North Coast Campers XLT Topender

WHAT WE LIKED

• Flexible indoor and outdoor living arrangments
• Fibreglass composite pop-top
• Good ventilation and natural light options

NOT SO MUCH
• Hefty 1600kg-plus pushes it into mid-size caravan territory

We have all lost count of how many trailer campers are on the market these days and while many are clones of others, one that is a little different to most comes from North Coast Campers.

This Queensland manufacturer has a decade of experience building serious off-road camper trailers of various configurations, and during that time the end product has evolved due to market needs and demands.

The range-topping XLT Topender camper we reviewed at Caloundra on the Queensland Coast offers the internal living and sleeping arrangements of a small caravan but on a compact, low drag trailer rugged enough to take some serious punishment off the tar.

TOUGH UNDERPINNINGS

The North Coast Topender comes in at an overall length of 6.4m with 4.5m of that the body superstructure. It has a width of 1.95m and a height of 2.1m and with full tanks weighs around 1600kg.

The XLT is built on a fully hot dipped galvanised steel chassis, with independently sprung axles dampened by a pair of Rancho RS9000 Extreme shock absorbers as standard.

The shocks are fully adjustable to suit driving conditions although the manufacturer prefers to set them to the weight of the individual camper.

The single, heavy duty off-road axle is armed with 12-inch electric drum brakes.

The Hitchmaster DO35 hitch is a recent arrival on the market and offers more articulation than most. Rated to 3.5 tonnes, it has a tapered tow bar mount rather than a conventional ball, which makes hitching up at strange angles less of an issue.
 
FLUID RETENTION

Two water/petrol jerry cans are mounted on the back of the camper each side of the single spare wheel while around the front another two fuel jerry cans are mounted on the offside of the draw bar.
The nearside of this frame features a pair of 9kg gas bottles plumbed to the cooking and hot water system.

A storage box measuring 800cm x 500cm x 500cm spans the draw bar and a mesh guard wraps around this lot to deflect stones.

On the offside are two water ports for filling the 300 litre water tanks and a 12 volt plug outlet as well as an inlet where a remote solar panel can be connected to complement that installed on the roof. 

A neat hatch opens to reveal the toilet canister that may be easily removed for servicing.

The gas hot water system on the camper is push button ignition and operated from the fascia of the internal kitchen. The dustcover over its vent is positioned on the forward corner of the camper and must be opened before the gas is ignited.

COOKING DUTIES

On the rear nearside a hatch opens to reveal the external kitchen that pulls out on drawer slides. It has a stainless steel bench with a plumbed single bowl sink and a draining board.

Once extended another internal slide extends at the end to reveal the twin burner cooktop with a griller underneath. It has a covering lid that when opened, shields the cook when standing at the sink bench from any splatter and heat coming from the stove.

A pan and utensil drawer sits above this lower module and extends out quite some way for easy access to the contents while another drawer extends out at 90 degrees to the bench.

What appears to be a height-restricted doorway is actually ample for a large person with the foot well extending into the inside floor space so when entering one does not need to stoop to clear the top of the aperture.

Installed in the bulkhead at the foot of the double bed is a double powerpoint for externally-used appliances, along with water pump switches and a switch to activate the electric pneumatic ram that lifts the camper roof.

Before lifting the roof, one must partially extend the awning or a step ladder will be required to reach it once the top is fully extended. The awning may be fully enclosed with three panels of material for insect free relaxation.

POWER GAINS

The electrical components such as battery charger and inverter are installed under the queen-sized innerspring mattress. Two 120Ah gel cell batteries share this compartment with the inverter, charger, water pump and fuel filter.

While the bellows for the pop-top have ventilation flaps in the four sides, another two large window are fitted in the hard wall each side of the double bed. These are bubble perspex types which open to allow either a fly screen or a sun reflector or a combination of both to be used.

Immediately at the foot of the bed the ablution cubicle is located. The bottom section is aluminium and the top a soft waterproof material that concertinas with the collapsing solid roof. 

A shower hand rose is used to wash with and this area features its own ventilation window flowing externally.

Forward of the ablution cubicle the internal kitchen takes shape with a flat bench top interrupted by a single bowl sink and draining board and a two burner gas burner located under a glass top.

A pantry on the forward wall is handy to the sink and cooker while below the bench, pan and cutlery drawers are located.

The dining table opposite the kitchen has an odd shape that fits one person on one side and a large person or two smaller people opposite.

A window throws plenty of light onto the table and under the leather upholstery can be found more storage bins.

BOTTOM LINE

If you’re looking for a tough, versatile, off-road trailer but living under a canvas tent top is not your cup of tea, the fibreglass composite roof of this trailer could appeal.

At $75,300 for the top-spec model tested, it’s not your average-priced recreational trailer but then North Coast's ST Topender appears well above average in all aspects.

For those on tighter budgets, North Coast also offers the entry-level ST Topender, starting at $45,000, as well as an XL Topender for $67,000.

For more information including full specifications see the North Coast Campers website.