So collection day had arrived and it was a good six weeks earlier than expected bonus. At the time we purchased our camper trailer the deal was that you put down yer five grand and join the queue and then a week before your trailer comes off the production line you get sent an invoice for the balance. Now someone ahead of us in the queue had a problem with getting their finances together and via the dealer network asked to swap places with someone else further down the line to delay their final payment, and so it was that we were offered the chance to swap places with them in the queue, which of course we did.
So the final balance was paid and the collection was arranged for Friday afternoon. There were a couple of hiccups with freight which meant that our trailer arrived at about 1:00 pm so the team at Off Grid had their work cut out doing the Pre-Delivery in time, all good though and after a shortened hand over process, we finally hit the road and headed down to Grady's Riverside Retreat on the Shoalhaven River 20klm's West of Nowra. Of course, we couldn't get away without buying a new 60L ARB Fridge to suit the slide on the trailer, both of our Dometic fridges were too big, damn. The salesman had told us that handover usually a two-hour process as they run through all of the salient points of setting up and operating the trailer. We had made nuisance during the waiting period and knew the trailer fairly well by now. With trailer quickly connected we made our way out the driveway and started to make our way South.
So how does it tow? Very well, the X1 is well balanced and the old cliche of you'd hardly know it was there is almost accurate, you can only expect so much when towing with a 3.0 Turbo Diesel Prado. The old girl certainly copes better with the Patriot than she used to with the old Black Series hard floor, We haven't put the Patriot over the scales yet but I'd suggest there's a weight saving of anywhere from 35 to 50% once fully laden.
Setting up in the dark is never fun and setting up in the dark with a new trailer is almost as unpalatable as a plate full of Brussel Sprouts. We popped the head torches on un-hooked the trailer and turned the Prado around and left the lights on whilst we set about removing the tent cover and setting up the tent for the first time. It was quite impressive and I would guess that we had it sleep ready with 30 minutes of our arrival, this includes the Supa Wing 2.1 metre awning that comes as standard fitment on the Patriot range.
We couldn't find the master light switch for the tent light which was a bit of a pain that first night but found it tucked out of harms way down the left side of the bed as your facing it from the ladder, flicked it on and all was well for night two. The lack of lighting in the 'man cave' was a different problem. There's a small multi-plug right where the wires come through the wall from the main trailer compartment and the wire connectors had been pulled out of at the time of installation, we reported this to Off-Grid Outfitters so we could get it fixed under warranty after our planned upcoming trip to South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, there was simply no time to get it done before our planned departure date. I did attempt to re-connect this myself but with the time or the patience, I decided the best course of action was to crack a tinnie and sit around the campfire whilst that night's roast was cooking away on the coals.
We spent most of the day trying to work out where to put stuff of which, we have a lot, a real lot. We're not lightweight campers my wife likes some creature comforts and like to tinker and mess about with my toys when camping with multiple cooking accessories and a bunch of camera gear I was probably more accountable for our podgy camp set-up. We didn't quite get it usable but that's something that will evolve. The storage on the X1-GT is very good when you take into account how compact the whole design is. I would like to see a more spacious version with the Grand Tourer moniker attached, it is a tourer after all. An extra 500mm in length would make the X1-GT a true touring trailer for those like us that want to spend more than a few weekends away and who also like to take half of the house with them.
The thing that really kept popping into my head and as I opened and shut everything I could and switched things on and off was the build quality of the trailer. It's well thought out with very little wasted space, the fittings and fixtures are robust and everything does as what it says on the tin. You turn the tap on and water comes out, you flick a switch and the lights work, well most of them, and it's a beauty to look at. Something is always going to happen though when you make everything compact is that things can get fiddly and initially the Patriot excels in this area. Starting with the man cave and trademark BBQ swing away. This is a great concept but putting the BBQ away for the first few times is light trying to sort out one of those kids 3D puzzles where have to make the chrome ring inside the wooden box through a hole that is significantly smaller than the said ring. Think of the Webber BBQ as the chrome ring and the man cave as the wooden box, add into that, in our case the Webasto diesel hot water system and it's a very tight squeeze indeed. The other negative is that the swing away itself takes up a lot of room in what is already a small space. Like everything, I'm sure it will get easier with use.
We decided that we didn't want to use the supplied Bromic cooker in the position in which it comes from the factory. Whilst the kitchen bench area is spacious enough for quick overnight stops for our longer stays we feel that that the space could be more effectively utilised. So we removed it and found a Sistema brand container that we had in the Prado fitted fairly close to a perfect fit on the stove slide out which we use for storing pots and pans. We hoped that the Bromic cooker would fit on the shelf in the man cave but it was too big so we decided to store it and use our old Coleman Eventemp 3 burner due to it's slimmer design. The Coleman resides in the rear main storage compartment along with a lightweight aluminium camping bench that we set up next to the Webber. All of the cooking would now happen in one place.
We fired up the Webasto hot water system after breakfast and a few minutes later we were doing the dishes in hot water from the tap, very handy. We didn't use the shower on this first trip so we'll add more info on how it functions at a later date.
How did the pack up go? Pretty good I must say, of course, it was the first one so we were learning what went where but again less than thirty minutes I'd reckon. The tent is relatively compact and means that you weren't trying to lift a whole bunch of weight up onto the trailer and Rainey and I coped with it without and problems. Once we get the technique down pat we're sure it will get easier and easier, I'm also working on my patience and trying to stop looking at my watch during pack ups. We are on holidays after all so what's the rush?
Anyway, we'll bring you more after our next trip...
Trip Distance: 336Klm's
Total Mileage: 336Klm's
