Compact, tough and yet comfortable – those are the attributes of the new ARB Earth Camper. A scalable off-road caravan. It isn’t available in Europe yet, but you can register your interest in the trailer and so help bring it to Germany.
Again and again on our travels we reach the point where we tell ourselves that an off-road trailer would be really handy. Especially when we’re staying in an area and want to explore all the unpaved tracks. Or when the travel party is bigger and the children are along. Then it gets too cramped in the off-roader, and pitching and packing a tent every day is no fun. A trailer like this now would be just the thing. Simply leave it standing when heading out to the fringes or to the market in the next small village, without having to strike camp. The little ones can then be „housed separately“, so that everyone has enough space, comfort and privacy.
The trend towards off-road trailers can be seen at trade shows right now. The exhibitors are taking up more and more space there. The Australian off-road products supplier ARB is now getting going in this field with the Earth Camper. Understandable, given the long, rough routes there where a trailer like this can play to all its strengths.
Whether it will come to Europe isn’t entirely certain yet. That’s why you can register your interest and so directly influence it. Just click on this link and show your interest: Yes, I’m interested in the ARB Earth Camper.
What the overall package will look like, what is included and what can be bought as an option, is not yet settled. That will still be decided at the European launch. But there are already interesting glimpses of the whole concept.
The concept of the ARB Earth Camper
The Earth Camper is a very compact trailer that is easy to handle when towing. Once you arrive at your destination, the trailer is switched to camp mode at the push of a button in about a minute. That way it can be turned very quickly, for example when the weather isn’t playing along, into a comfortable, secure place to sleep. In its third stage it can then be set up for longer stops, more space and comfort.
The base
To meet the demands of off-road use, the ARB Earth Camper sits on a sturdy, twice-coated external skeleton of 90-millimetre tube frame with a 3-millimetre wall thickness. Part of the frame is designed like a roll bar.
The vertical movements of the wheels are absorbed by Old Man Emu coil-over dampers. They guide the wheels together with the extra-long 90 cm trailing arms. The tyres are Maxxis Razr AT in the common 265/75 R16 size on ARB „EC“ alloy wheels. The wheel bearings come from the proven manufacturer Timken.
The cabin thus protected is built in this 100% wood-free construction from insulated composite material. The walls and roof are insulated with 25 millimetres of insulating foam and the front wall with 30 millimetres. The side windows, fly screen included, can be pushed out.
The LED-lit awning is recessed into the roof, so that it doesn’t build up and become an obstacle, bumping into something or getting caught. When it isn’t too windy, the awning can hang free. For longer stays or windy conditions, matching supports are included. Further accessories, such as tent walls, are available for the awning.
Set-up variants
For a short stop or in bad weather, the rear flap can be lowered at the push of a button. It lowers electrically in under a minute and frees up the rear door. That way you can disappear into the camper with clean feet. And you’re ready to move off again just as quickly.
If your plan is to stay longer, a generous tent can be pitched over the lowered rear lid. In addition, the awning can be upgraded with side walls into a tent, which then houses the pull-out kitchen. In the rear tent you then move on the inside of the insulated lid, so it’s always dry, clean and warm underfoot. That’s also where you’ll find the pull-out table.
For your gear and everything that has to come along, an ARB Base Rack roof rack is fitted and there are several storage compartments as well as space for two external 20 L jerrycans. The storage compartment at the rear is designed for wet and dirty things, for example wetsuits, wet tarps or muddy shoes. Inside there are also numerous pockets, storage compartments and bottle holders for stowing small items.
Full of energy
To make sure there’s enough energy for it, a 100 Ah lithium battery is fitted, with the option to add a second. A solar panel additionally extends the power supply. By means of a converter, 240 V AC is also available. To support charging the batteries and the supply, there is a 240 V external socket that can be connected to shore power. Various USB and USB-C sockets are of course included.
The way to the heart is through the stomach
On the left side you can pull out the kitchen. It houses a three-burner gas stove, a sink and a 96-litre ARB cool box. Safety was thought of too, which is why there’s also a fire extinguisher there.
Two 70-litre water tanks with a digital level gauge are housed at the front above the drawbar to achieve optimal weight distribution. The pump can deliver between 3 and 11 litres of water per minute, enough for the kitchen and outdoor shower. For cooking and heating, two 4 kg gas bottles are built in, which sit in neoprene covers for protection.
The residence
Besides all the practical things, one thing must of course not be missing: space and comfort for relaxed nights. That’s why there is a queen-size bed with a 150-millimetre-thick mattress, in which two adults fit comfortably. Beneath it is a large drawer. So that you can sleep undisturbed even during bright northern nights, the windows can be closed with blackout curtains. As a gimmick, the ceiling above the bed is laid out as a world map on which you can mark your travels. In warm regions, two all-round fans and pop-out windows provide pleasant cooling.
Measurements and dimensions of the Earth Camper
In total the ARB trailer is 4,667 millimetres long and 1,990 millimetres wide. The overall height is 2,324 millimetres. The unladen weight is 1,425 kg, the payload 475 kg. The noseweight is 180 kg.
Accessories
ARB rounds off the offering with extensive accessories. These include, among other things, a second battery to expand capacity, a complete power, charging and monitoring system for all the on-board electrics, side walls for the awning, a hot-water shower, a compressor, additional storage bags and pockets, and even a cover tarp for the parked trailer.
The exact package, and which accessories will be included as standard and which not, has not yet been finally defined.
Further information
The description of the trailer as given here currently reflects one possible proposal. Whether the Earth Camper will come to Europe like this or in another combination of equipment is still completely open. But you can already see here what is possible. And you can help make the trailer available to buy here.
So if you like the ARB Earth Camper, the most important thing is to register your interest with ARB. You can do that at this link: I’m interested!
You can watch videos of the ARB Earth Camper at this YouTube link: Earth Camper on YouTube.
You can go straight to ARB here: ARB Earth Camper.
© Photos: ARB