Australia Dominates the Camper Game Again! Gen 2 X3 Takes Over America's Off-Grid Scene

Well, this time around, Patriot Campers is showing us that perfection is subjective, and as such, they have taken the original X3 and beefed it up as far as it could go. It's time to get to know this off-road and off-grid-ready camper and why it needs to be on your mobile habitat list.

If you remember the piece we did on the original X3, then you may have some idea of what we're up against here. If you don't, then this article should be more than enough to give you a solid idea of what Patriot has achieved.

Now, Patriot Campers is an Australian crew, but unlike most of the other big names out there, Patriot also has a dealer in the US, in Las Vegas, to be precise. In short, if you fall in love with what you see here today, you can find one in North America. Best of all, it'll be a habitat designed and tuned for American and Canadian roads; laws and regulations differ in Australia.

As for the Gen 2, Patriot once again aimed to create an outdoor living machine that can handle whatever you or Mother Earth throws at it. To achieve this, they started the process with a "re-imagined" body, completed out of aluminum and composite materials.

All this means a unit that should have no trouble fighting off the elements, and due to its compact on-road size, it allows us to drag it behind our trucks and 4x4s with ease and through tight spaces. The compact size is also what you want if you're looking to rock crawl your way to your destination; solid approach and departure angles are to thank for that, too.

But, a shell will typically be only as good as the chassis you put it on, and for the Gen 2 X3, Patriot took things about as far as they could. As the base, a steel Rigilite hot-dipped galvanized chassis is standard, but the real deal is the X-Cruise suspension setup with progressive rate airbags. The latter is also to be used while looking to level your unit, even on uneven terrain.

All that will basically get you to your destination, but it's once you finally make it there that you'll really get to see what the rest of these babies can do, and oh, what fun!

First and foremost, Patriot knows that its customers don't want to reach their destination, and after hours of driving, to have to set up a camper by pushing and pulling bits and pieces for the next few minutes. So, all you have to do with a Gen2 is sit back and press a button to unfold the composite hard-top roof.

You will, however, need to unload any goods you've got sitting up here first. Otherwise, you'll be using your bicycles, cargo, or kayaks as support legs for your bedroom. Once that's flipped into place and the poles secured, you can start accessing the interior and complete the remaining steps needed to have a place you can call home.

Now, don't expect much from the interior, as Australians are best known for their outdoor living-oriented campers. Still, the interior offers a few basics we need and look for in something like this, including a two-person bed, lounge space for several guests, heating vents, and what looks like a ton of storage options. Oh, access to a 75-liter (20-gallon) fridge can also be made directly from the interior, just in case you're feeling lazy today.

Yet, it's not the indoor magic that the Gen 2 is all about, but rather the outdoor experience. With that in mind, once you've set up your interior, it's time to unfurl the rest of this unit, and you can start the process with nothing more than a massive batwing awning. With a tad of shade in place, you can access the soft-open and close cabinetry all over the X3's shell.

Looking to whip up a quick meal? The galley storage includes a cooktop, storage, a fridge on a slide-out, and, if needed, a grill can be hidden in the updated nose-cone storage. The pop-up sink is fueled by 150 liters (39.6 gallons) of fresh water, and Dometic is the crew Patriot has called upon for all the mentioned appliances. Furthermore, the manufacturer equips each X3 with two AGM batteries, solar panels, and a Redarc RedVision controller, so you can even operate everything right from your phone, like an off-grid boss.

As for the right side of the camper, Patriot wasn't able to do much for this side, as this is the space the roof flips into, but that's not to say there isn't some hidden magic. A storage bin that slides into the unit is there for some of those items that you may or may not need, but if you ever do, they still need to be easily accessed without disturbing the bedroom.

The only downside I could find was the fact that this puppy doesn't have a bathroom, so you'll still need to drop a tad of extra cash on a privacy tent, porta-potty, and anything else you might need.

What does all this amount to? It means a travel trailer with the spunk to handle roads, trails, grasslands, and rock gardens and, in the process, deliver us to that hidden land where it's just you and your significant other or family. When you finally get there, you'll have a place you can call your home away from home.

But how much is this mobile half-shell going to run us? Well, this depends on a few things, mainly the features in place and how deep your dealership's pockets may be. According to the manufacturer's website, no less than $66,800 (€62,000 at current exchange rates) is what you'll need to bring with you to the lot.

Sure, it sounds like a bit more than most of us are willing to drop on something like this, but aside from that shower room and maybe some extra solar power, I don't see what else you could possibly need that the X3 doesn't already offer. Think about that for a second.