Jayco Eagle vs Jayco Hawk

What's the difference?

The Jayco Eagle Outback, for me, is an example of a camper-trailer getting closer to what I reckon a truly off-road-capable Jayco camper will be like.

There's nothing in Jayco's current line-up that offers comfort and full functionality and is also capable of tackling decent off-roading, so we're looking forward to testing Jayco's first line-up of dedicated off-road campers, including the JTrak Outback and Outback X.

The Jayco Hawk Outback is a solid, feature-packed camper-trailer without being flash about it. It looks good – checker plate is always a nice touch – and it is easy to tow and set up. Sure, it may not be as gung-ho an off-road unit as its name suggests, but it is more than capable of handling gravel or dirt tracks on the way to your campsite and will be a comfortable camper when you actually arrive there.

These Jayco camper-trailers have a familiar touring-friendly floor-plan – check out the accompanying photos for proof of that – and most adhere to a similar approach to interior functionality – neat and simple – and that’s well suited to those who venture off the blacktop and hit the dirt.

Interior height is 2070mm, standard for campers of this type, so there’s plenty of stretch space for those of us not gifted with the vertical inches of Collingwood’s Mason Cox. Bench height, also standard for a camper-trailer, remains just lower than an average bloke’s hip so stooping to work in the kitchen is still an issue, but that’s part and parcel of the lifestyle, so stop whinging and get used to it.

Looking from the door, to the left is the front bed and club lounge; along the wall is the kitchen area (replete with four-burner stove, Dometic 95-litre fridge*, storage drawers and pantry); and to the right is the rear bed and dinette area. (* Outback models get the 95-litre fridge; Touring models get the 90-litre fridge.)

Overhead interior lighting includes LEDs for the main area and reading lights for the beds; there’s a fan for the beds.

There are also power points and USB port.

Jayco camper-trailers have a nice touring-friendly floor-plan but where the Hawk Outback deviates from the line-up norm is that its kitchen is positioned to the left of the door as you step inside, rather than in front and to the right of you as you step inside on other models.

The interior height tops out at 2070mm high – pretty standard for these campers – and inside is roomy enough not to feel like a confined space, although it will get squeezy if all four adults and two kids are in here and milling about at the same time.

Looking from the door, to the left is the four-burner stove, then, as you look to the front, the extended lift-up bed and storage, and, swiveling to your right, the Dometic 95-litre fridge (Touring models get the 90-litre fridge), then stainless-steel sink, dinette seat, table, club lounge, double bed, then TV cabinet.

Drawers are all Ezi glide pull-out style. The pop-in/pop-out button on each handle – to lock it in place and unlock it – is generally a good system but can be prone to becoming fiddly, even sticking. This is a minor problem and can be found in many campers with a similar mechanism on their drawers.

Interior lighting includes overhead LEDs for the main area and reading lights for the beds. There’s a fan for the beds.

This single-axle camper – at 5060mm long (including drawbar), 1910mm high, 2240mm wide, and with a 1270kg tare weight – towed smoothly behind the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport we used on this review.

It sat snug and steady on the towball (with a 150kg download) during open-road driving, as well as during short sections of slightly bumpy gravel track and undulating dirt road.

The Eagle Outback has a hot dip galvanised Endurance Chassis riding on Jayco’s own JTech coil-spring suspension set-up.

Please note: Jayco’s Outback models are designed and engineered for, at worst, dirt roads and gravel roads, not 4WD tracks. Do not think that because these campers have been branded ‘Outback’ that they are actually able to tackle hard-core off-roading.

Because of its compact size – especially relative to caravans which are, by their very nature, generally bigger and bulkier than camper-trailers – the Hawk Outback is a very easy thing tow as it sits low and stable on all surfaces and well within the confines of even narrower bush tracks.

The single-axle camper – 5060mm long (including drawbar), 1910mm high, 2240mm wide, and with a 1285kg tare weight – hardly registered behind our tow vehicle, a 2019 Ford Everest, with the new 2.0-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo-diesel engine (157kW/500Nm).

It always felt secure on the towball (with a 145kg download) during highway, gravel track and undulating dirt-road driving.

The Hawk Outback, like other Outbacks, has a hot dip galvanised Endurance chassis on Jayco’s JTech coil-spring suspension set-up. (Note: Jayco’s Outback models are designed and engineered for, at worst, dirt roads and gravel roads, not 4WD tracks. They are not built for hard-core off-roading.)

Another bonus: visibility is clear and open along both of its sides and even over the top – no need for towing mirrors here.