Jayco launches CrossTrak hybrid camper

Australia’s top-selling RV manufacturer Jayco has made a late entry into the fast-growing hybrid camper market, unveiling a new 13ft lightweight hard-shell, pop-top off-road camper at the 2019 Victorian Caravan Supershow.

Jayco says the new fibreglass CrossTrak camper, which is 5.1m long, 2.2m wide and 2.4m high when travelling, is the “first ever purpose-built off-road hybrid product” built by the Victorian manufacturer in its 43 year history.

The new CrossTrak hybrid features a hot-dipped galvanised 'Warhorse' chassis similar to that used for the latest Silverline caravan, and  JTECH 2.0 Independent trailing arm suspension from the recently-released JTrak tent trailer, and in Outback spec comes in at a relatively light Tare weight of 1150kg, with a tow ball mass of 95kg and ATM of 1500kg.

Similar to other compact, lightweight cross-over campers, the CrossTrak features a cosy interior, including a north-south double bed, small L-shaped lounge/dinette and some storage cupboards including two deep lockers on one side of the bed.

An external hot/cold shower is located at the rear of the camper, close to a Rhinomax Renegade-like drop-down shower tent for privacy. Rather than a slide-out kitchen, Jayco has opted for an outdoor kitchen 'recess' on the onside, accessed by lifting a large door that also doubles as a weather shelter.

The exterior kitchen incorporates a built-in two-burner gas cooktop with glass lid, stainless steel sink with mixer tap, bench space, towel rail and some overhead storage. A 55 litre slide-out portable fridge is located alongside, in another locker.

Standard features on the 13ft CrossTrak Outback, which retails from $35,990, include a Furrion bluetooth speaker dock, USB charging ports, roll-out awning, two 9kg gas bottles, 12V fan, 65 litre water tank and instant gas hot water system.

Also included is a 150W flexi solar panel on the rear hatch for charging the standard 100Ah battery, and like the latest 2019-model Jayco wind-up campers, water and battery levels on the CrossTrak can be monitored remotely via a J-Hub smart phone app.

The CrossTrak hybrid is the second all-new model from Jayco since Garry Moore was appointed CEO in late-2017.

“Jayco has a strong reputation as industry leaders in R&D and it was only a matter of time before we could offer a high quality off-road product in the form of Jayco CrossTrak,” Moore said.

“The hybrid camper category is popular due to its compact and lightweight benefits and we wanted to ensure Jayco was responsible for producing the best off-road hybrid RV product in Australia.”

Jayco Research & Development Manager Neil McGowan said the CrossTrak would appeal to couples looking to upgrade from an off-road tent trailer.

“Jayco CrossTrak is our first hybrid product and it’s perfect for adventurous couples that want a light weight caravan for ease of towing behind their Ford Ranger but still has the capability to allow their adventures to continue far from the highway,” he said.