Anyone ever seen these in person ?

Covering that is useless unless you want to cause more issues servicing potential problem points that any trailer might have. I guess if you drive hardcore offroad in reverse, it might be worthwhile to cover those potential points of contact/issue, but otherwise it is as concerning as a cloudy day

 

It's funny, these hybrid trailers are a dime-a-dozen in Australia. 90% of them come straight from a Chinese factory, and then the fittings, etc. are put on by Aussie companies, at varying degrees of quality.

I'm sure we'll see a flood of this type of trailers here in the US over the next few years.

Just do your homework and check the product well, as the materials that go into these can be questionable. Make sure water lines are weather proof, and seams are sealed well (I read about lots of water issues when I was researching them).

 

The Auzzies usually have narrow offroad trailers because they actually take them off road and want them narrow enough to fit on the rutted offroad trails. They take that s**t seriously. They advertise their trailers to be the same width as most of the tow vehicles.

The road systems in NA are so developed you don't really need an off roader at all. Here in Canada it would be practically useless as you aren't allowed to camp in the bush in most places. You Yanks have a little more license to go into the bush in the state parks, etc.

 

The roads where these types of campers would thrive are the "last mile" roads, usually nasty forest service roads that get narrow and uneven. Having the narrower body and kick-ass suspension will be appreciated in this environment, leading to a more fun trip. A big fat camper on these types of roads is just not pleasant, getting jarred around, and making it a harrowing experience to deal with oncoming rigs in tight terrain.

There are also a lot of sweet camping spot "driveways" that a wide camper can't make it into as well...

So I see them getting popular as more and more people retreat further into the wilderness. It's a good time and a bad time to be a camper these days, eh? We got the toys, but it's getting crowded...