Today’s RV review is of the 2023 Black Series HQ19T, a very rugged toy hauler in the overlanding style. I can very distinctly remember the first time I saw a Black Series camper at the California RV Show in Kentucky. I was really impressed with the unusual design, rugged independent suspension and just overall stance of this camper.

Black Series

Wait, you ask. Who is Black Series? They’re a company that started in Australia building travel trailers (caravans as they’re called there, mate) for the Outback and have since started offering their trailers in the U.S. market too. The trailers are now built in China with final assembly in Southern California, and most of the parts that would need maintenance such as heaters, air conditioners, appliances and such are sourced from U.S. companies like Dometic and Suburban, just like virtually every other RV we Yanks, er, Americans can buy.

The company makes a full range of trailers from small pop-ups to larger two-axle trailers including ones that feature a unique washing machine.

When I first saw these in 2019 I didn’t have an idea of how popular overlanding is but now I am much more aware. In fact I saw one of these on a recent camping trip and it was filthy so someone was using it for the intended purpose which reminded me to share these with you.

HQ19T - cargo area

HQ19T - bed

HQ19T - bathroom

Black Series HQ19T interior

The interior of the Black Series HQ19T features a small kitchen and east-west queen-sized bed.

HQ19T water filtration

There is a three-stage water filtration system on the Black Series HQ19T

Exterior camera display

There are four cameras on the exterior of the HQ19T that let you see what's happening outside.

Overlanding

If you’re truly interested in taking a trailer or any camping machine to places where there isn’t even a hint of a road, trailers like those from Black Series are a choice to consider.

Underneath the suspensions on these are long-travel independent suspensions at each wheel featuring coil springs and shocks mounted to a hot dipped galvanized steel frame. The 16” wheels are shod with serious off road tires and, if you happen to find yourself in a place where you pop two tires, no worries. There are two spares on the back.

If you really get yourself in a jam there are even heavy-duty hook points on the trailer to pul it out of where you stuck it. Brush guards keep brush from scratching the trailer but the lower half of the trailer is covered in diamond plate so scratching isn’t as big a deal as it would be if that weren’t the case.

The tongue is also a unique thing with a jockey wheel that can flip up, but allows you to push the trailer around if need be. There is also a hand brake on the tongue so you can apply the brakes which is much more convenient than having to go back and put chocks on the wheels.

The Polyblock hitch is different, too, offering a full 360° of movement which you’d need if you were hauling this out into the back country or the outback, for that matter.

While we’re out here it would be a good time to check out the windows which are a dual-pane Lexan variety. There are also flood lights on all four sides of the trailer so if you hear that Bigfoot you’ve been tracking you can finally light up the scene and get that picture that’ll make you famous.

The exterior of the company’s trailers are aluminum-skinned with additional diamond plate on the lower segment of the rig for added resistance to whatever you might encounter in the Outback. Further, the rear section of this trailer also sports brush guards to push away those pesky cacti and such.

Toy Hauler

This is the first toy hauler I’ve seen the company make and it would allow you to bring the sorts of off-road vehicles that might be the perfect accompaniment to your overlanding adventure.

The place where your toys would go measure 124.4 inches in length with an interior width of 86.6 inches.

What’s inside

The interior of the trailer is definitely biased toward hauling things but there is a living space at the front.

That living space incorporates a queen-sized mattress facing east-west. There are also four folding bunks at the back making for six total places to accommodate campers.

With as much of the space set aside for carrying things, there is a wet bath. That and the east-west bed have proven to be deal breakers to readers of this column in some cases.

The interesting thing about the wet bath is that the shower head is actually also the faucet for the sink. The shower head pulls out of the sink - this is a pretty nifty way of handling this. There is an outdoor shower and you could use something like the SylvanSport Privy Bivy to make this work. Although, honestly, if you’re far enough out only the coyotes and bear are going to see you showering.

Cooking inside is also a compromise situation with a small 2.6 cubic foot refrigerator and a two-burner propane stove. There is an additional propane stove and sink on the road side of this camper (remember these originate in Australia).

There are actually two fresh water holding tanks in this rig with one of those being a 11.88 gallon tank that works with a triple filtration system and its own faucet inside the camper. Then there’s a 52.8 gallons tank for all the other things you’d want water for.

Interestingly the interior somewhat reminds me of the Grand Design look despite what the photos on the company’s own website look like. There are even sections that sport genuine leather trim including the headboard and in the toy garage.

Boondocking and travel access

This camper does not have any slide rooms so everything is always accessible which I appreciate.

There are also four 150 watt solar panels on the roof along with two 100 amp-hour AGM batteries included. There’s a 2,000 watt pure sine wave inverter as well. You should be just fine off the grid, quite frankly.

Tony’s thoughts

Black Series has really sparked a whole segment of campers in the US. From their beginning here in 2019 they’ve grown as a company, but the competition has grown exponentially. Consider that Black Series really has spawned brands like Ember RV and then inspired things like the Palomino Pause and Lance Enduro, both of which we’ve looked at as new offerings for 2023.

The overlanding segment continues to get a lot of attention simply because there is so much energy spent on crowded campgrounds with the huge number of new RVers. I’ve also talked to more than one RV company who have asked a lot of questions about off-grid camping (boondocking).

Since boondocking is my favorite way to camp, and we have a whole section of our website about boondocking, we get a lot of attention in this space.

One of the more interesting things about this camper includes the cameras that surround the outside. You can literally get a 360° view of your surroundings and I like this. There’s a screen above the bed that lets you see what’s out there before you go out there and see what’s out there in person.

When I first saw the Black Series campers at the RV show I was really impressed with them, especially that suspension. Since then Lippert’s Curt division has replicated it and builds that copy here in the US. Overall Black Series is an interesting offering and the first RVs that I’ve seen here in the US that are made in China (with final assembly in Southern California).

But the RV industry has seen their advances and has countered with some pretty competitive offerings of their own with more to come.