Marlin Escape Deluxe 2019 Review

There has been a paradigm shift in the Australian camper-trailer market with the heady days of countless locally-made soft-floor camper brands long replaced by cheaper, more profitable Chinese imports.

Most of the soft-floor market has been abandoned too, with the majority of ‘entry-level’ campers now hard floor units. The hard floors are heavier, bigger and more expensive too.

Yet the local soft floor market has not totally disappeared, with businesses such as Sydney's Marlin Campers offering three affordable models that appeal with their simplicity, lightness and price.

That the majority of components that make up a Marlin camper are Australian-made doesn’t hurt, either.

Middle of the road

The Escape Deluxe reviewed here is the middle-range model of three core variants in the Marlin Campers range, starting with the entry-level Cruiser (and larger Cruiser XL) and topping out with the Explorer.

The optional Off Road version of the Escape Deluxe reviewed here (like the on-road version) uses a 6x4 steel trailer as its base, with checkerplate flooring, zinc anneal sides, and a charcoal hammertone finish over an etch primer.

There's also 50mm x 50mm RHS chassis rails, a 1500mm long, 100mm x 50mm drawbar and 50mm coupling.

There’s not much in the way of exposed wiring or plumbing on the underside of the trailer to worry too much about stone damage. It would be nice to see a front stone guard though.

The five-leaf, live-axle AL-KO suspension is book-ended by 15in steel rims shod with 235/75R15 LT tyres in an all-terrain tread pattern. No brakes are necessary with this particular Marlin Camper, as it weighs in at just 450kg Tare and has an ATM of 750kg.

it's a key attraction of the Marlin; meaning it can be towed by just about any vehicle on the market legally, and if you’re heading off road its lightness also makes it a much easier proposition to tow on sand or sloppy mud tracks.

The trailer has a 4kg gas bottle holder and jerry can holder on the offside and a PVC pole carrier and checkerplate aluminium toolbox on the drawbar, as well as two stabiliser legs at the rear.

One-person set-up

Overnight set-up is a one person job taking a matter of minutes. To start with the tent cover comes off, the legs drop down and the side-fold tent pulled into position.

Just one pole needs to be tensioned for this minimalist set up, but you should be able to have the tent pegged, tensioned and the awning out and set up in less than 15 minutes.

The tent walls and roof are made of 340gsm ripstop canvas and there’s an insulation layer in the roof section. The floor is a 460gsm heavy-duty vinyl.

The tent floor area measures 2100mm by 4100mm, which is more than enough to set up cots for the kids and to store gear while at camp. Headroom is not really an issue in the tent, of course, with a head height of 2600mm.

The bed is accessed via an aluminium square-section ladder that hooks onto the side of the bed base. The mattress is 2000mm x 1500mm, and sits on a marine ply base reinforced with an aluminium box-section frame.

A vinyl wall mattress guard helps keep bedding dry and protects it from condensation, while a Drifta bedside pocket fits in the rail next to the bed

The ply bed base has a hinged cut-out section that lifts on gas struts to reveal the storage area underneath. If you prefer, you can also lift the whole tent base section from the offside exterior of the camper, allowing full access to the storage area for larger item storage. Like the internal access, there are two gas struts to make the job easier.

There’s a removable two-piece privacy curtain between the bed and living areas and a loop to hang lights or other items from the roof.

There are six windows in the tent, with five internal window flaps and one external flap and no-see-um mesh for total insect protection. There are also removable PVC windows that can be used while raining or cold outside while still allowing some light in.

Shady outside living

The awning measures 2400mm by 3350mm, giving an ample shaded area to enjoy the outdoors at camp.

The Drifta tailgate kitchen swings out to reveal a basic cooking set-up, with drawers, a tub sink and hand pump tap linked to the 60-litre poly tank under the camper.

The tailgate doesn’t lock into an open position, so if there’s a strong breeze the kitchen won’t always stay where you want it. However Marlin Campers is aware of the issue and will have a solution shortly. Otherwise you could prop your portable fridge against the tailgate, to keep it from moving about.

There’s enough bench space to cover off basic cooking needs, although you’ll need to bring your own cooker and fridge (these are also available as options). Most people trading up from tent camping are likely to have this gear anyway.

An ArkPak 730 portable battery box is included with the Escape Deluxe, offering DC to DC car charging, a 300 watt inverter, a 5-volt USB 2.1 amp socket, two 12 volt accessory sockets, a 50 amp Anderson socket, external battery terminals, low voltage cut-out, manual isolator switch, time tracker technology, battery management system  and seven-stage smart charging.

You can fit a 130Ah battery or smaller, which is another option.

The Escape Deluxe also comes with an LED strip light, which can be easily plugged into the battery pack.

Summing up

It’s refreshing to see a simple, lightweight and affordable model in a market increasingly populated by more blinged out, heavier and pricier hard-floor and hybrid camper trailers.

While Marlin Campers isn’t the only Aussie company offering affordable soft-floor campers, it's one of very few that can accurately claim a high local content.

Specs: 2019 Marlin Campers Escape Deluxe

Travel length: 4750mm
Body length (open length): 3350mm
External body width: 1220mm
Interior height: 2600mm
Tare weight: 450kg
ATM: 750kg
Ball weight: NA
Body: Steel checkerplate floor and zinc anneal sides
Chassis: 40mm x 40mm angle carbon steel
Suspension: 39mm axle, five-leaf springs
Brakes: NA
Stability Control: NA
Wheels: 15in steel on 235/75R15 tyres
Fresh water: 70 litres
Battery: Ark PowerPak
Solar: Optional
Air-conditioner: NA
Gas: 4kg
Hot water: NA
Cooking: NA
Fridge: NA
Microwave: NA
Toilet: NA
Shower: NA
Lighting: 12v strip light
TV: NA
Price: $12,147
Options fitted: none
Supplied by: Marlin Campers, West Gosford NSW