The100Ahbatteryanditsgoodmate,theBMPROJ35
BMSWEEKENDWARRIOR
Allin all,theJaycoJ-PodOutbackis lightweight
andoffroad-capable,withthenecessaryamount
of comfortsforthosegetawaystotheoutback.
Addtothistheamountof dealersandservice
agentsJaycohavearoundthecountry,andtheir
two-yearmanufacturingwarrantyandfive-year
structuralwarranty,andyouhavea prettylittle
picture.
I seetheJ-PodOutbackasbeingidealfor
couples,aged 18 to55.Theirfavouredholidayis
a severaldaygetaway– perhapsa weekend,or,
whenthey’relucky,a week.They’readventurous,
active,andlovethenaturalwondersof Australia,
butthey’renottootouchyaboutreturningto
civilisationtorevitalise.
Theyliketochallengethemselvesandtheir
SUVor4WDonoffroadtracksandaregladto
havea nimblecamperthatcanfollowthem
around.Theirfocusis ultimatelyontheirholiday
andtheirexperience,nottheirtech.Havinga set-
upthatdemandslittleof theirsavingsoreffortis
exactlywhattheyneed.CTATherelativeshortnessofthedrawbar
meansit hitsthegroundlesson
bumpslikethis.Thelackofa stepto
thedoorhelpswhenoffroadtoo
“I SEE THE J-POD OUTBACK AS BEING IDEAL FOR COUPLES, AGED 18 TO 55.
THEIR FAVOURED HOLIDAY IS A SEVERAL DAY GETAWAY – PERHAPS A WEEKEND,
OR, WHEN THEY’RE LUCKY, A WEEK... THEIR FOCUS IS ULTIMATELY ON
THEIR HOLIDAY AND THEIR EXPERIENCE, NOT THEIR TECH”
cooking and cleaning.
Power is the biggest off-grid vulnerability
of the J-Pod Outback. Its 100Ah battery is
chargeable by the mounted 150W of solar and
through mains power. If you were off-grid,
solar would carry the full burden; meaning
that, in overcast conditions, power demands (in
particular those of the fridge-freezer) could run
the battery down in less than a week.
Remember, though, that the J-Pod Outback is
oriented to weekenders and to working couples
escaping for short stints. Or even for those who
don’t mind the comforts of a tourist park (you’ll
need a shower at one point!). That makes the
100Ah cap somewhat irrelevant.
That isn’t to say off-grid enthusiasts can’t take
a J-Pod Outback and trick it up. This camper
comes with a BMPRO J35 Battery Management
System – a versatile powerhouse capable of
charging much more than 100Ah of juice. This
BMS is like a tiger, crouching in the weeds, ready
to ambush a bigger or additional battery and
Anderson plug charging.DORMANT POTENTIAL
How long could you stay off-grid with the J-Pod?
You can carry up to 18kg of gas. With that, you
should have no trouble powering your cooktop
and tap water heating for a long time.
You can carry 82L of water in the tank.
Without a toilet or shower, this litreage would
last a couple about 10 days to a fortnight, if both
were using three to four litres a day for drinking,