Earlier this year, South Africa's Berg Offroad introduced the CX6, an impressive trailer that packs small but expands into an all-out family base camp for up to six people. The builder's latest trailer tows on the same squaredrop-size footprint but adds space and comfort at camp by sleeping half the occupants. The little adventure vault folds and pops out in every direction to furnish up to three campers with comforts like a breakfast-on-bed nook, expansive outdoor kitchen and full-width bathroom.
Despite its smaller sleeping capacity, the CX3 actually sizes in slightly larger than the CX6. It stretches about 3 cm longer for a full length of 537 cm (17.6 ft) and stands a centimeter taller when closed at 228 cm (7.5 ft). Width checks in at the same 205 cm (6.7 ft).
That isn't exactly enough extra volume to create a separate room or add in a bed, but what's slightly surprising is that Berg goes in the other direction and makes the ever-so-slightly larger CX3 a couples' camper. And while the CX3 expands three-dimensionally in every direction, it does so in an entirely different way than the CX6.
The CX3 starts the expansion process by popping its full-length rectangular roof with help from a set of struts, creating standing height inside the trailer. The sloped front panel of the trailer folds forward to open the top half of the full-width bathroom, which features canvas upper walls and a removable fabric roof. The bathroom includes a shower, toilet and corner sink.
In place of the long king-size rear slide on the CX6, the CX3 has a shorter expansion on the right side of travel that houses the queen-size mattress. It comes standard with canvas walls, but Berg's launch model shows the optional hard-sided module with sides that fold, flip and swing out around the mattress, latching securely in place.
The wide design of the CX3 module creates what Berg calls a "semi-island" queen bed design, which provides space on one side for getting in and out. The foot of the bed is also open so the inside sleeper can get in and out of bed without disrupting the outside sleeper.
The rear expansion shown in the photos features the optional hard-wall sleeper layout, housing a single mattress to finish off a three-sleeper caravan. The standard version features a fold-out dining table that drops outside, a fabric window covering over the opening to the interior.
No one goes hungry at CX3 camp thanks to an expansive kitchen that takes up the entirety of the trailer's left side. It starts at the rear with a two-part hatch. The fold-down lower half becomes a long outdoor worktop, while the upper half flips up to reveal a large pass-through to the inside, complete with a fold-down tablet that turns the edge of the queen bed into a scenic breakfast bar/dining nook. The lower outdoor side houses several shelves and the optional 20-L microwave.
Step around the rugged toolbox that doubles as a step to the entry door, and the main kitchen area slides out from inside the bathroom, bringing with it a dual-burner Cadac stove, complete sink system tapped to the 150-L fresh water tank, and storage space for four places worth of dishes and flatware, along with cooking tools and utensils.
Ahead of the main kitchen unit, the slide in the nose box is built to hold the available Flex CF-95 top-loader fridge/freezer. Buyers who want to augment that big fridge box with more cold storage can also get a drawer fridge on the main kitchen slide-out and/or a drawer or upright fridge for inside.
All that cooling comes powered by an onboard electrical system with 1,200-W Victron inverter, Victron solar charge controller and 220-V shore power hookup. Buyers can choose one or two 108-Ah lithium batteries and available solar panel setups.
Other handy features include a retractable garden hose, Hansen gas/electric water heater, traction boards, and a 180-degree batwing awning over the kitchen. The trailer also comes fully stocked with the aforementioned place settings and a variety of cookware and accessories, including a handy set of pots from Square. These pots use a cube-like shape and detachable handles to nest and stack more neatly than the typical round pots, optimizing storage in small spaces like caravans and cars.
The 950-kg (2,095-lb, tare) CX3 comes with the same gnarly build as the CX6 with galvanized steel ladder frame, 2.5-ton braked axle and leaf spring suspension. Its 17-in wheels are shod in 255/70R17 BFGoodrich trail-terrain tires and body construction a mix of aluminum, fiberglass and stainless steel hardware. Buyers who want to cut a little weight can opt for available carbon fiber body panels.
The CX3 is priced slightly lower than the CX6 and starts at ZAR549,950 (approx. US$31,000). Additional options include up to three annex tents that sleep three people each for creating something of a modular camp condo complex, awning walls, and bicycle racks for atop the nose box. While there's no guarantee, Berg did respond to an inquiry on one of its recent YouTube videos that it's working to bring its trailers to the USA.
The seven-minute slice of YouTube below provides a closer look at the various features of the CX3.
Source: Berg
