Cadet SE

The Platinum Cadet SE is a compact soft-floor camper trailer that sleeps a family of six, with a tare of 1,000kg. It has a queen bed and an open tent area with room for four children or two more adults. Platinum designed it for Cape York and off-road trips, and says most standard SUVs or 4WDs can tow it.

Tent and annexe

• Main tent: 5.2 x 2.1 metres, opening on gas struts, with six tent poles to finish.
• Annexe: fully enclosed as standard, with walls, a floor and a draft skirt.
• Access: a ladder is included.
• Set-up: Platinum's video times it at 7 minutes, and 8 minutes to pack down.

Kitchen

A stainless steel slide-out kitchen has twin drawers, a sink and a four-burner cooker plumbed to the gas bottle. It has a serving area, and a fridge box that takes an optional fridge.

Running gear

• Suspension: independent trailing arms with coil springs and dual shocks.
• Brakes: 10 inch electric drums.
• Wheels: three 15 inch 6-stud Landcruiser pattern off-road rims.
• Legs: four heavy-duty lockable drop legs.

Power, water and gas

• Battery: a 100 amp hour AGM battery with battery management and a resettable isolator.
• Sockets: three 12 volt sockets, a USB socket and a Bluetooth stereo.
• Water: a 100 litre stainless steel tank with an external tap.
• Gas and fuel: two 9kg gas bottle holders and two 20 litre jerry can holders.
• Storage: seven storage compartments, three pole tubes and storage under the full-length bed.

What will tow it?

• ATM (aggregate trailer mass): 1,700kg, the most it can weigh fully loaded.
• Tare: 1,000kg, its empty weight as built.
• Payload: 700kg for water, gas and gear. A full 100 litre water tank uses about 100kg of it.
• Ball weight: about 100kg, as Platinum publishes it.

To tow it fully loaded, your vehicle needs a braked towing capacity of at least 1,700kg.

Shared build

• Drawbar and chassis: a 100 x 50 x 4mm RHS drawbar and a 3mm RHS chassis, with a hammertone powder coat.
• Hitch: an ARK off-road 2 tonne hitch, with a 50mm ball coupling for cars.
• Tent: 16oz close-weave canvas, double stitched, on steel poles.
• Bed: a high-density queen memory foam mattress.
• Windows: most zip open, with midge mesh.
• Extras: a tap on the drawbar, a mesh stone guard and a 1kg fire extinguisher.
• Fridge: a fridge slide is fitted, and the fridge is an optional extra.

Warranty

• Structure: 5 years.
• Canvas: 2 years, including annexes.
• Components: 12 months on electrical components and fittings.

Platinum's terms say the warranty covers the original buyer and does not pass to a later owner.

Where to buy

Platinum sells from its Brisbane showroom in Salisbury, and through Titanium Trailers showrooms in Townsville and Rockhampton. It delivers Australia-wide, with pickup depots in Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, Mackay, Perth and Adelaide. The price is for collection in Brisbane, before delivery and registration costs.