Trakmaster Pilbara

WE LIKED:              
>> Serious off-road credentials           
>> High build quality                       
>> Overall packaging                   

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Dinette headroom issues for taller travellers                   
>> Tight entry to ensuite                                        
>> Wish it was cheaper!

The introduction of any new model from Trakmaster is bound to get the bush telegraph buzzing.

For a start, it’s a rare event. The last new ‘Trakky’ back in 2007, was the compact 13ft 6in x 6ft 6in-wide Gibson pop-top.

Introduced with limited options as a response to the slowing Australian caravan market post-GFC, it featured a dramatic rear cutaway body atop a heavy-duty chassis and off-road tuned trailing arm coil spring and shock absorber suspension. Serial go-everywhere adventurers Ron and Viv Moon have one.

At the other end of the model spectrum a year earlier was the much larger top-of-the range Tanami, which broke new ground for the Bayswater, Melbourne off-road specialist by introducing smooth CFP (compressed fibreglass) wall panels construction to the range of otherwise Meranti timber-framed and ribbed aluminium-clad pop-tops and caravans.

Now for 2014, combining many of the best features of both, there’s the all-new Pilbara.

Offered as a pop-top, or as a full height caravan, with single or tandem axles and a choice of internal body lengths from 4.7m (15ft 6in) to 5.0m (16ft 6in), it has CFP walls and fibreglass front and rear end sections like the Tanami, but its rakish ‘bulldog’ styling incorporates a similar dramatic rear cutaway chassis and body to the Gibson.

However being longer and wider than the Gibson, there’s much more living room inside, along with space for a compact, combined shower-toilet ensuite that is a deal-breaker for many travelers.

On paper it looks like a winner and from reaction to the prototype ‘shell’ first displayed at the Melbourne Leisurefest last October and the same, but now-finished unit we have just reviewed, we have to agree.

PREMIUM PRICING

A starting price of $79,635, or $92,774 with the many fitted options as reviewed, might sound a lot for an off-road pop-top when Kokoda (for example) can sell you a similar-size tough-looking full caravan for less than $50,000.

But with no disrespect to Kokoda, they are chalk and cheese. Kokodas are built primarily for people who like the idea of going off-road from time to time; Trakmasters are custom made for those who show disdain for bitumen travel. As one happy Trakky owner told me: “The only time we’re on a bitumen road is when we cross one!”

Trakmaster caravans are also rare beasts. With most of the 900-odd caravans and pop-tops built since 1995 still circulating around Australia and a quarter of those currently in the hands of members of the enthusiastic Trakmaster Off-Road Caravan Club, the Pilbara has also been eagerly anticipated.

Apart from the uncharacteristically wild red graphics on the show van – there’s a choice of six colours including dark green, burnt orange and grey available – it ticks all the Trakmaster boxes.

As a small volume manufacturer (with an average build rate of less than one and a half caravans or pop-tops a week), just about every Trakmaster is unique.

Yet all share an exceptionally sturdy custom-built off-road chassis, bespoke suspension tailored to the individual van or pop-top and a level of solid internal solid timber fit and finish rarely found in other caravans today. Victoria’s 51 year-old family-owned Evernew is the only other maker that comes to mind with similar values.

TOUGH ENOUGH

The Pilbara certainly looks tough. ‘Our’ 16ft long x 7ft 6in wide tandem-axle pop-top had a chunky ‘Tonka Toy’ look that Trakmaster believes will appeal to a new generation of younger buyers who find their traditional RVs a little ‘old world’.

Apart from the perhaps controversial graphics, the first things you notice are the van’s smooth, uncluttered styling and its exceptional ground clearance.

Unlike the slightly lighter timber-framed walls and tough stucco-finished aluminium cladding of a similar-sized Trakmaster Kimberley, the Pilbara’s CFP walls are 20 per cent thicker for added torsional strength, greater hail resistance and better thermal properties.

Yet unlike the Tanami, whose fibreglass end panels come in only one size, the Meranti-framed, fibreglass sandwich front and rear sections of the Pilbara allow it to be built in varying widths from 2.1m (7ft) to 2.3m (7ft 6in).

As a result, the Pilbara misses out on the Tanami’s curved corner panels, but with its relatively low overall height of 2.4m with the roof lowered and wedge front roof section, it’s still fairly slippery behind the full-size 4WD that most owners will use to tow it.

The other distinctive styling feature of the Pilbara is its steeply-raked rear body cutaway, which is less likely to be tested on the 2133kg tare weight Pilbara than on the smaller 1500kg Gibson.

However like the checker plate cladding that adorns most ‘faux’ off-road caravans (with the exception of Trakmasters) it’s a styling cue that many people appreciate (along with chunky off-road tyres that really serve no purpose on a towed trailer).

LOOKS THE PART

OK, let’s cut to the chase. It looks distinctive and purposeful.

The huge ground clearance, both under the 150mm x 50mm hot dipped galvanised A-frame and the matching-diameter chassis is also mighty impressive and very comforting for those planning to venture into remote camping areas.

You will have to be really extending your 4WD’s capabilities before you touch anything underneath the Pilbara and if you do, the chance of any damage is minimal, as everything from water and gas pipes to the wiring and twin 100 litre fresh water tanks is tucked up well out of harm’s way.

The spare wheel, which winds up on a chain car-like between the rear chassis rails, is both easy to access, down low where the weight is best kept and it’s unlikely to ever touch the ground while travelling.

While you’re underneath you can also admire the Pilbara’s tandem axle Sugarglider trailing arm suspension.

Unlike most off-road caravan builders, Trakmaster tailors the suspension to suit the weight and loading of every single van or pop-top they build – a luxury that large-volume builders don’t have.

While air bag suspension is available, the most popular option with most ‘Trakky’ buyers is the Sugarglider set-up fitted to the test Pilbara, featuring long-travel 150mm coil springs and large bore (40mm) single shock absorbers per wheel.

The idea is to reduce the stress on the van on rough terrain and this benefit in turn is passed onto the tow car. Trakmaster also favours a tandem axle set-up for all its 16ft and longer vans and pop-tops because the four wheels share the load and allow lower tyre pressures to be used off the bitumen, which in turn give a softer ride.

Like other Trakmasters we have tested, the Pilbara towed beautifully and confidently, tracking faithfully on all surfaces at up to and beyond 100km/h, with no hint of swaying despite side winds and with no discernable affect on our tow vehicle’s unladen ride quality.

LIMITED STORAGE

At a size and with its steeply raked rear end you wouldn’t expect a lot of external storage in the Pilbara and you don’t get it.

The hatch just ahead of the door on the kerb side houses a pair of deep-cycle batteries, while the two small hatches to the rear of the door on the prototype are maintenance ports for the 12 volt Engel compressor fridge which will be deleted on later production models.

On the other side, a square and roomy locker supplements the relatively shallow front boot for housing travelling essentials such as hoses, external matting, tools, etc. or it can swallow a Weber Baby Q.

The benefit of fewer external lockers is that dust has less chance to penetrate the Pilbara’s interior and this is helped by a large scupper hatch mounted at the front edge of the pop-top that pressures the interior on dusty roads when opened.

As Trakmaster is aware that many customers use their caravans as their travelling ‘home’, there’s no shortage of storage space inside the Pilbara – in fact you’ll need to use most of its enormous 700kg payload to fill all the drawers, cupboards, nooks and crannies, not to mention the space beneath the lift-up double bed!

It all looks like it’s designed to last too. Trakmaster eschews modern laser-cut furniture in preference of solid timber ‘picture-frame’ cabinetry and robust hinges that look set to outlast your ownership.

ROOM TO MOVE

Yet despite all this storage, a full-sized double bed, a combined shower-toilet ensuite, a very workable kitchen and an L-shaped dinette with seating space for four adults, the Pilbara feels very roomy inside.

There’s ample space for adults to enter and leave, use the kitchen and open the optional 80-litre Engel compressor fridge without taking turns. There’s even room to fit a couple of skinny camp chairs inside if you need extra seating!

The exception here is the slightly squeezy entry into the Pilbara’s ensuite, but if size (yours) is the issue, Trakmaster have other layouts that will work for you.

Another irritation is that you’ll hit your head on the timber curtain pelmet above the front window if you kick back. I’d do without it – maybe the curtains too.

But the beauty of dealing with a low volume specialist manufacturer like Trakmaster is that they’ll build your caravan or pop-top to suit your specific needs.

That doesn’t leave much not to like.

VERDICT

The Trakmaster Pilbara is a serious, off-road caravan designed for adventurous couples who want to explore Australia without undue concern for the roads and tracks they travel on.

Combining the composite wall construction of the top-of-the-range Tanami caravan with the extreme off-road body design of the entry level Gibson pop-top, it hits the sweet spot as a rugged, solidly-built vehicle with a proven high re-sale value from a specialist custom manufacturer.

TRAKMASTER PILBARA POP-TOP

External body length: 4.9m                                   
Travel length: 6.7m                               
External body width: 2.3m                                                              
Travel height: 2.4m                                          
Tare: 2133kg?                                          
ATM: 2850kg?                              
Ball weight: 226kg?                     
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised
Wall structure: Composite                           
Cladding: Fibreglass        ?             
Suspension: Sugarglider independent with single shocks per wheel                                
Brakes: 12in Al-Ko
Electric?Stability Control: Optional      
Wheels/tyres: 16 x 8in alloy with LT265/75R16 off-road tyres        
Fresh water: 2 x 100L ?                             
Battery: 2 x 100Ah
Solar: 2 x 140W roof-mounted panels                                                      
Air-conditioner: Dometic B3000 reverse cycle?                 
Gas: 2 x 9kg?                  
Cooking: Four-burner gas                                                     ?                          
Fridge: 80-litre Engel 12 volt compressor?                                                                       
Microwave: Optional?                                                                                      
Ensuite: Combined shower/toilet                                     
Lighting: LED         
Entertainment: Standard CD/radio/iPod with twin ceiling-mounted speakers. Optional 19-in TV with Jack HDTV antenna ?                            
Price (ex-factory) $79,365. As tested $92,774  
Supplied by:

Trakmaster Bayswater, Victoria