The latest to offer a scaled-down version is Brisbane-based Conqueror Australia with their Conqueror UEV-310 starting at $16,200.
The baby of the Urban Escape Vehicles range is 3.1m long without the drawbar and 3.7m with it, and weighs just 490kg dry so it can be towed by compact SUVs.
Conqueror Australia business development manager Dan Bosschieter says the decision to introduce the Conqueror UEV-310 to their range was simple.
"Traditionally our customers are 4WD and camping enthusiasts who have the horse-power to tackle Australia's toughest terrain but we were consistently asked if we had a smaller UEV available that occasional campers can tow behind their smaller 4WDs like RAV-4 or beach buggies," he says.
"And with its smaller sub-500kg weight the Conqueror UEV-310 is perfect for this market as it has all the benefits of the bigger models but in a more compact offering."
Despite its tight package the 310 has two cubic metres of lockable storage accessible from inside and out, a double bed with a connected dressing area, 1.6m of headroom, pantry, fridge, mini-bar and it takes less than two minutes to set up.
"You can literally pull up, flip the lid, wind down the midge mesh doors and go inside with no further action required," Bosschieter says. The 310 is part of a six-trailer range named after their length without a drawbar - 490, 440, 390, 330, 360 and 310.
"The 310 may be what we are affectionately calling the baby of our range but it's got the guts and durability of the 490," says Bosschieter. The trailers were developed by South African company Mega Manufacturers which started importing to Australia in 2010.
"To open an Australian arm we knew that the back-end of the business had to be set-up correctly so that rather than just importing and selling the trailers, we'd need the space and expertise to be able to modify them for the Australian market," Bosschieter says.
"Our modification is not just a few tweaks. What starts as a Conqueror ends up as a tailor-made Australian UEV which is re-built using the best possible Australian and off-shore products." The UEV in-house manufacturing also means that the finished product complies with the Australia Design Rules and has an engineer's certification.
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