| WORDS AND PICS : MAX TAYLOR

The Track Trailer Tvan . It ’ s one of Australia ’ s best known offroad rigs . A legend on wheels , some would say . That ’ s high praise , indeed . But whatever your background , it ’ s simply not possible to credibly claim that the Tvan hasn ’ t had a major impact on Australian offroad touring . Over the years , there have been three new iterations of the original Tvan , each designed to further fulfil this camper ’ s commitment to open the bush and outback to more people . And now , Track Trailer has lifted the curtain on a fifth generation Tvan . But does it live up to the promise made by the first Tvan almost two decades ago ?

COLD DAY IN …

If you knew anything about Track Trailer , you ’ d know it ’ d be a cold day in hell before its flagship camper gave up its offroad cred . The fifth-gen Tvan is a more refined version of its predecessor . All of the ‘ niggles ’ – the things that made you go ‘ hmmm ’ when camping with it – seem to have been addressed . But there has also been an underlying overhaul designed to make the camper more user-friendly than ever . We got our hands on the top-spec Murranji , and quickly noticed the new operation of the rear hatch . Whereas the earlier Tvans required you to first lower the deck to access the hatch , both will

lift at the same time , making the camper completely useable for quick stops or overnighters . It is , literally , as easy as accessing the boot of a hatchback vehicle . The tent , too , has undergone some changes , namely in the way it attaches to the deck . Gone are the fiddly catches in favour of magnetic ones on adjustable straps . In fact , all points of attachment are now magnetised . The previous bulkhead at the entrance to the cabin has been removed , too . The old bulkhead contained a stereo but that ’ s been replaced with a bluetooth Fusion unit that can be removed from its docking station when you ’ re away from the campsite . The result is a more open , more easily

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