ALL TERRAIN WALK UP EXTREME OFF ROAD REVIEW
|
|
Time to read 6 min
One of the great joys of camping is leaving the glimmer and glitz of the city lights behind and viewing the spectacle of a clear, star-filled night at a remote campsite. stThe good people at All Terrain certainly understand this and many more pure delights of the open road.
All Terrain is a long-standing name in Australian camper trailer history. Hailing from Sydney's Seven Hills, this well-respected company has been creating serious offroad campers for around 15 years. A close inspection of its Walk Up Extreme Off Road model reveals a design evolved from personal experience and appreciation of the environment.
All Terrain calls it the Walk Up Extreme Off Road but we reckon it should be the 'Stargazer'. Imagine you and your partner lying on a queen bed in the middle of nowhere with nothing between you the constellations above. At worst, zip up the midge mesh screen to keep out the unwanted inhabitants and still enjoy being a living part of the solar system. It's the romantic experience of a lifetime made possible by All Terrain. This is what camping is all about!
The Walk Up Extreme Off Road reveals plenty of strength and practicality. It has a rugged trailer to get you out there and back again safely. It's amazing how much difference an extra couple of inches makes with a slightly deeper tub body, and a wider internal walkway giving enormous storage capability as well as convenience.
A strong female influence is obvious with little extra touches everywhere you look. In the tent there are internally closing windows with exterior sub awnings, storage pockets everywhere, a convenient mirror pack that can hang where you need it, a bedside table, sensible shoe storage to stop you tripping over them in the middle of the night, inbuilt hangers and a fitted laundry bag where dirty clothes can be thrown from anywhere in the tent. It even has a shoulder strap to get you to the laundry.
The 4.5x2.85m tent is a beauty. It's made from strong 12oz canvas all round and assembles with ease. In case you were worried, the 'sky roof' also has an awning which doubles as a tropical roof to eliminate condensation and maintain airflow in the tropical wet. There's no need for internal adjustment of the strong DuraGal internal frame and the tent assembles in minutes for an overnight stay. It has big doors and an optional separate room for the kids.
Stairways can be difficult but the Walk Up Extreme Off Road has a beauty. The step placement is ideal for even the weakest knees and it leads to a 600mm wide walkway with plenty of storage and accessibility to the bed.
The stainless steel kitchen makes catering a breeze. There's a four-burner Smev stove with stainless sink and hot and cold running water, and a long height-adjustable preparation bench. All Terrain even manufactures its own unique kitchen runners for a choice of cooking angles. There's a tonne of utensils, pots, pans and hamper storage, as well as a 60L Engel fridge on a 'swing away' slide as standard. Remember the extra little touches we discussed? Well there's marine carpet lining in the drawers, a clear section skylight in the annexe, and even a tea towel holder!
The awning and kitchen wall is part of the standard package, as are the 12V lighting and accessory plugs. The twin 100Ah batteries are charged via an Anderson plug and Ctek DC-DC charger with solar regulator.
Everyone loves a shower to wash away the trail dust and the Walk Up Extreme Off Road has a detachable ensuite with hot water supplied by a Duoetto 12/240V electric heater. The ensuite also doubles as a toilet or change room and is just the thing for scrubbing those grubby rug rats at the end of an exhausting day in the bush. The ever essential water comes from two lockable 76L, 10mm food grade polyethylene water tanks with two electric pumps for each supplying the kitchen and shower.
Underneath there's a strong, full chassis trailer with nine leaf eye-to-eye super rebound springs rated to two tonne and a 50mm axle with mechanical over ride disc brakes. The drawbar has a Trigg offroad coupling, handbrake, removable jerry can holders (that double as wood storage), a large 2.1mm checkerplate alloy toolbox, stone guards, a removable jockey wheel and even a canvas rubbish bag for carrying your waste out of the wilderness. There are tonnes of storage all round, gas bottle holders, and the entire tub is finished in hammer tone enamel paint.
The happy little campers at All Terrain are extremely proud of their Walk Up Extreme Off Road, and display last year's OCOTY divisional winner award with honour. Time has only improved this stellar brand.
THE JUDGES' NOTEPAD
STUART JONES: The All Terrain Walk Up Extreme Off Road is built for hard-core 4WD touring, and it delivers. It's well set up, and there's plenty of gas, water and battery grunt. There's also space for up to seven jerry cans. Lots of thought has gone into the liveability of unit. Love the skylight over the kitchen, love that you can sleep under the stars, and love all the little pockets and add-ons throughout. I really like the custom ensuite set-up for the shower or a dunny. The Walk Up Extreme Off Road has a few more poles and pegs for the annexe compared to some others and the sleep under stars skylight set-up could be seen as fiddly by some. This take-anywhere throw-anything-at-it trailer has plenty of clearance and is built tough.
NICK MANNELL: The All Terrain Walk Up Extreme Off Road is a hands-on, practical camper that's great for full-on offroad work. All the steel work and canvas is done in house and the quality is good. The ventilation offered by the open sky roof is sensational - it's awesome to be able to sleep under the stars. The tent's clear side covers are a great idea also. When it comes to comfort, it's all there. Take the solar option, and I'd give it a 10. I really like how the rear tow point is raised - it's obvious that the manufacturer is hands on with the intended use.
ANITA PAVEY: The All Terrain Walk Up Extreme Off Road offers excellent value for money with lots of extras and enough canvas to keep the family happy. The bench space is good, the kitchen is fixed and there's plenty of storage in the pantry. Camping comfort is paramount in the Walk Up, with the queen size innerspring mattress, ensuite and a new wider aisle to get into bed. The water tanks, four more jerry can holders, a larger gas bottle and a 550mm-deep tub will keep you off the grid for weeks at a time. The one piece chassis is fully welded for superior strength, which is probably why we saw such an impressive offroad performance.
MIKE PAVEY: The All Terrain Walk Up Extreme Off Road is a rugged family camper. The design incorporates a swing around stainless steel kitchen, better access to the deeper storage, a bedside table, and an excellent canvas feature set including a laundry bag, massive overhead skylight and various internal pockets. The well-packed trailer is fitted with an electric-only hot water system, 152L water carrying capacity, an ensuite, disc brakes, 240V input and a DC-DC charger. The only thing missing is solar. Offroad performance is assisted by the 50mm lift.
JOHN 'BEAR' WILLIS: The All Terrain Walk Up Extreme Off Road is a good and honest trailer that's tough and strong. The structural integrity is good and the canvas tent comes with lots of niceties such as hangers, mirrors and shoe holders. I also like the larger walkways, deeper tub, rated recovery point and the stargazer roof. Setting up takes a bit of time, but two 100Ah batteries, two 9kg gas bottles, two 76L water tanks, seven jerries and electric hot water ensure a comfortable stay at camp - a battery monitor would seal the deal. Clearance is nice and high gaining an extra 50mm due to the blocks. I would prefer to have seen powder-coat instead of enamel paint, though. It's more like a Holden than a BMW, but it's tough and reliable. Resale should be good.
JUDGE'S PICK: NICK MANNELL
I'd be happy to own the All Terrain because it's as tough as you get. Strong in design and manufactured with 'offroadability' at heart, this is a huge selling point for All Terrain because campers need to be tough in this big brown land of ours. The large open living area is sensational, with a great kitchen area and loads of bench space to work from. The sleeping area, meanwhile, has impressive ceiling height and an open top, allowing great ventilation and stargazing in warmer climates. Loads of storage and great lighting also add to the creature comforts of this camper trailer. Everything is functional and well set up, and it's this ease of use that would see the All Terrain in my driveway.
Originally published in Camper Trailer Australia #60, January 2013.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.