Rhinomax Lost Trak 2022 Review

Rhinomax is not your typical Australian RV manufacturer.

Business partners Andy Dean and Steve Punton both hail from the North of England and became mates after meeting in Queensland when they discovered and enjoyed camping together.

They mightn’t have brought an Aussie twang to the campfire, but they had something more valuable: a combination of top-end British engineering expertise from Dean’s time at Rolls-Royce and his and Steve’s first project ‘hatched’ while camping under the stars – a hydraulic manhole cover lifter which is still being made today.

Because of their shared love of remote area camping, they started building hard and soft floor camper trailers, but as Chinese campers began flooding the markets, they saw the writing on the wall and transitioned to pop-top hybrids.

Now, after building their Sunshine Coast business on the quality and strength of their stubby 10ft Scorpion, 12ft Renegade, 14ft Discovery and 15ft Defender pop-top models, they recently branched out into full height off-road caravans.

First came the 18ft 6in dual axle Lost Trak available as a couples or family bunk van, but adventurous buyers wanted an even smaller full height van that could follow a 4WD down narrower bush tracks. The result is the single axle Lost Trak 16ft Hybrid Tourer, which Rhinomax already predicts will soon become its best-selling model despite its $136,500 price tag.

Built to last

One of Rhinomax’s strengths appreciated by its customers, is the quality of its products – both of the materials and components used and the Lost Trak 16 continues this tradition.

Measuring 6800mm long from its Cruisemaster DO-35 hitch to its unencumbered tail, 2100mm wide and with a modest  height of 2775mm that will allow it to shelter under many car ports, the 16ft Lost Trak comes with an impressively low tare weight of 2060kg and a decent payload of 740kg, putting it comfortably within the towing capabilities of most medium-size 4WDs and crew cab utes.

Designed with extended off-the-grid travel in mind, it comes standard with 225Ah of lithium battery power fed by 540 watts of rooftop solar panels, with a 2200W inverter standard to enable gas-free internal induction cooking (a single burner is standard, while a double-hob is optional), with enough oomph to also run a pod coffee machine.

Being a hybrid, the Lost Trak 16 also caters for those who prefer to cook outdoors, with an external slide-out stainless steel kitchen and companion sink with hot/cold mixer tap and a large utensil drawer and an under-sink storage compartment. 

An 85-litre dual-zone fridge-freezer is housed on the left side of the front A-frame storage box.

It’s all covered by the Lost Trak’s wind-out 4.5m x 2.5m manually-deployed awning, with a standard anti-flap kit, so you can reserve indoor cooking for that early-morning ‘cuppa’ or an evening herbal tea. With no internal gas appliances, dust sealing isn’t an issue, as the in-house made entry door with its triple-lock dust-proof sealing and the van’s upper walls don’t require gas venting.

Apart from the kitchen, which glides out of one of the Lost Trak’s near-side cargo hatches, and spreads its prep area along the wall, the other hatches and half the A-frame storage box with its wood-rack on top, are dedicated to necessary camping odds and ends like ground-matting, hoses and cables.

The diesel tank for the Lost Trak’s standard cabin heater is located in this half of the front storage box, located near the door for easy filling and well shielded against damage from loose items in this area.

Other ‘hatches within hatches’ on the Lost Trak’s right hand side house the hybrid’s main plumbing, out of sight and danger. 

Comfortably cosy

Inside, the Lost Trak 16 feels comfortably cosy, rather than spacious like its 18ft 6in bigger brother.

Tucked right up in the van’s nose, the north-south inner spring queen mattress takes up most of the Lost Trak’s width, save for the handy lidded slim bedside lockers on each side.

Large rectangular windows that extend almost to mattress height ensure good cross-flow ventilation on steamy nights, while this is supplemented by a 12v Sirocco three-speed fan mounted on the right hand wall and the van’s electric opening roof skylight with blind and fly screen.

The seat cushions on the four-seater dinette/lounge at the bed end make it easy to access the bed, while there are twin under-bed drawers between them to house your most used clothes – just as well, as Rhinomax has not taken advantage of its fixed roof to locate overhead cupboards around the bed’s upper walls. The bonus is that you're not constantly bumping your head on them!

The leather-upholstered dinette seats are comfortable enough, with a large square leg-free table on an eccentric mount swinging out of the way to the right. Wall-mounted cupboards above each seat provide extra clothes or food storage with another large window on the right side and a large rooftop skylight both contributing to the interior’s light and airy feel.

The van’s standard diesel cabin heater keeps the interior toasty on cool nights and mornings.

Bathroom and kitchen

Opposite the ventless rear entry door you’ll find the combined power shower and toilet ensuite, which houses a telephone-style shower head on a long braided pipe, and the Lost Trak’s waterless composting toilet, although other ablution options are available.

A thoughtful addition in the shower area is the rack to hold shampoo and a soap dispenser, while there are twin cupboards for toiletries on the rear wall.

The angled inside kitchen in the rear of the Lost Trak 16 is surprisingly spacious, with the convection cooktop to the extreme right and the rest of the artificial stone benchtop dedicated to food preparation and serving. This is enlarged by the removable panel that covers the small stainless steel sink, which is served by a hot/cold mixer tap.

There are no windows in the kitchen area, so the upper rear wall is dedicated to three storage cupboards, while seven drawers and another cupboard are beneath the benchtop. Alternatively, buyers can specify a small under-bench compressor fridge in this space instead.

The Lost Trak’s TV is mounted on the wall to the left of the door, near the controls for its audio entertainment system.

The right-hand end of the kitchen bench houses one of the key attractions of the Lost Trak 16 – its dedicated Rhinomax electronic control centre housed in a removable iPad-like tablet.

Through this tablet, whose functions can be mirrored through its own IP address on your mobile phone, you can set the Lost Trak in ‘Storage’, ‘Travel’, or ‘Camping’  mode, each activating different powered items, from lights to the fridge. If something goes wrong, you can access these setting through a separate set of manual buttons on the side of the banquette opposite after pressing a reset button on the Override fuse box housed beneath the seat’s cushion.

Rough rider

Once hitched, there’s no doubting the Lost Trak 16’s ability to handle rough terrain. Cruisemaster XT 2800kg-rated all-terrain trailing arm coil spring suspension, a DO-35 off-road coupling, 12-inch electric drum brakes and standard black 17-inch alloy wheels shod with LandCruiser-size 265/70 R17 All Terrain tyres give you confidence, while a look underneath at the hybrid’s in-house made hot-dipped galvanised steel chassis with its integrated sub-frame is equal comforting.

Here you’ll also find the Lost Trak 16’s well-shielded 220 litres of freshwater capacity, plus its separate 85 litre grey water tank connected to the shower and internal sink. If you're remote area camping, you can also draw water from a creek and combined with its substantial battery and solar power – which can be supplemented by a portable solar panel, if required – ensures that the clock isn’t ticking on your time off the power grid.

It’s also good to see the hybrid’s spare wheel winched up between the front chassis rails, with a winder on the A-frame sited conveniently to lower and raise it, as required.

Combine this with the Lost Trak’s quality finish, from its smooth insulated fibreglass body panels and roof construction, with a full-length reinforced and insulated fibreglass floor, to its eco-skeletal reinforcing trims on each body corner and its use of premium ancillary components, and you can see why it has grown from its manhole cover lifter beginnings in around a decade to become one of Australia’s most respected off-road RV manufacturers.

Summing up

To be honest, there’s not much to dislike about the Lost Trak 16 if you’re a travelling couple, although it could be a little squeezy for families, in which case the kitchen is replaced with a double single bunk layout.

I know it’s unavoidable, but I’d also prefer that the front edge of the awning extends beyond the hybrid’s tapered nose, but it seems they don’t make them this size and shelter for the kitchen and fridge was deemed more important.

You pay for the premium Australian-build but the Rhinomax Lost Track 16 is an ideal, future-proof getaway touring caravan that bridges the gap between hybrid campers and caravans.

How much does the 2022 Rhinomax Lost Trak 16 Hybrid Tourer cost?

Price $136,500
Travel length: 6800mm
Body length: 4900mm
External body width: 2100mm
Travel height: 2775mm
Tare weight: 2060kg
ATM: 2800kg
Ball weight (Tare): 175kg
Body: Insulated fibreglass composite body panels, with full-length reinforced fibreglass floor
Chassis: Hot dipped galvanised steel, 150mm x 50mm with DO-35 coupling and ARK fold-up jockey wheel
Suspension: Cruisemaster XT 2800kg-rated independent trailing arms and coil springs with twin shocks per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric
Wheels: 17in alloy with 265/70R17 all terrain tyres
Water: 225L fresh, 85L grey
Battery: 220Ah lithium with 2200W inverter
Solar: 540W of roof-mounted panels, plus wiring for portable panel
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Hot water: Truma gas HWS
Internal space heater: Diesel
Cooking: Exterior 3-burner slide-out kitchen with stainless steel sink and pantry drawer
Fridge: 82L dual zone outside cabinet compressor fridge on storage box slide
Shower/toilet: Internal combined, with waterless composting toilet
Lighting: LED throughout
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: Rhinomax Campers, Kunda Park, Queensland