Arkto G12 Review and Discussion

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Figured it was time to bring this to the top! Lots of awesome stuff going on at Arkto as the C10 development is chugging along. Really stoked to see that evolution! I also feel like it'll be a far more 4Runner-friendly set-up. Tons of folks are towing their G12 with a 4R and...I mean...I wouldn't do it for our use case (one huge reason I, instantly, dismissed the LC250 or new 4R was their towing capacities). But to each their own!

Wanted to share our 1-year review that just posted. Hopefully it can give folks a bit more insight into them that haven't/aren't able to see one in person. If you're interested, it's worth noting that Aaron has put together a willing group of people to show their trailers. Go to the website and one of the links up top will take you to a location-based list of owners.

I'm sure there are things I missed (like the propane quick release in the kitchen for a Blackstone or something), but hope this helps some folks out!

K9 great review. Really impressed how clean and high the under carriage and departure angle is on the G12. Much better then my Trail Marker. I have 19" gc but my gray tank is 14". I think i have under estimated the off road capability of the Arkto. Especially if you go slow on rough terrain. Agree on the max coupler as all i ever read about those hitches is not positive. FYI- I really like my Ark articulating ball hitch. It looks like one would slide right into that receiver tube on you G12. They are rated at 5k pounds but that should be okay on you g12. Save travels sir. Your dog is beautiful!

 

[Subnormal]

Thanks to all contributors here! I've been through some of the same Q&A with the internets to narrow down to the G12. The information here and on YT (by K9 et al) made it easy to place out order last week. It'll be coming home right around Christmas for family gift timing and a chance to get out and camp in it before kids head back to school.

Aaron has been just as helpful as every describes here, and his sub Matt was equally as responsive. We'll be using the Alto Superior 45 rack with adapter that was mentioned to fit 4 bikes on there. That option (hack) was one of the must-haves for us that sealed the deal for Arkto v. Boreas. But I also prefer the side entry and interior set up of the Arkto. And now that we can get the 900+Ah batteries, and 1kW panel set up, the decision just got easier.

There's also a new folding bunk bed available to enable 4 to sleep without having to convert the passenger side bench, or to actually have room for 5, if 2 or 3 of them are kids. There is option for 3kW inverter that comes with the AC unit option and includes 30A shore power plug.

For the price, even with the USD in the **************, it's the best deal on the best trailer for us, hands down. Second, but not close bc of price, was the TetonX but some of the added complexities in suspension and on-board air were not for us. And Atlas never did answer our online quote request, so they were already on thin ice. Aaron and Matt for the win.

We are in New Orleans area if anyone wants a closer look next year.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Thanks to all contributors here! I've been through some of the same Q&A with the internets to narrow down to the G12. The information here and on YT (by K9 et al) made it easy to place out order last week. It'll be coming home right around Christmas for family gift timing and a chance to get out and camp in it before kids head back to school.

Aaron has been just as helpful as every describes here, and his sub Matt was equally as responsive. We'll be using the Alto Superior 45 rack with adapter that was mentioned to fit 4 bikes on there. That option (hack) was one of the must-haves for us that sealed the deal for Arkto v. Boreas. But I also prefer the side entry and interior set up of the Arkto. And now that we can get the 900+Ah batteries, and 1kW panel set up, the decision just got easier.

There's also a new folding bunk bed available to enable 4 to sleep without having to convert the passenger side bench, or to actually have room for 5, if 2 or 3 of them are kids. There is option for 3kW inverter that comes with the AC unit option and includes 30A shore power plug.

For the price, even with the USD in the **************, it's the best deal on the best trailer for us, hands down. Second, but not close bc of price, was the TetonX but some of the added complexities in suspension and on-board air were not for us. And Atlas never did answer our online quote request, so they were already on thin ice. Aaron and Matt for the win.

We are in New Orleans area if anyone wants a closer look next year.

Alta racks rule

 

[Subnormal]

We got our G12 a few weeks ago and are loving it. Arkto customer service was exceptioanl as expected, and the trailer was easy to tow, easy to set up and really comfy on our shakedown trip in temps below freezing. We have 600 W solar array, and 960 Ah of battery storage. In 3 nights, 4 days, we got down to about 70% battery, running as much hot water as wanted, and heating to 55 deg all night. We used about a third of a 30# propane tank, I think. We have a gauge but it's not really clear how much of the total is used.
It tows very smoothly but we are maxed out on the GCVR of 10800 (6200/4600) even without carrying water. I like having a mid size truck on trails but towing and load capacity is a limitaion for sure. And we got about 10.5 mpg on mixed driving, from 55 to 75 mph for 1.5 hrs.

The interior and overall usefulness is really great. Storage is as expected - phenomanal. The OVS awning is effertless to deploy, but a work out to get back into its duffle. This should get easier with pracrice I hope. Its coverage is really good and gives plenty of living space. The OVS shower tent is good but you have to secure the base pretty good or it blows around a lot. Its unfortunate that the entrance to the shower is diamtrically opposite of the awning cover meaning that you have to go fully outside of the awning/trailer environment to get into the shower/toilet tent. OVS should make this more configurable, but it's also due to the fixed location of the Arkto shower connection access built into the wall.

One trade off we made with our preference for outdoor kitchen is that in extreme temps we have to close up the kitchen slides at night to maintain the insulation efficiency. Sounds obvious when I write this, but wasn't something that I had considered. Once the G12 is closed up though, It's quite efficent, dark and quiet. The Truma AC and heater worked very well.

One of our base requirements was the bike rack. We got in contact with Alta Racks from this forum and Arkto who have this custom hitch adapter for their Superior rack system. We have Superior 45 and it is mega. Super steady and stable, well built, and easy to order from Alta. It's bit of a lift to get a 50+lb e-bike into the rack but it can be done. A regular modern CF MTB is no problem.

The tare weight of the trailer is 3500 lb or something like that, with max of 4600 lb. But once we added up the various options weight - panels, batteries, bunk, insulation, bikes, etc, the available cargo weight quickly approaches zero. It leaves little room for water, food, toys and such. Point being, there a lot of storage volume here but not an equivalent weight margin for typical camping rig. Not a problem if you have a full size truck, but for our mid size ZR2, we quickly got to GVCR. Our truck has an added leaf for +750 lb of support but it still sags a couple inches and doesn't add to the max GV capacity.

 

[K9LTW]

We have 600 W solar array, and 960 Wh of battery storage.

Congrats on the trailer! Pretty sure you mean 960 AHr of battery which would be 11,520 WHr. Did you get AC as well?

The space : payload ratio is, definitely, something to be aware of! I brought that up to a lot of folks while working at Expo East. You can EASILY overload one with so much room for activities!

 

[Subnormal]

Congrats on the trailer! Pretty sure you mean 960 AHr of battery which would be 11,520 WHr. Did you get AC as well?

The space : payload ratio is, definitely, something to be aware of! I brought that up to a lot of folks while working at Expo East. You can EASILY overload one with so much room for activities!

Right, Ah, doh! we did get the Truma Saphir AC and used it on the first night out. The weather turned and we used the heater on the next couple nights. Really slick and really efficient.

 

[Spencer for Hire]

Nice setup! Can you get the trailer without the outdoor kitchen?

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

We got our G12 a few weeks ago and are loving it. Arkto customer service was exceptioanl as expected, and the trailer was easy to tow, easy to set up and really comfy on our shakedown trip in temps below freezing. We have 600 W solar array, and 960 Ah of battery storage. In 3 nights, 4 days, we got down to about 70% battery, running as much hot water as wanted, and heating to 55 deg all night. We used about a third of a 30# propane tank, I think. We have a gauge but it's not really clear how much of the total is used.
It tows very smoothly but we are maxed out on the GCVR of 10800 (6200/4600) even without carrying water. I like having a mid size truck on trails but towing and load capacity is a limitaion for sure. And we got about 10.5 mpg on mixed driving, from 55 to 75 mph for 1.5 hrs.

The interior and overall usefulness is really great. Storage is as expected - phenomanal. The OVS awning is effertless to deploy, but a work out to get back into its duffle. This should get easier with pracrice I hope. Its coverage is really good and gives plenty of living space. The OVS shower tent is good but you have to secure the base pretty good or it blows around a lot. Its unfortunate that the entrance to the shower is diamtrically opposite of the awning cover meaning that you have to go fully outside of the awning/trailer environment to get into the shower/toilet tent. OVS should make this more configurable, but it's also due to the fixed location of the Arkto shower connection access built into the wall.

One trade off we made with our preference for outdoor kitchen is that in extreme temps we have to close up the kitchen slides at night to maintain the insulation efficiency. Sounds obvious when I write this, but wasn't something that I had considered. Once the G12 is closed up though, It's quite efficent, dark and quiet. The Truma AC and heater worked very well.

One of our base requirements was the bike rack. We got in contact with Alta Racks from this forum and Arkto who have this custom hitch adapter for their Superior rack system. We have Superior 45 and it is mega. Super steady and stable, well built, and easy to order from Alta. It's bit of a lift to get a 50+lb e-bike into the rack but it can be done. A regular modern CF MTB is no problem.

The tare weight of the trailer is 3500 lb or something like that, with max of 4600 lb. But once we added up the various options weight - panels, batteries, bunk, insulation, bikes, etc, the available cargo weight quickly approaches zero. It leaves little room for water, food, toys and such. Point being, there a lot of storage volume here but not an equivalent weight margin for typical camping rig. Not a problem if you have a full size truck, but for our mid size ZR2, we quickly got to GVCR. Our truck has an added leaf for +750 lb of support but it still sags a couple inches and doesn't add to the max GV capacity.

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Awesome set up. You might want to consider a bit more solar to go with your battery capacity. I picked up the Renogy 300 watt 300W N-Type Lightweight Portable Solar Panel Suitcase for less then 400 on a black Friday deal. Non regulated so it ties into solar charger. Maybe add Timbren SES bumper stops to help with sag.

 

[K9LTW]

Nice setup! Can you get the trailer without the outdoor kitchen?

That's not an option on paper, but reach out to Aaron and the crew there. They might? be willing to entertain that. You looking to eliminate it just to save weight?

 

[Subnormal]

Awesome set up. You might want to consider a bit more solar to go with your battery capacity. I picked up the Renogy 300 watt 300W N-Type Lightweight Portable Solar Panel Suitcase for less then 400 on a black Friday deal. Non regulated so it ties into solar charger. Maybe add Timbren SES bumper stops to help with sag.

I did get a Renogy 400 W portable blanket for this reason, but have not used it yet. During the shortest days when we were out camping before NYE, the 600 W of rooftop was only making about 150-250 W at midday in full sun. So if I was really boondocking I would want to have that portable source. It also charges at 30 A from the truck via andersen plug so I think with all those sources, we can make full use of the battery capacity and not have to conserve in most situations.

I may go ahead and get a full Deaver leafpack for the rear but I haven't looked into that yet to see if it would actually give more support than the add a leaf. The truck already has the Timbren bump stops but they do not aid with the initial sag. Just extra cushion for big hits or full articulation.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I did get a Renogy 400 W portable blanket for this reason, but have not used it yet. During the shortest days when we were out camping before NYE, the 600 W of rooftop was only making about 150-250 W at midday in full sun. So if I was really boondocking I would want to have that portable source. It also charges at 30 A from the truck via andersen plug so I think with all those sources, we can make full use of the battery capacity and not have to conserve in most situations.

I may go ahead and get a full Deaver leafpack for the rear but I haven't looked into that yet to see if it would actually give more support than the add a leaf. The truck already has the Timbren bump stops but they do not aid with the initial sag. Just extra cushion for big hits or full articulation.

Can you place in spacers so your 1/4 inch from hitting stops on the Timbrens ?

 

[Spencer for Hire]

That's not an option on paper, but reach out to Aaron and the crew there. They might? be willing to entertain that. You looking to eliminate it just to save weight?

I was thinking of more storage and just have a small portable stove inside.

 

[K9LTW]

I did get a Renogy 400 W portable blanket for this reason, but have not used it yet. During the shortest days when we were out camping before NYE, the 600 W of rooftop was only making about 150-250 W at midday in full sun. So if I was really boondocking I would want to have that portable source. It also charges at 30 A from the truck via andersen plug so I think with all those sources, we can make full use of the battery capacity and not have to conserve in most situations.

I may go ahead and get a full Deaver leafpack for the rear but I haven't looked into that yet to see if it would actually give more support than the add a leaf. The truck already has the Timbren bump stops but they do not aid with the initial sag. Just extra cushion for big hits or full articulation.

Any reason not to consider air bags? If you only need extra support for towing and it's perfect when the trailer's not hooked up...it's going to ride like a brick without the trailer. I've had bags on multiple vehicles and love the utility.