Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer 2021 Review

With many people restricted in the amount of holidays they can take, it doesn’t always add up to have a pricey camper trailer or caravan sitting around idle in the driveway for most of the year.

That’s where multi-purpose utility trailers like the Australian-built Trailmaster Active Pod can make a lot of financial sense for those on tighter budgets.

The Trailmaster is available in three variants, with prices starting at just $6750 for the bare-boned, leaf-sprung, on-road Utility model, that with its sealed plastic storage tub with removable lid is as useful for hauling rubbish to the tip as lugging the gear for a week-end camping trip.

For $8250, there’s the mid-spec Trailmaster Active Pod Discovery that includes a few more things like all-terrain tyres and a front toolbox and roof racks so you can carry more tools to the worksite or recreational toys on holidays.

The top-spec Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer from $13,850 is set up for more serious off-road adventures with its trailing arm coil suspension, bigger wheels and all-terrain tyres, longer drawbar, higher payload, electric brakes and a flood light.

We recently spent a couple of days in Victoria’s High Country region playing around with an optioned-up Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer, in order to discover some of the good and not so good features of this ‘plastic fantastic’ lightweight adventure trailer…

Built to last

In case you were wondering, Wangaratta, Victoria-based Trailmaster Industries has been producing plastic pod utility trailers now for around 18 months, rolling its new range out to the market in early-2020 after an extensive $1million-plus design and R&D program.

Its closest rival is Carrum Downs, Victoria-based Stockman Products, which claims to have built the “world’s first plastic tub and pod trailer” when it introduced its clever Kwik Kamper around 15 years ago.

The similarities between the two plastic pod trailers are obvious, but one of the main selling points of the Trailmaster is that it offers around 30 per cent more storage room in the main tub compared to its main rival, despite not being much bigger in overall dimensions.

According to Trailmaster, there’s 1750 litres of covered space in the 2120mm long by 1270mm wide by 405mm deep tub. Add another 150 litres in the plastic drawbar-mounted toolbox fitted standard to the range-topping Pioneer, and combined with up to 710kg payload, and it should be enough to fit most of your camping equipment in the two sealed, lockable storage areas including a tent or swags, portable fridge, battery box, portable BBQ or gas cooker, portable hot water and shower unit, tubs for food and utensils, camp chairs and fold-up table, sleeping bags and clothes' bags, and a portable toilet and a few tools, if you pack carefully.

The Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer also comes standard with holders for a jerry can and gas bottle, with the test trailer also fitted with an optional ($750), underbody-mounted 59 litre water tank and hand pump.

All Trailmasters are fully assembled at the Victorian factory from locally-manufactured components, including a hot dip galvanised chassis, vacuum molded lid with aluminium frame and low density rotomoulded polyethylene tub.

Ready for camping

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Trailmaster Active Pod for camping is the big open tub, with little in the way of lockers and compartments found in purpose-built camping trailers that help keep all your stuff from banging around on bumpy tracks.

However, Trailmaster has provided a few solutions to help keep your gear secured as well as make packing and unpacking easier, including adjustable tie-down anchor points in the tub floor and optional ($198) removable dividers that can be slotted into different positions in the tub depending on what you're carrying.

There are also some tie rails on the lid for when strapping a kayak or other gear to the roof bars, as well as a drop-down tailgate that makes it easier to load heavier items.

After unlatching a couple of sturdy clasps, the gas strut assisted lid is easy to open and close with the help of a strap, with an internal LED flood light to locate items at night.  

The optional ($1890) overhead mounting frame fitted to the test trailer, also has some side cut-outs that could be used to strap on 4x4 recovery planks or fishing rods.

However, it’s worth mentioning that the overhead frame for a rooftop tent restricts the height you can lift the lid, making it harder to load and access items towards the front of the tub. You also can’t remove the lid with the overhead frame fitted.

Swift set up

Unhitching and setting up is pretty easy with the Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer, with the trailer light enough to be moved around into position by hand.

We really liked the ARK XO500 off-road jockey wheel fitted, which doesn’t have to be removed when travelling, while the caravan-style, drop-down rear stabilisers help create a stable base when using the roof-top tent.

The test trailer also came with the optional ($845) Airbag Man suspension kit, with chassis-mounted gauge and manual adjustment of the twin airbags for both a smoother ride off-road and to help get the rig level at camp.

While pricey at $7850, the Melbourne-built Boss RT1 Overlander rooftop tent fitted to the test trailer is a good match for the Trailmaster, in both rugged looks and user-friendly design as well as its rock-solid build quality.

The front-hinged hard-top tent adds around 90kg to the rig but only takes a minute or so to set up and sleeps two large people on a comfy mattress, with enough standing room inside for smaller adults.

You could save money by fitting a cheaper rooftop tent, or alternatively ditch the mounting frame and mount a rooftop tent directly to the roof bars, with the addition of optional ($189) high load gas struts for the tub lid and a set of rear stabilisers ($345).

While the review trailer was pretty well optioned up, there a few other extra-cost accessories available including a hitch for a bicycle carrier and a clip-on picnic table.

Hitting the tracks

While the Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer will attract owners of bigger 4WDs and utes, the fact that it can be towed behind many vehicles with its 1250kg ATM and light ball weight should also make it appealing to drivers of smaller SUVs and passenger vehicles with limited towing capacity.

Weighing around 700kg, the optioned-up test trailer was a breeze to tow behind our V6 petrol Jeep Wrangler, and barely put a dent in the average fuel economy.

Fitted with bigger 17in wheels and with excellent ground clearance and rear departure angle, the Trailmaster was also a good match for the rock-hopping Wrangler over trickier terrain, although the longer drawbar did drag on steeper drop-offs.

The Trailmaster also coped well with a short river crossing, with automotive rubber sealing around the lid helping keep water as well as dust at bay, while the heavy-duty plastic 'bumpers' should stand up to knocks better than some other campers.

While we had no clearance issues during a jackknife-style reversing manoeuvre, fitting the overhead frame and rooftop tent does mean you need to watch out more for overhanging branches with the taller set-up.

Also, while the standard 50mm ball coupling is OK for light off-roading, it would be good if the optional ($575) Cruisemaster DO-35 off-road coupling was fitted as standard to the top-spec, Pioneer off-roader.

Summing up

The $25,000-plus asking price for the highly-specced review trailer pushes it into the price range of a number of better equipped, albeit bigger and heavier Chinese built hard-floor campers.

Where this pod trailer makes most sense is at the budget end of the market, with most Trailmaster buyers so far opting for the mid-spec, leaf sprung Discovery model priced from $8250.

Apart from its stylish looks, compact size and multi-purpose design, the other impressive thing about the Trailmaster is the attention to detail throughout. Its combination of heavy-duty rust and UV-resistant metal and plastic components, backed by a five year structural warranty, bodes well for years of fuss-free trailering.

How much does the Trailmaster Active Pod Pioneer cost?

Price: From $13,850
As tested: $25,730 with overhead mounting frame, Boss RT1 Overlander rooftop tent, 59L water tank and hand pump, rear stabilisers, tub dividers, airbag suspension, spare wheel winch and 17in alloy wheels.
Chassis: Heavy-duty hot dipped galvanized steel with 50mm ball coupling
Body: Rotational moulded polyethylene tub with vacuum formed polyethylene lockable and removable lid
Overall length: 4260mm
Overall width: 1845mm
Overall height (without optional overhead mounting frame and rooftop tent): 1475mm
Tare: 540kg (as standard)
ATM: 1250kg
Ball weight (Tare): 54kg
Suspension: TuffRide independent trailing arm with EFS shocks and optional Airbag Man airbags
Brakes: 10in electric brakes
Wheels/tyres: Optional 17in CSA alloy with 265/65R17 Maxxis 980 Bravo AT tyres
Fresh water: 59 litres
Gas: 4.5kg holder
Lighting: LED internal floodlight
Supplied by: Trailmaster Industries, Wangaratta, Victoria