There are a couple Arkto threads already but there should be a consolidated thread where owners and potential owners can share experiences and post photos. I definitely poached some formatting and content ideas from other camper threads.
Just recently picked up an Arkto G12 at Arkto HQ in Edmonton, AB. Took a generous route to "break-in" the camper. Made a big loop from Albuquerque, NM to Edmonton and then over to BC and down the West Coast. 13 nights in the camper on that trip and another two nights since then. Pretty much all conditions you could expect given my route. Overnight low in Banff and Flagstaff were both 19F. Mostly nights in the 40s though. Couple nights/days of decent rain in Washington and Oregon and then the dry SW.
Towing: Probably not the best judge of towability, my tow vehicle is a 22 Ford F350. Not even sure the truck notices that the trailer is there. The articulating hitch and trailer hookups are easy to install. There were a couple roads that made me a bit nervous, but that had more to do with traffic or weather (Whistler to Vancouver, Kamloops to Pemberton). Encountered some very rough "paved roads" (95 & 93 in Nevada and I-40 East of Kingman) and the trailer handled very well. No weird porpoising or bucking. Also drove on some extended dirt roads that were well beaten by logging trucks and the trailer just trailed, no dramas. Did not notice any crosswinds either.
Round trip was 5136 miles and 3431 miles of that was towing the trailer. Like I said, no dramas.
Pop-top: Raising and lowering the roof is so easy. After watching my buddy with his OEV roof struggles I wasn't sure what to expect. But the operation is very simple and it lines up every time. It is a little heavy with the additional solar, but once you get to a certain point the mechanical advantage takes over. You can still navigate and use the inside of the trailer with the top down, you just need to be mindful of the protruding hinge. The toilet cabinet is easily accessible, for those emergency situations.
Big Door: We really like the size of the door. Seems like a silly thing to mention, but some of the campers we checked out had very small entry doors. Being able to get into/out of the camper without contorting ourselves is really nice. There is also a large window in the door which is great for natural light, but at night there is no privacy. If you have the inside light on you can see everything from outside the door. On our last camping trip a friend had some cling wrap which was opaque. It is a good temp fix, but we need to find a window wrap for a more permanent solution.
There is also a screen door which has been nice for airing out the camper and getting the bugs out. It has a lattice type structure behind it, so it feels sturdy.
Bed(s): We spent the summer in a James Baroud RTT and find the mattress in the Arkto really comfortable. Actually we really like the mattress in the Baroud too. We both prefer a firmer mattress but find the Arkto mattress to be a good compromise between being firm but forgiving. For us we do not see the need for a foam mattress topper. The bed is a queen size and has storage pockets, heater vent and a USB outlet on the far side.
Two of the nights my buddy stayed in the camper with me. He is not a camping kind of guy but found the 76"x30" bench/bed to be very comfortable.
Bathroom: We already had a Wrappon toilet from our previous set up so we just transferred that into the Arkto. The toilet cabinet has plenty of room for the Wrappon and is not cramped while in use. I like that the lid for the toilet bay has struts so it won't come crashing down on you.
Shower: The outside shower is awesome. For us having a shower outside is not an issue. The curtain provides plenty of privacy and there's no humidity or splash over inside the camper. The hot/cold blend works very well and the on/off push pin on the shower head is nice. You set your temp and then just turn on the water when needed. I've seen some setups where the shower head is pretty much a sink sprayer, thankfully the included sprayer is a decent size. The OVS shower en-suite is nice also, I like that it has mesh pockets to hold your soap and adjustable length tie downs. The zipper is kinda bulky but I think some zipper-wax should help that out.
Storage: Gotta say the storage for this trailer is ridiculous. Every corner of this trailer has a compartment or drawer. This was a definite selling feature for us but really I don't think we really appreciated how much storage there is until we got the trailer. Drawers and cabinets in the front of the living space, large compartment over the passenger tire wheel well, bedside cubbies, wardrobe with adjustable shelves, and a boot cubby. The propane cabinet accommodates a 30lb tank. Long but skinny compartment at the front and a huge cabinet under the bed (accessible from outside). And then the pantry. With all of our normal camping kit packed, it looks like we are barely loaded.
From the Arkto page:
2” Receiver: When I saw that Arkto added a 2” receiver to the trailer tongue I was sure it wouldn’t be usable. The trailer tongue is only 4’ long and most bike racks are close to 3’. When I drove up to AB I put my 1UP bike rack in the receiver and figured I would just keep it in the truck bed once I picked up the camper. We test fit the bike rack on the trailer and I was surprised how much clearance I had. The rack wasn’t even close to hitting the truck. I ended up leaving my bike and rack there for the rest of the trip. I did manage to get the rack to kiss my bumper one time though. I was backing into my brother’s driveway at night and cut the wheel a little too aggressively. Luckily the 1UP rack has a little bit of vertical give and neither the rack nor bumper were damaged.
Comfort: I am really glad that Arkto specs the Truma. Since we started camping trailers we really wanted to have one of the Combi units. Very efficient and compact. The interface is super simple and after some tinkering it is easy to navigate. Arkto fitted the camper with three heat vents, two at the base of the bed platform and one at the foot of the bed. These locations seem to work really well for heating up the space. There is a fourth heat vent on the unit that Arkto blocks off during install. Aaron let me know if we were doing a lot of cold camping we could unblock that outlet and it would heat the compartment where all of the plumbing and heating components are stored.
Arkto also specs the MaxxFan Deluxe. We had one installed in our van and they are really nice. Variable speed and very powerful. The fan is located directly over the bed so you can manually open the cover and leave the fan off. With the window cracked you can get good airflow through the cabin at night.
Windows: In the pop-top there are two windows, both with 3 layers. The pop-top fabric, a clear plastic and a mesh screen. They are located only on two sides which is a bummer. There are no windows on the front or back of the trailer.
There is a fixed window on the wall opposite of the door. It is a huge window and provides a lot of light and air flow. The latches have a built-in guide to hold the window open just a little bit (less than ¼”) and then the window struts have a lock to hold open the window more if needed. There is a built-in screen and black out shade that roll out from opposite ends of the window. This allows you to adjust the amount of airflow or light into the camper.
Kitchen: Another selling point for us was the outdoor kitchen. In our previous set ups we always cooked outside. It makes clean up easier, keeps the interior from smelling and for us is just preferable. The Arkto has a massive slide out with a sink, stove and drawers, drying rack and extended countertop built in. There is so much room for cooking and food preparation with storage under the counter. The deployment is super easy also. The design is well thought out and practical in use.
There is no grey water tank so the sink has a corrugated hose attached to the bottom. Arkto leaves plenty of length so you can route it away from the camper. I just keep forgetting to wrap it up before putting away the kitchen.
The refrigerator is on its own slide out and is massive. We’ve had a couple different fridges and the IceCo is the biggest one yet. 75L with a clever lid design that lets you open from either direction or even remove completely. It's also nice that it has two separate compartments with individual temperature settings. Although it’s not a major brand like Dometic or ARB we aren’t too worried about it. Our friends have been using an IceCo in their camp set up for 3 years with no issues.
Just recently picked up an Arkto G12 at Arkto HQ in Edmonton, AB. Took a generous route to "break-in" the camper. Made a big loop from Albuquerque, NM to Edmonton and then over to BC and down the West Coast. 13 nights in the camper on that trip and another two nights since then. Pretty much all conditions you could expect given my route. Overnight low in Banff and Flagstaff were both 19F. Mostly nights in the 40s though. Couple nights/days of decent rain in Washington and Oregon and then the dry SW.
Towing: Probably not the best judge of towability, my tow vehicle is a 22 Ford F350. Not even sure the truck notices that the trailer is there. The articulating hitch and trailer hookups are easy to install. There were a couple roads that made me a bit nervous, but that had more to do with traffic or weather (Whistler to Vancouver, Kamloops to Pemberton). Encountered some very rough "paved roads" (95 & 93 in Nevada and I-40 East of Kingman) and the trailer handled very well. No weird porpoising or bucking. Also drove on some extended dirt roads that were well beaten by logging trucks and the trailer just trailed, no dramas. Did not notice any crosswinds either.
Round trip was 5136 miles and 3431 miles of that was towing the trailer. Like I said, no dramas.
Pop-top: Raising and lowering the roof is so easy. After watching my buddy with his OEV roof struggles I wasn't sure what to expect. But the operation is very simple and it lines up every time. It is a little heavy with the additional solar, but once you get to a certain point the mechanical advantage takes over. You can still navigate and use the inside of the trailer with the top down, you just need to be mindful of the protruding hinge. The toilet cabinet is easily accessible, for those emergency situations.
Big Door: We really like the size of the door. Seems like a silly thing to mention, but some of the campers we checked out had very small entry doors. Being able to get into/out of the camper without contorting ourselves is really nice. There is also a large window in the door which is great for natural light, but at night there is no privacy. If you have the inside light on you can see everything from outside the door. On our last camping trip a friend had some cling wrap which was opaque. It is a good temp fix, but we need to find a window wrap for a more permanent solution.
There is also a screen door which has been nice for airing out the camper and getting the bugs out. It has a lattice type structure behind it, so it feels sturdy.
Bed(s): We spent the summer in a James Baroud RTT and find the mattress in the Arkto really comfortable. Actually we really like the mattress in the Baroud too. We both prefer a firmer mattress but find the Arkto mattress to be a good compromise between being firm but forgiving. For us we do not see the need for a foam mattress topper. The bed is a queen size and has storage pockets, heater vent and a USB outlet on the far side.
Two of the nights my buddy stayed in the camper with me. He is not a camping kind of guy but found the 76"x30" bench/bed to be very comfortable.
Bathroom: We already had a Wrappon toilet from our previous set up so we just transferred that into the Arkto. The toilet cabinet has plenty of room for the Wrappon and is not cramped while in use. I like that the lid for the toilet bay has struts so it won't come crashing down on you.
Shower: The outside shower is awesome. For us having a shower outside is not an issue. The curtain provides plenty of privacy and there's no humidity or splash over inside the camper. The hot/cold blend works very well and the on/off push pin on the shower head is nice. You set your temp and then just turn on the water when needed. I've seen some setups where the shower head is pretty much a sink sprayer, thankfully the included sprayer is a decent size. The OVS shower en-suite is nice also, I like that it has mesh pockets to hold your soap and adjustable length tie downs. The zipper is kinda bulky but I think some zipper-wax should help that out.
Storage: Gotta say the storage for this trailer is ridiculous. Every corner of this trailer has a compartment or drawer. This was a definite selling feature for us but really I don't think we really appreciated how much storage there is until we got the trailer. Drawers and cabinets in the front of the living space, large compartment over the passenger tire wheel well, bedside cubbies, wardrobe with adjustable shelves, and a boot cubby. The propane cabinet accommodates a 30lb tank. Long but skinny compartment at the front and a huge cabinet under the bed (accessible from outside). And then the pantry. With all of our normal camping kit packed, it looks like we are barely loaded.
From the Arkto page:
- Exterior access storage space: 80 cubic feet
- Interior access storage space: 25 cubic feet
2” Receiver: When I saw that Arkto added a 2” receiver to the trailer tongue I was sure it wouldn’t be usable. The trailer tongue is only 4’ long and most bike racks are close to 3’. When I drove up to AB I put my 1UP bike rack in the receiver and figured I would just keep it in the truck bed once I picked up the camper. We test fit the bike rack on the trailer and I was surprised how much clearance I had. The rack wasn’t even close to hitting the truck. I ended up leaving my bike and rack there for the rest of the trip. I did manage to get the rack to kiss my bumper one time though. I was backing into my brother’s driveway at night and cut the wheel a little too aggressively. Luckily the 1UP rack has a little bit of vertical give and neither the rack nor bumper were damaged.
Comfort: I am really glad that Arkto specs the Truma. Since we started camping trailers we really wanted to have one of the Combi units. Very efficient and compact. The interface is super simple and after some tinkering it is easy to navigate. Arkto fitted the camper with three heat vents, two at the base of the bed platform and one at the foot of the bed. These locations seem to work really well for heating up the space. There is a fourth heat vent on the unit that Arkto blocks off during install. Aaron let me know if we were doing a lot of cold camping we could unblock that outlet and it would heat the compartment where all of the plumbing and heating components are stored.
Arkto also specs the MaxxFan Deluxe. We had one installed in our van and they are really nice. Variable speed and very powerful. The fan is located directly over the bed so you can manually open the cover and leave the fan off. With the window cracked you can get good airflow through the cabin at night.
Windows: In the pop-top there are two windows, both with 3 layers. The pop-top fabric, a clear plastic and a mesh screen. They are located only on two sides which is a bummer. There are no windows on the front or back of the trailer.
There is a fixed window on the wall opposite of the door. It is a huge window and provides a lot of light and air flow. The latches have a built-in guide to hold the window open just a little bit (less than ¼”) and then the window struts have a lock to hold open the window more if needed. There is a built-in screen and black out shade that roll out from opposite ends of the window. This allows you to adjust the amount of airflow or light into the camper.
Kitchen: Another selling point for us was the outdoor kitchen. In our previous set ups we always cooked outside. It makes clean up easier, keeps the interior from smelling and for us is just preferable. The Arkto has a massive slide out with a sink, stove and drawers, drying rack and extended countertop built in. There is so much room for cooking and food preparation with storage under the counter. The deployment is super easy also. The design is well thought out and practical in use.
There is no grey water tank so the sink has a corrugated hose attached to the bottom. Arkto leaves plenty of length so you can route it away from the camper. I just keep forgetting to wrap it up before putting away the kitchen.
The refrigerator is on its own slide out and is massive. We’ve had a couple different fridges and the IceCo is the biggest one yet. 75L with a clever lid design that lets you open from either direction or even remove completely. It's also nice that it has two separate compartments with individual temperature settings. Although it’s not a major brand like Dometic or ARB we aren’t too worried about it. Our friends have been using an IceCo in their camp set up for 3 years with no issues.
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The plan is for our annual 4-week trip to be 2 weeks in our truck exploring both tried-and-true and new places out west on the way to Edmonton. Then it'll be a completely different experience/vacation exploring the area and on the way back home for a couple weeks with the trailer.
