Conqueror UEV-310

WE LIKED
>> light weight but built to last
>> hefty payload 
>> minimal poles to contend with when setting up

NOT SO MUCH
>> Body armour missing on some areas prone to stone damage
>> few standard features included on basic camper

If your priority is to go light for towing or versatility reasons in the bush, the downside is often an amount of sacrifice to the ruggedness of the build.

When we first tried to organise this review of Conqueror’s new entry-level camper, the sheen was about to come off the new tyres of the UEV-310 as it was headed to Cape York. We would have to wait a month and see what was left on its return.

After a quick tub and a weekend on display at a Toowoomba camping show we got to get in close and personal with this rig to see how it survived.

Judging by the hammering it had taken from rocks, gravel, sticks and other obstructions in the bush, it survived in good shape even though understandably the cosmetics had taken a beating!

BUILT FOR BATTLE

Like the other five models in the Conqueror range, the external engineering and cosmetics gives a military-type aura about this camper trailer.

Extensively constructed in South Africa, some find their way into the Army of that nation and those destined for our shores are finished off in Australia with mechanical specifications to suit.

CNC machining sees metal components with vast flat areas profile-cut to remove excess weight without loss of strength. These components bolt together with nyloc bolts and nuts and those of us showing a bit of age will recognise a similarity with Meccano sets of old in the way it’s constructed and the external appearance.

Meccano sets have long gone, replaced by not so fantastic plastic but you need fear not! There are no wood, fibreglass or other degradable materials used in the construction of the UEV 310.

OPEN AND SHUT CASE

Each side of the body has a vertical door near its front and a slide for an 80 litre fridge (or 74 litre or 90 litre fridge/freezer) that pulls out of that on the nearside.

The fridge and battery on the reviewed trailer were an option and the latter was bolted into the compartment accessible from the door on the offside.

A fold-down door on each side hangs on cables at each end turning them into serviceable and sturdy tables. A fixed tray with high retaining sides extends across the body and tubs of gear may be pushed back and forth for easy access. The tray has profile cut holes in which straps may be attached to anchor gear down for rough off road travel.

A spare wheel swinging arm is fitted at the rear of the trailer body, while a purpose-built frame that goes over the spare wheel to lock it securely, seconds as a camp BBQ.

With the tyre arm out of the way a large boot door lifts up well above head height so you can access supplies without banging your head.

The full width fixed tray is accessible from here and a large draw slides out from underneath which has four square interlocking lidded crates in which more supplies may be stored.

With the rear section locked away for travel the bottom rear of the trailer features a severe angle, back toward the axle to prevent it hanging up on creek banks and other structure when bush bashing.

At each rear side is a stabilising leg which lowers by putting the strut in a suitable slot in its frame and pushing it past centre. It’s a quite a simple but effective way to stabilise the trailer without the need to crank any handles to wind down legs. Less user-friendly options are prone to mud ingest and thread damage which occasionally renders them unusable.

A 20 litre jerry can sits in its lockable frame on each of those front vertical doors and the wheel guards feature profiled front and rear steps that also help the trailer glance off tree trunks and stumps that it pushes against.

LIMITED STORAGE

The nose box is 330 litre in volume and has a profile that follows that of the drawbar. It and all the doors and hatches feature good quality automotive rubber seals and gas struts where they must be lifted rather than swung outwards.

The finish on the body is either galvanised, powder coated or stainless steel  plus there’s aluminium checker plate armour in places where stone chips could be expected. But looking at the damage to the powder coating post-Cape York, there are obviously extra places for more.

The main chassis rails are heavy duty galvanised C-section with manufactured cross beams, and an Al-Ko 1800kg single axle with 10 inch electric brake drums is fitted.

This style of swinging arm suspension does away with springs and shackles which tend to be the bane of many off-road trailer operators.

The 90 litre water tank slung underneath doesn’t protrude lower than the bottom of the axle cross member.

A manufactured steel nose cone fits over the joining rails of the A-bar and to this a Tregg rubber block hitch is fitted with a removable jockey wheel nearby.

FLOOD PROOF

The tent top folds out to the offside of the trailer and travels under a heavy duty welded vinyl cover.

The tent roof is also heavy-duty vinyl with welded seams to ward off water ingress and the side panels are of a rip stop canvas style material. YKK zips (arguably the best you can use in outback conditions) feature on all of the apertures that have closures and the screens are a fine midge proof gauze.

The tub floor of the lower level of the tent is deeper than most at around 300mm and is fully welded for waterproofing against the elements. Now if you had ground water deep enough to encroach over the top of this tub you would no doubt have other concerns such as ‘where are the lifejackets’! But a tub of this depth is ideal to prevent a lot of splashing from the landing rain wetting the inside floor due to access through an open window.

A ladder provides access to the large bed which has a big window looking out to the near side of the trailer. A triangular vent on a draw rope features in each end of the tent top; they can be opened and closed when tucked away in bed.

Storage pockets in each tent end are handy for odds and ends and another large double pocket is stitched into the panel that hangs against the trailer side.

The tent top above the bed has a tri-fold bar frame set and the living quarter’s structure is held up by a pole set that stays in place when packed away. It also has adjustable length to push the canvas roof taut. This is the only pole that needs to be manually manipulated when setting up for the night.

VERDICT

If there ever was a camper trailer that looked the part it’s the UEV 310.
Being so light and versatile it will happily sit behind some of the smaller dedicated 4WD vehicles without an issue.

The sky is the limit as to how you want to option this trailer as it’s supplied bare bones so to speak. But those bones look tough and whoever pounded their way across Cape York with this trailer didn’t appear to have any problems with its construction or running gear. I wonder if the same could be said about their vehicle!

As with any trailer of these dimensions, there’s not a huge amount of storage inside but that which we saw will offer plenty for a few weeks of remote travel without having to find the general store.

CONQUEROR UEV-310

Overall length: 3.7m            
External width: 1.82m
Travel height: 1.6m                 
Nameplate tare:  490kkg        
Nameplate ATM: 1500kg
Suspension:  Al-Ko independent
Brakes: 12in electric                      
Cooktop:  not supplied                    
Fridge:  not supplied                  
Gas: not supplied                  
Freshwater: 90 litre             
Price: FROM $16,200 (as tested $23,925)
Supplied by: Conqueror Australia