Patriot Campers X1 and X2
Patriot campers build a beautiful / well finished unit.
Longer Term touring customers need fast set ups, Less after trip cleaning and Drying time, Increased Off Grid Power and additional storage for Long/Large items. Tough Touring has maufactured upgrades to the Patriot to increase its vesatility in these areas:
* Increase Patriots Storage space (Firewood and Tables) by adding a rack and allowing the whole trailer top to be converted to a tray.
* Increase Patriots Renewable Power Supply by the Addition of Solar panels to the Trailer and the Tow vehicle and supporting recharging of the Patriot via Renewable Power Stations (See Solar and RPS Solutions discussed on 'powering caravans' page)
* Addition of a Quality Hard Shell Roof top tent in lieu of the Fold out Patriot tent - Dramatically reduces set up and pack up time and gets rid of drying canvas after trips.
IINCREASE STORAGE SPACE IMPROVEMENTS - TOUGH TOURING CAMPER TRAILER ROOF RACK
We built a 350mm High Roof top tent rack with underside storage (See Example on Patriot X1 here) and a Patriot X2 here) to provide an ideal mounting base for a Roof topTent, Awning and an optional addition of chequerplate sheeting ontop of the trailers roof skin.
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The Existing Patriot Lifting Awning arms are removed, (They are no longer required as the Tough Touring Patriot Rack + the Roof top tent will give the trailer enough height to then mount Pole Less 270 degree awnings. Installation of awning to tent brackets simplify and further strengthen the awning mount - (the existing Supa Peg awning is often retired for something faster to set up like the Ostrich wing awning 270....)
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Typically a Chequerplate sheet is cut and fitted also to cover the old fixing points of the old tent and provide a durable skid proof surface...
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We sell all the components via our online store to do this installation yourself (Or use a local legend).
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INCREAEING THE PATRIOTS RENEWABLE POWER SUPPLY
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If your finding that your patriot cannot keep up with power demands when its not plugged in - your not alone. While increasing battery storage to 2 batteries will double its runtime, Getting decent Power back into the Patriot when its parked up in its existing configuration via a Fold out solar panel is largely ineffective.
If your going to be parking up the camper in unpowered sites for periods of any longer than a day or two - read on...
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To Upgrade the Patriots Renewable Energy Supply - Its best to LEAVE the Patriots Existing Red Arc built in Power systems as it is - (keeping the trailer origional) - and use your 4wd/Tow Vehicle as the energy source.
Combinations of Solar and a Renewable Power Station in your tow vehicle Will allow re charging the trailer after day trips.... There is a lot of discussion on this here
Why Powering the Patriot by 'Plugging your Patriot into your cars inverter " WORKS
Plug the Patriots Shorepower (240V charger input) is the patriots most powerful input charger. Its silent and will renew the Patriots battery supply quickly.
More Information on our purpose built Renewable Power Stations here.
Tough Touring RPS Renewable Power Stations can Generate over 4kw per day that can be 'downloaded' into your patriot via a 15amp Caravan power lead. No modifications necessary.
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PATRIOT X1 and X2 WITH BUNDUTOP TENT FITTED to Tough Touring Roof top tent Rack
PERMANENT SOLAR POWER FOR THE PATRIOT
With the addition of a hardtop rooftop tent - or any flat hard surface, The Patriot has potential to install solar panels to increase its renewable power resources. Patriot Trailers are Factory Fitted with A Redarc Battery Management system. Which will readily accept hardwired solar panels - The Panels must be RV type '12 Volt' panels as the Redarc system limits inputs to under 27.5 Volts.
Tough Touring Builds Solar Panel Mounting kits that will secure 2 x 160w panels to the roof of your patriot, (Approx 1200mm x 1500mm total size). - More on these here
REDARC SYSTEMS (DETAILS) AND SOLAR ON PATRIOT:
While the Built in REDARC systems do accept a Maximum of 27.5 volts Input, (12 Volt Solar panel) -The Patriot trailers do not provide any unprotected solar input ports on their trailers. (The Grey one on the drivers side is a direct line in to the battery and can be used with a portable solar panel via the included solar regulator, but cannot take a stand alone solar panel...)
Tough Touring Reccommends the addition of a Solar Line in - direct to the redarc solar input - Complete with its own Red anderson Plug to be installed on the drivers side, beside the existing grey port. The Red Anderson is keyed differently and will prevent accidently plugging anything else into the Solar line. Once you have a direct solar feed - your redarc system will be able to charge your house batteries to its full potential.
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Installers of Panels neet ensure that you don't exceed the Redarc Systems maximum capabilities with panel Voltages with open circit voltages less than 27 Volts being required.
Your Redarc panel will have a name - 'Magaer 25' etc, the '25 ' Indicates its AMP rating.
The twin solar panel kit we reccommend for the Patriot can generate up to 7 Amps at 22 Volts... or around 10 Amps at MPPT corrected Voltage of 14.2volts. Well within Redarcs Capabilites and a very usuefull power addition.
If your wanting to upgrade the Patriots Power suppies - Tough Touring has found that the Installation of a Renewable Power Station into your tow vehicle rather than ripping out the red arc sysetm is a better way to do it.... More on this discussion here
