Pioneer Argyle 2005 Review

Many camper trailer builders are based in the eastern States, but Pioneer Campers calls Perth in WA home. Jointly owned by Robin McConnochie and Nigel Fleet, Pioneer in its current form is in its fourth year of production.

Four models feature in the Pioneer line-up. The Enduro is a lightweight camper trailer designed mainly for onroad use and to be towed by small- to medium-sized vehicles - excellent for people who want to experience the camper trailer lifestyle, but not necessarily the offroad component.

Next up the line are the Prospector and Prospector II, with both possessing all the necessary basic features for offroad travel and a price to match.

For those who wish to travel with more "luxury" items fitted, the subject of this review, the Argyle, with a very reasonable specification list, is available. Our review unit came from Bennetts Green (Newcastle, NSW) dealer Campermart, under the direction of Warren Quirk.

An interesting feature of the Argyle is its nameplate Tare weight of 650kg. That might sound like it's been made less robust but, according to Warren, it is more the result of clever engineering.

When looking over various manufacturers' camper trailers, it's not a bad idea to get down on your knees and do a little inspection of the normally out-of-sight workmanship - sometimes it's revealing. In this case, a look under the Argyle didn't show anything different from that already in view. What it did reveal was a hot dipped galvanised chassis built using box section construction.

The Argyle rides on independent trailing arm suspension with coil springs, shock absorbers and special Kevlar/graphite bushes. Wheels are steel 15x7in rims and stopped by override controlled hydraulic disc brakes, with electric brakes being an option.

Pioneer campers come with a 60 litre water tank and an option for a second, but Warren orders twin tanks as standard for Campermart units. Both tanks are protected by an aluminium tank guard. Also stored under the chassis between the drawbar rails is the wind-down spare wheel, while a pole carrier runs under and across the rear of the trailer. When parking the camper trailer the rear drop-down stabiliser legs certainly prove to be effective.

Fitted with a Treg hitch and snap-up jockey wheel, also mounted on the drawbar are the steel-framed stone shield, two 4kg gas cylinders, jerry can holder, hand-pumped water tap and large top-opening storage bin.

Electrical plugs regularly lie in the dirt and mud when not being used but to prevent this, Pioneer has made a simple holder on the drawbar for the normal seven-pin flat plug and the battery charging plug.

The storage bin measuring 5 x 2 x 1.5ft (1.5 x 0.6 x 0.5m) is mostly empty space except for the 130 amp hour deep-cycle battery, accompanying battery charger and fuse panel - and if you want a fridge on board, that's where it will go.

A very neat little idea is the flexible gooseneck light that sits under the rim of the storage box.

A second innovation are the two toolboxes that fit under the storage box on either side - this makes an excellent place to keep regularly used tools.

Zinc annealed steel forms the main bodywork of the trailer, which has a chequered aluminium roof. Narrow ribs run across the top and can be used for storage purposes. Those who like fishing might be interested in the gas strut-assisted boat loader that sits atop the camper trailer roof when travelling.

A tailgate gives access to the trailer storage area when the roof is closed. Keeping up with modern trends, Pioneer has fitted LED-style tail lights.

Along the nearside of the Argyle is the slide-out kitchen at the front and 240V inlet, with 240V and 12V sockets at the rear. Although this is design convenience, if Argyle owners tend to use caravan parks regularly, it would be handier to have the 240V inlet on the offside.

An unusual feature was the rails running along both sides of the camper trailer. These can be used for tying items to the roof and also for drying towels when camping. Apart from the optional boat loader, the only item on the offside is the water tank filler.

The 'tent' area of the Argyle is fairly standard with three windows surrounding the bed area, a canvas/screen door on either side and a large window in the rear wall. All windows are flyscreened and have internal canvas blinds, while the two side windows have external clear PVC covers as well. For maintaining a good seal between the canvas and trailer body, a PVC gusset is built in.

An awning that encompasses both the nearside area and the front of the trailer provides a good amount of shade. For the awning, either canvas/flyscreen wall or flyscreen-only walls can be supplied and for the offside door, either an 'ensuite' or an extra bedroom can be fitted.

Being rear-hinged, setting up the Argyle is quite simple. Once stabiliser legs are lowered, the roof can be unclipped and then swung over to bring the canvas with it. With the floor in position, it's just a matter of setting the height-adjustable legs, sliding the kitchen bench out from the trailer and erecting the awning if required.

An all-stainless steel kitchen like this one is very easy to clean. A two-burner Smev cooktop, sans grill, and stainless steel sink supplied by 12V pumped water, sit alongside each other. Given my predilection for grilled cheese on toast and other simple meals, I would have preferred to see a grill!

A couple of good features about the kitchen were the storage area underneath and the slide-out tray/table at the rear of the bench. Night lighting is supplied by a 12V lamp fitted to the side of the trailer body.

The Argyle trailer has a fully lined interior and the 6ft 7in x 4ft 6in (2m x 1.4m) foam mattress sits on a ply timber base. Two 12V gooseneck reading lights are fitted to either side of the bed. Lifting up the bed base reveals an ample storage area underneath, about 12in (30mm) high.

In what seems to be an industry standard for many, the electrical controls are located at the foot of the bed on the nearside: two 12V sockets, one 240V power point and a 240V circuit breaker.

With battery and charger in the front storage bin, the electrics are quite simple.

Extras such as the stainless steel rails along the sides and the plug holders on the front drawbar make all the difference when travelling.

Campermart: 27 Pacific Hwy, Bennetts Green, NSW 2290, (02) 4948 1811.

Pioneer: 57 Challenge Boulevarde, Wangara, WA 6065, (08) 9302 2500, email sales@pioneercampers.com, web: http://www.pioneercampers.com/

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