John has been building camper trailers out of his shed in south-east Queensland since late 2014. First, there was his flagship Condamine Camper followed by a toy-hauler variant. Never one to sit on his hands, 2020 has seen the Compact join his stable.

The Compact is a mid-priced, two-up camper trailer built with the same quality and attention to detail as its older siblings.

While it may be compact, it's also an absolute lightweight, tipping the scales with a tare of only 1050kg, meaning you would have to put more than 950kg of payload into it before going over your ATM of 2000kg. And then even mid-sized 4WDs and SUVs are going to be able to drag the Compact on holidays.

Add in the fact it is only 1.9m wide, it's also going to fit down any track the tow vehicle can fit, with one exception — the awning bag, which is massive and will no doubt catch on sticks and branches.

The Compact runs the Cruisemaster XT Independent suspension system with coil springs and twin shocks on each wheel. On-road manners and offroad ability are well catered for by this setup. With the articulation afforded by the DO35 hitch up front, you'll be tackling the challenging tracks with aplomb.

Just like those Condamine s that have come before, the Compact is built tough to tackle our worst outback tracks and it's built to last. A one-piece 150 x 50 x 3mm hot-dipped galvanised chassis and drawbar provides the backbone. Laser-cut outriggers and cross-braces offer additional strength.

Two 90L water tanks are positioned fore and aft of the axles, maximising balance. Plumbing, gas and wiring is as neat as a pin and run in a way to minimise damage from errant sticks and stones.

A heavy-duty rear bar protects the back of the trailer when the going gets tough. It also provides a mounting point for the twin rear recovery points.

Setup time for the Compact in minimal. If the awning is not required, it's just a matter of getting it all level before flicking a couple of latches front and rear and lifting the pop-top which raises a full 800mm to reveal a queen-sized, pillow-topped, inner-spring mattress. If setting up the awning, you'll need to do that before raising the pop-top.

A little different to other 270-degree awnings that hinge from the rear left corner, the awning on the Compact hinges from the front left. It swings around to give full cover along the near side of the camper, the kitchen, A-frame mounted storage box and the entry/exit point to your sleeping quarters.

Borrowing heavily from the larger Condamine Camper, the kitchen on the Compact proudly carries on the family tradition. A large stainless-steel kitchen pulls out from the front of the camper, complete with a flip over stainless prep bench, a Dometic 3-burner gas cooktop and stainless sink with plumbed hot and cold water.

The Compact has a lot going for it, especially when it comes to its off-grid attributes. Keeping the 100Ah of lithium battery at maximum potential is a pair of roof-mounted 250W solar panels. If 100Ah of lithium power isn't enough, there's space for another battery to up your capacity to 200Ah.

All of the electrical controls, switches, 12V and USB charging points are located in an easily accessible panel above the slide-out kitchen.

In a very competitive market segment, the Compact from Condamine Campers can definitely walk tall. It’s a 100 per cent Aussie built camper that's tough, with excellent offroad and off-grid credentials, low tare and heaps of payload and will give you change from $40k, which has to be a good thing in my books.