South African camping trailer specialist Invader is developing the all-new Viator as a roomier, more luxurious alternative to its smaller fold-out trailers. Like its other models, the Viator packs low and rugged for on/off-road travel and expands at camp. But it features a longer body and transformable furnishings that combine for a more complete floor plan that includes a bathroom, retractable dining area, queen bedroom and oversized multi-slide outdoor kitchen.
Still a prototype undergoing final testing and tweaking, the Viator debuts as a "new era of luxury" for Invader. It falls well short of the massive, small home-like fifth-wheels and multi-axle caravans common in other global markets, but for Invader, it marks a larger, more fully equipped breed of expandable camping trailer.
While Invader's previous two-person camper launch, the 4.3-m-long (14.1-ft) Duo X trailer, relies on a fold-out bed to supplement its limited floor area in creating a living space for a pair of adventurers, the larger 5.5-m-long (18-ft) protoype has enough floor space without forward expansion. In fact, the two-person Viator also stretches out longer when packed up than Invader's 4.8-m (15.7-ft) four-person dual-folding Quattro X. That makes it a bit larger and heavier to tow than older Invader camping trailers but provides faster setup and a more complete indoor space in which to camp.
When hitched and ready to tow, the boxy Viator ducks down to a 205-cm (6.7-ft) height that perfectly matches its 205-cm width. That's just over 11 cm (4 in) higher than an unmodified South African-spec Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. At camp, all it takes is the press of a button, and the Viator rises to a height of 270 cm (8.6 feet) by way of an electric scissor lift system. Invader says it takes under a minute.
With the roof up, the Viator invites campers inside into a floor plan that's more fully featured than one might expect from outside. The rear bathroom to the right of the entryway features a shower floor separated from the front cassette toilet/sink room by a curtain, providing a hybrid wet/dry setup. The rainfall shower head is secured to the ceiling so automatically rises into place when the roof is lifted.
Turning left upon entry puts you into a foyer space that leads to the raised queen bed. On one side, the long side console stretches the entire length of the bed over top the external storage compartments. It includes a worktop that can serve as a nightstand and side shelf. It also houses a fold-out bench seat that works with the under-mattress slide-out table and fixed bench seat on the opposite wall to create a two-person dinette that easily stores away to free up the floor space between the bed and bathroom.
While a nice, cozy space for two, the Viator cabin doesn't have any spillover space for a kitchen, so that remains outside, as in Invader's older trailers. This trailer, however, has a homey design with fittings that would work nicely inside a luxury camper van or tiny home. It features a slide-out wood worktop with neatly centered dual-burner stove and faucet. The latter works with a separate under-slide that holds wet and dry sink basins. The fridge/freezer is on a second slide inside the same cabinet as the kitchen, while the drawer above holds dishes in fitted foam. The next cabinet over houses what appears to be a microwave or toaster oven.
Invader plans two awning options for providing shade and weather protection over the kitchen area.
The Viator comes prewired with an electrical system with 108-Ah lithium battery and Victron smart monitoring system, DC-DC charger, 30-A shore power hookup and solar controller. The trailer rides on Invader's galvanized ladder chassis to deliver the off-road ruggedness for which the brand stands and tares in at 1,250 kg (2,756 lb), offering a payload of 550 kg (1,212 lb).
Invader showed the Viator prototype at South Africa's annual Caravan Show last month. It plans to ready the production version for June delivery and is accepting early bird preorders now at a discounted price of ZAR585,000 (approx. US$34,725) that runs until April 30.
The quick 1.5-minute video below gives a good look at the Viator's automated roof operation and some components and storage areas that are not featured in the photos.
Source: Invader
