year warranty! Wow, what a unit.

Phil Lord: The X1 is still a game-changer one year on. This is a very thorough, well-designed and built offroad camper. With such a short

and light body, this camper will go almost anywhere. Solid suspension components also suggest good durability in the bush. Most certainly, this is a high-quality camper with a meticulous finish and such thought and effort has been put into the build quality — it is nothing short of outstanding.

The strong interlocking chassis is very advanced. Overall this camper It has a very simple, functional design that’s hard not to like.

This is a fresh, inspiring camper trailer and also represents very good value for money.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: A short climb to the rooftop bedroom; The X1’s signature open storage locker is perfect for recovery gear, dirty boots or your rubbish; Ergonomically designed kitchen abounds in storage and usable bench space.

L-adder

Annex

Extra bedroom

Gas bottle

Pull-out drawers

Storage

Pull-out fridge, bench & sink

Pull-out cooker, bench & electronics

ShowerToolbox

Battery Bed above

BUILD QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

OF THE YEAR2015

48 campertraileraustralia.com.au tradervs.com.au 49The camper you want is now easier to find