Why Choose a Hybrid Camper?

Written by Dave Carey

Mater Cars for Cancer are giving you the chance to win an Austrack Talawana X15 hybrid camper worth nearly $70-grand, so you can build your own holiday without the bulk of a regular luxury caravan. 

The Austrack Talawana X15 is not the first hybrid camper you’ve had a chance to win; Cars for Cancer lotteries have included a few different sorts over the last couple of years. But with the word ‘hybrid’ bandied around a lot in the automotive world, it’s probably time to explain what a hybrid camper actually is, and why it’s a good thing to park under the setting sun of the outback over yonder. 

Don’t get me wrong; regular, big ol’ caravans of the modern era are wonders of our time. Big on luxury, big on comfort and big on bunk beds, they’re also big on size, and that can be a problem. The seldom-beaten track doesn’t necessarily lend itself to the substantial length and girth of a full-sized caravan, and for some, they can be an issue to store in between your dreamtime excursions. If you fancy such an excursion but don’t want to pay retail, tickets to win the Austrack Talawana X15, a custom LandCruiser Military GXL to tow with, and $100K to fund it, are available now.

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A hybrid camper blends the best features of a traditional caravan, but with dimensions closer to a camper trailer without the soft floors, flappy canvas and Rubik’s puzzle set up seen on older, tent-in-a-trailer models. For a little sacrifice in compactness, the hybrid features solid walls like a caravan with a pop-top for a sleek, efficient towing profile. In the case of the Austrack Talawana, the walls are aluminium composite bolted to an aluminium frame, topped by a reinforced aluminium roof that is fully electric, unlike my 80’s pop-top which takes ages to crank up manually. Luckily, I have kids to do that. If you too have kids, I’m sure an electric pop-topped hybrid camper holiday would sound pretty rad to them, so a ticket might be handy.

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Speaking of kids, the Austrack Talawana’s diminutive dimensions means it sleeps just two in the king-sized bed, but Mater Cars for Cancer have you—and the extra bodies, whether they be kids or kin—covered with a hard-shell rooftop tent affixed to the prize pool LandCruiser Military GXL. Small on size doesn’t mean the Austrack Talawana hybrid camper is light on features, though; under the big, 4.35m by 2.5m fully electric awning is an array of external kitchen accessories including slide-out fridge, slide out cooktop and sink, drop down table, cupboards and a full cooking and crockery set from MeanderWild.

If the weather turns bleak, have no fear—there’s a sink, cooktop and fridge right there inside the camper, along with an internal ensuite, albeit not in the same area, thankfully. The Austrack Talawana is fully off-grid capable too, with a solar array controlled by a Redarc BMS30 battery management system, 240L of potable water storage, and a Truma Water rapid gas/electric hot water heater. As you can see, there’s very little compromise when it comes to a hybrid versus a full-size caravan. The biggest difference? Unlike a full-sized van, you could win an Austrack Talawana hybrid camper in the current Mater Cars for Cancer lottery draw.

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Getting off road is relatively simple with a hybrid camper; the hot-dipped galvanised chassis rides on a fully adjustable, independent coil-sprung AusTuff Off-road Suspension system with Pedders foam cell, big bore 4x4 shockers. Theoretically, the Austrack Talawana hybrid camper should be able to follow the highly modified LandCruiser 70-series Military GXL wherever you point it, and while a full-sized, off-road caravan will give it a go, the hybrid camper will fit down tracks and in places that a regular van simply will not. Building yourself the holiday of your dreams is a simple as buying a ticket and being the lucky winner. To do that, you’ve got to have the ticket first. Get one today before allocations are exhausted.

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