Australia's Signature Camper Stuns the World Again With the Cheap and Rugged Rugrat

Folks, the habitat we see displayed in the image gallery is none other than the Rugrat, a travel trailer from the minds and hands of the people over at Signature Camper Trailers. If this name sounds familiar to you, it's because we've featured their work on several occasions, and every time, they've left the world in shock with amazing and ungodly affordable habitats.

This is exactly the case with the Rugrat, too. For example, when I first ran across the manufacturer's website, one of the first things I noticed was this camper's price. Believe it or not, the standard Rugrat starts off at no more than $54,990, and that's in Australian dollars, which is just a tad under $35K American (at current exchange rates). $35K for this five-person towable!? You bet your bottom Australian Dollar.

Now, for this sort of cahs, we're looking at a hot-dipped galvanized drawbar and chassis with an aluminum frame set on top, and over that, body panels built up from composite and aluminum. But, the rear treat is the independent suspension with twin shocks on each swingarm. Quite the ready beast. Sure, North America isn't used to seeing such a beast on this sort of cash, but this is a common sight down under.

But the outdoor fun isn't over either. What I've learned over the years since I started exploring Australian machines is that the Aussies really love their outdoor lifestyle. With that in mind, I can only hope that you noticed just what can be achieved with a Rugrat.

What I mean to say is that while this unit already includes an internal kitchen, an outdoor galley setup is available and set up on a slide-out that hides neatly into the Rugrat's shell. At the opposite end, a little tabletop is integrated into the shell, the perfect place to set a glass of wine or two and enjoy the sunset under the shade of a side-mounted awning.

Continuing our exploration of the Rugrat's exterior, let's head to the rear of this unit. It's here that we find a spare tire mount, a privacy tent with flowing hot water, and, most importantly, access to the roof, where you can store goods and utensils but also fiddle with the 200 W of solar panels mounted up here. Heck, go a step further and grab even more juice and plan even longer trips. As long as there's water - 200 l (53 gals) of freshwater is standard for the Rugrat - and food, you should be fine.

As for the interior of this mobile half-shell, it's yet another reason why I chose to bring this machine to light. As we enter the unit, the left is occupied by an east-to-west bedding arrangement, which floats above the slid-out bay where the exterior galley is hidden.

Beyond the bedding, however, and integrated into the front wall, three storage bays filling up the remainder of the wall are sure to be more than plenty to store clothing and anything else your family needs to bring along.

Once we turn our backs to the bedroom, the remainder of the Rugrat reveals itself. I mentioned that there's an indoor kitchen, too, and it's sitting right across from a modular dinette, ready with nothing more than a sink and faucet, but a portable cooktop wouldn't be a bad idea. Also, above the kitchen, a TV can be added.

As for the remainder of the Rugrat, it's reserved for nothing more than sleeping. In each unit, a set of bunk beds can be spotted, and this is the perfect place to have the kids catching Zs. Personally, I'd set up a tent for them outside so that the missus and I could enjoy some alone time.

But that's all we get for the interior of this beauty. If you're looking for a bathroom, there is one, but it's that outdoor privacy tent I mentioned. However, one feature definitely not lacking in a Rugrat is storage. Just take a look around; nearly every wall and piece of furniture has some sort of storage capability.

There's just one catch to all of this magic that you see; it's only available in Australia. Even if you think you've got the cash to afford the shipping, which you probably do, these bad boys are built for Australian roads and infrastructure, not to mention road laws and regulations. So, good luck rocking one around the US.

Luckily for North Americans, some crews have begun to import Australian brands and their machines, and they've been redesigned for the US and Canada, but for the time being, Signature doesn't seem to be on that list, for the time being, that is. Until then, let's drool over what sort of machines come out from the land down under.