Jayco unveils $11,000 camper

Just months after releasing its first teardrop camper, Jayco has unveiled another cut-price model, an Australian-spec, US-built camper trailer at the Melbourne Leisurefest show.

With a ‘show’ price of just $10,990, the wind-out camper dubbed the J8 undercuts the current entry level, Australian-built Jayco four-berth camper, the Swift, by around $5000, but comes with fewer standard features.

The 3.7m long ‘Starcraft Sport’ model on display in Melbourne was based on a Jay Series Sport camper from the Jayco America range,  and had been tweaked to comply with local gas and ADR laws including having its one-piece door (which slots inside the roof when travelling) on the ‘correct’ side.

It featured a powdercoated steel chassis with spring leaf beam axle suspension and 12in wheels and tyres.

Up front was fitted an ADR-compliant 50mm coupling, removable jockey wheel, 4kg gas bottle and a manual winder to raise the fibreglass roof and canvas side walls. Other standard features included wind-down corner stabilisers, LED external running lights, rear-mounted spare wheel and awning.

A battery is optional but the J8 camper does come with a very basic electrical system including 12V lights and a Setec transformer.

While retaining the dark wooden timber look typical of many American RVs, the camper’s interior had been freshened up with bright new Jayco Australia cloth upholstery on the four-person dinette seats.

The display model also featured a small 60 litre Dometic fridge, roof hatch, Dometic two gas burner cooktop with glass lid, and a stainless steel sink with old-style pump tap connected to a 35 litre water tank.

The two double beds down each end had what appeared to be solid foam mattresses rather than the plush, coil-spring mattresses now fitted as standard on Oz-built Jayco campers.

Like the tiny, $9990 J-Pod, the bare-boned, four berth American camper is designed to attract buyers on tight budgets into Jayco dealerships as well as those with smaller tow vehicles. With a Tare of 604kg, 82kg ball weight and 749kg ATM, the J8 camper doesn’t require electric brakes.

Jayco has brought in an initial batch of 40 campers, in what is believed to be the first American product offering by Jayco Australia in its 40 year history.

“This is a product that (Jayco chairman) Gerry (Ryan) brought in from our sister company at Jayco in the US, “ explained new Jayco Australia CEO Carl Bizon.

“He thought it was a good introductory product that could be appealing to people that have limited means that still want to experience caravanning.

“It gives us a price position at the bottom of the market that helps people if they can’t quite get to a Swan or a Flamingo or an Eagle (camper), they’ve now got something to get into.

“We’ve brought a pile of them in and if it’s a success we’ll do it again…”