Philip Lord•13 Sept 2016

REVIEW

Complete Campsite Fraser XTE

Design changes, more storage and remote opening transform top-spec hard-floor camper

Hard-floor camper trailers are an acquired taste -- that is, once you’ve acquired one, you’ll quickly develop a taste for it.

Nothing beats arriving late at camp or an overnight stop, and being able to crack open the camper and go to bed -- all in five minutes.

The extra fixed, hard floor space you get in this design is its other key advantage. For kids’ camp cots, a place to sit when the mozzies are biting, a change room or a place to retreat to when the weather’s turned bad, the hard floor is a ready-made dry space. Easy to sweep clean, too.

NSW’s Complete Campsite started building hard-floor campers to complement its soft-floor (and hybrid range) five years ago, and has been building campers for 20 years.

Its new top-end hard floor camper (replacing the Fraser) is the Fraser XTE, which has been completely redesigned and just like Mountain Trail’s three-year old EDX, has the (optional) party trick of an electric-folding tent.

Complete Campsite’s goals with the XTE were to build a modern, cutting-edge design hard floor, to reduce overall weight as well as towball weight, and keep a short towing length while increasing floor dimensions over the old Fraser, all while keeping storage space a priority.

The company claims there’s now more than 2500 litres of storage space within the camper.

Did they succeed? Well, let’s find out.

GOOD LOOKER

Complete Campsite has certainly sexed-up hard floor camper design with the XTE — it doesn’t look like any square, white box on wheels. The tail has been angled around in 45-degree steps, the integrated top front storage compartment has beveled edges and there’s the contrasting grey/white paint finish. The net result is a really cool looking camper.

So the style component has been well covered off, but that’s a waste of time if there’s no substance. Let’s see how CC did on that score.

Setting up for a quick, overnight camp is quick and easy. The hard floor legs need to be raised, which is done by removing the locking pin and setting the legs to the angle required via set angles defined by the holes drilled in the leg plate.

There are six over-centre latches to release around the periphery of the top, then using the remote control, you unfold the camper. This feature resolves the one bugbear of hand-winch hard floors — winding the camper to open or closed, you feel a bit like a yachtie winding in a spinnaker sheet. Because of the winch’s low gearing, you’re winding a lot for not much action.

In this case a remote-control electric winch, using a single gearbox, takes about 90 seconds to open or close the camper.

Any camper trailer works better set up on level ground, but more so with a hard floor. Otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time adjusting the hard floor’s legs (which, in this case, were difficult to adjust because of the sticky locking pin) so that the floor section stays firm on the ground.

It also affects how taut you can get the canvas roof: the front end of the roof section in particular can sag if the camper isn’t level.

We got the Fraser XTE levelled up, feet adjusted and canvas taut, quite quickly, even though the ground at the camp wasn’t perfectly flat.

The XTE has the typical hard-floor drop-down stabiliser legs at each side of the rear of the camper body to help keep it stable, plus a level gauge on the drawbar to check you’ve set it up level.

Setting up for extended stays takes a while longer. While the awning can be kept zipped onto the tent for travel — saving time for set-up and pack-down — you still need to rig up the awning poles. The shower tent also needs set-up time.

COMPLETE CATERING

The stainless-steel kitchen drawer, which slides out on the nearside adjacent to the camper’s door opening, has a neat push bar to unlock it from the stored position.

Despite the three-burner cooktop and sink taking up real estate here, there’s a heap of food prep space, with the drawer bench doubling in size with a hinged section folded out.

The XTE also has a small bench extension that attaches to the drawer adjacent to the camper body, supported by an extendable leg. Simply plug in the gas line to a bayonet attached to the camper’s side wall and you’re good to get cooking.

Kitchen storage is covered off with two small drawers under the bench and a lidded cubby for larger items such as pots and pans on the benchtop adjacent to the camper.

There’s a heap more storage space as you move from the kitchen towards the front of the camper. A hatch on each side of the camper just ahead of the wheel set opens to reveal a tunnel storage locker and the dedicated storage shelf for the standard-equipment folding picnic table. The locker space isn’t tall but extends across the width of the camper; perfect for fishing rods and the like.

Above this locker is a small compartment covered in marine-grade carpet that also houses switches for lights and the kitchen’s water pump.

Going further forward, there are two-tiered slide-out pantries, again lined in marine-grade carpet. The bottom drawer is nice and deep, and both extend to the width of the camper, giving plenty of space to store the kitchen essentials, and then some. They don’t lock open so if the offside is on a downward slope, the drawers will slide closed.

Next up is the stainless-steel fridge slide which, like the kitchen, has a push bar to release/secure the slide. A hinged table, that sits on the fridge for transit, folds out to provide yet another flat surface to put stuff on at camp.

On the leading edge of the fridge compartment are the water level indicator, Redarc battery manager, a two-pole 240v outlet, an auxiliary socket (for the LED light strip) and two USB ports.

On top of the fridge compartment lies a shallow toolbox, lined in marine grade carpet.

Moving to the offside, there’s even more storage space. A large enclosed locker up front is complemented by a small locker (both lined) further down the camper. There’s also a nearside access hatch to the tunnel storage compartment.

All the compartments and slide-outs are sealed with hollow rubber seals and doors are lockable. The only complaint with the larger hatch doors is that it would be nice if the they had struts or some other method of keeping them open when not on perfectly flat ground.

Above the offside wheel arch is the freshwater inlet and a hatch at the offside rear houses the shower rose and taps.

There’s a checker plate floor ahead of the front locker on the drawbar that houses the two gas bottles, two jerry cans and the diesel fuel container. There’s room here to step up to better access the storage above the fridge compartment, or potentially a storage spot for firewood and the like.

On the front wall of the camper, there’s a brass water tap, (solar provision) Anderson plug and a gas bayonet on the offside and 240v inlet on the nearside.

Forward of this area is the stone deflector and the coupling, a Hitchmaster D035. There’s also a ratchet handbrake and a side-mount, double- wheel swivel jockey wheel.

This Fraser XTE was fitted with the $550 optional extended drawbar, intended for tow vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Prado, which have side-swinging tailgates that would foul the stone deflector without the extension.

It’s a great option to have for vehicles like these, and more camper trailers with gear on the drawbar that can get in the way should have this alternative available.

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

Underneath this hard floor camper, there’s been quite a lot of thought put into making it battle-ready for the assaults of off-road touring. The underslung spare wheel is housed on a wind-down checkerplate base, and is protected from mud and stones by a mudflap positioned just ahead of it.

Between the chassis and body is a steel sheet; good insurance against stone damage. The Vehicle Components independent coil suspension is used for the Fraser XTE, so it’s well-equipped to cop a battering over corrugated, rutted outback roads.

Two recovery points are welded to the rear of the chassis.

The camper’s internal area is accessed via meshed canvas doors, one each side of the rig, plus a meshed canvas door at the end of the hard floor area. Inside, you’ll find a large usable floor space and two steps up to the queen-size bed.

The bed head features a 12v LED reading light on each side and there are two LED strip lights also supplied for the camper’s interior (plus two exterior LED strip lights).

There’s a long, divided clothing drawer that slides out just beneath the bed and a narrow, wide locker below that. Many hard floor campers give you external access to the under-bed storage area, but the Fraser XTE doesn’t. You’d better remember to get out what you need from under the bed or locker before you close it up.

On the offside of the bed-end is the diesel heater outlet and controls, while the nearside spot houses 240v breaker switches, a 12v auxiliary port, two USB ports and the Enerdrive ePOWER 1000w inverter on/off switch.

The ensuite shower tent is attached to the offside, with a shower cubicle and a change area. The set-up offers plenty of room and has pockets and towel holders.

The canvas roof has a thermal insulated blanket over the bed area to help keep the inside cool in the hotter months.

Staying off the grid for extended periods shouldn’t be a problem with the Fraser XTE. Its water heating and air heating is a diesel-fired unit, which is an efficient method for both.

Having 4.5kg gas cylinders instead of 9kg units may seem like an oversight, but then the gas is only being used for the cooker, not heating water as well.

The two 105ah batteries should keep electrical needs covered for a long time in the bush, especially with the 120w solar panel.

VERDICT

The Fraser XTE is a point of difference in the hard-floor camper segment, with a stand-out design, ample storage space and some clever design features such as the remote opening system.

WE LIKED:

>> Large amount of storage space

>> Remote opening system

>> Extended drawbar option

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Hard floor feet mechanism

>> No struts for large hatch doors

>> No external access to under-bed storage

COMPLETE CAMPSITE FRASER XTE

Travel length: 5200mm

Body length (open length): 8000mm

External body width: 1960mm

Travel height: 1620mm

Interior height: 2610mm

Tare weight: 1380kg

ATM: 2000kg

Ball weight: 130kg

Body: Aluminium panels/fibreglass top and base

Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised steel, 150mmx50mm

Suspension: Cruisemaster XT independent trailing arms, coil springs, dual dampers

Brakes: 12in electric

Stability Control: N/A

Wheels: 17in alloy

Fresh water: 140L

Battery: 2 x 105amp AGM

Solar: 1 x 120w panel

Air-conditioner: N/A

Gas: 2 x 4.5kg

Water/air heater: Webasto diesel

Cooking: Three-burner stove

Fridge: Waeco 95L dual-zone fridge/freezer

Toilet: Optional (porta-loo)

Shower: Adjoining cubicle tent

Lighting: LED

Price: $62,450

Options fitted: Extended drawbar ($550)

Supplied by: Complete Campsite, Lisarow NSW

Complete Campsite Fraser XTE

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