Camper Trailer of the Year 2021: Offline Domino

Various — 20 May 2021
Extremely well-designed and practical, the Offline Domino stands a tier above the rest

DAVID COOK

Score: 85

The Offline Domino is a true offroad specialist’s camper, well thought out and full of practical features. The ground clearance is good, while the Cruisemaster XT suspension, most especially with the airbag feature, meets every requirement and has the virtue of service centres around the nation, and the build quality is excellent.




The extended drawbar has some minor impacts on the Domino’s offroadability. It reduces ramp-over angle and adds to the turning circle, which can be a problem in tightly timbered country or on narrow tracks, but that is rarely a big issue and the gains in reversing control and the improved access around the front of the camper for those with tow vehicles with either a barn-style rear door or fold-down door is soon apparent.

Life on the tracks is made easier by the positive air pressure feature provided by the fan, and servicing of this is ensured by the ready availability of replacement filters should one become clogged. The DO35 hitch and the hi-lift jack points are also well included.

The comforts are a major plus with the Domino. The readily accessible queen bed with its personally chosen inner spring mattress will be welcomed by any traveller when the camper is in either mode. The rear floor is roomy and a great boon if you have kids or the outside world is unfriendly. The space heater, lighting, fans and rooftop thermal blanket all assist in controlling the internal environment.

Food preparation is handled elegantly with the large kitchen, which has loads of food prep and serving bench space, three-burner cooktop and sink. The handy pantry drawers adjacent to the kitchen and above the fridge provide easy access to all the necessities and tools you’ll need and the Dometic CFX 95L fridge/freezer immediately to the front of the van matches the ergonomics with the engineering.

The biggest feature of the Domino is its dual mode camping option, in either short/overnight stay format or long-stay form. The former requires no more than 20 seconds to access via the fold-out rear doors, so getting in out of bad weather is quick and simple, and the full set-up with the extendable rear floor, awning and ensuite is no more than 10 minutes. You can’t beat that. Even the air suspension makes levelling up quick and easy.


KATH HEIMAN

Score: 79.5

It’s always great to see a camper brimming with Aussie ingenuity and attention to detail. With the Offline Domino, it starts with the laser cut hot dipped 100 x 50 x 3mm Australian steel chassis. The grade 5052 frame is folded, welded and rivetted down. The underside of the vehicle is remarkably clean and well-finished. Outside, the 2-pac painted panelling is a combination of marine grade aluminium with 29mm composite on the upper walls. Raptor coating features on the stone-guards and behind the rear tyres which provides added protection over rough terrain. And while you’re putting this rig through its paces, the iconic Cruisemaster XT shocks and AirBag Man suspension will ensure that the Domino performs as well on the tracks as your tow-tug does. 

Throughout the camper, the quality of fit and finish is clearly evident. Slides are sturdy, work surfaces are practical and the internal adult’s sleeping space has a resort feel. This ambiance is reinforced by the freedom to select your own mattress of up to up to 350mm depth. Inside and out, control panels are clear and readily accessible, At the galley, a stabilising mechanism would help prevent the risk of stove-top spillages if the kitchen slide is bumped by inattentive users. 

To support your adventures, the Offline Domino provides heaps of features to help keep you in the great outdoors longer with lots of built-in redundancy. This includes separate 105L and 75L water tanks, with a lift pump and inline filter so you can top-up on the run. There’s also 435W of solar fixed to the roof, with 260W exposed to the sun at any one time. The two 4.5kg gas bottles are standard with space for two optional jerry cans. When it comes time to pack, Offline have clearly focussed on space optimisation. Whether it’s a shower hose, extension cord, awning pole, cereal box or generator, there’s a suitably shaped storage cavity. While some spaces are taken up with the airbag suspension controls and hot water diesel tank, there are still many options to choose from. Standouts are the massive pantry and underbed drawers. With the Offline Domino offering so much amenity and comfort, the only thing left is to pack up, head out, and enjoy the ride.


GLENN MARSHALL

Score: 84

At $85,000, this Aussie owned, designed and manufactured hybrid is great value. A lot of work has gone into the R&D and it shows with an impeccable finish, ingenious functionality and classy fixtures and fittings. This is the perfect camper for a couple who love the adventure of a big trip but want high-quality comfort as well. It has been designed for self-sufficient, off-grid camping and can go where most caravans can’t. The Domino even has features that even the top-of-the-line caravans don’t have, such as a 12V fan that pressurises the camper via an automotive filter that can be switched to operate full-time or only when the tow vehicle is running or the Enerdrive system that can charge the vehicle battery from the camper when connected to AC power. 

The solar panels have been installed so that the 85W and one of the 175W panels are always exposed because when the camper is in camp mode, the 175W roof panel ends up facing the floor. However the second 175W panel is integrated into the canvas roof, replacing the first panel — ingenious. 

The good thing is at this price there is nothing else you need to add as everything is included — all you need is to pack some clothes, fill the fridge, hook up and hit the road on your next remote outback adventure. 

The X-Factor for the Offline Domino is the simplicity of setting up, either in the travel mode or camp mode, and the high-quality comforts make it so special. It’s having an external connection that enables you to pump up your tyres using the airbag compressor, to the electric actuator that opens the floor to the precise position required when in camp mode. This is one heck of a well thought out camper trailer and a worthy winner at Camper Trailer of the Year for Best Hybrid and Most Innovative categories.


TIM VAN DUYL

Score: 86.5

Wowser, talk about starting off with a bang, and no I do not mean we hit a tree. We’ve only known Offline for about a year and this was their first CTOTY, yet they immediately took two prizes including the coveted Most Innovative Camper. 

Camper’s first look at Offline was through our SA based writer and former Camper Deputy Editor, Sam Richards who immediately called in to say Sam Reynolds, the founder and main man behind the brand, was onto something big. Richards was mighty impressed with its build quality and surprise, innovation, so the invite went out and Offline was booked in. 

The Domino’s standout is its dual modes. Unlatching and lowering the rear hatch creates the ‘Travel’ mode which leaves the footprint of the camper the same as towing yet keeps many creatures comforts still accessible. The design is perfect for stops just to sleep, while ‘Camp’ mode takes comfort to a new level with masses of space created by unfolding the body of the camper much like a hard floor rear-fold, while extra awnings fold out to add sunshade. But the complexity does not impact movement, it is easy around critical areas like the ensuite and kitchen. The Domino’s design fits our style of touring perfectly, allowing comfortable one-night stays on the way to one of our many spectacular but distant campsites. 

An innovation I really appreciate is the positive-pressure dust prevention system built in-house. A small fan pushes air into the front locker which is filtered through an off the shelf car cabin filter but best of all, it is wired to the tow vehicles ignition so will turn off when the car does, saving embarrassing flat batteries but ensuring the system is always on while driving. 

It doesn’t stop at the dual modes or clever pressure system though. Reynolds has thought through the practicalities of the layout with simple ideas like positioning the inverter control by the bedhead to give the owner better control of power usage and putting magnets on the backs of doors and lockers to prevent them from knocking around in the breeze. 


SPECS

TRAILER

TARE 1300kg (standard, 1400kg (displayed)

ATM 1900kg

Ball Weight 150kg 

Chassis 100 x 50 x 3mm high-grade RHS steel, chassis hot-dip galvanised

Body  Marine-grade aluminium and stainless steel with some composite panel walls 

Style Hybrid 

Tyres & Rims Matched to the tow vehicle up to 35in

Brakes 12in electric brakes 

Suspension Cruisemaster XT with airbags

Hitch DO35 coupling

DIMENSIONS

Width 1800mm 

Length 5070mm 

Height 2350mm 

STANDARD ACCESSORIES

Battery 2 x 100Ah AGM with 40A Enerdrive PMS 

Solar (0ptional) 3 x unregulated solar panels integrated onto the roof (2 x 175W and 1 x 85W) with 260W always available 

Hot Water Webasto Diesel hot water/heater (optional)

Ensuite 23 Zero ensuite tent 

Stove 2-burner Dometic (standard), 3-burner fitted here

Fridge 95L Dometic CFX

Awning Darche 180-degree awning 

Water 105L potable water and 75L drinking water plumbed separately

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

200Ah Lithium battery upgrade

CelFi mobile phone booster

PRICE

$85,000

ENQUIRIES

Offline Campers

Address 11 Ceafield Rd, Para Hills West SA 5096

Phone 0422 350 110

Email sales@offlinecampers.com.au

Web offlinecampers.com.au

Tags

Camper Trailer of the Year 2021 Winner Offline Domino Best Hyrbid Most Innovative