Jayco Journey Pop Top 17ft Outback

Second Hand Jayco review – Purchased a Jayco 17.55 8 Outback pop top secondhand from a Sunshine Coast caravan dealer in Dec 2021 . The VIN plate identifies it as a late 2014 build. By and large I've been happy with this van. The dealer managed to break the operating lever on the toilet during demonstrations, they promised to fix it but many phone calls later I gave up… Read more

and replaced it myself. The van had obviously never been even cleaned underneath despite them performing a "service" prior to pickup, it still had the red mud, stone chips, and dust which showed that it had indeed lived up to it's name for the previous owner. However the interior was clean, mostly unmarked, and showed signs of being well looked after. This van has done several trips now, to Victoria, to the NSW mid coast, and a trip to Birdsville and back as well as local camps.

What has gone wrong, one cupboard front came partially off because the plastic plug pulled out, was replaced with epoxy and no problem since, The front boot leaked slightly in very heavy rain once and I resealed. The wheel wells leaked a little dust on the leading edge, on the Birdsville trip - resealed the edges, also sealed an unsealed hole in the back which let in a little dust- looks like it had been like that since new. Had to replace the screws holding on the frame around the bed box which fell out. Had to patch a little hole in the pop top skirt (wear and tear). Put some protective corrugated tubing around the brake wiring before the Birdsville trip, which I had to replace when we returned as it was mostly smashed off by stones - not the van's fault - but glad I did it, I also lagged the PVC pipe underneath which is up fairly high but still subject to stone damage. Other than that, everything works, it doesn't leak, and tows well. So really largely maintenance items only, mostly I'm happy with the unit. Jayco construction seems to be fairly basic and plain - it's not flash, but reasonably sturdy.

Can’t even get a quote – I have rang a local Jayco dealer several times to get a quote on a new journey outback I have still not received a quote or a phone call back. After reading these reviews I’m not sure buying one of these is such a good idea anyway. Very disappointed

Easy fix to Lift roof of van – Move struts 300mm,up the gas struts to 600 ,new vans are already moved and the gas struts are 630 ,will make it a one person lift easy l have a 2012 van Show details

love the van not fussed with the cuppoard doors screws to small to much three ply used – very well easy to tow its just the woodwork not good lot of fixing to be done putting up the roof is a two person job I wish I had really checked on weigh you can carry  Show details

Not Perfect – Heavy glass shower door fell off,electric brake wiring under van breaking,wheel alignment out of spec,van heavier then what's on compliance plate,plastic cupboard handles breaking,water leak above bed no sealant on part of roof, quality control at factory poor good to tow but so many problems.  Show details

Not one for unsealed roads – Purchased brand new Journey DX Outback only to take it on gazetted unsealed roads and lots of damage. We were not off road and drove to conditions with reduced tyre pressure. Shower door fell off marking cubicle and hole in flooring, all drawers dropped and hinges. Inside is fitted out as normal caravan. No additional measures taken to make inside… Read more

suitable for unsealed roads. Great looking van but be prepared to spend time reinforcing it to suit conditions. Lots more damage to list but hoping all fixed under warranty.

Love it – It is a great van and easy to toe and get into tight places , We love it and have had no problems with it to speak of. Have had it on gravel road and it stands up well  Show details

Very good van, tows great – Very stable with passing trucks and not affected by wind. Van tows great and brakes well once you have the brake controller set up correctly. Pop top comes down with movement and needs to be checked each time it’s lowered. Small issues with QC but acceptable. Very comfortable and well laid out. Everything works and there is a big improvement in quality control. Very happy with our new van.  Show details ·  1

A heap of junk – 70 problems over the last 2 years, It has been back to jaycos factory 3 times for rebuilds. Now the mess they have made of it the last time it was there. The workmanship is nothing short of appalling. No quality control at all. You would think they would have learnt by there mistakes by now. Trying to get a new one out of them at on cost.  Show details

Well we just love it! – After 12 months very happy with van and would recommend. Tows very well remains stable in crosswinds passing trucks and braking. Absolutely no problems great van. Although originally sceptical of bolster bed turns out very comfortable and gives more space. Roof weight is not a problem at all just try before you buy find easier to pop up from… Read more

ensuite end.

Would recommend outback for extras alone batt solar ex. Gas etc.

2000 watt generator fits in front storage bin (not for a/C).

Van looks easily repairable if needed with standard pipe and connections used throughout. Wood screws used in cupboards also.

Fully loaded under 2.5t atm

Wife can stand up with roof down so works well for my lunch too.

Overall sensible touring van not too heavy long or expensive thumbs up from me!

Very very disappointed – Leaked in first rain, causing paintwork inside to bubble, was fixed and has done it again. Cupboard clips not working cupboards fall open during travel. Overhead cupboard broke away from wall. Solar panel controller failed. Blind refuses to come up. Window starring at screw point. Cupboard doors not aligned. Outside shower trickles only no pressure at all. Very unhappy customer here !!  Show details

Built to a price but a dam good van for the money – We finished a12000km run from Perth to Birdsvillle, to Melbourne, Tassy and home. A lot of the travel was on dirt, muddy and rough roads and sealed roads that were worse than unsealed. Guess what?, the van went like a dream. Sure there were small issues, but none not fixable on the road, cabinet screws coming undone, small water ingress through a… Read more

window seal in torrentional rain. This van held up as well as vans costing three times as much.

The finish of this Jayco Outback was as good as, if not better than other vans I have owned. Sure it wasn't perfect, but not many vans are. Any issues we had before leaving on our trip were fixed under warranty. The biggest issue, was to replace the ridiculously heavy glass shower door with a clear polycarbonate sheet and change the way it was supported. This was due to the door coming out of its brackets on rough roads and bouncing around in the shower recess, this happened on our first shake down trip down thru the Forrest south of Perth . Jayco offered to cover some of the cost, but I didn't take up their offer as it was my choice to make the change

Other than the bed being a little short for me the van was very comfortable, plenty of storage, ensuite was great and well ventilated. With the new independent suspension the van towed like a dream behind my Ranger. Corrigations and rough roads were no dramas, it handled flooded roads, creek crossings, potholes and mud with not a worry.

We had dust sealing problems to start with, but armed with a tube of silicon or two we have now eliminated 99% of dust. This dust problem is not unique to Jayco as all vans we have had suffer the same problem.

Maybe if Jayco took Quality Control a little better I would have given this a 5 star rating.

Welook forward to the next long trip back up the Gibb river and across the Great Central road in May this year,knowing that this Jayco will do just fine.

Extremely Dissappointing – No grease in Wheel Bearings(8). Non return Valve in scheme water incorrectly installed. Electrical terminals not crimped(squashed with pliers) Interior cabinetry very poorly installed; many cabinet components failed including the overhead cabinet which became detached. Yes these are being addressed under warranty, but why so poor workmanship? Lift your game Jayco. Not Happy  Show details

Lack of bench space – One thing that soon becomes evident with the Jayco Journey Outback pop top van is the lack of bench space. Very little room to prepare meals or wash up etc. Stove and fridge are excellent as are single beds. Lighting is exceptional and storage space is adequate but we find the toilet capacity hopeless along with water tanks - the water capacity can't support the shower if free camping unless a constant water supply is available.  Show details

Great – I've read a lot of negative comments about this van I don't know if I'm one of the lucky ones or there are a lot of knockers out there but I'm more than pleased with it. The $ value against any thing similar is huge. We have only had one weekend away in the van so far but love every thing about it the lighting is fantastic. The new van is light… Read more

years a head of our last van discovery out back same size tones more room and the end ensuite is Awsome I really rate this van and personally I think it's one of the best looking van around if you are thinking of a Jayco I would recommend it.

A Fantastic Van At A Great Price Point – It has now been well over 2 years since buying our Jayco Journey pop top & it has been perfect for us. We bought this van unseen at the time as it was a new model and only the touring model was on display. I have to say we were very happy at the price point as we felt we got a lot of van for the money. We haven't really had many problems at all &… Read more

we do get away at least one weekend every month and a few extended trips each year. The van has been fantastic for free camping which was why we went for the outback model. Like many others who have bought new Jayco's we have had a drawer front come off but was very easy to fix, didn't help that we probably had far too much heavy stuff in that drawer. The longer we have the van the easier it has become to make our own little modifications to it to suit us. All I can say is it is a fantastic van at a fantastic price point.

Jayco Journey Outback Value for Money – Jayco Journey Outback Pop Top 17.55 Ft Tandem Axle Double Bed En-suite. This is our fifth caravan and we have learned from every caravan we have purchased that no matter the brand and all the assurances by dealers and manufacturers, there are always teething problems with whatever brand you buy. We found that both the Jayco Starcraft and the… Read more ·  1

Jayco Journey are made to a price and in our opinion very good value for money. As with all big ticket items you purchase, it pays to do your homework and have reasonable expectations.

We traded in our 2015 Jayco Starcraft Outback single axle after our trip to Darwin and Far North Queensland for a Jayco Journey Outback tandem axle. We prefer the tandem axle for better stability, but both handle very well with the J-Tec independent Suspension. In the Starcraft we had the side Aircon and we prefer the roof top Aircon in the Journey. The Journey also has a bigger fridge. We have just returned from a trip to Far North Queensland and we have found our Jayco Journey Outback performed to our expectations.

Before we went on our first trip in our Jayco Journey, we went over all external joints (including roof) with extra sealant. We did the water test by flooding the roof and checked to see if any water was coming in. We found we had to adjust the locking mechanism on the toilet cassette hatch as there was water coming in. We also adjusted the front booth locking mechanism as that was not sealing properly. We modified all the plumbing underneath to eliminate airlocks and modified the filling of the water tanks through the external permanently mounted twin water filter.

On our trip home to Victoria we copped a lot of heavy rain and our van did not leak, so we are very happy campers.

We would recommend the Jayco Journey Outback Pop Top. 4 Stars.

Very disappointed – I purchased a Journey outback in September 2015. In the first week one of the struts broke then the tent came away from the van. Both repaired. Since then the shower stall has come off the back wall, the front of a drawer has fallen off, a cupboard door has come off its hinges. Both bedroom cupboards leaked and damaged the adjoining wall. A handle… Read more

on one of the support legs broke, the contact used on part of the walls hasn't been installed properly and it is bubbled, the boot is warped as well as the boot lid. I asked for a replacement caravan and was told I need at least 30 things wrong with the caravan. Purchased from Brisbane Camperland and paid for it in full.