Stockman Kwik Kampa 2

When I was in primary school a team of my classmates and I competed in a thing called “Tournament of Minds”.

Our brief was to design and build an innovative children’s toy; the most creative and versatile one would win. We toiled for months, having arguments about what it would be, who would play with it, and how it should be made.

At the end we had created a garishly coloured papier-mâché monstrosity that crumbled into pieces before we even made it to the event.

Needless to say, my team didn’t win. But I have a suspicion that the kids who beat us went on to become adults like Phil Savory, owner of Stockman Products and inventor of the Pod Trailer.

Made from light grey recycled plastic, that’s blessedly rust-proof, these little clam-shell style trailers might even have been dreamed up by Phil in his childhood days: they’re basically a Mighty Max or Polly Pocket toy for adults.

The first time I got my hands on Stockman’s Pod was in 2011, when I took its first generation camper trailer, the Kwik Kampa, out to Western Victoria for a weekend.

I towed it behind a little Suzuki Grand Vitara and had the time of my life.

Because they’re lighter and more compact than any other camper trailer on the market, they offer people space and luxuries while drastically downsizing the more frustrating aspects of towing.

If you really get into a bind you can simply unhook it, lift the drawbar and manoeuvre it yourself.

For such a little package the Kwik Kampa also offered a lot in terms of comfort in camp, albeit with a few rough edges when it came to ergonomics and ease of use.

So, a few years later, I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to review this trailer again, in its second-generation incarnation, the Kwik Kampa 2.

This trailer weighs in at an impressive 450kg unladen, which means you can pack 300kg into it before you even need trailer brakes.

“The driving force behind the design of these trailers is that they can be towed by almost any car,” Phil says. “Which makes the camper trailer lifestyle accessible to everyone.”

The light weight is also a boon for offroaders who are sick of climbing up to their rooftop tent, but don’t want to be bogged down on the tracks.

With this wide variety of end-users in mind the suspension on these trailers comes in three different specs: on-road, off-road, and extreme off-road.

The on-road suspension has four-leaf slipper springs, the off-road version sees a $1500 upgrade to five-leaf eye-to-eye springs, and the extreme off-road offers Vehicle Components’ Cruisemaster independent coil-spring suspension for $7000 on top of the base price.

For my money I reckon the off-road suspension is the smartest choice, leaving some coin in the bank to upgrade to the Xpedition spec of Kwik Kampa that’s on review here.

It’s in the living space that I can see how busy Phil has been developing this product: the Kwik Kampa 2 is light-years ahead of the original.

The tent has been almost completely redesigned and is now made from an American material called Weathermax. It’s a performance fabric similar to Gore-tex, that classic staple of outdoorsy-types worldwide.

“We’ve found it’s lighter, more waterproof, more breathable and easier to handle than canvas,” he says. “It doesn’t go mouldy and it’s just far nicer to live under, especially in a torrential downpour.”

The tent travels inside the pod section of the trailer and to set it up you simply lift the lid, unhook the elastic holding it down, pull the tent out and peg it in the ground.

The family size tent on the model I got to review requires a couple of extra poles, but it’s one of the easiest set ups I’ve ever seen on a soft floor trailer.

“The first thing people ask when they see it is whether all that tent really folds straight out of the tiny trailer,” he says.

Inside the tent you’ll find the major drawback for the Pod being such a compact package: a fairly narrow double bed that won’t suit everyone.

Underneath it is a large slide-out drawer where the walls for the annex are stored, but that still has space for quite a lot more. There’s space on the floor for some kids’ bunks.

Outside is a swing-around awning, designed by Phil himself, that’s supported by poles and will take you another couple of minutes to set up.

Two zip-on walls are included and two more can be purchased as an optional extra, giving you a lot more living space.

The Drifta stainless-look kitchen slides out of the aluminium box on the drawbar, and this model has a return fitted, giving you heaps of bench space.

It’s a fairly minimal setup, with a hand pump feeding a portable sink, and a two-burner Companion camping stove rather than a built in one.

“It’s a camping classic,” Phil enthuses, “and besides, none of the built-in ones have wind protection!”

The Engel fridge travels in the front of the toolbox and is powered by a modest battery system.

There are two 20L jerry can holders, one on each side of the trailer, one holder for a 4.5kg gas bottle, and the 65 litre water tank travels underneath the trailer’s body.

Where the 2015 Kwik Kampa 2 differs greatly from the 2011 Kwik Kampa is in how easy it is to use. It used to be a trailer that was great in concept, but a bit fiddly and a little frustrating to use.

Now Phil has refined the design to the point where everything simply works; no component gets in the way of another, an impressive feat when you realise that every inch of space in this trailer has been utilised.

Even the roof comes in handy, as up there you can carry larger objects like kayaks or bikes, and leave them on when you set up.

While his trailer might be small, Phil’s dreams for it are big. He has recently started exporting them to Korea and is looking to get into more overseas markets.

Closer to home he is in talks to get the basic Pod tub trailer distributed nationwide.

“Though I’ll have to do even more product development if that happens,” he says, seeming to relish the prospect.

VERDICT

A great Aussie design made even better. If you like your camper trailers compact, light, user-friendly and bush ready, it’s definitely worth a close look.

WE LIKED:
>> Lightweight and simple to tow
>> Easy-to-use design
>> Clever tent and awning make most of the space

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Small bed
>> Confusing pricing and configuration
>> It’s easy for the large toolbox to hit the tow vehicle when reversing

STOCKMAN PRODUCTS KWIK KAMPA 2 XPEDITION

Travel length: 3700mm
Berth length: 3000mm
External width: 1900mm
Travel height: 1450mm
Tare: 450kg
GVM: 750kg
Ball weight: 90kg
Body type: 6-8mm UV stable polyethylene
Chassis: 50 x 50 x 2mm RHS hot dipped gal
Suspension: Five-leaf eye-to-eye
Brakes: Optional electric
Stability control: not supplied
Wheels: 15in All Terrain
Freshwater: 65L
Batteries: 96Ah AGM
Solar: not supplied
Gas: 1 x 4.5kg
Hot water: optional
Cooker: Two-burner portable
Fridge: Engel
Toilet: not supplied
Shower: not supplied
Lighting: LED
Price: from $21,995
Supplied by: Stockman Products, Carrum Downs, Victoria