Arkto G12 Review and Discussion

[Kennykustom]

Has anyone gotten the Truma air conditioner?
How is it?
Have you tried to run it off the inverter and what was the DC current draw ?
( I’ve ran rooftop off batteries so I’m trying to judge the dc requirements for the Truma)


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[seinbelld]

Hello! We have a 2023 Arkto with the aluminum cabinets and stainless steel kitchen. Just opted for a few options including insulated canvas, upgraded stabilizers, awning walls and 2 lithium batteries. Have owned for a year and it's been a great camper, but we are looking to go back to something with an enclosed bathroom and a bit more space for our family of 5. I have no idea where to price this thing. Any input is appreciated. I asked in the Facebook Arkto Owner's Group and they suggested trying here.

 

[Vipercd]

Well we found some people on line that have enjoyed there arkto. We were one
Of the first in the states to
Get one. Bought in Denver . We have llwood inside like itbetter than the aluminum. We have done alot of mods . 740 ah of lithium 1000 Watts of solar it's been great use it alot

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Hello! We have a 2023 Arkto with the aluminum cabinets and stainless steel kitchen. Just opted for a few options including insulated canvas, upgraded stabilizers, awning walls and 2 lithium batteries. Have owned for a year and it's been a great camper, but we are looking to go back to something with an enclosed bathroom and a bit more space for our family of 5. I have no idea where to price this thing. Any input is appreciated. I asked in the Facebook Arkto Owner's Group and they suggested trying here.

No gray tank or wet bath was the only reason I didn't buy an Arkto. Suprised they don't offer a model that includes these features

 

[K9LTW]

No gray tank or wet bath was the only reason I didn't buy an Arkto. Suprised they don't offer a model that includes these features

Not having those is a big reason why we DID. It would simply be added cost, weight and complexity, not to mention take up space inside. The massive storage is one of their selling points. Want a shower? Take one outside at the back of the trailer. Too cold? Wet wipes or a Shower Pouch! . Gray water is just something else to keep from freezing and the tank would eat up real estate and reduce fresh water capacity.

Sure not every place allows for outdoor showers without a gray water tank but that’s not enough of a reason for us to worry about a wet bath. Plus the moisture they introduce and the potential for a mess just isn’t worth it in such a small package, IMO.


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[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Not having those is a big reason why we DID. It would simply be added cost, weight and complexity, not to mention take up space inside. The massive storage is one of their selling points. Want a shower? Take one outside at the back of the trailer. Too cold? Wet wipes or a Shower Pouch! . Gray water is just something else to keep from freezing and the tank would eat up real estate and reduce fresh water capacity.

Sure not every place allows for outdoor showers without a gray water tank but that’s not enough of a reason for us to worry about a wet bath. Plus the moisture they introduce and the potential for a mess just isn’t worth it in such a small package, IMO.


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Slow down dude my point was why not offer a second model with wet bath and gray tank. I have my reasons for needing a wet bath and I am sure others do as well.

 

[K9LTW]

Slow down dude my point was why not offer a second model with wet bath and gray tank. I have my reasons for needing a wet bath and I am sure others do as well.

I mean...no reason to slow down. I'm not worked up about it. You said that's why you didn't buy one. I simply said that's a big reason why we did. No judgement...just facts and our considerations.

With that said, Aaron, likely, WILL be offering additional models, but in the other direction. Not going to spoil the fun, but I'm excited about the possibility of something with a smaller footprint. Dragging it behind our RAM...if the truck fits, the trailer fits. Dragging it behind our Land Cruiser...well...not quite the same ratio!

We talked quite a bit about their vision and model, and why they elected for what was included and, therefore, excluded. Seems like a lot of manufacturers are cramming a lot of features into trailers anymore but with any feature there are compromises. Which...as we know...means different things to different people and that simply drives choices. Not a bad thing.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Just sounded like you were ordering me to take a shower outside 😉. Not sure why a very small wet bath with curtain where current portable toilet is , is such a big deal. Plumbing is ran to outside shower already. Gray tank could be added as well. Hey Aaron knows what
sells so I guess he doesn't think a wetbath model will sell. I wonder how many current Arkto owners out the there wish they had a wet bath?

If he does go with a smaller more off road capable unit it might make since to go a suspension that has more travel.

I also hope these lame tariffs don't go into effect.

 

[K9LTW]

Just sounded like you were ordering me to take a shower outside 😉. Not sure why a very small wet bath with curtain where current portable toilet is , is such a big deal. Plumbing is ran to outside shower already. Gray tank could be added as well. Hey Aaron knows what
sells so I guess he doesn't think a wetbath model will sell. I wonder how many current Arkto owners out the there wish they had a wet bath?

If he does go with a smaller more off road capable unit it might make since to go a suspension that has more travel.

I also hope these lame tariffs don't go into effect.

More room to shower with a friend outside anyway! I mean...conserving water and all that! Gotta be eco-minded!

And, yeah...I wouldn't mind a bit more travel. I feel like it's a bit of a sweet spot with something the size of the G12. Any taller and it would start getting a bit ungainly. As it is, it's just shorter than our OVRLND-equipped Power Wagon on 37s. Admittedly I haven't found the limits of the suspension, and we're not bombing down stuff. One thing I would like to see, and I've mentioned to them, is the ability to stuff 35s on it. I was going to be the first one to rock them, but when he started dry fitting everything, it all got too close for comfort. That ability, alone, would give another inch of clearance and allow for rolling over things easier as well as a bit more built-in plush. I wasn't willing to take a grinder to it, though

And the tariffs will be a major and INSTANT increase in price if/when they go through. There was a brief moment of "******!?" when prices were updated for a hot second before a pause was put in place and folks got some sticker shock. Would we still have come to the same conclusion and bought one at the new prices? Yes. But it would've stung a helluva lot more and neither Aaron nor we would get any benefit from it. Sadly for them, not everyone is in the financial position to absorb that.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

You can conserve water in an interior wet bath just as easy as an outside shower. Wet, turn off water,lather then rinse. 1.5 gallons.

Eco is why I want gray water with cassette toilet as opposed to dumping phosphate containg soap in pristine places. Not to mention waste bags wrapped in plastic going in a dumpster or even woarse in a hole in the ground. In the large spectrum not earth shattering but not what I want to do where I camp.

 

[K9LTW]

You can conserve water in an interior wet bath just as easy as an outside shower. Wet, turn off water,lather then rinse. 1.5 gallons.

Eco is why I want gray water with cassette toilet as opposed to dumping phosphate containg soap in pristine places. Not to mention waste bags wrapped in plastic going in a dumpster or even woarse in a hole in the ground. In the large spectrum not earth shattering but not what I want to do where I camp.

I think you missed the shower with a friend part on being eco-friendly and conserving water

We use the portable Clean Waste toilet. Used the cassette at first. After emptying it and such once? Nope. Done with that And anyone that dumps a bag into a cathole is demented. I hate using plastic, but I also can't rely on having a hose available to clean out the cassette toilet…let alone to clean up any spillage. We all compromise where we can!


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[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I think you missed the shower with a friend part on being eco-friendly and conserving water

We use the portable Clean Waste toilet. Used the cassette at first. After emptying it and such once? Nope. Done with that And anyone that dumps a bag into a cathole is demented. I hate using plastic, but I also can't rely on having a hose available to clean out the cassette toilet…let alone to clean up any spillage. We all compromise where we can!


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Yes senior moment sorry about that. One could show off thier yoga moves if they shared a shower in a wet bath as well 😉

 

[foxintheforest]

Wanted to put a few adds/thoughts on reviewing the G12.
We had a pop-up Flagstaff Mac that we did a leafover on and upgraded the batteries. Of course, the Arkto is an upgrade, but I had worries about a few inevitable changes.

• Significant decrease in interior space
• Lack of indoor cooking option
• Lack of a wet bath (didn't get to suss this out - too cold)
• Towing (We've got a 2017 4Runner with upgraded shocks, upgraded suspension, and a brake controller)

We just got back from our G12's maiden voyage and here are my thoughts.

Towing actually surprised us. I'm the kinda person who has a spreadsheet with the weight of our gear, plus water, gas, etc. We always haul dry as far as we can (in this case we were winterized). All loaded down we would be at 4,200 lbs. We were likely around 3.9k for this trip.

Our route took us up and over 2 mountain passes (11,000k feet in elevation) and two canyons. Not to mention we had to navigate 14" of snow on an unplowed street for a 1/4 mile.

Legitimately zero issues towing. At about 75mph it will get squirrely, but it's fine to just slow down and she'll happily plod along stretches of road with higher speed limits and you won't feel like you're a whale in a pod of dolphins.

It towed extremely well given the weight and size. Gas mileage was slightly less than with our pop-up, but not by much. We didn't even have to deviate from our usual stops to where we were going.

The outdoor kitchen. AMAZING. I've never camped with a more well-designed food prep space. My only MINOR gripe is that you can't close the pantry when the drying rack is up. Moving the drying rack 90 degrees would solve that problem, but you'd lose counter space. With the right habits, this won't bother me after a couple of more trips. Definitely an upgrade and I don't miss my indoor cook space.

Interior space. We've got a 2.5-year-old who's still in a crib. Our travel crib jussssssst fits in there (Guava Lotus). It was a bit of a Tetris game figuring out how to get her to bed the first night, but by night 2 it wasn't a huge issue. It was still possible to sneak out past her when she went down without disturbing her and not feel like you had to pull museum-heist-level moves to do it - so just enough to maneuver around. This won't be an issue as she gets older, and it's actually quite roomy for a family of 3 to sit inside and eat. I was surprised.

And it's SO QUIET at night. It feels secure, cozy, and stayed so warm (lows were 29/30 F) with minimal condensation (with the vent up). It's dark too - like mega dark with the door blackout curtain. Our daughter napped while camping for the first time in over a year. I would recommend a mattress topper if you like your bed a bit softer (easy for us to transfer our old one over).

Everything about this camper is so well thought out. It really, really shows. Nothing feels flimsy or cheap. Nothing screamed "oh this will break at some point" and my partner is rough on stuff, plus our daughter is curious. The amazing craftsmanship is found everywhere - including places you won't think to look (electrical cabinet, etc).

Aaron and his team are top-notch too! Many people have said it, but they go to bat for you and make sure you're taken care of. Any very minor hiccups or questions were quickly resolved and I really can't say enough good things about the company!