China Makes a Move on Your Wallet With an "Amphibious" Off-Road Camper for Ultra Low Bucks

My search led me to Alibaba, that renowned e-market where people like you and me and even businesses can purchase countless goods in bulk. Well, one listing that took my attention by storm is for a fully equipped and amphibious caravan, one built in the image of those we often see coming out of Australia. Let's dive into what China has to bring to the off-road and off-grid camper game.

For starters, let me point out that one of the units you see in the gallery starts off for a tad under $33K (€29,700 at current exchange rates), but if you're a business and are looking to flood your local nation with carbon-copied travel trailers with your brand stamped on the side, at over 50 pieces, you'll end up paying a tad under $28K a piece, a price that's even open to negotiations.

So, what are we getting for this sort of cash? Well, let's just say that if I was to judge a book by its cover, then I would definitely throw my cash at this bugger. But we're here to dive deeper and clearly see if this "house trailer" is something we can rely on.

Everything starts off with nothing more than a "special" and "high-strength off-road" chassis. That's all this machine's manufacturer states on Alibaba; there's nothing about how that chassis is built, if it's galvanized, or what metal is used to craft it.

From there, Wuhan Faraway Automotive Technology Co. - the manufacturer behind this habitat - throws on a double wishbone independent airbag suspension with four shock absorbers total, which makes things sound a whole lot more promising.

On top of all that, Faraway constructs the shell with an aluminum frame, XPS foam, and aluminum honeycomb panels, the color of which is customizable. Stuff that shell with all the necessities of home - we'll get to what those are soon enough - and we're presented with a mobile half-shell that weighs 1,800 kg (3,968 lbs) dry. An ATM of 2,400 kg (5,291 lbs) leaves us with the option to bring along 600 kg (1,322 lbs) of cargo.

Now, that may not sound like a whole lot of wiggle room for everything you might need off-grid, but it is, especially if we consider that the remainder of the T6 is rather well-equipped. Heck, even the roof is designed to be load-bearing and can handle up to 100 kg/m2 (20.5 lbs/ft2). Not bad there China, not bad at all. The 805 liters (213 gals) of exterior storage options are also a win in my book.

And the Chinese didn't stop there. On top of the T6, 900 W of solar panel power is at our disposal, and with a 5,000 W inverter pumping all that juice into 300 Ah of batteries, future owners shouldn't have any issues feeding their off-grid electrical needs. Heck, grab a gas or electric generator in case you catch some rainy days while you're out there.

Then there are features like the standard electric awning, a spare tire, an AC unit with a PM2.5 filter, electric and gas hot water and heater, reverse osmosis water filter (better look into some remineralization), and a 95-liter fridge. Did I mention that these people even figured out how to fit a washing machine, full wet bath, 32-inch TV, and 1,975 liters (522 gals) of storage capacity into the T6?

Now, one way that Faraway achieved all that was by moving the galley to the exterior of the unit, so you'll have to brave rain, wind, and sand if you didn't make a meal plan. Still, if you're an outdoor lover, this is exactly the sort of galley you want, bringing you that much closer to the great outdoors. This shift leaves the interior with plenty of room for the above-mentioned goods but also a beam-to-beam bedroom that doubles as a dinette during daytime hours.

Oh, a list of upgrades is also available to us and includes extra awnings, one-touch leveling, and for those of us with adventure running through our veins, a motorcycle rack can be claimed. Go for the winterization package if you're planning on traveling into the colder months. What does all that leave us with? Well, by the looks of things, it's a rather solid machine and one that has what it takes to venture decently deep into the bush.

My remaining questions are regarding the whole amphibious aspect of things, of which the manufacturer makes no mention, except the IP67 rating of the electrical system running through the chassis and, ultimately, how it fares against torsion forces and actual romping around. All that exists is a short video posted by the manufacturer showing the T6 cruising around on paved roads, making it seem like there's something fishy in the middle; show me some hardcore action if you want me to buy this!