- New Encore RV camper features a tongue-mounted bathroom cubicle.
- Pop-up bathroom offers standing room, hot water, heating, and a toilet.
- Compact trailer still fits garages, weighs 2,800 lbs and costs $34,495.
Bears really do crap in the woods, but plenty of off-grid human campers would probably rather not. The same goes for showering under a dangling hose pinned to the side of your SUV while hoping nobody wanders past. That’s why this tiny camper’s most interesting feature isn’t where you sleep. It’s where you shower and, well, do other stuff you normally do in private.
More: I Designed A 10-Foot Budget Camper You Can Tow With A Small Hatch
Encore RV’s ROG 12RK-FB takes a different approach to one of the biggest compromises in small trailer design. Compact camping trailers are easy to tow, easy to store, and relatively affordable, but they rarely have room for a proper bathroom.
Instead of squeezing one into the cabin and compromising on interior space, or making the camper bigger and compromising on the compact exterior dimensions, Encore has hidden it in what looks like a simple storage box mounted on the trailer tongue.
When parked, that box transforms into a full wet bath complete with a shower and a Thetford cassette toilet. A rip-stop pop-up enclosure unfolds in seconds, creating a fairly spacious standing area with nearly 7 ft (2.1 m) of vertical room. NBA stars and the sasquatch might have to duck their heads, but the rest of us should be okay.
Encore says the bath module is built entirely from aluminum and includes zip-down screened windows for ventilation, magnetic door closures, waterproof lighting, a 12-volt power outlet, and a non-slip EVA foam floor. The trailer’s 18,000-BTU furnace even supplies ducted heat to the bathroom, meaning chilly morning showers don’t have to feel like an endurance challenge.
Doubles As A Cargo Deck
Encore RV
Hot water shouldn’t be a problem, either. The trailer packs a 43-gallon (163 liters) fresh water tank and an on-demand water heater that feeds both the shower and the outdoor kitchen. The company even claims you’ll have an endless supply of hot water, assuming your propane supply and water tank cooperate. The shower module is integrated into a tub-style floor with a built-in drain and hot-and-cold shower sprayer, rather than simply routing a hose into a privacy tent.
Another plus is that the bathroom module doesn’t become dead weight when folded away. Its top surface doubles as a cargo deck complete with tie-down rails and enough capacity to carry bicycles.
Starting at $34,495, the ROG 12RK-FB isn’t exactly cheap, even if it is one of Encore RV’s most affordable campers. But anyone who’s ever sprinted through a rainy campsite searching for a bathroom at 3 a.m., or hovered over a hole in the rain, may decide it’s worth every penny.
