Jayco Eagle Touring 2018 review

How big is this camper-trailer? How much does it weigh?

The Eagle transforms from a 4m-long unit to more than 6m, when unfolded.

The Eagle is the second largest camper in the Jayco stable, longer than the Hawk, shorter than the Swan. While it’s being towed, the camper measures 5060mm long and 2240mm wide. Suited, as it is, to highway and bitumen travel, it’s actually not as tall as most of the cars that will tow it, measuring in just 1660mm. 

It’s a far bigger camper once opened up, though. The 4020mm body extends by more than two metres to 6200mm, which is about as long inside as a 20-foot caravan. 

It’s not very heavy, either. In standard, empty form, the trailer weighs only 1100kg, puts 125kg of download on the hitch and can carry another 300kg of water, gear and food. Many medium SUVs and large sedans should be able to tow this without much trouble. 

How practical is the space inside?

The larger camper’s layout means there’s somewhere to sit for relaxing and another place to sit for eating.

There are two sitting areas in the camper. A wide, café-style lounge wraps around the front of the camper, while a second dinette runs along the passenger side, to the rear and opposite the kitchen. 

The dinette can be transformed into a bed (in fact, they both can if you buy the optional bed converter for the front), leaving the lounge free for evening relaxation. As such, the Eagle’s layout really suits a decent sized family, because it’s possible to have up to four kids in bed, still have somewhere to sit down inside and have your own bed free and waiting for you. 

The main dinette is a little on the small side for a family of six, though. Jayco says the camper will sleep four adults and two children, although there’s no way all of those people will be comfortable sitting down for dinner at the table. At best, four people can sit there and the other two will be over at the lounge – or you can all just sit outside, because you’re camping, after all. 

What are the beds like?

The dinette turns into a third bed for the tin-lids if you can’t fit them in the two full-time beds.

There are two full-time beds in the Eagle. The bed at the front is nice and wide, measuring 1460mm across (wider than double, not quite queen), so is generally accepted as the master bed of the camper. It can be screened off from the main living area by a curtain to offer the illusion of privacy or just to block out light. Its own light clips to the overhead spreader bar. It brings light into the often-darker bed ends, although I’ve always wished Jayco would find a way to fit proper, personalised reading lights. Climbing into it means climbing over the forward lounge. 

The rear bed is narrower, more suited to younger children who haven’t yet realised the luxury of space in a bed. It’s only 1140mm wide (a bit wider than a king single, but not quite double like it says on the floorplan diagram). There’s no need to step over anything to climb in and it has its own light, too. Both mattresses are inner spring and quite comfortable considering this is a trailer. 

The main dinette converts easily. The table simply unclips from its wall rail and settles into place, then the two backrests fill in the space in between. It’s a cosy little space that two kids will fit easily in head-to-tail. 

What’s the kitchen like?

The kitchen includes a sink, two-burner hob, and 90-litre Dometic fridge.

The Eagle’s kitchen is simple but effective. Because the inherent design of these campers prevents the fitment of a tall fridge, there’s actually more bench space in this than in most large caravans. It has a four-burner stove, of which three elements are gas fired and the fourth is an electric hotplate. There’s even a grill underneath. 

The under-bench storage is a bit more deceptive than the amount of cupboard doors suggests, as they hide plumbing, a wheel arch and the sink, but there’s still plenty of room for a reasonable amount of cooking gear. If it doesn’t seem like enough, the longer Swan has a counter forward of the dinette and a larger pantry. 

How easy is it to tow?

The light-weight camper trailers suitable for most cars big enough to take a family camping.

There are not many easier camper-trailers to tow for the size and comfort offered by the Jayco Eagle. As it weighs only 1400kg when fully loaded, almost any vehicle big enough to fit a family of four or six on a camping holiday can tow it. One limitation might be the ball weight. Although 125kg isn’t heavy, once a load goes in, that’ll increase and many European cars which have reasonable towing limits have abysmally low tow-ball weight allowances. 

Larger SUVs and 4WD dual-cabs won’t have any problems, and assuming the camper isn’t optioned with a roof-rack system, drivers should even be able to see over the top of it to cars behind them. 

How easy is it to set up?

I set the camper up in less than eight minutes, although time isn’t a good indicator of ease. The Jayco camper-trailers haven’t changed their method of set-up in four decades, so it’s safe to say the process is simple. Unlike some other camper-trailer designs, there’s nothing heavy to flip or fold. 

Once the roof is wound up, the beds need to be pulled up and this does expose them to the weather, so expect them to get wet if you’re forced to set up or pack up in the rain. That problems largely solved if you option the bed-end storm covers (fitted to this tester), but there’s still some risk. 

Setting the spreader bar on both bed ends is also a little tricky, as it necessarily has to be a tight fit, but working above your head to set it used muscles not regularly used, especially if you’re just a pen-pusher like me. 

Out of five, though, I’d say it’s a four in terms of ease.

What options are available for it?

Standard leaf spring suspension is great for the job at hand, although the Outback models get an independent coil-spring set-up.

Irritatingly, a battery is still not a standard feature on the Touring version, which limits its ability to free-camp unless you fork over a few hundred extra to have it fitted (the charging system is standard). 

There is all manner of options for it, though. Most popular is probably the upgrade to an Outback specification, which replaces the leaf springs with an independent coil-spring suspension, adds bigger tyres, heavier chassis and an ability to take it a little way off the beaten track. 

You could also fit air-conditioning, a hot water service, a microwave, stereo, TV, awnings and annexe walls, slide out barbeque, external shower or even electronic stability control. 

Any potential issues with it?

There’s not a lot of clearance under the back of it – hence the grass in the wind down stabiliser leg.

Other than the lack of a battery, small dinette and the potential for the beds to get wet if you’re caught packing up in the rain, there’s little to criticise about the Eagle. 

It’s certainly not a camper for any sort of off-road travel, as its ground clearance, especially at the back under the stabiliser legs and water tank, is very modest. Even some uneven caravan park sites or gutters could cause it to bottom out. 

Verdict