Imperial Outdoors has its roots in ice fishing trailers built for stalwart fishermen facing some of the harshest winter conditions the United States can dole out. So it knows a few things about speccing out a mobile living pod for cold, bleak weather. With its all-new Outback Series, it puts that experience into a tow-anywhere off-road squaredrop built to thrive in four seasons' worth of weather and ground conditions.
Imperial Outdoors is the RV spinoff of Nelson Industries, a Wisconsin company specializing in finishing custom ice fishing houses built for extreme sub-zero winter weather. In fact, the company's first camping trailer, the 23-ft (7-m) 2021 XploreRV XR22 even took on the sharply angled face of an ice fishing house before Imperial refined its design into more conventional off-road travel trailer form.
Until now, Imperial has specialized in larger fixed-roof caravans with full interior layouts. With the new Outback Series, it turns its attention to the smaller end of the market, offering a two-plus-person teardrop that incorporates the same rugged construction and deep freeze-ready insulation as its larger models.
"Outback" seems a very fitting name for Imperial's latest design, as it takes on the same kind of rugged, ready-for-anything construction we're used to seeing in Australia's smallest off-road camper trailers. The trailer that launches the series, the 16.8-ft (5.1-m) OB-120 comes built on a virtually indestructible powder-coated steel perimeter frame cushioned by an independent suspension from Australia's Cruisemaster. It rides on a pair of 245/75 R16 all-terrain tires.
From there, Imperial fits out a cabin from tough, hardwearing composite. The OB-120 strays from its Outback inspirational roots and instead packs an insulation package far more reflective of its physical roots. Not only is it built for the typical snowy four-season weather you might experience around the US, its near-3-in-thick (7.6-cm) walls are crafted to stand strong against temperatures as low as -40 ° (that one's the same in Celsius or Fahrenheit ... nasty cold).
Of course, staying comfortable in that kind of weather will entail flipping the Truma Combi furnace/water heater on to create a warm cabin environment that makes use of the climate-isolating heavy insulation package. The rig also includes a heated 114-L fresh water tank to keep water flowing, not frozen.
Save maybe for the most diehard of winter camping enthusiasts, the OB-120 is still likely to see the most use in warmer months. Buyers can add an optional Dometic rooftop air conditioner designed to run off-grid to cool things down in the sweltering heat. The trailer also includes an available dual-180-degree awning system that wraps around the entire perimeter, ensuring that there's shade somewhere throughout the day. Imperial also offers optional awning walls to turn the trailer into what it calls a rolling yurt.
Imperial adds entry doors on both the left and right side for more convenient ingress/egress for each of the two campers on the full-size bed. The interior is your typical teardrop/squaredrop layout with mattress, overhead cabinetry, headboard shelving, a wide over-bed skylight, mesh cargo nets on the walls, and systems command screens. The folding mattress sets up as a couch during the day for comfortable sitting within the 47.5-in-high (120.7-cm) cabin.
Instead of the tailgate galley common on this style of all-terrain squaredrop, Imperial goes with a slide-out kitchen at the rear. It houses a dual-burner stove and sink on the main slide-out, installing the 75-L dual-zone fridge/freezer on a separate slide in the front cargo box.
The rear kitchen cabinet is well taller than needed for the kitchen slide, housing extra shelves on top and a paper towel holder on the door. The matching cabinet on the other side houses hardware for the electrical system, including the 102-Ah lithium battery. The optional roof-mounted solar system delivers up to 400 watts to keep that battery charged.
The OB-120 offers 16.5 inches (42 cm) of ground clearance to the lowest piece of metal on its underbelly. It weighs in at 2,460 lb (1,116 kg) and offers a payload of 1,740 lb (789 kg). A Cruisemaster articulating hitch delivers flexibility for smoother movement when rolling over bumpy, uneven terrain.
Texas Imperial dealership Outback RV tells us that it will sell the base trailer starting in the low/mid 40s. A generously optioned model, with a second battery for 204 Ah total, the 400 watts of solar, the dual-180-degree awning setup, the roof rack, the air conditioner, the rear cargo box, and external mounts for traction boards, hydraulic jack and other tools, will sell for US$53,900. Additional options include a rooftop tent to expand sleeping capacity and a shower tent.
Source: Imperial Outdoors