Thread: Any experience with the Trak Shak?

Graz on here has one.
Im sure he is happy to let you know about them.No longer aussie built Im told,made in China.
Graz loves his,send him a PM.
Andrew

Very much made in China...

Canvas on current ones is much thinner than their original Made in Oz ones.

Welding is poorer, check carefully for rust and porous welds...

I also had photos of the factory in China at one stage... Nice operation over there...

But cost to manufacture vs sale price has a very large margin!!!

i had an aussie built one in 2000. It was their largest model & went traveling with my wife & four kids for a few months. Unbreakable, simple setup and really well made. Held its value when we sold it as well.

I also have heard things about the build quality of the chinese manufactured model. Trakshak only have the one model now dont they ?

Keep an eye for second hand ones (aussie built) instead maybe ?

Hi. I have a 2006 Trak Shak, made in China. We bought it second hand in 2007. We bought it because it is one of the few campers that can sleep a family of five, and still have room to sit inside in bad weather without having to pack up the sleeping bags. It has an enormous cargo area, and the boat rack is fantastic for carrying any extras - tables, bikes, additional luggage, firewood....
We have a family of five - our 3 girls are now 1,3 and 6. We all sleep up on the beds upstairs. The kids love to play in the 'cubby' downstairs.....so that is their play room.....they are forever bringing in new kids they've just met to play in there...colouring in, reading books, dolls, etc.... They are not tracking mud and dirt into the bedding areas, so that keeps me happy.

I have found the quality to be fine overall. For the price I would have preferred powdercoating instead of paint, and I would have liked to have seen some decent interior lighting. Trying to light that large space is quite difficult.

Like you, I love the portable kitchen. So simple, but so nice to be able to take it wherever you like. We often cook under a nice shady tree, or we can go to the sheltered side of the camper, out of the wind.

I have found the canvas quality to be very good on mine. I wouldn't want the canvas to be a heavier weight as it makes it a lot harder to pack up. It's big and heavy enough to fold up as it is, let alone a heavier weight canvas (Its 12oz canvas for roof and walls). When the canvas is wet, it gets pretty heavy.

The bottom line for us was that it had the right mix of features for what we wanted. There are definately compromises with any camper. While the interior space is just fantastic, it takes longer to set up than a hard floor camper,unless they have to also set up the awning,in which case the trak shak would be quicker as the awning is integrated. You will generally need 2 people for set up and pack up due to the weight of the suitcase lid. (I have done it by myself once, but it is very bad for your back!) You need to find a big open space in order to set up (and don't forget to look up so you don't catch branches of trees when setting up.) The roof is about 3 metres high I think.

It tows really well. Very smooth. Very stable. Good suspension.

I think it is a fantastic 'basecamp' trailer....where if you stay for a few days at a time, setting up and packing up would be OK. But I think if you were setting up every night you would get sick of it pretty quickly. I would, anyway....

The waeco fridges work well, one for fridge, one for freezer. But the standard battery is a bit small at 70 AH.... I bought a larger one to replace it....

I think the asking price for a new one is a bit much frankly,....which is why I waited for a second hand one... and saved myself a bundle.

Am very happy with it as it meets our needs well, and we have had some fantastic holidays with it. Beats the hell out of tenting and having a cramped car when travelling

Cheers

mate i would have brought one in a heart beat untill i found this it was a couple that brought theres new and it stared rusting out pretty much straight away

Picasa Web Albums - Sue & Darryl - Trak Shak Rust

cheer

Thanks all, lots to think about.

BTW I believe that the canvas they use is assembled in China, but now they use Australian made canvas from somewher ein the Hunter region.

I have heard of the rust a couple of times, that is a worry.

The rust could be a result of the chinese using melted down holdens and toyotas instead of virgin aussie steel
Certainly seen NO rust in Graz's TrakShak,his was one of the last aussie versions.
Andrew

As already stated, best look at a second hand Australian built TrakShak as there are a lot of issues. I was talking to a past employee of TrakShak at the camping show ( he departed in disgust when the owner went off shore) and he advised that you will have trouble even matching wheel bearings with what is available in Australia.

The trailer is very rugged and simple to operate with heaps of room inside. Particularly good cold or wet weather for a family with a tribe of kids.
The ability to carry spare fuel/water/gas on the sides of the trailer is useful. I carry two gas bottles, 120 litres of fuel ( 20L for the generator ) and 60 litres of water.
There is enough room in the tubs underneath to carry enough supplies and cooking gear for an extended trip away. I also stow the generator, chainsaw, BBQ hot plate etc under there as well. The two fridges work well as fridge and freezer though with cryavac meat they can be both at fridge temps to reduce power consumption. The Solar panels are great and I can get away without using the generator at all in sunny weather as long as the rechargable fluros are pumped up on the solar during the day. I have seen 14.5 amps come out of the panels.

The only two issues I have had is in wet weather the corners of the veranda must be dropped down to drain the roof to prevent pooling and the other is the hinges are found wanting if I add to the wieght on the front tailgate of larger outboard. Mine is an older Mariner.

I wish I had the camper 15 years ago as the teenagers have lost interest and no longer come camping. Jen and I now rattle in it so are planning to to get something smaller like a Kimberly Karavan. We don't need 3 Queensize beds so you may see it on the market.

Check out my photos in the gallery.
Cheers

Graham