By Tony Barthel
When you make RVs specifically to fish on ponds that are so frozen a truck and trailer can drive on them, your perspective is a little different. And such is the case with the Imperial XploreRV XR22, a mid-sized V-nose travel trailer whose specifications are more extreme than normal.
A lot of different thinking went into the Imperial XploreRV XR22 – with much of that thinking centering around not freezing your backside off. So, to that end, there’s a lot of focus on insulation and even elimination. We’ll get to that in a moment.
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What is the Imperial XploreRV XR22?
In its simplest form, the Imperial XploreRV XR22 is a smaller toy hauler with a V-nose design. When I was back in the RV world we sold a number of V-nose trailers, and the delivery drivers always liked them. So I’m surprised they’re not as common as they used to be.
Interestingly, as Imperial Outdoors, the maker of the XploreRV line, works to keep you warm, they’ve done things very differently. First of all, they work to make sure that you’re comfortably snug (or cool) inside even when the temperatures outside range from -40° to 140° F. I can’t even imagine being in any of those extremes. But if they’re willing to stand behind that, I guess I know where I’d want to be.
Part of that is making the ceiling a full 6” thick with 3”-thick sidewalls and a 4”-thick floor. Windows are all double-paned Lexan that are hinged at the top and open a full 90° from the camper.
Toilet talk
Interestingly, they’ve done something I haven’t seen in a travel trailer thus far. They put all the holding tanks above the frame of the trailer and completely sealed the bottom of the trailer with metal. When you look at the gray tank valve and fitting, above the frame, it’s higher than in a normal travel trailer.
But wait, you say. What about the black tank? Well, son. There is no black tank. At all. This trailer uses a dry flush toilet – which is an interesting contraption all on its own. Built by a company called Dry Flush, LLC, the Laveo™ is a dry flush toilet that contains all the things you’ve produced into a metallic bag. When you go and have completed your duty cycle, you push the button on the toilet and it seals off a section of the bag.
The cartridges are sold in packages of three and there are 17 flushes in each cartridge. The advantage of this type of system is that there is literally no black tank. So that means no black tank to dump and no black tank to freeze. The disadvantage is that I found the refills on Amazon for $99.95 – which means each time you flush it’s almost $2. But, it doesn’t freeze.
I don’t know about you, but this whole process fascinated me, so I watched a bunch of videos about it. It’s actually a pretty slick thing. According to the company, once you’ve filled all the bags with, well, political promises, you can then simply dispose of the whole thing in a regular trash can.
Suspension on the XploreRV XR22
Now that we’ve learned a lot about a necessary thing, let’s look at something outside, shall we? The XploreRV XR22 is available with a suspension system that can raise and lower the trailer by a full 10 inches.
The benefits of this type of thing is that you can lower the trailer when rambling down the highway so you have less wind resistance and a lower center of gravity, plus you’re less susceptible to side winds. Bonus.
If you’re headed out to adventure, simply use the remote to raise the trailer up and now you have 10” additional ground clearance. Frankly, I think you’re going to see more and more of this/ It’s also being done in the Rockwood Geo Pro 19FBTH toy hauler. This is an optional feature, but certainly one that I’d recommend.
Rugged
There are other things that really set the Imperial XploreRV XR22 apart. For example, there are two spare tires on the back. The ladder onto the roof and all of the fittings have that post-apocalyptic rugged appearance, including the metal battery box.
Oh, and while lots of RV companies will tell you the roof is fully walkable, they don’t necessarily invite you to spend much time up there. That’s also different here, where there’s storage on the roof. There’s even an optional tent for the kids who want to be up there. Of course, that optional tent is insulated, too.
What’s inside the Imperial XploreRV XR22
Inside there is a crazy amount of seating with a couch on either side. They can fold up against the wall if you bring in something like a snowmobile. There’s also a bench on the camp side where three more people can sit. So you could reasonably seat nine people in here.
Well, 10 – if one of them is particularly curious about the toilet.
On the road side is the galley which has a long counter, sink and three-burner RV stove with a 17” oven. The refrigerator is a 12-volt compressor-based fridge.
The bathroom occupies the nose of the trailer with the sink on the road side and the toilet on the camp side. Between them, in the “V” of the nose, is the shower.
In summary
For those who want a trailer that can take dirt bikes or kayaks or snowmobiles to places and not suffer in the process, perhaps the Imperial XploreRV XR22 is one of the more aptly named rigs out there: Get out and “Xplore”!
For some reason, the idea of the (optional) rooftop tent really appeals to me. It would be a nifty place to watch wildlife and such – or just have the best view in the campground. And while others are worrying about their tanks freezing, that won’t be something you’d be concerned about.
Probably the biggest concern might be giving demonstrations of your toilet at $2/flush. But you can do it in virtually any weather!
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
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If this had a generator and a fuel station I would be interested
That V nose says aerodynamics, and that is a word trailer manufacturing companies do not understand. Car top tent on roof of RV are a good idea.
I’ll bet that rooftop tent is going to be popular, just watch the first step when you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, of course you could just stand close to the edge and let it fly.
. . . Just like all the macho young men who try that at the Grand Canyon – and end up dying as a result of this foolishness.
I read the book “Over The Edge” that chronicles all the deaths at the Grand Canyon. Fascinating reading.