Australia's smallest ensuite camper arrives

There are a handful of high-end, go-anywhere pod trailers on the Australian market, but none that we know of can boast a super-fast overnight set-up, internal sleeping for four, together with off-the-ground showering and toileting.

But that's set to change with the release of the all-new Melbourne designed and built Geotrek lightweight off-road camper trailer that delivers all those 'big van' features in a package about the same size as your average off-road vehicle.

Experienced RV traveller and Geotrek founder Stephen Dannock said he came up with the unique concept after being frustrated with the time it took to set up other lightweight campers, while having to cope with the different demands of family members.

After searching in vain for a hardcore off-road family camper that 'ticked all the boxes', Dannock decided to design and build his dream camper and after an "extensive research, development, and testing program" the unique Geotrek is now available on the Australian market.

Not unlike the '30 second' OzTent, the Tvan-size Geotrek camper promises a super-quick set-up time, with the entire family able to hop into bed not long after pulling over for the night (see the video below for how it works).

"When travelling long haul it’s as simple as opening the roof hatch," Dannock explains. "There's no need to uncouple or set stabilizers; simply drop the stone-guard/steps, pop the roof and in 20 seconds it's ready to sleep a family of four."

If you want to clean up before bed, the entry deck quickly converts to a canvas-walled 'wet' bathroom thanks to a drop-down privacy screen that attaches via bungy cords, floor drainage holes and separate compartments for a slide-out portable toilet and shower hose.

For longer stays there's the option to erect the front and rear awnings, or put in zipped annexe walls which are currently in development.

Adding to the Geotrek's versatility is a modular interior layout that sleeps parents and two children on an east-west queen bed and two singles, or simply converts to a solitary king bed for couple's camping.

"The cabin when closed is 3300mm long by 2045mm wide... and when opened it extends to a cabin length of 4000mm," he says.

As well as standing room under the strut-assisted pop-top, there are built-in storage drawers and a control panel for the 158 litre capacity water tanks and hot water unit, and twin 130Ah AGM batteries fed by two 120W roof-top solar panels.

Cooking is outside on a pull-out external kitchen that includes a gas cooktop and sink, and for better weight distribution heavy items like the six 20L jerry cans and the spare wheel are housed in a rear-mounted 'Backpack' that lowers on struts for easy access.

"Our ball weight at Tare is 180kg but reduces to 120-130kg at ATM (when loaded)," he says.

The Geotrek family camper is set up for hardcore off-roading with a Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling, independent trailing arm coil suspension, rock sliders, underbody skid plates, recovery points, 500mm ground clearance and optional mud track mounts, all part of the package.

With a Tare weight of 1340kg and ATM of 1800kg, the mid-spec Geotrek Trek-XP also features external and internal LED lighting, two gas bottles and a gas bayonet, tinted side windows and a remote-controlled roof fan hatch.

A combination of welded aluminium and polypropylene sandwich board construction delivers "exceptional" build quality for the mid-spec Geotrek, Dannock claims.

While still ramping up production at the Geotrek factory in Melbourne's Heidelberg West, a few production versions of the mid-spec Geotrek Trek-XP have been built so far and are currently available for purchase, with pricing around the $75-$80,000 mark.

Other versions planned for release over the next 12 months include a cheaper, entry-level Geotrek Trek-X and a more expensive range-topping, extreme off-road Trek XT model.