Patriot Campers

JackW

Explorer
I'm a real trailer geek and I've looked at the Patriot trailers at Overland Expo East very thoroughly. I was very impressed with the design and build quality as well as Matt & his crew.
I'm particularly intrigued by the X1-N model - I'd sort of like to have a hard shell roof top tent like an Alucab Gen 3 or the new to the US market Bush Company Alpha RTT but I'm not sure they will fit.

I've got a Maggiolina on my Defender 90 but I'd like something with a little more headroom. The two tents I'm looking at are 90.5" and 88" long - I was wondering what the measurement is from the back of the front lid (when open) to the back of the trailer?

Have you weighed your trailer when its all loaded up with camping gear?

Where do you carry your Clam tent when you're traveling?
 

volpe30

Member
@volpe30 and 2jeeps-patriotx1 - Great Thread! I am looking at both the XV-2 and the Patriot X1-N (completely different price ranges) and debating.

1. Would you do the Webasto Heater again? I ask as it's something like a $5k option, versus just using a Mr. Heater?
2. Any thoughts on an X1-N and doing a hardtop RTT like the James Baroud Evasion Evolution? I ask because the N has an MSRP that is $9k less plus comes with air suspension (which is a $2.8k option on the X1). I do like the idea of the larger space the full X1 has, and the steps versus the ladder. Right now it's just the girlfriend and I, but that could change. Like the idea of the N as I could do a hardtop (quicker setup/take down) & save $5k or more, but then I miss out on steps v ladder and having a changing room.
3. 2jeeps-patriotx1 - I live near Glenwood Springs, any chance in exchange for some beer/whiskey/etc we could meet somewhere in Denver and I check out the trailer? I'll PM you.

Thank you again for a great thread!
It's been quite a while since I've posted, so I thought I'd just post a portion of my PM to jkaylen. In a PM to me he asked the above questions plus a comparison with the XV-2, the trailer I owned before my Patriot.
----
The XV-2 is a good trailer. It just has a lot of compromises. The biggest pros are the base trailer is absolutely nuclear bomb proof and it is utilitarian in that you can use it as a cargo trailer. But it is a military utility trailer that has been gussied up (did I just use the word gussied?) to fill the overland trailer niche. That means it has a lot of compromises. First and foremost, the torsion suspension is can be horrible off road. Unless the trailer is heavily loaded down, and even then, it bounces around like crazy. There were often times I hated towing it off road due to how the suspension handles. A tie for first is setup. The kitchen is a pain to set up. I know it doesn't seem like much, and I thought the same thing, but if you are moving regularly, like you would be on an overland trip, setting it up and breaking it down gets REALLY old. In addition, not having quick access to the kitchen and all your kitchen goods/food (because they are tucked away in the bed of the trailer somewhere) sucks. Second, the rack rattles like crazy. The only advantage the XV-2 has over the patriot is the ability to use it to haul cargo, or whatever, and I do miss having the tailgate. I also miss the outstanding perimeter and rock lighting (still not sure why the Patriot doesn't come with rock lights.)

Unlike the XV-2, the Patriot was built from the ground up to be an overland trailer--and it shows in every way. As opposed to the XV-2, it is an absolute dream to tow both on road, and more importantly, off road. The suspension setup is so impressive. I have the XV-1 GT, but I think the suspension on all of them is impressive. The kitchen setup is amazing. It is so nice to be able to just stop wherever and have instant access to your entire kitchen, fridge, and food. Just like how it handles off road, the Patriot is rock solid. Not a peep on the trails. And, believe it or not, because of the compartmentalization/design I can fit more in the Patriot than I could in the XV-2. The 40 plus gallons of water is appreciated as well. It's an amazing trailer.

You asked in the post if I would get the Webasto again. That's a really good question and it kind of ties in with which model to consider. Here's my take, IF you are thinking you might have kids and, yes this is true, if you have a dog and plan on having the dog with you, I think the X1-GT is the way to go. First, as we found out, you can outgrow your RTT. If you have kids, they will eventually want their own space. So what you purchase now should work for any future plans. The X1 with the "kids" annex is hard to beat for two, no, three reasons. First, the kids annex will fit two cots/kids plus plenty of gear. The kids definitely appreciate, as will you, having their own space. Second, having the lower, main annex attached to the main tent is so damn nice. After having a RTT for two plus years on the XV-2 I can't tell you how nice it is to have an area to walk into and stand up in. It's so nice having that space to stand up in as part of your overall tent/living space. You have so much room for doing stuff, and for your stuff, and even hanging out in during bad weather. Plus, you can fit/sleep extra people if you needed to. Most importantly, my wife loves having that space for all the aforementioned reasons and having a private area with access to all the storage on that side of the trailer. Finally, it's where our dogs sleep. We used to have them in the back of our 4Runner when we had the RTT, but it is so much nicer having them in with us and not barking at every animal that walks by the camp in the middle of the night. Plus they end up jumping up on and sleeping with the kids on their cots, which they really like (the kids and the dogs). Finally, the main tent annex is why I'd choose the X1-GT over the X1-H--that and the significant up-charge. The X1-H is pretty nifty, and will certainly set up faster, but will it really? As much as we appreciate and love having the main tent annex we would always have to attach it to the X1-H after setup. Plus, the annex is pretty big and takes up a lot of space in your cargo area, where it is all just part of the main tent under the soft cover on the X1-GT (the annex can't fit under the hard top, from my understanding, so has to be stored somewhere else). All that being said, completely setting up the X1-GT with the kids annex takes some work/time. But it's not horrible. Forget the awning, that's a chunk of setup time on it's own--kind of the weak link of the trailer in my opinion. The awning has nice coverage, but takes bit to set up and requires the guy lines to be set up from the start as a sudden breeze will break things.

So, back to the Webasto. Believe it or not, our trailer has two climate zones. Maybe even three. Because the main bed is raised up, it is actually a decent amount warmer than when you climb down the stairs. I know it sounds crazy, but it can be quite a bit warmer up on the bed than in the main tent annex. Even cooler in the kids annex. Depending on the temperature, the Webasto doesn't heat the tent as much as makes it a little less cold. This is especially true if you don't have the kids annex on and windows are zipped up. In that configuration it works pretty well. Even with the kids annex on it helps keep the main bed area a bit warmer, but not the kids annex. During cold nights, like high 30's or lower, the Little Buddy Heater gets broken out to warm things up, especially if the kids annex is set up. Would I spend the extra $5,000 on the Webasto again, man I honestly don't know. There's an X-factor involved too--there's been issues with the Webasto when used at higher elevations due to the fuel mixture not being right for the higher altitudes. For someone like me who will be heading to higher altitudes next summer in Colorado that's something to think about. Kind of like the trailer in general, and maybe I expect too much, but if I spend $5,000 for an accessory I expect it to work and be trouble free, period. So I'm honestly not sure if I'd get it again when a Little Buddy can crank out serious heat for a less than tiny fraction of the price. That being said, we never keep the Little Buddy on due to the carbon monoxide concern and burning through a lot of propane (we have the adapter so we can run it off the larger tanks). You can keep the Webasto running constantly without issue, and we have. On top of that it is SUPER efficient. It's crazy how little diesel the Webasto uses. So you can see why it's not an easy answer.

So, my opinion is if you can swing it Patriot over the XV-2 hands down. As far as which model, I honestly think that even if it was just my wife and I I'd go with the X1-GT again. The main tent annex is just so nice to have as a "living room," which is what if functions as--an overlanding living room. It takes a little longer to set up and break down than the X1-H or a RTT on an X1-N like a James Baroud, but for us having the extra space is worth it. Plus the bed on the X1-GT is awesome and, again, this sounds silly, but the "steps" that lead from the bed are SO much nicer than climbing up and down an ladder--especially in the middle of the night when nature calls. And, again, given how we would almost always want the main tent annex attached, I don't think the X1-H would be any faster to set up in the end and would take up precious cargo space in the trailer or truck. That and saving the large up-charge cost for the X1-H.
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
I'm a real trailer geek and I've looked at the Patriot trailers at Overland Expo East very thoroughly. I was very impressed with the design and build quality as well as Matt & his crew.
I'm particularly intrigued by the X1-N model - I'd sort of like to have a hard shell roof top tent like an Alucab Gen 3 or the new to the US market Bush Company Alpha RTT but I'm not sure they will fit.

I've got a Maggiolina on my Defender 90 but I'd like something with a little more headroom. The two tents I'm looking at are 90.5" and 88" long - I was wondering what the measurement is from the back of the front lid (when open) to the back of the trailer?

Have you weighed your trailer when its all loaded up with camping gear?

Where do you carry your Clam tent when you're traveling?
@Acbrumley has one, Jack. He brought it to Country Fried Weekend at Jay's. You could've been all over it.
Maybe he'll chime in here.
Nice trailer. Spendy, but nice.
 

JackW

Explorer
I missed an X1 that was for sale in Lawrenceville for around $29k about two months ago. It had been traded in at an RV dealer and they had no idea what it was. It had a lot of options and somebody beat me to it by a couple of days - I called as soon as I saw the ad. If I'd seen the ad sooner I probably could have snagged it for around $25K....

I sold my 17' Escape and am looking at getting another Eriba Puck.
 
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Did you consider and research the X1-H with the auto hardtop?
I have recently purchased a iKamper RTT (2X) with the plan to potentially use it on a future trailer. I have always loved the Patriot trailers. But here in the New Mexico desert, we have so much dust, that I moved away from canvas covered RTTs due to the amount of harsh dust that makes removal/installation more unpleasant.

Then I discovered that Drifta does a modification that provides a good solution. I am a big fan of the guys at Drifta. I have one of their drawer sets and love the simplicity, value and utility of their innovations.

Drifta mods Patriot

Poupon
 

jjchia

New member
Hi everyone. Thanks for great thread Volpe30 and all the comments/info from others.

I'm actually in Australia (live in Sydney) and have recently ordered a Patriot X1. We’re super excited, though it’s going to be a long 3-4 months waiting for them to build it and ship it down from Queensland.
It’s nice to get some independent owner feedback about the Patriots.

One of the reasons we bought one is to enable us to more easily take our 2 young kids (currently 6 months and 3 years) winter camping in our alpine areas, where temperatures can drop to around -12C (about 10F) overnight.
I was just wondering if any Patriot owners, particularly anyone from the more northern/colder states, has any feedback about how the water system goes in the cold in terms of pipes/pumps potentially freezing, and any recommendations people might have about mitigating this. We did get the X1 optioned with the Webasto diesel heater.

Somehow, despite originally being from Canada and used to cold climates, I managed to forget to ask this question of our dealer before we signed on the dotted line and paid our deposit. I’m not overly worried as 90% of our use will be in temperatures well above having to worry about this, but we do plan on yearly winter trips to the alpine areas so would be good to have any owner feedback in addition to whatever Patriot/our dealer will say when they get back to me.

-Justin
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
Hi everyone. Thanks for great thread Volpe30 and all the comments/info from others.

I'm actually in Australia (live in Sydney) and have recently ordered a Patriot X1. We’re super excited, though it’s going to be a long 3-4 months waiting for them to build it and ship it down from Queensland.
It’s nice to get some independent owner feedback about the Patriots.

One of the reasons we bought one is to enable us to more easily take our 2 young kids (currently 6 months and 3 years) winter camping in our alpine areas, where temperatures can drop to around -12C (about 10F) overnight.
I was just wondering if any Patriot owners, particularly anyone from the more northern/colder states, has any feedback about how the water system goes in the cold in terms of pipes/pumps potentially freezing, and any recommendations people might have about mitigating this. We did get the X1 optioned with the Webasto diesel heater.

Somehow, despite originally being from Canada and used to cold climates, I managed to forget to ask this question of our dealer before we signed on the dotted line and paid our deposit. I’m not overly worried as 90% of our use will be in temperatures well above having to worry about this, but we do plan on yearly winter trips to the alpine areas so would be good to have any owner feedback in addition to whatever Patriot/our dealer will say when they get back to me.

-Justin
Look up Tim Bates --- runs overlanding tours in the Victoria Highlands. He'd be a great source of info.
If you're on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-bates-7226288a/?originalSubdomain=au
 

volpe30

Member
Hi everyone. Thanks for great thread Volpe30 and all the comments/info from others.

I was just wondering if any Patriot owners, particularly anyone from the more northern/colder states, has any feedback about how the water system goes in the cold in terms of pipes/pumps potentially freezing, and any recommendations people might have about mitigating this. We did get the X1 optioned with the Webasto diesel heater.

Hi Justin,

If I'm going to be out with the temps dropping much below freezing I drain the water. There have been a few times I've been out where the temps have dropped below freezing and the water lines were iced up in the morning. Last thing I want is one of the lines to freeze and crack, so I try to error on the side of caution now.

-Rich
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

Active member
Im in Colorado and majority of our camping is at 8700+ feet elevation and we had a few nights get down into the mid 20s and the water system was fine. But if it were longer stays in colder weather, Id drain the tanks and fill them back up when temps were more stable above freezing. Or maybe bring some of the insulated pipe wrap along and stick some hand warmers up there and keep them warm over night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

jdigdog

New member
Hi everyone. Thanks for great thread Volpe30 and all the comments/info from others.
...
I was just wondering if any Patriot owners, particularly anyone from the more northern/colder states, has any feedback about how the water system goes in the cold in terms of pipes/pumps potentially freezing, and any recommendations people might have about mitigating this. We did get the X1 optioned with the Webasto diesel heater.

...

-Justin

Hey Justin,

Im in B.C. (Canada) and have an X1 GT. I've taken it out on extended trips where the temps were fluctuating between approx +4deg C and -12deg C. I found the tanks and pipes were ok, but at night when the temps dropped, the metal faucet was where things failed. As soon as the (already chilled) water hit the metal faucet, it froze up. Game over until the faucet warmed up again.

I had a plan to keep the tanks warmed up, by using a 12v car seat warmer (ripped the element pad out of a $30 seat warmer), but never really got to test it out, with the faucet being the weakest link. No doubt there's some creative solution to fix that problem, but I just came to accept where the limits of the trailer were/are.

The more frustrating issue in colder temps was that the batteries don't seem to handle the lower temps that great. I had issues with lower output amperage, which resulted in things like the lights going out when turning on the Webasto heater (as it draws a fair amount of amps when first warming up). This issue went away once the temps warmed back up well above freezing for some time.

Hope this helps...

John D.
 

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