Kimberley Kube, BRS Sherpa, or ...? Which to get and why?

[Sid Post]

I wonder if a well made teardrop or squaredrop would be a potential solution? There are a couple of smaller builders in the US that appear to make units capable of handling rough terrain without falling apart.

One of those, coupled with a wedge topper on the truck could provide a lot of flexibility for travel and exploration.

I am looking at the Kingdom Campers really hard right now. MSRP OTD is ~$45K for what I expect to get, so price, weight, and size seem to be in the sweet spot for me. The build looks super solid as well.

And unlike most of the other options, especially the China-built options, light customization is relatively easy and cost-effective. For example, do I want a queen-size bed or more storage or an indoor fridge?

 

[Sid Post]

That's yet to be determined, right?

Only about 4 weeks of travel last year due to getting hit on the highway and having my vehicle totaled, and a long medical recovery.

Most of those days, at least the good ones, did not involve asphalt either!

 

[EPO]

Have you considered Arkto? They are great campers and supported by a great owner.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Great option EPO! I would have mentioned them but though it might be to big for Sid. Also I believe he mentioned moving away from a canvas pop up as he owned a Taxa. Just dawned on me that Arkto came out with a new smaller model. Sid they are worth considering. Aaron's pop up canvas is insulated and 100 times better then Taxa.

 

[Sid Post]

Have you considered Arkto? They are great campers and supported by a great owner.

What is the tariff situation on these today? The C10 looks like it might be an option for me. Without a really good reason for or against it, I am a little reluctant regarding the canvas top "ring".

Considering where it is made, the possible issue of things like frozen water lines should be a total non-issue for anywhere I will go in cold weather.

 

[Sid Post]

Great option EPO! I would have mentioned them but though it might be to big for Sid. Also I believe he mentioned moving away from a canvas pop up as he owned a Taxa. Just dawned on me that Arkto came out with a new smaller model. Sid they are worth considering. Aaron's pop up canvas is insulated and 100 times better then Taxa.

The C12 looks to be set up for a small family and would be best with a bigger tow vehicle, though my Tacoma is certainly capable of pulling it. Length and weight are a bit much, I think.

I think the C10 is definitely worth a deeper look. At 7'2" going down the road, aerodynamic drag will be less, and it is a bit slimmer overall. Having a stand-up height when parked has some attraction.

Being from Edmonton, AB, Canada, issues of travel deeper into the Winter months in North America should be relatively easy, even though it has water in the trailer.

Being in Canada, though, I'm not sure I want to deal with bureaucracy issues regarding tariffs, general politics, and getting it into the USA and registered in Texas, considering we aren't talking about some random border crossing in rural Central or South America with temporary registration and insurance.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

What is the tariff situation on these today? The C10 looks like it might be an option for me. Without a really good reason for or against it, I am a little reluctant regarding the canvas top "ring".

Considering where it is made, the possible issue of things like frozen water lines should be a total non-issue for anywhere I will go in cold weather.

Sid give Aaron a call. The G10 is listed at 48k US. He is a straight shooter. The Arktos have Timbren 3500HD which is not quite as robust as cruismaster and Kimberley s design in regard to suspension travel and rebound. However the Timbrens are lighter and fine for me. I have been running them for 3 years now and they have been great. I was able to swap my spindle for larger tires and ground clearance. That would not have been possible with Cruisemaster system. Again Aaron has designed the best pop up system on the market. You will enjoy when your standing up to get dressed in the morning. Much better for neck health!!

 

[highwest]

Have you considered Arkto? They are great campers and supported by a great owner.

Also Mission Summit, Atlas Teton X, Boreas, OGT, Bean, and other North American manufacturers of teardrop, squaredrop, popdrop, whatever you want to call them…

 

[Sid Post]

Sid give Aaron a call. The G10 is listed at 48k US. He is a straight shooter. The Arktos have Timbren 3500HD which is not quite as robust as cruismaster and Kimberley s design in regard to suspension travel and rebound. However the Timbrens are lighter and fine for me. I have been running them for 3 years now and they have been great. I was able to swap my spindle for larger tires and ground clearance. That would not have been possible with Cruisemaster system. Again Aaron has designed the best pop up system on the market. You will enjoy when your standing up to get dressed in the morning. Much better for neck health!!

I have reached out to Aaron already!

Waiting for a response to chat.

 

[Sid Post]

In the meantime, I am watching Arkto's YouTubes.

Regarding some of the other options mentioned by HighWest, the trailers I saw at various Expo events were all priced well above Arkto, like $10K or $20K more, and many are not made in North America. The dealer reps that were showing them often did not really know what they had, where they were made, etc., and were more like BAD USED CAR SALESMEN!

While I am not 'hard-over' against a China import, I prefer to keep my money circulating in North America when reasonable local options exist. I also WILL NOT PATRONIZE a dealer or company that lacks good customer service!

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I am not super impressed with Mission Overland and Off Grid Teailers. To many owner changes and not the best QC. I would definitely take Arkto over Teton X but they are worth a look. Bean s seem like a sold build but maybe a bit over priced. Boreas are in the same boat. I had some intrest in thier new stand up but they ghosted me. Maybe business isn't so great for them. I hope not as maybe they don't like my winning personality

 

[ExpoMike]

I would seriously look at the Bean Trailers Bean Squared model. Outside of the price, it seemed to hit all of the marks I wanted. I was looking to create my own but health issues made me realize it was a bigger project than I could do at this point. Made the move to building a van instead.

 

[Sid Post]

Really good call with Aaron from Arktos. I think I've got about 80% of a build nailed down with him. There are some open issues to resolve before a deposit is made though.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Really good call with Aaron from Arktos. I think I've got about 80% of a build nailed down with him. There are some open issues to resolve before a deposit is made though.

Comparing the Arkto with the Bean Squared. Arkto is 16 feet long Bean is 13 feet. That shorter length may appeal to you but it has a short A frame on chassis. Don't really see a huge advantage to the shorter length. I believe they both comes with a max coupler. Not my favorite. Ask Aaron why he chooses that hitch. Maybe a CM do35 could be optioned. I have an Ark articulating ball hitch. I would take that over max coupler. Bean has thier own suspension ( I believe). I get nervous when craft builders design thier own suspension but I may have more travel and rebound then Timbrens. The Bean is 75k the Arkto is 48k ish. I would go Kube over Bean and Arkto or Kingdom over all others.

 

[Sid Post]

Comparing the Arkto with the Bean Squared. Arkto is 16 feet long Bean is 13 feet. That shorter length may appeal to you but it has a short A frame on chassis. Don't really see a huge advantage to the shorter length. I believe they both comes with a max coupler. Not my favorite. Ask Aaron why he chooses that hitch. Maybe a CM do35 could be optioned. I have an Ark articulating ball hitch. I would take that over max coupler. Bean has thier own suspension ( I believe). I get nervous when craft builders design thier own suspension but I may have more travel and rebound then Timbrens. The Bean is 75k the Arkto is 48k ish. I would go Kube over Bean and Arkto or Kingdom over all others.

A short A-frame hitch will mean my tailgate stuff will impact the trailer. A short wheelbase might be nimble on the trail, but on the road, I want more length for easier use around gas pumps, roadside rest stops, etc.

I can live with a minor break-over clearance loss and additional trouble if I need to decouple and turn around on a narrow trail, for better day-in and day-out manners overall while pulling in more sedate conditions.