Tvan Caninng Reviewed on the Simpson

No limits Track Trailer’s Tvan Canning is a pocket rocket with the lot.

Words Carlisle Rogers Pics Carlisle Rogers and Ryan Heywood

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here and how one sleeps while travelling can ultimately define the nature of the entire journey.

Think about it: what would the jolly swagman be without his swag? The jolly man doesn’t quite have the same feeling. And those caravanners you’re always stuck behind on winding country highways for what seems like weeks at a time? You’d still be stuck behind them, but you wouldn’t know their names and UHF channel of choice.

Even within the cloistered and esoteric walls of the camper trailer fraternity, what you pull says a lot about who

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you are. The soft floor guys normally have a couple of kids in the back seat.

The hard floor crowd has money but less time, so ease of use is everything.

Just having a camper trailer implies you like a bit of adventure in your life, but when you see a Tvan emerging from a track onto the bitumen somewhere up north, bulldust swirling around its shape, like something from the naïve optimism of the pre-space-age 1960s, even the most hardened traveller gets a little pang of jealousy. The Tvan can go anywhere, and we imagine it has. The sad fact is, it probably has. Towing any Track Trailer product says that you’re a real man – an adventurer at heart.

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Left: Heaps of storage at the foot of the bed, with overhead nets for smaller items.

Below: The Canning, fully set up for a ‘longer’ stay still only takes about six minutes to set up.

Opposite top: The clean lines of the Tvan aren’t just about looking pretty. The hard floor is elegantly designed to transfer its weight smoothly all the way down, and the rear door is absolutely dust proof.

Opposite bottom: All of the Canning’s electronics are in one place, with straight to shore 240V and controls and metering for the 12V system.

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There isn’t anything on the market quite like the Tvan. Its peculiar blend of function over form, led from an entirely different angle, that takes a bit of getting used to. But once you do, you understand how beautifully Track Trailer has amalgamated many of the disparate strengths of so many other types of accommodation into this small package.

A lot of campers have the capacity for quick overnight stops, but the Tvan can actually accommodate quick afternoon naps. There are three ‘sleeping modes’: open the door and close it, the quickest; open the door and put the mozzie screen up; and open the door and drop the tent down, which gives you in essence a hard floor camper setup.

The kitchen on the Canning is ample for 90 per cent of cooking jobs. Most people combine cooking on the fire or in a camp oven when they go out, so

While it looks diminutive, the storage capacity of the Tvan rivals most soft floor campers the guys at Track Trailer have utilised the Tvan’s rare and valuable space for storage. While it looks diminutive, the storage capacity of the Tvan rivals most

soft floor campers. I know: I’ve emptied everything from a soft floor into the Tvan before mid-trip and it all fits.

Inside the Canning, the finish is clean and professional. There are four lights, all individually switched or controlled from a panel by the door.

With buttons for everything and a smart digital meter for the 12V system, you can see at a glance what’s going on and also that someone cares about their job at Track Trailer. A 105Ah battery is fitted beneath the floor, with provision for a second. A 70L water tank is also fitted below the camper, with 12V supply to the kitchen sink and a backup hand pump on the side of the camper – good for quick wash-ups.

Funny to leave it until the end, but

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the heart of the Tvan isn’t its good looks or ease of use – it is the MC2 suspension. Developed for the military, this asymmetric link suspension is as tough as it is smooth. Its self-correcting geometry allows a huge degree of controlled wheel travel while maintaining a butter-smooth ride.

Completing the go-anywhere construction of the Canning is the Vehicle Components coupling at the front of a hot-dipped galvanised

chassis. These ADR-compliant offroad couplings are designed to take any abuse, and with a rated capacity of 3.5 tonnes, you could conceivably snatch your vehicle out of a bog via the trailer (although this should not be construed as a good idea).

From tip to tail, the Canning is one of the all time best touring campers ever invented. It isn’t for everyone, but for couples on the move, it offers a unique way to see every inch of Australia.

QUICK SPECS Tare: 970kg ATM: 1500kg Suspension: MC2 Asymmetric link Base price: $47,600 Battery capacity: 105Ah www.tracktrailer.com.au

Left: The breakfast bar in the Tvan’s tent and the quick set up (you only need to move two poles) are just two examples of the little things that make the TVan so endearing to so many people.

Below: The MC2 suspension is completely unique in the camper trailer world, and it keeps your trailer on two wheels no matter where you take it.

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