Jayco BaseStation Outback

Mention dirty weekend to most people and a thoughts of a cosy cabin for two, candlelight dinner and some expensive fizz to set the right romantic mood, come to mind.

But for outdoor enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies and those with petrol running through their veins, dirty weekend has a totally different connotation.

To prove that you can have fun in the mud, without necessarily wallowing in it, the Carsales Network combined its editorial resources to organise a couple of days of slip, sliding, fuel-burning fun.

It wasn’t just for laughs, of course. With representatives from carsales.com.au as well as the Bikesales and Caravancampingsales sites, the objective was to prove that camping combined with outdoor adventure sports don’t always have to be logistic nightmares or uncomfortable, deprived experiences.

Our ‘rig’ comprised a toy hauler caravan, with room for food and gear including two dirt bikes in the back, and a dual-cab ute to haul the lot. Let’s see how they fared…

For city slickers, taking some dirt bikes into the bush usually requires a sacrifice of some sort. Towing a trailer with the bikes usually means cramming a minimal amount of camping and cooking gear into the tow vehicle. Although we’re all for roughing it in swags amidst Mother Nature, there is a better way..

Toy hauler caravans are popular in the US, and more recently have been making their mark Down Under in a variety of forms. Leading the charge is Australia’s biggest-selling caravan manufacturer, Jayco, which has two toy haulers in its fleet, both of which combine the benefits of a rear ‘garage’ with the comforts of a caravan up front.

For our dirty weekend, we borrowed an 8.4m, tandem-axle BaseStation, which is available with three different interior layouts and sleeping for up to eight people.

Unlike most caravans, the BaseStation offers a massive 11 square metres of storage space in the rear; big enough to transport some of your favourite motorised toys to your adventure playground of choice. In our case, it was a couple of full-sized motorbikes, but we could just as easily fitted an ATV, mountain bikes, golf cart or jet-ski, plus all associated equipment.

The rubber-covered garage floor is great for hosing out the mud at the end of your trip, while the lockable door that provides internal access to the front living/kitchen area means you can leave your boots ‘outside’ but undercover, so to speak.

After unhitching and setting up the four stabiliser jacks, the full-size rear door folds down on bottom hinges to function either as a ramp or ‘floating’ deck; perfect for setting up a deck chair, stubby in hand, and watching the sunset.

At night, the garage converts to a bedroom via wall-mounted, fold down bunk beds; perfect for accommodating three weary dirt-bike riders. The most comfortable option however is the well-cushioned, slide-out double bed at the front of the van.

Up front, there’s everything you need to survive a few days in the sticks, including a four-person dinette, four-burner cooktop/grill that runs on gas or electric, and big 150-litre fridge/freezer.

There’s plenty of storage space in the form of cupboards, drawers and wardrobes, as well as a full-width, externally-accessible locker for tools and ‘wet’ items like fishing rods and muddy gear.

In fact, for those used to camping in tents, the Jayco borders on luxurious, with mod cons including microwave and optional air conditioning, although they only run on mains power (the TV, stereo and lights run off the house battery).

Although personal hygiene wasn’t a high priority during our getaway, a small bathroom with shower and cassette toilet was included, so there was no real need to squat behind a bush or rinse off the grime in the nearby icy creek.

Our BaseStation also came with the optional Outback Pack. With its increased ground clearance and checkerplate body protection we had no worries traversing some bumpy paddocks to get to our hilltop campsite.

Priced from $46,750, the BaseStation is not for everyone, but for getting away in comfort with the toys for a few days, no to mention a few mates or family members, it’s hard to beat.

With the BaseStation weighing 2.3 tonnes (or up to 2.9 tonnes fully loaded), a heavy-duty, off-road tow vehicle was in order for our off-road adventure. What better choice than the latest 4x4 Ford Ranger dual-cab ute which, with a 3350kg towing capacity, is one of the best tow tugs in the biz.

The Ranger comes with a good-sized rear tub and one-tonne payload, so would prove more useful than an SUV wagon, and at various times we threw bikes, jerry cans, and other tools and equipment in the tray. The plastic tub liner with handy tie-down hooks, cup holders and 12V outlet also meant we didn’t have to worry about scratches (particularly when Ford wanted it back in a week’s time!).

The practicality and durability of the five-seater cabin was just as impressive. The Ranger easily swallows five boofy blokes without causing arguments about who has to sit in the rear. Man-sized storage areas including a cavernous centre console bin are great for stashing photographic equipment and all the other odds and ends required while on the road.

Even the tight-weave, grey fabric trim was up to the job, requiring just a quick wipe with a damp sponge to remove the odd dirt and chocolate stain at trip’s end.

Fitted with an aftermarket electric brake controller and with a trailer sway control function as standard, the Ranger made light work of towing the big toy hauler. With a gutsy 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel and smooth-shifting six-speed auto, it surged to highway cruising speeds with little fuss or engine noise. It also returned excellent fuel economy of 12.5L/100km while towing.

The Ranger was also hard to fault as our ‘back up’ vehicle during a day of dirt biking along forest trails and offroad tracks in Victoria’s Strathbogie Ranges. The SUV-like ride comfort and sharp handling was a constant, whether on bitumen or gravel roads, and there was little of the tail-happy shenanigans you’d expect of a live axle, ladder frame ute, partly due to the unobtrusive stability control system.

It’s also reassuring to know the Ranger is one of the safest vehicles on the market, recently awarded a five-star safety rating.

Gnarly, low-range tracks and creek crossings were all taken in its stride, thanks to a decent off-road set-up including high clearance, short overhangs, and handy features like hill descent control and a rear diff lock.

The bash plate protecting the underbody proved useful when negotiating one large mound, although slight damage to one of the side steps, suggested that they might have been better left at home. Fitted with standard all-terrain tyres, the Ranger was no match however for the more nimble dirt bikes on the really muddy or steep sections.

In XLT form, the Ranger comes with almost everything you need for a spot of ‘glamping’ (glamorous camping), including cruise control, decent stereo with Bluetooth, and dual climate control. The standard rear parking sensors were handy when hitching up the van and avoiding low-lying shrubs when turning around on narrow tracks. In fact, it was probably too flash inside, with the carpeted floors copping a muddy beating despite the protective mats fitted.

At $55,390, the XLT Ranger may not exactly be a bargain (sat nav should be standard at this price too). But as a multi-purpose recreational vehicle, able to carry all your gear, five people and a bike in the tray while pulling a big caravan, in such an unfussed manner, it fulfilled our requirements perfectly.

Given we were out to have fun -- and not break any records -- we chose a Suzuki DR-Z250 and Honda CRF230F for our Dirty weekend; both superb learners' bikes or 'step-ups’ from something smaller

And a fun bike is a fun bike. It doesn’t have to come in a big, flashy, grandiose package, dripping with the latest technology and costing a fortune. Instead, it’s simpler than that, with a predictable chassis and useable engine, the only real ingredients required for a generous helping of enjoyment.

While these two Japanese bikes are certainly not the latest and greatest, they’re practical, reliable and designed to get you to the next location with the least physical and emotional stress. Greater than the sum of their parts, they don't have high-revving, high-risk engines, lightweight components, razor-sharp handling and seats like a plank. These bikes are of the 'old school'.

They have soft-ish suspension, so learners can ride them without getting beaten up. Then there’s electric start, comfortable ride positions, bulletproof single-cylinder air-cooled engines, and well modulated, progressive brakes. Just what the doctor ordered for some bush bashing.

Of the two, the DR-Z250 -- which retails for $7290 -- is the only one which is road-registerable, so it has all the paraphernalia required for that role -- mirrors, full lighting and dual-purpose rubber. The DR-Z also scores a kick-starter to back-up the electric leg, a practical addition – especially when a battery decides to cark it deep in the bowels of a forest. Without that insurance, you could be sleeping with wombats.

The DR-Z also has taller gearing than the CRF250R, and cruising at 110km/h on the open road is manageable -- although there’s the occasional gentle weave at that speed, which is fairly standard for a light, wide-barred dirt bike on the road.

But in an off-road setting, which is where we spent most of the time during our dirty escape, the suspension on both bikes is plush and forgiving, so a gentle ride won’t turn into a form of punishment. And this means a rider can adapt a riding style to suit.

The Suzuki and Honda really shine in the tight stuff, where the low centre of gravity, good brakes, plenty of ground clearance and unintimidating power combine to produce nifty packages -- and enough to keep more narrow-focused bikes honest.

The $5690 CRF250R weighs about 20kg less than the DR-Z250 (partially because it has less of the road-going chattels to lug around, such as blinkers) and a real whippet on a single track. In particular, our 11-year-old rider appreciated its ability to cut a line with laser-sharp precision, not to mention the easy-to-use powerplant.

He also felt comfortable on the 230 from the get-go, even though there were concerns that the gulf between his regular steed, the miniscule CRF50F, and the bigger Honda may have been too much to cope with.

But it wasn’t -- well for most of the time. He did manage to spear off a track at one stage when the front end became a bit nervous, and his journey ended in a clump of bushes. And the story was embellished twofold when he got back to school!

But that’s what entry-level dirt biking is all about, and the odd crash along the journey is part of the framework.

But what the DR-Z250 and CRF230F provide is the perfect environment to learn your craft, and even experienced dirt bikers can have fun on these bikes.

Tearing about in the scrub was all in a couple of (dirty) days’ work for the Carsales crew that took part in this evaluation.

Altogether, our once-shiny boys’ toys added up to just over $120,000, not including on-road costs or the accessories required for a trip of this nature.

Hardly small change, but potentially money well spent if a few of you plan on getting down and dirty on a regular basis.

The only downsides we could think of was having to scrub all the mud off at the end of the trip… And lugging jerry cans along to ensure we didn’t run out of all-important go-juice.

If nothing else, we proved that you can rough it while still enjoying the conveniences of modern life. Now we just have to start saving…

JAYCO BASESTATION OUTBACK
Berths: Six
Body length: 6.75m
Towing length: 8.38m
Travel height: 3.05m
Interior height: 1.97m
Towball weight: 230kg
Tare weight: 2320kg
ATM: 2950kg
Price (Victoria): $52,600 (including options fitted)
Supplied by: Jayco

FORD RANGER XLT 4x4 DUAL CAB
Engine: 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Drivetrain: Front eng, 4WD
Power/Torque: 147kw/470Nm
Suspension: Double A-arm wishbone (front); leaf springs (rear)
Brakes: Disc/drum
Price: $55,390
Supplied by: Ford Australia

HONDA CRF230F
Engine: 223cc, Air-cooled, four-stroke, two-valve single-cylinder
Transmission: Five-speed
suspension: Telescopic forks (front); Monoshock (rear)
Brakes: Disc/drum
Weight: 108kg
Fuel capacity: 8.3 litres
Price: $5690
Supplied by: Honda Australia

SUZUKI DR-Z250
Engine: 249cc, air-cooled, four-stroke, four-valve single-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed
Suspension: Telescopic forks (front); Monoshock (rear)
Brakes: Disc/disc
Weight: 131kg
Fuel capacity: 10.5 litres
Price: $7290
Supplied by: Suzuki Australia