Austrack Gibb 16 2022 Review

Queensland's Austrack Campers started life about 15 years ago selling imported camper trailers, before moving into larger hybrid campers and pop-tops.

Now the fast-growing business with seven retail outlets spread across Australia, including a new showroom just opened in Perth, is moving into the off-road caravan segment still largely dominated by Australian manufacturers.

Unveiled earlier this year, the latest Austrack Gibb 16 hybrid caravan is available with couple and family bunk layouts, and is best described as a blend of desirable caravan and camping trailer features in a sub-two tonne Tare, single-axle off-road towable package.

While getting pricey for a Chinese-built caravan at around $80K, the new range-topping Austrack model is relatively affordable when compared to many of its six-figure priced Australian hybrid rivals, particularly when you add up all the standard included features which are often optional on locally built models.

All-terrain travel plus easy set-up

Most Chinese-built hybrid campers available in Australia feature pop-tops and slide-out walls, and this includes many of the other models in Austrack's hybrid range.

The Gibb 16 bucks the trend with its solid aluminium composite walls and fixed, full-height roof, which makes it easier to set up when you just need to drop the jockey wheel, wind down the corner stabilisers and pull out the awning if it's sunny, before kicking back and cracking a beer...

Beginning at the front, the Gibb 16 is set up for some rough-road touring with a McHitch coupling (a Cruisemaster DO-35 is optional), ARK 750 fold-up jockey wheel, and an external brass tap that's located inside the A-frame to protect it from stone chips.

The front window is also protected by a black pop-up cover, with some black checkerplate protection on the front wall underneath, and a twin toolbox arrangement ahead of that on the drawbar comprising the same checkerplate.

There are some chunky grab handles on the front but you'll probably need a step ladder to reach up and open the front window cover, while the central location of the drawbar tap makes it tricky to wash off your feet or fill a bucket.

There are some latches and internal struts constraining the lid of the main front toolbox, which contains separate compartments for the twin 9kg gas bottles, and the fuel container feeding the internal diesel space heater and twin 20L jerry cans.

The narrower toolbox on top is used to store the poles for the awning, amongst other items.

There's plenty of ground clearance to get a good look underneath at the three checkerplate-protected poly water tanks (two 120L fresh, one 80L grey) spread evenly across the underbody. There's plenty of exposed piping and plumbing but most of it should be tucked up out of harm's way when heading bush.

The Gibb 16 rides on 16inch alloys with chunky mud tyres and independent trailing arm suspension with coil springs and shocks. Along with checkerplate side body protection it also gets some bolt-on tubular rock sliders along the sides.

Enjoying the great outdoors in comfort

Larger outdoor items go in the spacious tunnel boot which gets a lino floor covering and LED lighting and looks big enough to hold a Weber Baby Q along with camp chairs and other bulky gear. There's also a smaller, vertical storage locker on the offside rear wall.

Next to the tunnel boot is the locker with a slide-out for the 80-litre Arctic fridge, with 12V, 240V and Anderson plug connections close by. There are a couple of handy, carpet-lined drawers accessible at the front of the fridge slide, while the hot water unit and associated plumbing are also visible, tucked away in the space behind the fridge.

There's a chunky, blue LED-lit grab handle and powered entry step to help get you up and in via the caravan-style security door, which features a separate fly mesh screen, a large Perspex window with internal privacy curtains, and a removable vinyl cover for the mandatory gas vent on the lower door section.

Moving towards the rear, on the onside wall are more pull-out drawers located in a separate locker above the slide-out stainless kitchen, which boasts a Dometic sink with mixer tap and a three-burner gas cooktop (both with glass lids).

There's a small flip-over benchtop on both sides of the kitchen for food preparation, or even better a wooden 'chopping board' that slots on top of the drop-down picnic table alongside, with some carpeted shelving in the recess along with a spot for the TV. The various electrical sockets here could also be used to charge phones or run a small coffee machine and grinder.

Externally, the Gibb 16 also comes with twin LED awning lights and external speakers, while the full-width powered awning is activated by a switch located inside the entry door. It's also worth noting the outside LEDs will switch from a white to yellow glow to keep the bugs in check at night.

The rear wall is dominated by two spare wheels mounted on a two-arm bumper bar, below more LED lighting. There's also a rear hitch receiver that could be used for mounting a bike rack, two recovery hooks and twin gas bayonets – one to connect the gas to the external kitchen and another to hook up a portable BBQ if you're carrying one.

You'll also find an external hot/cold shower along the offside wall, along with another Anderson plug for connecting a portable solar panel if required.

Indoor comforts for when the weather turns nasty

For what is a relatively compact 16ft 'van, the Austrack designers have worked hard to maximise the number of features contained within the couple-friendly floorplan.

There's been a few tweaks internally since its show debut, including an extension of the dinette benchseat so it now buts up to the bed and provides a bit more room to spread out on the cushioned leatherette upholstery. The multi-adjustable dinette table easily swings out of the way to provide a bit more space to walk through the 'van when it's not being used.

The lightweight, queen-size plush mattress feels reasonably comfortable and folds back in half to allow access to some storage areas underneath, with hinged lid access to a compartment containing the Belief diesel heating system. There's some space in here to store items but you'll have to place them on top or alongside the heater, which isn't ideal. Otherwise, there are other storage spaces under the bed including some slide-out drawers.

There are also some overhead cupboards, bedside robes and covered storage 'bins' around the north-south bed, although together with the chamfered mattress they do cut into some of the available sleeping space which might prove an issue for larger bodies.

We counted nine overhead cupboards in total around the bed, dinette and kitchen area, along with some storage nooks around the bedhead, close to reading lights and 12V/USB sockets.

Good-sized double glazed windows with screens and blinds on three sides of the van, together with a roof hatch above the bed, allow for plenty of natural light and ventilation, and there are plenty of ceiling lights when it all goes dark.

You have to get down low to find the electrical 'control panel', protected behind a clear plastic cover near the entry door alongside the audio unit. The 'old school' set-up includes various switches, buttons and analogue gauges, along with a Redarc 30 Manager and switches for the electric awning and entry step.

Also part of the on-board power system is a 2000W Redarc inverter and three 100Ah lithium batteries which should be enough to run a few electrical appliances for a limited time when camping off-grid, or for longer if the sun is shining on the 400W rooftop solar panels.

There's good headroom when moving around the 'van even under the Dometic rooftop air conditioner, with two outlets located at the base of the bed for the diesel heater.

The internal kitchen includes a Dometic two-burner gas cooktop and sink, both with glass lids which, like the external kitchen, is a bit stretched for food preparation benchspace.

Surprisingly, there's no microwave or rangehood fitted (just a tiny extractor fan), so you might need to open the big double glazed window behind the cooktop when cooking a curry.

Also missing from the kitchen is some under-bench drawers for cutlery and utensils, so you'll have to find a spot for them in the under-bench cupboards or perhaps utilise the back section of one of the external slide-out drawers, that's also accessible from inside through a cupboard door in the rear corner.

There's also a 150-litre slimline Thetford fridge/freezer inside, with most of the onside corner section reserved for more storage areas including two large robes with enough shelving for all your clothes, towels, bedding, etc.

The offside corner of the van is split into two small 'rooms', both with solid doors: one for the large shower cubicle with 12V roof fan hatch, while the other contains the cassette toilet, a vanity with bowl sink, mirror and some overhead cupboards.

The 'powder room' also gets an opening window and 12V fan hatch, but there's really only space for one person at a time to do their thing.

Still some room for improvement

Build quality has come a long way in the Chinese-built models over the past five years, and while it's obviously not quite up to the level of the pricier Aussie-built hybrids, the Gibb 16 presents well overall, with good fit and finish and an appealing design both inside and out.

Austrack has made other improvements to the Gibb 16's interior since its Queensland show debut, including removing the extra sink from the shower area to free up space, and changing the gloss cupboard fascias above the bed from white to black and grey to create a more contemporary look.

There are other thoughtful touches like the big cushioned 'pad' located above the door to help prevent concussion when stooping down to exit the van, and the number of 240V sockets spread throughout the van, although we couldn't find any in the bathroom to plug in a hair dryer or electric shaver.

With a plated Tare weight of 2400kg and a 3000kg ATM, the Gibb 16 is on the heavy side for a 16ft caravan but the upside is a decent payload of up to 600kg, and even fully loaded it should be manageable at highway speeds behind any of the large 4WD wagons or popular dual-cab utes.

Summing up

Chinese-built campers and caravans have come a long way, with many now offering the important features desired by Australian buyers while remaining competitively priced.

Austrack's Gibb 16 is a good example of an imported RV that offers value for money in spades, thanks to its long list of standard features that cater to both indoor and outdoor campers. Whether you choose the family or couple's layout, its enticing blend of caravanning comforts and outdoor lifestyle features is designed to make the most of all-season travel.

How much is the Austrack Campers Gibb 16C 16ft full-height hybrid?

Price: $79,900 plus ORC
External length: 7155mm
Body length: 4900mm
External body width: 2376mm
Travel height: 3200mm
Tare: 2400kg
ATM: 3000kg
Ball weight: 205kg
Body: Aluminium frame under smooth aluminium composite walls
Chassis: 150 x 50mm hot-dipped galvanised steel
Suspension: Independent by trailing arms and coil springs and shocks
Brakes: 12-inch electric drum
Wheels: Alloy 16in with 265/75R16 M/T tyres                                         
Water: 2 x 120L fresh; 1 x 80L grey
Batteries: 3 x 100Ah lithium
Solar: Roof-mounted 400W panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: 14L gas/electric
Cooking: Slide-out external stainless steel, four-burner gas cook-top and sink. Internal two gas burner and sink
Fridge: 150L Thetford internal fridge/freezer; 80L slide-out external fridge/freezer
Air-conditioner: Roof-mounted Dometic
Space heater: Belief diesel
Toilet: Internal cassette
Shower: Internal full-height one-piece moulded fibreglass shower plus external hot/cold shower
Lighting: LED
TV: 28in HD LED
Audio: Bluetooth stereo with internal/external speakers
Supplied by: Austrack Campers Brisbane North, 73 Lear Jet Drive, Caboolture, Queensland
Website: Austrack Campers