Little Caravan X-Plorer 2021 Review

It seems like almost every new caravan has to be bigger and better. More space, more features, more of everything. Then there are those that buck the bigger is better trend, such as The Little Caravan Company.

This is a caravan manufacturer whose priority is having everything you’d expect in a a large caravan, in a smaller one. This allows for a more lightweight, compact caravan to tow around and park, which can only be a good thing, especially when it’s an off-road model like this X-Plorer 15ft pop-top.

In fact this might also be described as a pop-out pop-top, for it has a slide-out rear section. This is a useful design, for it saves several feet on body length and height when stored or towing.

Pop the roof and pop-out the bed area at camp, and have the useable interior space of a 20-foot long, full-height van.

The Little Caravan Company is based in the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield, and started building caravans in Melbourne in 2015.

However, with the turbulent recent years including COVID-19 lockdowns, the company last year began investigating manufacturing overseas. It has since switched to sourcing its caravans from China, claiming that “We can control the quality and deliver the same unique Little Caravan for which we are famous”...

The result is the X-Plorer TLCC-15, a 15-foot single-axle off-road caravan available in full-height or pop-top, both with the rear slide-out. Here, we’re looking at the pop-top version, which sells for $59,990 drive-away in NSW.

This particular camper is filled with just about everything you’d need for a great, off-grid escape, from plenty of rooftop solar and battery capacity to a large, 200-litre water carrying capacity and two 8.5kg gas bottles.

Even though it's relatively compact, the 15ft X-Plorer like many other Chinese builds is no lightweight with a Tare (unloaded) weight of 2380kg, and an ATM (fully loaded weight) just shy of three tonnes. While that provides a generous 600kg payload, you'll need a 4WD wagon or ute to tow it with. 

The good news is that it is at least  a few hundred kilos lighter than your typical Aussie caravan with this level of amenity and features!

Setting up the X-Plorer

To set up the Little Caravan X-Plorer, first you need to drop the two rear-mounted spare wheels on their dedicated carriers. They're securely fixed with locking pins and two locks each, so they won't fall down when travelling.

There are two gas struts per wheel, to make dropping them down and lifting them back up a bit easier. While this operation was simple, the locking pins proved a bit difficult to locate when refitting later.

With the spare wheels dropped (remembering you need enough space on the campsite to do this), the rear slide can be pushed out and the pop-top lifted. Once again it's a relatively simple process, although lifting the rear of the pop-top (with its heavy a/c unit and solar panels) from inside required a bit more effort than the front.

The interior is a pleasant, bright space and it all seemed to be well finished. Starting at the front, there's a bench with cupboards and a 95 litre compressor fridge below.

The offside front corner holds the shower/toilet combo, together with hatch, light and extractor fan. It’s not the biggest shower space I’ve seen in a van, but not overly cramped either.

Mid-way down the offside wall is the kitchen, with its three-burner gas cooktop and single sink. Again, there are shelves and drawers below the bench, but unlike some other pop-top designs, no upper wall cupboards.

At least there's plenty of benchtop space for food preparation and dishing up, what with the large kitchen bench to front bench and the L-shaped dinette table.

Ready for bed

The rear slide-out bed is easy to set up from inside; just release the two locks and push the bed section out (once you’ve dropped down the rear spare wheels, of course).

There's a bedside table on each side of the bed, along with a useful, long drawer for oddment storage. There’s also a 12V charging port and a reading light not too far away. It's a compromised arrangement though; ideally, they would be located in the slide-out wall, closer to the bedhead.

All the main power switches and water tank gauges are located low down in a binnacle next to the entrance, so you might have to stoop down to access or view them.

Back outside, the caravan's exterior has plenty of useful features, starting with an A-frame storage area that incorporates an offside storage box, a top storage tray and a nearside slide-out kitchen, with sink and space for a cooker.

There are also two jerry can holders, located in a well-protected, secure spot in the offside area of the toolbox but in a spot which could make the full jerries difficult to lift in and out.

There’s also a stone guard and a water tap on the A-frame for stone chip protection when off-roading, and the jockey wheel is centrally located.

Underneath the TLCC-15 is also well protected, with stone guards over the substantial 200 litre fresh water and 68 litre grey water tanks.

Some of the wiring is positioned a bit low if you were going to scrape your way along difficult off-road tracks, but otherwise the underside appears rough-road ready.

Summing up

The Chinese-built Little Caravan X-Plorer is a well-equipped, compact off-road caravan for getting away in the great outdoors.

While not as light as it looks, and not especially cheap at just under $60,000, it stacks up as a comfortable camper for extended off-grid camping in remote areas, with more than a few 'big van' luxuries.

How much does The Little Caravan Company X-Plorer TLCC-15 cost?

Price: $58,990
Travel length: 7200mm
Body length (open length): 4700mm
External body width: 2780mm
Travel height: 2500mm
Interior height: 1935mm
Tare weight: 2380kg
ATM: 2980kg
Ball weight (Tare): 180kg
Body: Composite cladding, aluminium frame
Chassis: 50 x 150mm steel
Suspension: Independent, coil springs, dual shocks
Brakes: 12in electric drum
Stability Control: No
Wheels: 16in alloy with LT265/75R16 tyres
Water: 200L fresh and 68L grey
Battery: 2 x 105Ah AGM
Solar: 2 x 130W rooftop panels
Air-conditioner: 2.5kW rooftop reverse cycle
Gas: 2 x 8.5kg
Hot water: 27L gas/electric
Cooking: Three-burner gas hob
Fridge: Glacio 95L compressor fridge/freezer
Microwave: No
Shower: Combined shower/cassette toilet
Lighting: 12V LED
TV: Finach Australia 24in HD LED TV/DVD
Supplied by: RV Connection, St Marys, NSW
More info: The Little Caravan Company, Campbellfield, Victoria