XVENTURE XV-3 Off-Road Trailer Review: Modular Design, Versatile Features, and Awesome Adventures

In 2023, according to Overland Expo, over 30,000 people and 400 exhibitors made the annual journey to meet like-minded people, to learn skills, and to view each other’s set-up in the hopes finding that something to make our outdoor experiences better.

It was during all this long weekend, we ran into Schutt Industries as they were busy demonstrating their XVENTURE XV-2 and XV-3 off-road trailers. What made these trailers stand out was the modular design and the starting price of $17,925.00 for the XV-3 and $21,650 for the XV-2. Each version comes in 3 different options: Base, Essentials, and Deluxe Plus.

BASIC INFO	XV3-DELUXE PLUS PACKAGE: $25,595	XV3-ESSENTIALS PACKAGE: $23,695	XV-3 - BASE PACKAGE: $17,925
Large Toolbox	Included	Optional	Optional
Small Toolbox	Not Included	Included	Included
Tailgate	Swing-Away	Swing-Away	Swing-Away
Cross Bar Kit	Pioneer Tray Roof Rack	Included	Included
Elevating Roof Rack	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
Galley Table System	Tailgate Mounted:          12.75” x 36”	Tailgate Mounted:          12.75” x 36”	Tailgate Mounted:          12.75” x 36”
Length	131 inches	131 inches	131 inches
Width	79 inches	79 inches	79 inches
Height (top of rack)	65 inches (Non-Adjustable)	65 inches (Non-Adjustable)	65 inches (Non-Adjustable)
Cargo Bed	L: 65 in x W: 49 in x H 19 in	L: 65 in x W: 49 in x H 19 in	L: 65 in x W: 49 in x H 19 in
Ground Clearance	15 inches	15 inches	15 inches
Dry Weight	850lbs	850lbs	850lbs
Capacity (GVWR)	2300lbs	2300lbs	2300lbs
Trailer Lighting	All LED Lighting	All LED Lighting	All LED Lighting
Power Control Center	Included	Standard	Included
Reverse Lights	Included	Optional	Optional
Paint	White (sides)	White (sides)	White (sides)
Vinyl Wrap	Optional	Optional	Optional
Chassis Structural Warranty	10 years	10 years	10 years
Parts Warranty	1 year	1 year	1 year
Water System	Included	Available	Available
Propane System	Included	Available	Available
Water Heater	Included	Available	Available
Power Upgrade (2nd battery)	Included	Available	Available
Tonneau Covers	Included	Available	Available
Lighting Systems (Basic and Expansion)	Included	Included	Available
(Spare)Tire Carrier	Available	Available	Available
1000 W Pure Sine Wave Inverter	Available	Available	Available
5 on 5 Hubs	Available	Available	Available
Maximum Tire Size	35”	35”	35”
Slide out Gallery System	Available	Available - Requires tool box upgrade	-

5,000 Miles of Testing
We opted to test out the XV-3 and took it to Los Angeles, a 515-mile drive, after the show. Over the next several months, we put over 4,000-miles on this trailer taking it on long-extended trips like and 8-day trip to Overland EXPO PNW, long weekend skiing trips to Mammoth with the kids, and overnighters to the desert to see if this trailer made our outdoor experiences better.

At the start of this test, our base vehicle was a stock 4-cylinder, 4-door, non-sasquatch, soft top, 2021 Ford Bronco Outer Banks sitting on P255/70R18 Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires. The ground clearance for our Bronco was 8.4 inches as measured from the lowest part of the rear differential housing. When we attached the XV-3 to our Bronco, even with a drop/rise adjustable hitch at its highest setting, the trailer was sitting slightly nose down.

515 Mile First Drive Impression
Headed home, the weather was completely idyllic with no headwinds nor any crosswinds. When we were cruising below 65 MPH, we didn’t notice the trailer behind us; but anything over 70 MPH, we could feel it shimmy and squirm on curves, and bumps. As stated, we were nose down with a rear squat on our rig, which was most likely the cause.

The extra weight didn’t seem to affect fuel consumption and we didn’t notice a huge difference in our average fuel mileage  as we drove it from Flagstaff back to Los Angeles. While we’d like to give all the credit to the trailer’s lightweight design, we need to point out there was a down grade for much of drive as the elevation went from 7,224-feet down to 10-feet above sea level at our final destination.

2589 Miles, 8 Days/ 7 Nights Extended Trip
We planned to take 4 days and 3 nights to get to Redmond, Oregon, which gave us a great opportunity to test out the various features of the XV-3. On this round trip, we got to play with the slide out kitchen, Taruca’s awning/ privacy en-suite & shower, fridge/freezer, Rigid area lights, the Rhino Rack, the water heater. Essentially, we tested out everything and got a good feel for the trailer.

Since picking up the trailer in May, we had upgraded our stock Bronco with 35” Milestar Patagonia and installed the Bilstein B8 6112 suspension. These changes added 3-inches to our ground clearance from 8.4 inches to 11.5 inches. The XVENTURE XV-3 was now comfortably sitting level for our long trek.

Trailer Suspension
With these upgrades on the Bronco there was noticeable difference on our long trip. The independent torsion axle coupled with electric drum brakes had a chance to shine as the shimmy and squirming we mentioned disappeared. 

On the highways and interstates, the trailer was stable, on the curvy mountain passes we didn’t feel the trailer pulling or pushing us. On the narrow backroads and bumpy washed-out fire roads, the trailer felt planted and stable.

Water Heater
After being on the road for a few days in +100-degree weather, we were ready for a hot shower. It was nice to have a decision between hot and cold shower. Our test trailer was outfitted with a Triton 5L Camp Chef branded tankless water heater capable of producing 1.5 gallons of hot water per minute. 

The temperature is controlled by the kitchen faucet handle as well as the water heater itself. The Triton tankless water heater is manufactured by Rheem Manufacturing Co., a well-known American manufacturer of commercial and residential water heaters and boilers.

It was nice to have hot water but figuring out the optimal settings to control the temperature took a bit of learning curve. Not sure we actually figured it out but it was better than a cold shower!

Grill
Move over Coleman. This 2-burner propane grill system called Cook Partner manufactured by Partner Steel Co. out of Pocatello, Idaho does the job and does it really well. 

Each burner pumps out 10,000 BTUs, but we felt it did a better job transferring the heat to make it more efficient which equates to shorter cooking time. Even at 8,000 feet elevation, our steak and chicken cooked in no time. We think the deeper box design plus the wind shield did a better job protecting the heat transfer.

Area Lighting

Well thought out placement of the RIGID Industries SRM-Series Pro spotlights provided 360-degree coverage of the outside and strategically placed internal lighting made sure we didn’t bump into things at night.

Power and Batteries

You can’t have an adventure-based camping trailer without portable power. Schutt Industries outfitted our unit with Zamp Solar Zamp ZS-15AW Solar Charge Controller, a pair of RELiON RB52-LT 12.8V 52Ah LiFePO4 batteries and it was connected to the NOCO Genius Gen 5x2 bank charger.

Hitch

Max Coupler tri-axis coupler fits into a 2” receiver. Simple and efficient.

Rack

Rhino Rack is modular, tough and comes with tons of bracket options for all your toys.

Shade, Shower and Privacy

Taruca 270 and the Extreme Shower En-Suite. Both were very easy to deploy and put away. The Shower En-Suite is large and give you plenty of room to move around without feeling stuffy.

Trailer Jack

ARK XO750 capable of 1650lbs of static weight. Well-designed large handles with quick release to elevate and drop down the wheels so you don’t have to spin the handle forever.

Onboard Water Tank

22-gallons seems like a lot of water but with multiple on the trip, it can go fast. The water is held in a tank under the box and above the suspension. To get access to the water, the trailer had to be sitting level or a bit nose up. When we were not able to find right angle, we could hear the pump struggling to get the water through when the trailer was not angled correctly. 

Conclusion
The interior room in the 4-door Bronco may be decent for daily use, but when you travel with others all loaded up with gear on a hundreds or even thousands of miles road trip like we did, space becomes a premium rather quickly. As you could imagine, it was great to have the extra storage capacity of the XV-3 trailer.

Some of our friends that came along were not seasoned campers so it was nice to give them a hot shower and the private En-Suite for personal time in the morning. Having access to the slide out cooking system was so much easier for cooking and cleaning as well.

Although trailers do have their challenges at times such as storage and parking, we found that the positives of the Xventure more than outweighed those concerns. Bottom line, did this trailer make our outdoor experiences better? Absolutely.

Schutt Industries 
Established in 1998 and based out of Clintonville, WI, Schutt Industries has been manufacturing industrial, commercial, and military cargo equipment for every military branch.

For more stories about our OVR 2021 Ford Bronco Pavement Princess project vehicle, click here.

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