For 50 years, Australian overland pioneer ARB has offered essentials that help make unnavigable terrain not only navigable but temporarily habitable – from air-locking differentials and suspension kits to tents and fridges. Despite the company’s long, rich history in the industry, it didn’t get into the RV side of things until just two years ago. It made up for lost time in a hurry, however, when it launched the Earth Camper – a small, expandable pod that brings together elements of ultra-rugged squaredrop camping, expandable hard-floor trailering and fortified exo-frame constructing. Now that hardwearing hybrid-walled base camp is on its way to the US market.
While it’s only been around a tenth of the time as ARB itself, Las Vegas-headquartered Xgrid Campers has become an overland industry staple in its own right, particularly for Americans drooling enviously over the types of ultra-rugged camper trailers and caravans that launch with regularity down in Australia. Since its founding in the highly wander-lustful year of 2020, Xgrid has brought over some of the gnarliest among those Aussie trailers, including the BRS Sherpa, Track Tvan and AOR Sierra. Now it’s teamed with ARB to add the uniquely formed-and-featured Earth Camper pod to its greater lineup of Australian and North American off-road trailers.
Perhaps the best part of building your first camper trailer nearly 50 years on from your initial work in 4×4 and camping components is having a deep, deep well of parts from which to draw. In fact, the Earth Camper could serve as a pure SEMA project for ARB, showcasing many of the competition-besting mechanical and outdoor lifestyle components it’s long sold a la carte.
ARB
The most conspicuous starting point for this ARB-on-ARB construction might just be the welded single-piece exoskeleton. Here, ARB separates the structure and aesthetics of its design from the rest of the market by putting to work serious welding and steel tube experience honed while building smaller components like roll bars, rock sliders and bull bars. The unique exo-frame reinforces the entire fiberglass body shell for tougher performance down unforgivingly rough, bumpy tracks.
Bridging the gap between that frame and the 31-in Maxxis Razr all-terrain tire-wrapped ARB 16-in alloy wheels is an ARB-developed independent suspension system with extra-long trailing arms and Old Man Emu Nitrocharger shocks. ARB says the stretched 35-in (90-cm) trailing arms allow it to set the shock vertically, increasing wheel travel and overall ride smoothness.
ARB also reaches into its deep components catalog for the trailer’s camping equipment suite. The large outdoor kitchen is a revised version of the impressive Slide Kitchen it launched a few years ago. Sadly, the US Earth model misses out on the oversized flipper knife-style kitchen the Australian-spec trailer enjoys, using instead a simpler single-direction multi-slide unit. This model skips the L-shaped configuration with 4-foot-long (122-cm) stainless steel worktop but still manages to pack in a 3-foot-long (92-cm) worktop, dual-burner gas stove, collapsible sink basin and utensil drawer.
ARB
We prefer the original big L kitchen space with its massive dedicated work space and triple-burner stove, but the American-spec slider galley still offers plenty of cooking capability. And since ARB has launched both kitchens in the US as standalone products, perhaps it will add the L-shaped version as an Earth Camper option.
ARB does carry over its 96-L Zero fridge/freezer from the Aus-spec Earth to the US version. The dual-zone unit slides out from the cabinet just fore of the kitchen slide, completing the outdoor cooking setup.
ARB
Instead of shading that outdoor kitchen by hanging an external awning up above, ARB integrates its 270-degree awning in a slim compartment just over the side window, maintaining a cleaner exterior with fewer snag points.
The 15.4-foot (4.7-m) Earth’s unusually tall, sharply angled tailgate serves as its single entry point, lowering down electrically at the push of a button to reveal the actual entry door … like some kind of secret supervillain lair. Those looking to get to sleep right away can pop door and jump right into the queen-size bed that fills out the cabin.
ARB
The drop-down rear hatch serves as more than just an open porch, though, as it becomes the floor of an auxiliary living area that extends off the back of the trailer. The flip-up rear wall serves as the roof when deployed, with the auxiliary tent connecting the two extremities together to create a level-floored, above-ground dining lounge area. The table slides out from under the bed atop a deeper drawer and flips over to work with a pair of folding outdoor camp chairs. This hard-floored deck also serves as a general lounge area and stand-up-height changing room.
ARB
Unlike the Australian-spec Earth Camper, the US model tacks on a roof-mounted air conditioner as standard. On the downside, this addition appears from the inititial photo like it might delete the cool world atlas headliner above the bed, but we’re sure it’ll be a valuable trade campers would make time and again on hot, sweltering midsummer nights.
As for heat, a diesel heater is available optionally. The camper features 1-in-thick (2.5-cm) fiberglass-reinforced polymer walls insulated with a foam core.
ARB
ARB wires in a 100-Ah lithium battery supported by a 120-W solar panel, and buyers can upgrade that to 300 Ah of battery capacity. A Redarc battery management system offers electrical systems information displayed bedside. Of course, all electrical hardware has been rewired to US specification.
Other key specs include a 140-L fresh water tank, loads of exterior storage capacity including a tall front trunk and dedicated jerry can and propane tank cubbies, and external stone guards for increased protection. As for a bathroom, buyers can add a Joolca Hottap heated shower system and privacy curtain optionally, but we don’t see any mention of a portable toilet option – plenty of cargo space to store a couple shovels or trowels, we suppose.
ARB
The lack of standard bathroom equipment seems like a considerable miss to us on a pricey, well-equipped trailer aimed at off-grid travel. At US$60,900 for a two-person model, we wouldn’t expect to have to spend extra for what’s pretty basic essential equipment. Even if you want to keep the shower optional, at least pack a portable toilet into one of those many cubbies or cabinets.
That price is Xgrid’s preorder listing, and according to a video the company made recently, the first US models should start arriving in late 2025 or early 2026.
Source: Xgrid Campers, ARB
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