It’s not hard to be impressed seeing your first Arkto Camper: the hard, angled lines, a bold paint job, and its aggressive stance. I borrowed an Arkto G12 camper for a weekend of fun throughout Colorado and Wyoming to test it out. Spoiler alert: it’s everything you’d want in an off-road trailer.
This 12-foot trailer (coupler to spare tire length: about 20 feet) is not just a pretty face, it’s built tough and made for a long, rugged life filled with adventure. Its burly frame is crafted from galvanized steel with a 75-year lifespan. If you live near the sea, travel in the winter, or spend time camping on the beach, this trailer is for you.
The G12’s cabin is completely built in Canada with composite materials. Its walls are structural sandwich panels with aluminum tubes at critical reinforcement points. The interior cabinetry is crafted from laser-cut, formed, and powder-coated aluminum to keep weight down and eliminate any mold and warping issues that trailers often have.
It’s made for four-season use with hot and cold water for the kitchen, an outdoor shower, a heater, optional AC, and full R7 insulation throughout.
Driving the Arkto G12 off road
Getting the beast off road, it immediately becomes clear that any limitation in the terrain you can successfully navigate is only limited by your tow vehicle, not by the G12. I traversed across steep side hills and climbed up and over steep, loose hills with large waterbars that would push the limit of a standard ball hitch, while the G12’s articulating hitch took it with ease.
I did a tiny bit of easy-ish rock crawling, nothing my mostly stock Tacoma couldn’t handle, but in case you have a significantly more capable truck than I do, the G12 sports 32-inch all-terrain tires and 16 inches of ground clearance thanks to axle-less independent off-road suspension.
You also get full skid plates underneath. It’s really nice to have peace of mind when you’re dragging the G12 across rocks, through puddles, and over roads that make your passenger look for the grab handles.
Speaking of towing, I towed it with my 2021 Toyota Tacoma and it was no problem. At 3,600 pounds, the Arkto is no featherweight, but the Tacoma handled it just fine. I didn’t tow it up any mountain passes or steep roads. Had I taken to the hills, I would have wanted mirror extenders and trailer brakes. But assuming you give yourself reasonable follow and braking distance, you don’t need a full-size truck.
Upon arriving at camp, setup is quick and easy: set the stabilizers, pop four latches, get in, and push the front and rear up and you’re home-away-from-home is ready. It took me about 15 minutes from parking to fully deployed.
The Exterior
It’s safe to say that most of us use these rigs to spend time in beautiful places that few get to see. To that end, the G12 is well equipped to be your al fresca basecamp. You’ve got a 270-degree awning, a kitchen that any chef would be happy to cook in, and hot/cold taps with an optional shower cube at the back.
Speaking of the rear shower cube, you also have outside access to the toilet. The flushable toilet is easily removable and can be placed outside in the cube if you (or your travel partners) don’t want to use the toilet inside.
Often, we take these trailers not just to be out there in the wild, but to do. The exterior has organized storage for everything you need and want along on any adventure. There are separate cubbies for your tools and vehicle maintenance needs like recovery gear, fluids, and spare parts.
A full-width, passthrough cubby fits long, bulky things like skis and inflatable SUPS. And a whole other cubby fits folding chairs , extra clothes, whatever. You will not want for storage.
And if you need to carry huge items like kayaks or bikes, there’s a roof rack and a front-end 2-inch receiver to attach a bike rack. It’s not just an abode on wheels, it’s your favorite toy hauler as well.
The Kitchen
It’s safe to say that the standout feature of the G12 is the slide-out kitchen. As a serious cook, I marveled at the two-burner Dometic stove, the ample counter space, and the hot and cold running water. It’s nicer than some apartments I’ve had.
The kitchen is incredibly friendly for cooks and non-cooks alike. It has two drawers perfect for spices and cutlery, a pop-up drying rack above the sink, undersink cubby, and even a towel holder. This gives all your cooking gear a home and keeps you organized. A decent-sized sink with a flexible faucet makes cleanup quick and easy.
The cavernous pantry and 75L IceCo dual-zone fridge provide plenty of storage and capacity for extended trips. Thanks to the foldout prep table and extra “wing” adjacent to the stove, there is enough counter space for at least two people. And if you really want to go big, culinarily speaking, the G12 sports a propane hookup in case you want to attach a separate grill. The entire kitchen is protected beneath the awning too, so cooking in less-than-perfect weather is a non-issue.
On board, you have a 37-gallon fresh water tank, so go ahead, take that long, hot shower, you’ve earned it.
The Interior
One thing that strikes me is the G12’s livability. It’s easy to set up and take down if you’re moving from place to place, but it’s just as capable as your home-away-from-home. Arkto boasts having one of the market’s largest storage capacities, with an impressive 105 cubic feet of storage volume and 1,000 lbs. of cargo capacity. Day in and day out, the key to happiness on any trip is organization. Inside, the G12 has a place for everything.
The headroom in the main area is huge, and the large windows allow plenty of light and ventilation. If you were stuck inside due to bad weather, you wouldn’t feel cramped in a dark, claustrophobic box. A multi-position table makes family dinner or game night inside easy.
The G12 sleeps 4 technically. I’d realistically say two adults and two children, since the secondary sleep area is the L-shaped couches. The main bed however is supremely comfortable, with a 6-inch-think memory foam mattress.
There are power outlets everywhere you would want them. If it’s warm, the massive windows and the Maxx Fan keep you cool. If that’s not enough, you could get an air conditioner as well. Camping in the mountains of Colorado, I actually used the heater after getting caught in some rain during a ride. It was darn nice to have.
Power
On the roof, you have 200-1,000 watts of solar, depending on how you spec yours. On board, you have two 100-amp-hour 12-volt batteries so you can be off-grid for as long as your PTO bank is filled.
My G12 had 640 watts, more than enough to power anything I could possibly need. A Red Arc inverter controls all the interior/exterior lighting, heater, and water heater as well as showing you charging status from the solar panels and the amount of water on board. There’s also an app so you can turn off the lights from bed, or turn on the heater when coming back to camp after a day out playing.
OK, so how much?
The G12 starts at $52,000 with plenty of options to customize it be exactly what you need. There are currently three color options (mine was the Boreal Green), in addition to the huge variety of choices you have outfitting it. Financing is available.
I only had three days with the Arkto, but I’ve been fantasizing about an extended road trip with it since I’ve returned. If you’re looking for a trailer for you, your family and space for all your toys that combines luxury, comfort, space for you, and legit off-road worthiness, take a look at Arkto. Like me, you’ll be impressed at first glance.
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