Rhinomax Lost Trak 2019 Review

Despite global warming, rampant bushfires and sudden, flooding rains, the Australian RV market seems to be heading in two opposite directions – both off the beaten track.

At the lower end, the ‘box camper’  is the growing response to the influx of imported campers and caravans, most coming from China.

But the upper end is also steaming along strongly, as it often does in tough times and that’s where the Sunshine Coast’s Rhinomax is steering its ship.

Here, the market splits again.

In one direction we have seen Mountain Trail with its new $163,500, LVX 6.7 join Bushtracker, Trakmaster, Zone RV, Evernew, Sunlander and others with full-width self-sufficient, luxury off-road caravans at the top end of the market.

At the same time, we are seeing off-road specialist Rhinomax with its new Lost Trak joining Sunshine Coast neighbour Australian Off Road and a handful of others in building a slimmer hybrid luxury tandem caravan that can go even further off-road.

The attraction of a skinnier luxury hybrid is perhaps best summarised by Rhinomax, who say many customers – mainly an older demographic – want to explore remote areas, in which size and weight can be a limiting factor, but don’t want to sacrifice too much comfort.

“Some of these buyers have grown up with lightweight camper trailers and hybrids, but don’t yet see themselves towing heavy, full size caravans into remote areas,” said co-founder and Marketing Manager, Steve Punton.

“We’ve obviously pressed the right button with the Lost Trak, as we only launched it in October and all our production slots are booked out 10 months ahead.”

Few competitors

Punton and his Rolls-Royce UK-trained partner, Andy Dean (who computer-designs all Rhinomax models), see the Lost Trak’s only serious competition at this stage as AOR’s Aurora.

Introduced five years ago, the Aurora has a similar waiting list, although AOR is hoping to alleviate this with a new tandem-axle full height compact hybrid caravan based loosely on their current Matrix model, due for release by the second quarter of 2020.

By then, Melbourne’s Track Trailer hopes to have the covers off its new tandem model to sit above the recently-released T4 Topaz replacement, with which it will share many components. Like the Aurora and Lost Trak, it too will be a ‘skinny’. Are we seeing a pattern here in the form of a new niche category of full-sized luxury caravan deniers?

So, apart from losing around 300-400mm of pork around their bellies, what are these new breed of hybrid luxury off-roaders missing?

In the case of the Rhinomax Lost Trak, not much at all. Externally its body looks trim at 5660mm long and 2100mm wide and frankly, terrific – much smarter with all its stickers in place compared to the bare bones prototype I saw in their new Kunda Park factory some months ago.

Nothing radical here – just a smooth composite fibreglass body with a windowless mildly-raked front, a similarly modest rear cutaway and an abrupt, window-less rear panel. Eco-skeletal corner trims are a distinctive Rhinomax styling feature that double as rigid support for the entire body structure.

But this conventional shape, sitting on a 150mm x 50mm galvanised steel chassis  with an integrated sub-frame, maximises storage and interior space.

Step inside

This immediately impresses when you step though the rear door, with its unique in-house built midge-proof sliding vent window, rather than a separate screen door. Rather than creating unique shapes and profiles, it’s clear that Rhinomax has worked hard to extract the most from a gimmick-free shape and keep weight at a minimum in the process.

Like AOR with its Aurora, Rhinomax has taken professional advice on the Lost Trak’s décor – and it shows. Again, nothing fancy here, just a clever layout with good colour choices and sensible materials that cleverly disguise the caravan’s relatively slim width.

The north-south queen bed tucked right into the nose with a nest of two drawers at the foot, combined with a long U-shaped leather-clad lounge that sprawls along the right hand wall, create a sense of space, with room for two people to pass from the rear ensuite to the bedroom.

You can drop the single-pedestal table and cover its top with an in-fill cushion to accommodate three on the lounge, or remove it and raiser the table to create a two-seater dinette.

However, the removable cushion could be a little longer, as otherwise your under-thighs end up partially on the lowered table. And when configured as a dinette, there’s no room for your legs underneath the table, so it’s more like a side table.

Ah, the compromises you must make to achieve a trim waist!

The galley opposite the lounge is very workable though, with good prep-space, even with the covers raised on the separate stainless steel sink and three burner cooktop.

The cupboards that line the upper walls on both sides of the Lost Trak are supported by buttresses at the foot of the bed for extra body rigidity. They're not very deep, but adequate for pantry purposes, while there’s room for larger kitchen objects in the cupboards below the galley.

The upper wall above the bedhead is cupboard free, but there are wall pockets for magazines above the side windows and bedside storage compartments on either side of the bed, each with 12v/240v power outlets.

Jam-packed rear wall

The rear wall of the Lost Trak is devoted one third to its combined shower/toilet bathroom on one side and the remainder to a large storage area that contains five drawers, with a recessed microwave oven above, a three-quarter length hanging robe, behind which the van’s Enerdrive power system is housed.

The tall and skinny internal 110-litre compressor fridge is located handily near the entry door on the right, above another storage cupboard.

It’s all very neat and functional, but some buyers might wish that Rhinomax had specced-up the size of the corner combined shower and toilet bathroom instead.

As it is, it’s the low point of what otherwise is a well-planned and beautifully executed off-road hybrid caravan.

The compositing toilet is standard, but it and its adjacent unshielded toilet roll holder are going to get soaked when you shower, while there's no vanity area worth speaking of.

I think most buyers of a $150,000 off-road caravan of this type would probably expect more, but being a custom builder, with every one of the Lost Trak vans currently on order unique in its layout (including double and triple bunk family models), this is something you no doubt could have a conversation with Rhinomax about.

Otherwise, the interior is hard to fault and with its standard 1000 Watt inverter, roof-mounted air conditioner, standard three-speed Sirocco 12v fan and diesel cabin heater, it is a very comfortable place to be lost in, well off the beaten track.

Outdoor cooking

Being a true hybrid caravan, the Lost Trak is primarily equipped for outdoor cooking and as a result comes with a gourmet slide-out three-burner kitchen and stainless steel sink borrowed from its hybrid campers, which glides out of the left-hand front storage locker beneath the bed. Meanwhile, the hybrid’s standard 82 litre fridge/freezer slides out from the adjacent front storage box.

On the other side of the kitchen compartment is a huge and fully usable under-bed storage locker that could swallow most of the Lost Trak’s impressive 1100kg payload, if need be.

Coming from Rhinomax, who build nothing but off-road hybrid pop-tops and now, caravans, the Lost Trak is very well equipped to get you go that remote place.

Cruisemaster XT tandem axle and trailing arm airbag height adjustable suspension, an underbody mounted spare wheel to keep the centre of gravity low and impressive rock shielding for the water tanks, plumbing and wiring, give you confidence that the Lost Trak will go to most places its 4WD tow car will.

As well as offering mains water connectivity, the van has the ability to draw water from a creek or a dam if required, with its standard S-Marine digital smart monitoring system giving you an accurate measurement of your tank levels, when required.

And for those who really want to spend extended time off the power grid, Rhinomax offer a third 125 litre fresh water tank as an option.

These features, combined with the Lost Trak’s natural agility that come with its narrow body and modest 2350kg Tare and 180kg ball weights mean it will take you further away from city life, for longer, than larger off-road caravans, which is where its appeal lies.

Summing up

The Rhinomax Lost Track is a worthy entry into a new and growing, luxury off-road hybrid caravan market segment that's attracting adventurous travelers keen to enjoy more comfort in areas previously restricted to smaller, narrow bodied hybrids.

Specs: 2019 Rhinomax Lost Trak

Travel length: 7300mm
Body length: 5660mm
External body width: 2100mm
Travel height: 2775mm
Tare weight: 2350kg
ATM: 3500kg
Ball weight: 180kg
Body: Insulated fibreglass composite body panel
Chassis: Hot dipped galvanised steel 150mm x 50mm with DO 35 coupling and ARK XO 750 dual jockey wheel
Suspension: Cruisemaster XT independent trailing arms and coil springs with twin shocks per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric
Wheels: 17in alloy with 265/70R17 off-road tyres
Fresh water: 2 x 125L, plus 85L grey water tank
Battery: Enderdrive 200Ah Lithium with 2000W inverter
Solar: 680W of roof-mounted panels
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Hot water: Gas/Electric
Cooking: Exterior 3-burner slide-out kitchen with stainless steel sink and pantry drawer
Fridge:  Inside: 110L compressor; outside: 82L Evakool cabinet fridge on slide
Shower/toilet: Internal combined, plus outside hot/cold shower
Lighting: LED throughout
Price $149,990
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: Rhinomax Campers, Kunda Park, Queensland