Gordon and Judith Barber have been part of the TRAKKA family for a number of years. Having travelled far and wide in a Torino, The Barbers more recently upgraded to the Trakkaway 700, and are enjoying the freedom of life (and having time!) on the road as retirees. We spoke with the adventure seekers to find out why they’ve stuck with TRAKKA over the years, how they use their Trakkaway 700 and their plans for future travel.
Our decision to upgrade to the Trakkaway 700 was based on…
“…The extra length and width, the level floor from the cabin to the bedroom, and a regular entry door rather than a slider. The double bed is definitely more comfortable than the single beds in the Torino 2S.”
The main reason we stayed with Trakka is…
“…The quality of the fit out and inclusions; most of which are standard in the Trakkaway 700.”
We endeavour to use our Trakkaway for…
“…A holiday each month, unless of course we are doing an extended road trip. We have covered many parts of NSW in our Trakkaway including Coast and regional areas and we’re typically away for around ten days at a time. We avoid caravan parks staying mainly in free camps or low cost places where we are able to enjoy all the facilities the Trakkaway has to offer. For example, the diesel room heating in winter is a must have, (it’s very cosy) and the inverter is fabulous in wet weather for boiling the kettle or doing the toast etc. It’s all so convenient and there are no gas bottles!”
Our other favourite feature is…
“…The bathroom setup with the retractable toilet. It’s a very efficient use of space and it’s only available with a Trakka.”
The ‘can't-live-without’ feature in our Trakkaway is…
“…The washing machine. What a ripper! Short wash of about 15-20 minutes uses only 10% of water. Based on 165Ltr tank that's 16.5ltrs. Having the ability to wash at will onboard dramatically reduces the amount of clothing required for your journey. We generally get five to six days from a full tank of water, (includes 1 wash cycle).”
In my opinion the 700 is…
“…Great to drive. Whether you’re touring highway or country roads it is very comfortable and easy to drive. I particularly like the good all round vision with the large door mirrors and the dash mounted reversing camera. It’s easy to park anywhere, whether you’re at a shopping centre or small town with parallel parking. Thanks to the camera, parking is a breeze.”
Fuel consumption is…
“…Very surprising, as I average around 10.6L/100km and that includes running the diesel water/room heater mornings and sometimes evenings, depending on the temperatures.”
Our plans for future travel are…
“…A little tentative. Our intention was to do the "big lap" in 2020 however, there is an expectation there may be a family wedding happening in the time we will be away, so it now looks like we will postpone to 2021. However we will continue to enjoy our excursions in our Trakkaway finding new hidden treasures throughout the Australian outback.”