Exploring the Jayco Journey Range
Jayco's Journey is an impressive range of caravans, with a wide range of layouts and lengths in caravan and pop-top models.
One of the major benefits of being Jayco, Australia’s largest caravan manufacturer, is that it can produce many models and layouts. There is something for every purpose, budget, and road condition, be it a sealed road, a rough road, or off-road.
The models include everything from a camper trailer to a toy hauler, but undoubtedly one of the big sellers is the Journey caravan range. Available as either a pop-top or full caravan, the Journeys are available in multiple layouts with different body lengths. All are offered as touring vans or what Jayco calls its Outback range, designed for handling rough road travel, not offroad. That includes two family vans, one a four-berth and the other a six-berth.
Measuring up
Starting with the full caravans, there are eight different models. Jayco distinguishes between them by length, that is 16ft, 18ft, 19ft, 21ft and 22ft. In several cases, there are various layouts for the same lengths, like the 19ft and 22ft. What is slightly confusing is that the lengths do not indicate the external body length, so the 16ft van has a body length of 17ft 6in (5.34m) and the 22ft van is 22ft 11in (6.99m) long. In between we have 18ft (18ft 8in/5.69m), 19ft (20ft 3in/6.18m) and 21ft (22ft 3in/6.79m). Consequently, all the vans are longer than might be expected.
Weighty matters
For any caravan purchase, the caravan's weight should be a consideration. Jayco lists all the van weights in its specification listings, but that should only be taken as a guide. Individual van weights will vary depending on the accessories fitted.
Weights will, of course, be different with increasing body lengths. For example, the 16ft van has a tare mass of 1763kg, and the four-berth 22ft van has a tare mass of 2233kg. Although increasing length usually means an increased weight, that’s not always the case. The 21ft van has a tare mass of 2333kg, 100kg more than the 22ft van, but there’s a reason for that. All the vans have a payload of 600kg, except for the smallest, the 16ft, a single axle, which can carry 375kg. When comparing all the respective weights, it’s not surprising to learn that the Outback models with similar layouts all have a weight penalty, an extra 82kg in the case of the 16ft van and at the other end of the scale, something like 190kg for one of the 22ft layouts.
Layouts to please
Within the Journey caravan range are several variations of the much-favoured front bed and full-width rear bathroom layout. The 16ft and 18ft designs have a forward door entry, and the 19ft has a rear door. The shorter vans have a forward door because it’s more space-efficient. The alternative 19ft also has a forward door entry, but that’s because it’s a bunk van layout with accommodation for four people. To fit everything in, the front double bed is east-west, not an island bed.
A unique van in the Journey fleet is the 21ft layout, being the only Journey with a slide-out. Hence, the weight issue mentioned above. Fitted to the offside, it contains the east-west bed. A van designed for two, it has a full-width bathroom and a front club lounge, something appreciated by many.
The longest vans, the three 22-foot models, offer a few surprises. One has a bunk bed layout for four with plenty of room to move. Another family layout has beds for six, with a somewhat unusual arrangement for the bunks. The third has what many regard as the doyen of layouts: a rear club lounge. That’s achieved by having an island bed up front and a split bathroom next to the front bedroom.
Fully equipped
In all cases, the Journey vans are well-appointed. The fully equipped kitchen contains essentials such as a microwave oven, a 171-litre three-way fridge, and a four-burner cooktop with a separate grill and oven. Most of the bathrooms have a separate shower cubicle and cassette toilet. Items such as air conditioners, house batteries (100Ah), solar panels (200W), and two 9.0kg gas cylinders are all standard.
Pop-tops are go
A little surprise in the Journey range is the considerable array of pop-top layouts that Jayco has available. There’s more floor plan variety than the caravan range, and in many cases, smaller and lighter. The respective tare masses vary from 1110kg to 1817kg, with payloads mostly between 350kg and 400kg.
The pop-top lengths start with a pair of diminutive 12ft (3.83m/12ft 7in) units and extend to four 17ft (5.48m/18ft) designs. Those include single and island bed layouts, plus several family van designs. The 15ft (4.86m/15ft 11in) is a four-berth unit with an east-west double bed and double bunks across the rear. Like the smaller vans, it does not have a bathroom, but that keeps the weight down and makes them ideal for lightweight, caravan park-style touring. The 16ft (5.2m/17ft) rigs have full-width bathrooms and are available in single-bed or double-bed layouts. There are four vans in the 17ft (5.48m/18ft) range, two are bunk van designs, and the other two are either single bed or double bed variants. Like the 16ft model mentioned previously, one of the 17ft layouts does not have a bathroom, but it does have beds for a family of five, making it a good budget option.
Similar to full caravans, the pop-tops are also available with Outback specifications. That does add extra weight of course but also gives more choice of touring destinations and ways to get to them.
While fully fitted out, the pop-top equipment level specifications are a little lower than for the caravans. So, for instance, there’s a smaller fridge, an oven is optional, and the solar panels are only standard on the Outback models.
Expanding
It’s not really in the Journey lineup, but the 17ft Expanda is in a range all its own with just one model. I mention it because it has a pop-top roof. In addition to the roof though, the van has expandable front and rear sections with beds at both ends. Having an external length of 5.62m (18ft 5in), its open length of nearly 8.0m (26ft 2in) is truly impressive. To say the least, that particular feature allows for much more living space inside the pop top. Not to mention beds, in standard form, there are enough for six people. The tare mass of 1846kg and payload of 500 kilograms make the Expanda ideal for a wide range of tow vehicles. Like the Journey pop-tops, the Expanda is also available as an Outback version.
Construction
Journey caravans and pop tops are all built the same way, with most of the manufactured items done in-house. That starts with the hot-dipped galvanised steel chassis, which is built with Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS) rails and a drawbar. With a weight-saving punched hole design, C-section steel is used for the cross-section members. The bodywork is definitely not the ‘sticks n’ tin’ approach, but one that uses vacuum-bonded quad-layer construction. An aluminium frame supports the structure consisting of internal 3mm polyester-coated plywood board, high-density polystyrene foam for insulation, external 3mm composite board and a fibreglass panel exterior. The latter, according to Jayco, used to be hail and dent resistant, as well as being easy to clean.
Outback extras
Touring Journey caravans and pop-tops are all fitted with leaf spring suspension as standard. However, the Outback vans have a few extras like Jayco’s JTECH 2.0 independent coil suspension. Fitted with coil springs, shock absorbers, stub axles and bearings that are suited to using a Lippert Sway Command. In addition, the Outback vans have higher ground clearance, off-road electric brakes and protective side aluminium chequer plates.
The bottom line
There’s an almost bewildering array of caravans and pop-tops in Jayco’s Journey range, but the benefit of that is that there’s something for everyone, ranging from a diminutive 12ft single bed pop-top to a six berth 22ft caravan.
Ready to Take on Your Next Adventure?
Find your dream van online at OnlyVans.com.au! If the Jayco Journey range has inspired your next getaway, explore our current selection of Jayco caravans for sale and discover other pop top caravans for sale.
We have other great deals on caravans for sale including used caravans and caravans from private sellers. You can also find motorhomes for sale and camper trailers. No matter how you like to travel, we've got you covered.
This article was written by Malcolm Street, with photos by Editorial Team, and previously appeared at TradeRVs.com.au, now powered by OnlyVans.com.au.
Found your perfect purchase? Let’s make financing just as easy!
Work with Australia’s best-reviewed finance broker for a great deal and a stress-free experience. With 3,000+ glowing Google reviews, you can trust you're in good hands! See what our happy customers say in Credit One reviews, or jump right in and crunch the numbers with our handy loan repayment calculator. Your ideal financing solution is just a few clicks away!
