A solar safari: Preview of the 2025 Arkto Campers G12 off-grid camper

Today’s RV preview is of the forthcoming Arkto Campers G12 camper with the Stay Longer package. For whatever reason, there are an increasing number of campers available that really will take you off the grid and, with the improving off-grid technology, will keep you hunting Bigfoot, or whatever it is you want to see out there, longer. 

This is a trailer also designed so that those who want to go off-road are more than able to do so, although there are all the comforts of home, as well. These are built in Alberta, Canada, by Arkto Campers. In Outsideonline.com’s Best Trailers and Campers for 2023, the Arkto Campers G12 was voted the Best All Around. It was improved for 2024, and again for 2025. 

What is the Arkto Campers G12

What you have here is the square evolution of the teardrop. However, this is a far cry from the teardrop trailers that you might have seen as a youngster. This is a fully-equipped RV, just configured differently than what you might expect in a traditional travel trailer. 

One of the things that sets this apart is that it’s built to be hauled off-road with large 285 70R 17 tires on a Timbren axle-less independent suspension system. 

There is also a pop-up top like that Volkswagen your uncle toured the country with all those years ago. One of the changes Arkto made is that this top is now available with a power-operated mechanism or comes standard with gas strut lifting provision. 

Inside you’ll find there’s much more space and many more features than you may have thought would be here. The pop-up roof creates an interior living space height of 6’8”.

For example, a queen-sized bed is there at the back of the trailer. There’s also a bench along the road side, and there’s one of those nifty Lagun tables you can drop in place here. 

There’s another single seat on the camp side of this trailer and a wall of cabinets along the front. This has more cabinet space than some larger RVs. 

Further, with the top popped, now you can stand up in here. Take that, old-timey teardrop trailers! 

Further, old-time teardrops never had the Truma Combi heater and water heating system, which really does work very well. 

Arkto G12 - 2025

1 of 11

Potty time

There is a toilet in here, but you might not have noticed it on the first look-see. That toilet is there under the bench on the road side of the trailer. Just flip up a cushion and, voila, there’s the portable potty. 

Now, I know some of you aren’t going to like this being here right in the main cabin. So you could take it outside, through the access door behind it, since it’s a portable toilet, and use it in something like the Privy Bivy that we looked at a while back. 

Arkto kitchen

Like more and more of these “adventure campers,” this one has the kitchen outside. No worries, there’s also a bat wing awning so you can have coverage from the weather if you’d like, and you’d probably like. 

The kitchen is in two slide-out trays. The one along the back of the camper incorporates a two-burner propane stove top and a sink along with some counter space. At the front of the camper is another slide-out tray with a 12-volt cooler. 

While this outdoor kitchen idea isn’t for everybody, of course, it makes sense in many ways. You could load that 12-volt cooler with your food supplies easily enough by just sliding the drawer open or even taking the darned thing out and loading it in the house. 

The G12’s kitchen has been redesigned with powder-coated aluminum and a marine-grade high-density polyethylene (HDPE) countertop. It now features two push-to-open drawers, soap cubby, towel rack, dish rack, folding counter top, and a propane quick-connect for secondary appliances. 

According to the company, unlike other trailers with slide-out components, the G12 utilizes a carrier that houses the gas and plumbing lines, so that they remain protected from abrasion when sliding out the kitchen. This allows for the plumbing and gas lines to remain connected, avoiding the need to connect lines when you set up camp. That’s pretty cool. 

New for 2025: off-grid even more so

A significant change to the 2025 G12 is the new REDARC Manager30 Battery Management System, Rogue Distribution Module, and RedVision display. This system allows owners to charge the trailer’s batteries via an Anderson Plug from their tow vehicle at 30 amps. To put that into perspective, that is the same as plugging into the 110-volt plug in your home. 

This would require that your tow vehicle has a DC-DC charging system, which is something I plan on putting in my own pickup truck. But it’s pretty cool that this is incorporated right into the trailer. It makes a tremendous amount of sense. 

Competitive trailers either cannot charge from the tow rig or, if they can, they can only charge at a trickle. Also included in the updated REDARC Management System is a smartphone app that allows for full control and monitoring of the electrical system, including control of the lights and water pump.

There is also the optional Stay Longer package, which incorporates up to 945-amp hours in lithium-ion batteries and up to 1,600 watts of additional solar panels. The latter of those is controlled by REDARC’s forthcoming and state-of-the-art Manager100 Battery Management System.

I’m seeing more and more of these pretty incredible power systems. An increasing number of them offer a combination of roof-mounted permanent panels along with ground-deployed portable panels. In fact, this is how my own trailer is, as well. 

The engineered chassis is constructed of laser-cut-and-formed steel, which is then hot-dip galvanized—not painted or powder-coated like the competition. Galvanizing is superior to other coatings because it is a true chemical bond to metal and prevents rust for as much as 75 years. Arkto Campers is one of the only trailer manufacturers in North America to offer a galvanized chassis as standard.

Conclusions

There’s a lot I like about this trailer including all the storage inside, the ability to stand up inside, and the way this thing’s built. Having fixed more than my share of cabinets that were rattled apart on the awful “roads” we have in this country, I appreciate the fact that these are not built of wood. 

Overall this is a trailer that is intended to be used off the grid and built to make sense doing so. The fact that you can also use it anywhere else is a bonus. 

Further, this would likely fit into a garage (with the top down, of course)—which is another bonus. 

I do not have a chart for this model, but here’s a link to the specs, features and pricing (starts at approx. $50,000 USD) for the 2024 Arkto Campers G12.

More about these RV reviews

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. 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.

Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.

You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy. 

##RVDT2360