We’ve seen a number of skeletal toy-hauling trailers from smaller manufacturers and custom shops, but now Australia’s largest RV brand is sending its own rig out into the red dust and tawny grit of the Never Never. The all-new Crosstrail is built to carry a quad or multiple dirt bikes inside an open ribcage of adventure. A few trapdoor and swing-away tricks ensure it can load up everything you need, whether simply escaping for the day or for a full adventure holiday.
The first time we spotted the Crosstrail, we thought Jayco had taken out its biggest, sharpest knife and skinned one of its off-road caravans by hand. But the Crosstrail is actually slightly smaller than caravans like the Crosstrak 14 hybrid or Basestation 15 enclosed toy-hauler. So Jayco has more or less designed a unique open-frame gear hauler shaped similarly to its existing campers, albeit with bare frame members and a slightly smaller footprint.
The result is ultimately a compact toy-hauler camper more neatly integrated than those that marry a flatbed and tent-top camper box in tandem. The Crosstrail’s framed-out bed provides the roof rack for an available rooftop tent, and its optional camping gear gets integrated into the half-height body up front, creating a more seamless all-in-one space.
It’s similar in this way to the Offline Ryder but a little larger and more flexible in terms of spec.
Jayco Aus
The Crosstrail is first and foremost a toy hauler, and it does what most cushier RVs don’t: carries a quad or up to three large motorcycles to the trailhead or track for full-throttle fun and adventure. And it’s optimized for doing so, featuring integrated folding ramps, flush-fold front wheel holders for bikes, and a lift-away roof rack so you don’t have to worry about crouching and clunking when loading up.
Jayco Aus
Jayco offers a full options list for outfitting the Crosstrail into a proper camper, including a two-person hardshell rooftop tent; a slide-out kitchen with dual-burner gas stove; a slide-out fridge tray; a power pack with 100-Ah lithium battery, battery management system and command screen, front and rear work lights, DC-DC charging, and 200-W solar array; and a water package with 80-L fresh water tank, 12-V pump and A-frame-integrated tap. The buyer can opt for the kitchen with or without a sink.
It definitely isn’t the cushiest camper out there, but that’s not really the point, is it? It’s designed for dusty, dirty weekends on which you don’t even think about showering until you’re out of the wild and rolling back into your own driveway.
Jayco Aus
The 17-ft-long (5.2-m) Crosstrail comes built atop a hot-dipped galvanized chassis and rides Jayco’s own JTech 2.0 independent coil suspension. The body bits and pieces are clad in powder-coated aluminum, and the flatbed decked with heavy-duty tread plate. Designed for hard-riding all-terrain travel, it rolls on nitrogen-filled 245/70R16 all-terrain tires. Two jerrycan holders, a front storage box and a wide front firewood tray come standard, and buyers can upgrade with an A-frame toolbox and mounted Maxtrax recovery boards.
Jayco hasn’t published a full price list, but one of its dealerships is advertising a fully loaded Crosstrail for AU$35,921 (approx. US$23,075). That model packs nearly all the options Jayco offers, including a slide-out kitchen, rooftop tent, power package, water package, slide-out fridge tray, front toolbox, 180-degree awning and Maxtrax boards. It tares in at 2,595 lb (1,177 kg), leaving just over 1,435 lb (650 kg) of payload for bikes and toys.
The base Crosstrail before options has a 1,956-lb (887-kg) tare weight, according to Jayco’s spec sheet.
Jayco Aus
It bears mentioning, especially in light of that rather attractive converted US price, that Jayco Australia and Jayco US are two distinct entities. They do share some history and branding, but their current lineups are very different. As of right now, a Jayco toy hauler in the US is likely to ride on three axles, feature an indoor toy garage and one or more slide-outs, house a sprawling interior with the likes of a living room fireplace, king-size master bedroom and multiple bathrooms, and carry a six-figure price tag. In short, it’s a few galaxies away from the Crosstrail.
Source: Jayco Aus