Trakmaster Sturt X-Country 2006 Review

By Ros Bromwich

For over a decade the Trakmaster team has been designing and building offroad caravans, and over 40 years of outback experience influence the engineering and design concepts applied by Russell Seebach and Craig Miles.

They saw that vans with real ability to take outback conditions in their stride were in short supply, so armed with a sound understanding of the problems, combined with business experience, engineering skills and a ready-made market of fellow offroad enthusiasts, they created Trakmaster and set out to build special caravans for the outback.

Despite the healthy demand for their range of vans, which are available in a wide range of sizes and specifications, the two partners are happy to stay small enough to retain total control, especially in the areas of quality and customer service, and know from experience that careful preparation and personal attention results in satisfied clients.

CW had hoped to put a Trakmaster behind the new diesel Nissan Pathfinder for a tow but the test vehicle supplied by Nissan did not have a brake controller fitted so our long-term Hyundai Terracan Highlander CRDi was taken along instead.

Fitted with its Trek ‘n’ Tow kit, the Hyundai coped with the 1374kg Sturt pop-top with ease (the weight being well within its 2500kg tow limit) for the short time we had the van. The Sturt’s narrow 2m width made it a good partner for the Terracan.

It’s what goes into the caravan build that makes it worthy of the description ‘offroad’ and Trakmasters are custom built and designed for strength and performance from the ground up.

Built on a 150mm (6in) deep one-piece offroad-designed DuraGal chassis, the distinctive pop-top 13ft 6in (4.1m) Sturt X-Country sat on 15in wheels and 235/75R offroad tyres, with 12in brakes and twin shockers. Wheel size is chosen to suit the tow vehicle.

Suspension on our Sturt was a proven heavy duty independent trailing arm coil setup, with Trakmaster’s Trakair airbag suspension system available as an option, depending on the kind of touring owners have in mind. Russell and Craig will of course advise on the selection.

The integral rear bumper bar is designed to carry two jerry cans as well as the spare wheel. The two 59L water tanks are mounted high in the chassis and fitted with heavy duty stoneguards, and all cables and plumbing are run inside the chassis section.

The frame is meranti for greater flexibility in rough terrain, with an extra layer of ply attached on the outside before the aluminium cladding is fitted, and all furniture is securely screwed to the frame from both sides.

The Trakmaster’s angled lower front profile is designed to deflect stones during travel, and the X-Country’s sharp departure angle copes with steep gullies.

The caravan’s A-frame carried two well protected 9kg gas bottles fitted with a change-over valve, and was equipped with a Treg offroad coupling.

Backing up the deep cycle battery, coupled to an automatic control and monitoring system, was an optional 80W solar panel mounted on the roof.

Tinted Galaxy wind-out windows, a Camec security door, Dometic roll-out awning, external storage locker and a pole carrier completed the list of external appointments.

A strong build doesn’t mean the inside cannot be appealing and Trakmaster’s interiors are elegantly simple and impeccably finished by the company’s cabinet makers.

This model had rear 6ft 2in x 2ft 6in gas strut-liftup single beds with storage under and a wardrobe with two drawers between. A porta-potti cupboard fitted underneath had its own door at floor level.

The van had a centre kitchen, and a cafe-style dinette at the front. It’s not huge, as you’d expect, but entirely practical and usable. The green upholstery, fresh colour scheme and quality timber cabinetry combine to create a comfortably unfussy interior.

Fittings include 90L three-way fridge with fan (a 12V Danfoss compressor fridge is optional), three-burner cooktop and grill with rangehood, sink and drainer, and an assortment of storage, with quality touches such as non-slip matting in overhead cupboards and metal runners on drawers. Marine-style positive latch cupboard locks keep everything secure over rough tracks.

The lighting was all 12V, as was the rangehood. A display and control panel for the 12V system was set into the wall beside the door. Two water level gauges were also supplied and a coaxial TV socket is a standard item.

A Fantastic roof hatch keeps things cool and the options list includes CD player, microwave, air-conditioner so buyers can add their personal must-have touring items to suit.

The 13ft 6in Sturt X-Country is a good sized van for a couple who want to tour the country with a high level of comfort in a small package, and is extremely well equipped for the task. It’s built to meet the needs of offroad tourers in a compact and easy-to-handle manner.

For more information on any of the Trakmaster vans, call in at 874 Mountain Highway, Bayswater, Vic, (03) 9720 0822, freecall 1800 809 194 or visit the website: www.trakmaster.com.au