Small tenting trailers are nice for lots of causes. They’re simpler to tow and maneuver than giant trailers. They’re appropriate with a big number of autos, probably together with the on a regular basis driver parked in your storage. Much less trailer often means much less price ticket, and fewer cash spent on gasoline. The checklist goes on, however for all these benefits, small trailers often fall brief on one extremely crucial spec: a toilet. The most recent ROG trailer from Encore RV solves the dearth of loo difficulty in a moderately daring method, and it is a a lot better small camper for it.
Encore RV is a member of a brand new breed of Indiana RV builders working to forge a special path for the trade. It is situated proper within the Elkhart space that has lengthy served because the RV capital of the world, the identical RV capital of the world that has additionally gained a infamous status for being the world capital of cheaply constructed stick-and-tin RV garden ornaments.
However among the newest manufacturers on the Elkhart scene have their eye on a future of higher Elkhart merchandise. They have been watching rigorously the rising reputation of extra ruggedly constructed trailers and RVs from small, unbiased outlets round and past the US and have labored to include a few of these ideas into their very own bigger scale operations, providing a compelling mixture of robust, sturdy, corrosion-proof development and mass-produced pricing.
Encore was established in 2020 as a type of firms, shortly branching out with a three-brand lineup of adventure-ready trailers constructed utilizing all aluminum and composites, zero wooden. ROG is presently the sub-brand among the many three comprising the smallest, most rugged trailers, providing merchandise in each a simple “journey” base trim and a completely doomsday-prepped “survival” trim with a number of mounted axes, a water purification system, a primary assist package, and even a survival information for cross-referencing your shit-hits-the-fan SOPs.
Encore RV
In the meanwhile, the 12RK is the most cost effective base mannequin within the ROG household. It options the model’s fully wood-free development with single-piece fiberglass roof, aluminum framing and composite panels. The “12” references the camper field size of just below 12 toes (3.7 m), whereas your complete camper with tow bar measures in at 15 toes (4.6 m) lengthy. It is a small trailer by any measure, fairly comparable in measurement to the Campinawe Crossover Solo we checked out a couple of days in the past, to not point out dozens of different teardrop/squaredrop-style trailers.
Like Campinawe, Encore does not accept only a mattress and a few cupboards, turning its small trailer into an all-day dwelling house. The RK ground plan features a futon-style 60 x 80-in (152 x 203-cm) queen mattress that slides again to work as a settee for hanging out, listening to the included Bluetooth speaker and/or watching the obtainable 32-in TV mounted to the entrance inside wall.
Encore RV
The 12RK kitchen rides simply inside the twin tailgate doorways. The setup features a dual-burner slide-out range, countertop with inbuilt sink and 93-L 12V door fridge. A fold-down shelf across the facet of the trailer is designed for utilizing the obtainable 25-in dual-burner griddle, excellent for burgers, pancakes, bacon and different frequent campground fare.
The 12RK additionally comes normal with a big 163-L water tank, on-demand water heater and outside sprayer. What it does not come normal with: a toilet … or a bathroom, not even an inexpensive transportable mannequin on the choices sheet.
Encore RV
That is not essentially an all-out dealbreaker as a result of most trailers on this measurement class do not have a toilet, however in case you’re actually seeking to depart organized campgrounds behind for off-grid primitive websites, the best way a lightweight, rugged off-roader just like the 12RK is designed to do, you will need some type of bathroom resolution … and never essentially simply the shovel that comes as a part of the Survival bundle.
Encore debuted the all-new ROG 12RK-FB at Overland Expo West in Arizona a pair weeks in the past for simply this purpose. The brand new ROG trailer contains a very good, easy resolution to the lavatory conundrum confounding so many small trailer builders. As a substitute of taking on any of the ultra-limited ground house contained in the cabin, or increasing that cabin into one thing bigger and heavier that many consumers do not wish to tow, Encore equips the ROG trailer with a deployable part-time rest room inside a rugged cargo field up on the trailer tongue.
Encore RV
The ripstop rest room tent is designed to come out of the cargo field and pitch in minutes, if not seconds. The strut-assisted field lid opens sideways throughout the trailer’s width to function the outer tent wall, whereas built-in body members swivel round to carry the roof up in place. Every sidewall additionally depends on a thinner two-piece pole to push its cloth outward in order to not cling to the individual showering.
Encore’s design is rather more than simply an open tent you feed a bathe hose by means of. The bottom of the cargo field is crammed out with a correct tub ground full with drain, designed to work seamlessly with the built-in sizzling/chilly bathe sprayer. There’s additionally an built-in Thetford cassette rest room finishing the rolling outhouse moist tub format. The zip-down mesh display home windows let every consumer regulate air flow and privateness to their most popular consolation degree, whereas the decking-style EVA foam mat delivers anti-slip confidence when standing inside. A magnetic closure makes fast, intuitive work of closing off the material entry.
Encore RV
“Prospects have liked the compact versatility of our ROG 12RK, and the brand new FB mannequin takes that idea even additional by including a shortly deployable tub module with out sacrificing the light-weight, garage-friendly design that made the trailer so well-liked,” mentioned Encore RV founder Wealthy Schnippel in introducing the brand new mannequin. “We wished to create a real journey trailer that provides homeowners the consolation and comfort of a big moist tub whereas nonetheless remaining rugged, easy and straightforward to make use of.”
Primarily based on what we’re seeing in images and movies, Encore appears to have nailed the design. Not solely does the tent rise a lot larger than the 4-foot (1.2-m) hard-walled cabin inside to open near 7 toes (2.1 m) of standing house, it contains a extra steady, built-in design than the drafty roof rack-mounted privateness tents that always serve the function of loo on small tenting trailers. Along with its above-ground bathe ground, the Encore rest room additionally has ducted warmth from the 18,000-BTU propane furnace, making it extra an extension of the climate-controlled trailer inside than a fundamental tent. The one chilly half might be scurrying a couple of toes from the trailer door into the lavatory and again.
Encore RV
The all-new 2,800-lb (1,270-kg) Encore ROG 12RK-FB carries an MSRP of US$34,449 when in-built Journey trim, in line with a Fb submit by Encore. That is roughly $6,550 over the $27,902 base worth of the usual ROG 12RK with out rest room. At first that seems like a steep leap for a loo tent, however think about the hard-built basin ground, built-in rest room and ducted-in heating, plus the truth that Encore has to increase the trailer body and relocate the spare tire and propane tank, and the FB bundle is definitely rather more than only a tent.
However in case you’d favor to save cash, it might be simple sufficient to purchase a drop-down tent for a couple of hundred bucks and safe it to the ROG 12RK’s normal expedition-style roof rack. Sadly, that is the kind of choice current ROG 12RK trailer homeowners are left with as a result of the aforementioned body extension and {hardware} shuffling means the FB rest room can’t be retrofit.
Encore RV
Encore centered on the ROG 12RK in introducing the FB (Entrance Lavatory) choice, however the rest room field can be obtainable on the ROG 12BH trailer, a “Bunkhouse” ground plan different that options two giant bunk beds for sleeping as much as 5 individuals contained in the 12-foot ROG cabin.
The (phone-shot) video clip offers a full take a look at the entrance rest room field and the way it units up.
Encore RV’s Newest & Best Trailer: The ROG 12RK FB
Supply: Encore RV
