ActivRV Summer Lite

WE LIKED
>> Purpose-fitted TV and entertainment cabinet
>> Split bathroom
>> Drawers under dinette seats

NOT SO MUCH
>> Smallish window openings
>> No security screen door or LED lighting
>> Still too heavy for many mid-sized utes

Fifth wheelers belong to a niche RV market that has been quietly enjoying a run of small but steady growth in Australia over recent years. Just in case you've been living on Mars, a fifth wheeler is a towable RV on which the hitch is based in the bay of the tow vehicle rather than the rear bumper.

One of the local companies that has specialised in fifth wheelers for a while is ActivRV. Based in Newcastle, this company’s rigs are imported from the US, where fifth wheelers own a much larger piece of the RV pie.

Until 2011, the company handled mostly larger rigs, generally suited to something like a Ford F250 or Iveco Daily. But after eyeing off the considerable small-ute market in this country, the team at ActivRV decided try bringing in something a bit smaller.

DOWNSIZING

The first smaller rigs to make the journey belong to the Summer Lite range. In our case, the test unit was a 27FW model, which has an ATM of 3495kg, Tare of 2997kg and pin weight (empty) of 707kg.

Our tow vehicle was a beefy Ford F250, which handled the Summer Lite without a problem, but a smaller vehicle such as a Mazda BT-50 dual cab turbodiesel with its 3350kg towing capacity (or soon to be released Holden Colorado with 3500kg) would be up to the job.

In keeping with many US-style RVs, the Summer Lite comes with a powder-coated steel chassis (very few US rigs use hot-dip galvanising) with 6in rails.

Most of the space between the rails is taken by the three water tanks – 160 litre fresh, 160 litre grey and 144 litre black.

Standard load-sharing leaf spring suspension carries everything and, according to the ActivRV team, has been modified by the addition of C-section cross members to cope with Australian roads

Ply tongue and grooved floor decking covers the chassis and the body has an aluminium frame covered by a vacuum-bonded and gel-coated fiberglass finish. 

EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber is used for the roof, which is strong enough to be walked on – good for cleaning roof hatches and solar panels.

The windows and door are typical US-sourced items, with only the lower half of the tinted glass windows able to open.
There's also a complete slide-out on the offside which extends about 900mm from the main body.

The bulk of the external storage consists of the main bin under the overhang. There are smaller bins on either side at the front, but they're already dedicated to specific items: offside is home to two 100Ah batteries, and the nearside houses a pair of gas cylinders.

One of the key questions that always arises with imported RVs is the matter of compliance. In this case, the Summer Lite has Australian-fitted electrical cabling and fittings, as well as the necessary gas certification.

ECONOMIES OF SCALE

As I've said before, an unforeseen benefit of the Global Financial Crisis, at least for the RV industry, was that with the reduction of the US RV market, the remaining manufacturers started to pay more attention to international tastes.

In the case of the Summer Lite, this means the interior style of the rig is presented in something I refer to as “toned down American”, as in not too overbearing or brash.

With the slide-out open, there is a generous amount of internal space, easily enough to comfortably fit in offside lounge/dinette, nearside kitchen and front bedroom/bathroom.

All cabinetry is finished in a very light hue, which the blue upholstery sets off very nicely. Halogen lights are fitted throughout, as is ducted air-conditioning.

The Summer Lite layout sees the rig almost split in half, with the bathroom and bedroom occupying the front.

Overhang bedrooms always seem to work well, and although the roof is lower than usual, it still allows for a full bedroom, including a queen bed with side cabinets and front row of overhead lockers.

There are no other cupboards, but a good-sized wardrobe outside the toilet cubicle supplies plenty of hanging space. Windows on either side of the bed, as well as a large ventilation fan, ensure good air flow.

Although the bathroom is quite large, the fact it’s split – with the toilet cubicle on the offside and the shower cubicle opposite – means it takes up less room than a full ensuite would.

The wash basin sits outside the shower cubicle and a mirror is fitted on the inside of the toilet door.

ROOM TO MOVE

Anyone who likes space in their RVs is going to be happy with the rear of the Summer Lite – there's plenty of it. A large (non-opening) picture window on the rear wall aids the feeling of space, and gives a good view of the surrounding countryside.

The slide-out features a two-person dinette with a pole-mounted table, and a sideways-facing lounge, with overhead lockers running above the lot.

Given its location in the purpose-built cabinet in the rear nearside corner, watching the flatscreen TV is easy from either the rear-facing seat or the lounge. The TV cabinet is also home to an AM/FM radio/CD player.

Designed to best use the available space, the kitchen bench becomes wider as it approaches the entry, where twin stainless steel sinks are set at an angle. This angled design allows for a good-sized cupboard that includes two drawers on the door side.

Three drawers and two large overhead lockers make up the rest of the kitchen storage, with the rest of the space taken up by a full stove, 186 litre three-way fridge and microwave.

Surprisingly, the kitchen is relatively small compared to the size of everything else in the rig, which means a fairly small benchtop. But all-in-all it’s still quite practical.

VERDICT

Compared to many ute-towable fifth wheelers, the Summer Lite is quite large, which of course means more internal living area. Interestingly, while this rig has a slide-out, its size and practical layout mean it would still be a liveable space even without that extra room, which is a credit to the designers.

The ActivRV team has made a good decision in importing smaller fifth wheelers for the Australian market, and this unit should appeal to RVers looking for something a little different that can potentially be towed by a locally-available ute.

ACTIVRV SUMMER LITE

External length: 8.22m (26ft 11in)
External width: 2.3m (7ft 6in)
Interior height: 2.03m (6ft 8in)
Travel height: 2.9m (9ft 6in)
Tare: 2997kg
ATM: 3495kg
Pin weight: 707kg
Frame: Aluminium
Chassis: Powder-coated steel
Suspension: Tandem-axle load-sharing leaf spring  
Cooktop: Smev four-burner/grill/oven
Fridge: Dometic 186 litre
Microwave: Multistar
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: China bowl (separate tank)
Lighting: 12V halogen
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Fresh water: 160 litre
Grey water: 160 litre
Black water: 144 litre
Price: $99,950 (on road, NSW)       
Supplied by: ActivRV.com