KAKADU - Trackabout Off Road Campers

UNDER $15K
TRACKABOUT
OF THE YEAR
KAKADU
FINALIST
A TOUGH, AUSSIE-MADE OFFROAD TRAILER FROM AN INDUSTRY
LEADER, THE TRACKABOUT KAKADU
IS A GREAT PLACE TO START.
WORDS STUART JONES
58 campertraileraustralia.com.au
OF THE YEAR
2014
I
f you think you haven’t got the budget for
a quality, Australian-made offroad trailer,
perhaps you haven’t yet considered the
Trackabout Kakadu. Coming in at around
$15k, this package will serve as the foundation
for your ultimate camper trailer, enabling you to
add gear and accessories as the budget allows.
Trackabout can option the Kakadu up over
time, so you’ll eventually have a trailer that
resembles something from the upper echelons
of the brand’s portfolio. In the meantime, you
can rely on the quality of construction and
workmanship of this product and take comfort in
the knowledge it’ll get you where you want to go.
The camper you want is now easier to find
At only 700kg tare and shorter in length
than its competition in this category, for me
this camper is easily the pick for offroad. It has
an Ozhitch offroad coupling, tough seven-leaf
spring suspension and 10in electric brakes.
On the drawbar there are two PVC pipe pole
holders, a large toolbox, a mesh stoneguard and
a swing-away jockey wheel.
The kitchen is a basic Drifta number which,
like the rest of the trailer, is functional rather than
showy. The Primus two-burner stove is included
and is fed by the 4.5kg gas bottle. An 85L water
tank feeds the hand pump and there’s a second
tap by the gas bottle to allow for a quick hand
ABOVE: The Trackabout Kakadu is a strong
foundation to build your dream camper one step
at a time. For those on a budget, this is ideal.
tradervs.com.au 59
“A solid entry-level trailer perfect for those who are
starting out, particularly if your priority is reliable
offroad performance”
wash by the side of the road. The sink is a
rudimentary black plastic tub, not flash, but in
my view underrated; my kids had their nightly
bath in one like this when we went camping
when they were younger.
It’s equipped with a small cutlery drawer and
pantry area for your tucker, though for bigger
trips you’ll need a pantry tub that could be
stored easily on the tailgate. The kitchen has two
handy food preparation areas, all packed away
neatly. It’s a Drifta, so you know it’s quality.
The trailer as it stands is power-free. While you
can’t have everything in a trailer under $15k, it’s
a noticeable absence. Sure, the fridge could stay
in the back of your truck, but you don’t have any
means to light the kitchen area while you cook
dinner, or inside the tent when it’s time to put
the kids to bed. You may have to drag out the
mantles and gas bottle.
There is lots of storage on the Kakadu. The
bed lifts on gas struts for easy access to this
storage area, which makes quick Friday evening
getaways easy. All you need to do is lift, throw
in your bags and food, hitch up and head
off. This simplicity is what this camper is all
about. It’s not a huge trailer, being only 7ft, but
certainly comfortable enough for a small family.
The queen size bed is high-density foam and
accessed via an aluminium ladder, and there
are a couple of handy storage pockets for keys,
phones and similar items.
The canvas is Australian-made Wax Converters
60 campertraileraustralia.com.au
with 12oz walls and a 15oz roof. It’s an airy, wellventilated tent, with all windows screened. The
awning is what you see — no walls or draft skirt
— and for me, having two littlies, I’d need to dip
into my sky rocket for some more canvas.
Overall, it’s a good, solid, entry-level
trailer perfect for those who are starting out,
particularly if one of your main priorities is
reliable offroad performance. A great entry into
the world of camper trailers.
CLCOKWISE FROM BELOW: Gas struts ease the
load of lifting the bed to reveal masses of storage
area; External hand washing facility is great for
roadside stops; The Trackabout Kakadu was the
most capable offroad in the budget category.
OF THE YEAR
2014
TRACKABOUT
KAKADU
The camper you want is now easier to find
EMMA RYAN
GRAND TOTAL: 410/600
10 X-factor
9 Value for money
8 Ease of use
7 Specifications and comforts
6 Offroadability
5 Build quality and construction
4 Quality of finish
STUART JONES: An affordable, well-credentialed
starter pack trailer that’s up to the rough stuff.
There’s not much included at this price point, but
this allows those on a budget to upgrade easily
one step at a time. It doesn’t come with power as
standard, so unfortunately it doesn’t score too well
on the self-sufficiency front.
The finish is excellent, but the fittings are few.
The build is very tough, and it wins points on the
offroad front — very light, tried and tested. Will get
you to the Cape and back.
Basic, usable kitchen, portable gas stove, no
walls or floor for annex. An easy overnight set-up;
just flip her over.
3 Self-sufficiency
This is a tough category with
two very different trailers, but
in the end the Trackabout
Kakadu is the clear winner
for me. It’s way ahead in the
three areas I value most —
offroadability, ease of use and
value for money.
The trailer is light enough and
tough enough for any offroad
jaunt. It’s not endowed with the
“bling” of the others, but it’s
been through the rough and
tumble of the hire market and
emerged with flying colours.
Clan Stupot would be
comfortable in the Kakadu,
and I could option it up as our
budget allowed. The first cab
off the rank would be a deep
cycle battery!
2 Innovation
STUART JONES
MIKE PAVEY
JUDGE’S PICK:
DAVID COOK: As an entry-level camper this is
a good place to start, despite the absence of bells
and whistles — it’s a good, honest, traditional
softfloor camper. Not a lot of extras to make it
liveable in the bush, just a basic kitchen, with gas
and 85L of water and a bed to sleep in.
This is essentially a capable trailer within the
constraints imposed by the price. The seven-leaf
AL-KO springs and 45mm axle are durable enough
for offroad work.
The queen innerspring mattress and Drifta
kitchen help to lift the Kakadu. If you were coming
from a tent camping background, this would lift
your camping experience hugely at a minimal price.
DAVID COOK
THE JUDGES’ NOTEPAD
1 Suitability for intended purpose
ABOVE: Sleeping set-up is simple, with the queen
size bed accessed via an aluminium ladder.
JOHN ‘BEAR’ WILLIS
STUART JONES
PHIL LORD
CTA
RATES
tradervs.com.au 61
OF THE YEAR
2014
LEFT: Enough canvas to accommodate the family,
but still much easier to set up than many softfloors.
BELOW: Kitchen basics are covered —cooking,
washing up and a place to let the red breathe.
CTA SPECS
TRACKABOUT
KAKADU
> TRAILER
Tare 680kg
ATM 1400kg
Suspension AL-KO seven-leaf spring
Brakes Electric 10in offroad
Coupling 3.5t offroad Ozhitch
Chassis 75x50x3mm hot-dipped
galvanised steel
Drawbar 100x50x3mm
Body Double-pressed zinc anneal
powder-coated steel
Wheel/tyre 15in rims, 31x10.5 R15
AT tyres
Style Softfloor
Quality, well-established brand, so good resale
value. This camper offers toughness over fittings
and comforts, and would be perfect for the simple
bloke that likes to do the work himself, or who wants
to the ability to upgrade as the budget allows.
MIKE PAVEY: An entry-level, all Australian-made
camper, though nothing really new.
Good finishes: fully galvanised chassis,
quality paint preparation, powder-coat finish and
Zincanneal panels. Offroad coupling, LT all-terrain
tyres, hubs matched to most vehicles, AL-KO
outback HD shackle springs, substantial chassis,
large angled stone guard to deflect stones down,
and electric brakes.
It’s got innerspring comfort, a long drawbar, a
10ft tent for reasonable space inside and a quality
Drifta kitchen, but no fridge or electrics.
An easy setup and use. Footprint would suit
most families for space without labouring from
excessive canvas setup (as in bigger tents).
Likely carries a good resale. A basic but well-built
family camper.
Stoneguard
Pole holders
Storage
Tent
> DIMENSIONS
Box size 2.1x2.4m
Length 4800mm
Tent size 3000x2100mm
85L water tank
under trailer
Queen size bed
> ACCESSORIES
Gas cylinders 1 x 4.5kg
Water 85L
Cooktop Two-burner gas, portable
Kitchen Drifta DSOB
L-adder
Awning
> SUPPLIED BY
62 campertraileraustralia.com.au
Water pump
Door
$14,990
Annexe
Gas bottle
Awning
> PRICE AS SHOWN
Trackabout Off Road Campers,
27 Moss St, Slacks Creek, Qld,
(07) 3171 1794,
www.trackabout.com.au
Jerry can
Pull out sink
with pump
Spare wheel
Swing-out kitchen