Ezytrail Parkes 15 MK2 Review

Adventure is only limited to your imagination when you own an Ezytrail Parkes 15 Mk2 Quad off-road hybrid caravan. In fact, it is described as the “perfect off-road capable escape machine for families.” Its namesake, the wonderful township of Parkes, NSW, is famous for “The Dish,” and nowadays its “Elvis Festival” makes it a bucket list destination for your family. But take your time getting there, as the journey is just as much fun as the destination in your own Parkes 15 MK2 – and the kids will love it!

It’s quite a mouthful, isn’t it? “Off Road Hybrid 4-Berth Caravan” aptly describes this rugged and very accommodating tourer. Ezytrail says, “Its ability to take you far from the crowds and to let you camp in self-sufficient luxury makes the Parkes 15 Mk2 a standout family van.”

The Parkes 15 MK2 has a comprehensive list of features compiled from experience by manufacturers who actually go out and use the product as intended. This is a serious off-road capable vehicle built on the strong foundations of a hot-dip galvanised steel 120 x 50 x 3 mm chassis and 150 x 50 x 3mm drawbar rated to F5 engineering standards, allowing Ezytrail to offer a lifetime warranty on its performance.

The “Ezy Rider” independent trailing arm style suspension glides beautifully over all terrain from blacktop to mud, corrugations, and the rough, aided by coil springs in conjunction with twin Nitro gas shock absorbers on each wheel. There are 17“alloy wheels with 10-ply mud-terrain tyres, 12” electric brakes with breakaway, and a 3.5 tonne AL-KO off-road hitch.

The Parkes 15 has a sister trailer called the Ceduna 15, with the Parkes featuring a pop-top and the Ceduna a hard shell. They both feature a similar family-friendly list of commendable features, including a king-size bed, twin bunks, an ensuite, an internal and external kitchen, and a pull-out portable fridge option. The Parkes 15 Mk2 offers three interior colour palette options and a range of external colours, allowing you to customise your set-up.

Life's Essentials

Power and water are essentials, particularly when travelling far off the grid with the whole family. Hence, the Parkes has a comprehensive array of electricals, including a massive 3 x 100Ah deep-cycle battery storage bank, a whopping 240 litres of water capacity in twin poly water tanks, plus an optional 75-litre grey water retainer, all fully shrouded from the underside damage.

The “Ezypower” electrical system allows full control of all 12-volt power with its level indicator, 50-amp mega fuse, water tank level gauge with backlight, switch box with independently fused circuit board, 30-amp automatic battery charger, plenty of 240 and 12-volt power, including USBs, Anderson plug with HD fridge power feed, and a selection of LED mood lighting options.

Everything is push-button controlled so you can select what’s running in your caravan to make the most of your time away. Ours was fitted with optional roof-mounted solar panels and the ability to connect portable solar panels, offering truly self-sufficient camping.

Insulated Shell

The main shell features strong aluminium wall frames for lightweight longevity with composite insulated exterior panels and gel-coated fibreglass interior walls. Plus, there’s plenty of checkerplate on the impact surfaces. Out in front, Ezytrail fit the premium ARK XO jockey wheel with Anderson plus connection, hand brake and a cavernous full-width 3-door front storage box/tool box with plenty of room for twin 9kg gas cylinders, jerry cans and perhaps all your recovery equipment.

As displayed, our unit had a Tare mass (dry) of 2,330kg with 180 kg ball weight and a considerable ATM of 2900kg. You are going to need the large payload once you fill the water tanks and gas bottles, contribute to the grey water, load the Truma 14-litre gas hot water system, and then pack an optional fridge that lives in its own vented compartment in the front of the body shell. All up, she’s quite compact with 6490mm overall length x 2200mm width and 2460mm collapsed external height.

Functional Extenda

The twin spare wheel mounts at the rear have well-weighted gas struts for the swing down arms, and you will be impressed at how easy they have the “extenda” operating.  There’s multiple compartment storage, double panel insulated windows with blinds and flyscreen’s plus the full array of cartridge access, aeration points, lockable water fillers, 240 and 12 volt power, full-length awning, internal and external speakers for the rocking CD/DVD/USB entertainment system, fold down picnic table, illuminated entry handle and a good selection of external lighting. There’s even an external mount for the 24” HDTV that works in conjunction with the integrated four-speaker entertainment system with CD/DVD/USB playback & Bluetooth.

Internal and External Kitchens

The external kitchen is a ripper! It’s a pull-out stainless steel unit complete with a four-burner gas stove, sink with hot/cold water, wind deflectors, drainage racks, a pull-out bench extension and utility drawers. There’s yet another pull-out slide on the driver's side where you can fit an optional generator.

The Parkes 15 Mk2 offers both twin and quad internal layouts – ours obviously the quad. As you enter, the bunks are immediately to the left, and they are surprisingly spacious. The fully moulded ensuite with premium shower, vanity, chemical toilet and ventilation hatch is a terrific feature for families and couples alike. There’s a small dinette with a multi-adjustable dining table and thickly upholstered leatherette seating. Opposite is the kitchen with twin burner gas cooktop and sink, both with hinged glass lids to present a flat bench when not in use. They are mounted atop an array of cabinetry with three drawers, pots and pans storage and an adjoining cavernous twin door wardrobe.

Piece de Resistance

The pièce de résistance for me is the king-size bed with its triple-density foam mattress. You just can’t enjoy a day without a good night's sleep, and I’m a pretty big bloke. Ezytrail also increased the surrounding window size and flexible opening positions, creating better air circulation and great natural lighting.

The Ezytrail Parkes 15 MK2 will appeal to a wide variety of serious travellers, and it is all at a most attractive, family-friendly price. There are a multitude of options, including air conditioning, to tailor your caravan to your specific needs. Ezytrail is a very well-known and experienced manufacturer with a great selection of dealers, and you can be assured that your caravan will maintain its resale value.

All this adds up to a very versatile tourer that will be a wonderful companion for many years of travel, no matter where your wanderlust takes you in this vast and diverse land. Is it a caravan, or is it a camper? Who cares, this hybrid is a beauty!

Specifications

Ball Weight: 180 kg

Tare Weight: 2330 Kg

ATM: 3900 Kg

Exterior Dimensions: 6490mm overall length x 2200mm width and 2460mm height

Body: Aluminium RHS frame with composite panel cladding & black aluminium checker plate skirting

Chassis: 120 x 50 x3 mm chassis and 150 x 50 x 3mm drawbar rated to F5 Q345 galvanized steel tube (engineer certified compliant to F5 ADR 62/02 for off-road use)

Suspension: Ezy rider adjustable independent trailing arm suspension with twin shock absorbers and coil springs

Tyres: (Size and Type) 265/70R17 off-road tyres with six-stud 17” alloy wheels

Sleeps: (How many people) 4

Water Capacity: 240l with electric water pump

Battery & Charger: 3x 100Ah deep cycle AGM batteries, Projecta PM300 System

Fridge: Optional

Cooktop: 2 burner gas cooktop (internal) with stainless steel pull-out kitchen with four burner cooktop external.

The Verdict

Hits

• King bed

• F5-rated chassis

• Very complete range of accessories

• Ensuite

• Pop-top

• Adventurous family tourer

• Price

Misses

• It is a bit heavy (but has lots of capacity)

 Ready for Adventure? 

Find your dream van online at OnlyVans.com.au!  If you liked this review, please check out the Ezytrail Campers for sale that are currently available here, or others from our wide selection of camper trailers. We have many other hybrid campers and off road campers for sale to choose from, too. No matter how you like to travel, we've got you covered!

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