Jayco JPod Outback 2019 Review

There’s something to taking a minimalist approach to camping, especially when delving off the beaten track. Dragging a lighter, more nimble camper behind your 4WD is always going to be less hard work than a full-size van, whether you’re in the desert, on the beach or a mountainous bush track.

This is where an off-road teardrop-style camper like Jayco’s new JPod Outback can make sense. The Jayco JPod Outback is the latest variant of a model that first arrived in 2015, as one road-going touring model only.

A larger, better equipped and more expensive version arrived in 2017 that also broadened the Jayco JPod model range to three: Lite, Touring and Sport.

Dirt-road capable

Now the Jayco JPod range has been revised again: gone is the entry-level JPod Lite and mid-spec JPod Touring, leaving just the JPod Sport and the new range-topper, the JPod Outback.

For the first time in JPod history, Jayco has fitted its J-TECH independent trailing arm coil-spring off-road suspension, an off-road swivel coupling and larger 15-inch alloy wheels (in place the J-Pod Sport's 14-inchers) shod with all-terrain tyres, along with checkerplate front and side protection.

A bigger A-frame toolbox/gas bottle holder is also fitted to the JPod Outback, and while the Sport only gets a sink for its kitchen, the Outback also comes with a two-burner stove and two gas bayonets instead of the Sport’s single outlet. The Outback also gets a bigger water tank than the Sport (an 82-litre underslung unit versus 45-litre).

The 150watt solar panel, external shower, AL-KO rear drop-down stabiliser legs and mudflaps are other additional Outback exterior features. The Outback shares a Bushranger awning, rear tent, roof rails, and external slide-out kitchen with the Sport.

Inside the Outback scores a Sirocco fan but misses out on the Sport’s CoastRV water gauge. Otherwise specs are pretty much the same for the two campers.

Looks the part

The fibreglass panelled JPod Outback looks the part with its high-clearance stance and black checkerplate body cladding.

The slide-out kitchen is easy to get to and pull out, and has a large food preparation table that folds off the top of the unit. The only criticism here is that while standing at the kitchen it’s easy to bump into the side window if left open. You’d probably want to close it if cooking anyway.

Just aft of the kitchen you’ve got both 240v and 12v outlets.

The front toolbox is partitioned, allowing for two gas bottles to be secured in the nearside section while gear can be stored in the offside half.

The toolbox has a rubber seal to keep dust and moisture out and a drain hole for each compartment for wet storage but there are no locks; just two small draw latches to secure them with.

The compartment on the offside exterior wall gets a lockable, rubber sealed fold-down hatch door though, and offers a reasonably deep storage spot. There’s also a external shower and 240v power inlet (and 12v port) on the offside.

Setting up camp

Setting up the JPod Outback is quick and easy, for the most part. Level it up on the jockey wheel, drop down the rear stabiliser legs and open the rear gas-strut assist hatch via two side latches and the centre locking latch, and you’re good to go.

Unfortunately during our photo-shoot we didn’t get time to roll out the Bushranger awning or set up the rear tent. While setting out the awning and pegging appears straight-forward, fellow caravancampingsales contributor Michael Browning found the rear annexe tent awkward to set up when he sampled one of the early-model JPods, so we recommend trying it out before buying so there'll be no disappointment the first time you use it for real.

Interior not too cramped

The off-road J-Pod’s interior is clearly not the largest living space but the queen-size, 1360mm x 1880mm bed is comfortable enough and doesn’t feel too cramped once you're in there.

There’s a reading light on each side of the bed, as well as fabric storage pockets at each side of the bedhead, plus recessed storage for knick-knacks down each side of the bed.

A fair bit of natural light can enter the camper, with two large windows (with concertina mesh screens/blinds)  and a large roof hatch also with concertina mesh screen/blind. However, it would be good if the hatch also had a window fitted to allow more light in and offer a better view out if stuck indoors on a cold, wet day.

Helping brighten up proceedings though is a centrally mounted LED ceiling light and another LED light fitted to the inside of the hatch door.

Decent storage

There should be enough room at the end of the bed to get changed and there’s a small cupboard/table top on the offside of the layout to leave oddments at camp. The cupboard houses three plastic tub drawers with slots on the back (accessed only with the tailgate open).

The cupboard side panel also houses the isolator switch, light switches and a Furrion Bluetooth Speaker Dock. A fire extinguisher is housed in a recessed moulding on the rear bed base support.

There are eight tie-down points on the floor, but you’ll need four of these to secure the fridge with the (supplied) tie-downs.

There's more storage space under the gas strut-assist bed base, but getting the bed base to lift to the extent of its travel is awkward, because the mattress needs to be centred between the netted wall storage cupboards as you lift it.

Also located under the the bed are the stabiliser legs winder, wheelbrace and jack, along with the 100A/h battery, BMPRO J35 battery management system and 12v water pump.

Tops for towing

While we didn’t get to tow the Outback’s in hard-core off-road conditions, it didn’t move around at all at 100km/h on the freeway or skip over potholes on the poor dirt roads we towed it over.

While there's plenty of clearance the lowest point by far is the underslung spare wheel, sitting in its carrier at the back of the body underside. The water tank on the underside has a gal steel protection plate around it and wiring is tucked up out of harm’s way.

Summing up

While small campers may be an acquired taste, there’s no doubting the Outback’s advantage over canvas campers for set-up/pack down time (when not using the rear tent or awning, at least). The insulation properties of this hard-wall camper are also promising when it comes to more comfortable camping in extreme cold or hot weather conditions.

More sharply priced than the very similar Golf X265,  the Outback version of Jayco's JPod mini-caravan is well equipped for the money and shapes up as a good option for short-stay remote-country camping.

Specs: 2019 Jayco JPod Outback

Travel length: 4405mm (14ft 6in)
Body length (open length): 2850mm (9ft 4in)
External body width: 1860mm (6ft 1in)
Travel height: 2280mm
Interior height: 1295mm (4ft 2in)
Tare weight: 928kg
ATM: 1228kg
Ball weight: 124kg (approx)
Body: Fibreglass composite
Chassis: C-section hot-dipped galvanised
Suspension: J-TECH independent, coil springs
Brakes: 10in electric drums
Stability Control: n/a
Wheels: 15in alloy 235/75R15C tyres
Fresh water: 82L
Battery: 100A/h AGM
Solar: 150watt flexipanel
Air-conditioner: n/a
Gas: 1x9kg
Hot water: n/a
Cooking: Two-burner gas stove
Fridge: 12v/240v Sphere 45L
Microwave: n/a
Toilet: n/a
Shower: External
Lighting: 12v LED
TV: n/a
Price: $23,990 drive away
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: Jayco Sydney, St Marys NSW
More info: Jayco Australia