RV FEATURE
The rear-fold, hard-floor Pioneer Mitchell entered
the competitive camper trailer market in 2015.
Though its teardrop shape was familiar to market-
watchers, the Mitchell was readily welcomed by
the RV public.
Built in-house on the same premises as Trakmaster
vans (both brands are owned by Gason), the
Mitchell is a capable, well-sorted camper.
When Gason acquired Pioneer, it refined the Mitchell
considerably. Among the changes: a swap to the
Trakmaster-designed Trak 2 independent system,
a coil, trailing-arm setup that offers numerous
advantages over the old design. Gason also fitted a
lighter stub axle that became an integral component
of each trailing arm, rather than bolting it on as with
the previous system. Also, the old stainless steel water
tank was stripped out in favour of a polyplastic tank.
In standard form, it’s good for a few days worth
of off-grid camping. Fitting the optional 70L
water tank – or carrying a few jerry cans on the
roof rack – and a secondary solar panel would
extend that to over a week.
HITS
check
Importantly, the offset of Trak 2 can be ordered to
suit the tow vehicle’s wheels and offset. • Gason’s refinements, including the
The chassis is hot-dipped-galvanised and the shell is
made from marine-grade aluminium and fibreglass. • Relative easy of setting up
As standard, the Mitchell gets a ‘quick awning’, which
really lives up to its name. The rest of the camper
goes up pretty quickly, too. Thanks to the pop-top
roof, the Mitchell offers plenty of head room.
The nose of the camper is all business. It has a
storage pod for firewood incorporating a couple
of separate compartments, with two 8.5kg gas
cylinders either side.
On the long equipment list, you’ll find a 120Ah
AGM battery with Redarc BMS, a classy external
kitchen, a roof-mounted solar panel, plenty of
12V points and much more.
new suspension system
• Overall strength – the Mitchell
appears capable of tackling all
types of offroad terrain
MISSES
times
• Greater solar capacity and a larger
water tank as standard would be
appreciated
• I’d like a single switch to turn off all
12V systems at once
WHAT WE SAID
Easy to tow, reasonably versatile around camp,
and refined by the same company responsible
for Trakmaster Caravans, that legendary name
in Australian offroad touring. That’s the Mitchell
hybrid camper.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
HYBRID HERO
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