Field Review of the Afrispoor Leopard off road trailer, with images and video:
By, Brian McVickers
I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with the Afrispoor Leopard off road trailer in the high desert area surrounding Prescott Arizona. My first impression as I walked around the trailer, unlocked it and attached it to the tow vehicle was that the Afrispoor has been built for impressive durability.
If security is important during your travels this trailer locks up tight. From its tig welded 3CR12 stainless steel body construction to its industrial grade door hinges and full length shipping container style door latches. I pulled a dozen padlocks off of the demo unit while inspecting each compartment. I’d certainly have no worries about leaving this trailer unattended almost anywhere.
Hookup to the tow vehicle was straightforward using coupler which locks onto a 2” ball. There is adequate articulation for inclines and 360 rotation for cambered situations and increased safety in the event of a roll.
On the road the Afrispoor is pleasantly unnoticeable being towed. There was no wobble, sway or surge and no pulsing or pushing during stops thanks to its mechanical brake system, which comes standard.
Upon hitting the trail I noticed the trailer more, as you would with any trailer, but it continued to track along through varying terrain and loose corners. On some of the more technical terrain I found the departure angle of the trailer to be a bit tight on the back corners, luckily there is a sacrificial rock rail on each trailing corner to protect the storage compartments on either side. Ground clearance is 14 inches with the standard 30” tires but it can be increased up to 24 inches using 35” tires and no water tank or battery compartment.
As for other specs, the trailer sits on 245/75/15 tires, 6 lug by 5.5 bolt pattern steel wheels, 8 leaf parallel springs and heavy duty gas shocks. Alternate wheel options may be fitted and would be a good idea to match the tow vehicle.
- Length is 12 feet
- Width is 5 feet 10 inches
- Height is 5 feet 11 inches, with the Howling Moon roof top tent.
- Weight is 1,200 pounds, dry, and 1880 pounds loaded with all accessories available.
- Payload is 1,950 pounds and the axle is rated to 5,500 pounds.
- Water is held in a 19-gallon tank with a protected spigot
- Propane is stored in a dedicated vented storage compartment for up to a 20lb tank
- Cargo is stored in 10 separate compartments and accessed through 11 doors
It is the 10 separate storage compartments that really allow the Afrispoor to provide a well-appointed base camp. In conjunction with the multi-room Howling Moon roof top tent setup you may find yourself delaying your morning departure or extending your stay a few nights on purpose. On my tent setup day I was pestered by a gusty 20 knot wind coming up over the hills so my tent looked like this:
Certainly not bad for a heavy wind day and a one-man setup but here are a few images borrowed from Afrispoor to show you the true potential:
While at camp or on the trail all of the compartments are easily accessible and there is a place for everything, including the kitchen.
The nose box on the Afrispoor is actually a double compartment. The rear section holds a refrigerator/freezer along with a power inverter, fuse bus, charge controller and shore power plug. The forward section is a great place for tools and some of the camp setup gear that tends to get dirty or this compartment can be used for the battery if you choose to remove the under carriage battery compartment to gain ground clearance.
The Afrispoor Leopard off road trailer is well built platform with robust security features and more than enough individual compartments to keep cargo easily accessible and base camp well organized for extended stays in the backcountry.
Pros:
– Solid construction
– Secure
– Well organized
– Large cargo volume
Cons:
– On the heavy side for technical terrain
– Setup time can be extensive for deploying all available canvas
– Latches must be padlocked or pinned closed or they tend to open underway
