I own one here in Australia and they are awesome. We go bush with ours and have had no problems towing it in sand and over rocks. It does add a bit of weight and you can feel it when you go uphill on a standard Jeep wrangler JK. If you have a done up vehicle or a ram or dodge Ute you will have no problem towing it anywhere. Camping in the trailer is like staying at a motel as you have all the home mods as it has a step up transformer so you can use your home appliances if needed. Sometimes I think it is to much to go camping with it but when I get to where I am going and open up the trailer which takes about 2 minutes to set up then I see the appeal for the ladies by having the camper trailer. She can even use her hair dryer. It was well worth the money and here in Australia you even get one with aircon.
Hi! I'm a 60-year-old retired US military guy living in the UK with my English wife. We are long-distance international overland travelers and bought a used one MDC camper trailer 2 years ago that is almost identical to the Jackson. We LOVE it! Can it handle whatever you throw at it? Absolutely. It is palatial inside and out when set up. It takes me and the misses 5-10 minutes to set up without any of the annex. No more than a roof top tent. Basically, it is just a giant roof top tent on wheels with a kitchen ;-) We don't carry the whole annex, just the awning and the two sides. That is enough for even the most torrential rain (remember, we live in rainy old Blighty!). Is it great for wet weather? No, there are better rigs for wet weather but it works fine. Is it great for mild to hot weather? Perfect! My old-school Land Rover Defender pulls it like it's not even there. Putting it away takes about 10 mins even with the awning. I would say the only downside is pushing all the canvas up on the center bow is fairly heavy. At 61 and in decent shape I can still do it but it is a younger man's game. Remember that this trailer is aimed at young families, not "grey nomads". It does have a lot of storage for food/camp kit, etc. but not a lot for people. You'll need to keep most of your personal stuff (clothes bags etc.) in your vehicle. The part my wife loves the most is the ability to stop and make a meal from the slide-out fridge, pantry, and kitchen without opening the trailer. No 'garage sale' unloading of boxes just to make a sandwich makes her day! Only real changes to make are to dump the inside table and upgrade to a proper DO35 hitch. The table is heavy an awkward. I put in a normal camper table with a removable swing out leg and am very happy with it. The poly block hitch is garbage for hitching up. It works, but there are much, much better options. Anyway, that's m tuppence worth. In short, we are very happy with it. Cheers from over here, y'all!
This is absolutely wonderful feedback! Thank you!! That's really good to know about the setup time that was one of my first curiosities. It does seem like it's geared towards smaller families so that makes sense. Does it get wet on the inside or is the canvas not completely waterproof?
@@FarFromOrdinary The canvas is awesome. We have never got wet inside it. The big advantage is the tropical fly on the top. It does 2 things.; 1., it shades the main canvas roof so it is cooler in the hot sun and, 2. it sheds rain before it reaches that main roof. It is a very common feature of African and Aussie tents and tent trailers. We store the trailer outside and it water can, under extreme weather conditions, work it's way in between the main seal on occasion. After any big storm I just open it up to check it and make sure it is dry or, if it does get a little damp on the edges, let it dry out. If you store in the garage you will have zero issues. The HUGE windows with awnings are perfect for air flow even on rainy days. We have spent a number of days in crap weather with the window awnings out and the windows unzipped to get some airflow with zero water issues. One of the best things is the ability to zip up the bed area from the sitting area. A. it keeps out skeeters and bugs from your sleeping area and, B., if I get up before her I can keep the divider down so I can have some light and let her sleep in. It is also good if you have company and you want to throw your bags up on the bed but keep your stuff out of sight. Cheers!
Definitely a nice camper for sure. I actually built tear drop style offroad camper to hitch to my JK and decided to sell it all. I just didn't feel that comfortable running a trailer on the trail. Too much anxiety of having another axle and set of tires for me. You could put yourself in a bad situation trying to turn around on a narrow trail. If this is more of a base camp setup, it might work. But then you might have to backtrack hours if the trails you are running don't circle back.... but then do you decide to not bring the trailer for that trip? but then do you decide it was a waste of money if you arn't using it? For me a RTT on the JT is perfect, but i know you have kids. There are very large RTTs out there with divider walls... but is it too much weight on top? decisions, decisions.
I'm really enjoying your new series on your search for the perfect off-road camper trailer. I've been looking around a bit myself and believe that I have my choice figured out, but you've reviewed two others I didn't know about. Have you looked at Opus yet? I would love to see you review the OP4 and hear your thoughts on it. There's a dealer up in Denver that carries them... Keep up the good work. Love your channel!
@@FarFromOrdinary Awesome, can't wait to hear what you think. Those guys up at B&B in Denver are really nice! I'm not at all affiliated, just walked in there one day and enjoyed my visit... After seeing the Opus OP4 and then watching your review on the MDC, I almost wonder if the companies are related. A lot of similarities...
@@JohnSmith-s7b Neither are made in China. Both are originally Australian companies. I don't know much about MDC, but I know Opus' main components still come from Australia and the final assembly is in California. Opus isn't cheap either.... I wish they were less expensive! In my experience, these smaller manufacturers are the ones making quality equipment. The major camper manufacturers are producing crap!
I have the earlier version of the Cruiser Highside--a similar model to yours. Several things I noticed in your first episode--you did not put in the safety pins in the tow bar pin--that scared the hell out of me. The second minor thing, was your putting the guy ropes upside down. Adjust them at the pegs, and and put a half-hitch around the poles--that stops the wind lifting the annexe roof off the top of the poles. I also bought a pack of different coloured electricians' tape to mark my tent and annexe poles--so much quicker grabbing the right pole-and tennis balls cut in half with a small hole drilled in them,. fitted over poles and pushed down firmly make them almost downpour proof I also notices you put the window shades up too high, put them a tad lower and not stretched so taut--if it rains, that way the rain trickles out instead of pooling. The same goes for the annexe--drop the front two poles a bit if it rains. I strongly recommend that you look at the Australian MDC website--it has a HEAP of good information. In also put a 2KW Diesel heater in the so-called safe box--about as safe from intruders as paper knickers. THAT worked a treat when it is cold as:- Only other thing I did was replace the water pump with a bigger one. I have a couple of roll-op bladder tanks which roll up, and when I need to have more or longer showers, I can put that in the SUV and fill it at a nearby creek or stream, and have an extra fifty, or one hundred litres, depending upon which tank I use and what else is in the vehicle. I did one thing that may now be standard on your camper--I fitted flow-through ventilation in the fridge compartment. using a small fan to draw air from the fridge door, and expelling it through a hole I drilled in the top of the partition between the fridge compartment and the lockers. In the door of the lockers, I fitted fine stainless steel mesh in the outlet, and a baffle to keep out rain. I always run this computer fan which draws air from the original inlet, but using a small car air filter fitted to the door instead of the old easily clogged tiny felt or paper ones. It turns on using a thermostat switch set to 40 degrees Celsius, adjacent to the radiator of the fridge.
really want to see real time set-up. Those pop-ups seem to take 30 to 40 minutes just to set up. Vs. teardrop. which is stop, open done. 🙂 Granted there are only 2 of us most the time. Kids use the RTT if the go. that's another 1min to pop open.
Nah, 5 mins tops if you just want to open it up and sleep. 10 if you want to open up the window awnings. Maybe 20 if you want to put the big awning up (without all the walls). 30 if you you want to do the whole enchilada and are planning on staying in the same place for 4 or 5 days (but then the time spent is irrelevant.) Most important is ZERO minutes spent unloading anything out to make a sandwich. Just open the slide, pull it out, slap your sandwich together, slide it back in, eat, and you are on your way!
I don't care where they outsource some of their components, it's still the best quality off road pop up that we've come across. American RV companies are making the lowest possible quality rig then selling it for obscene prices and we welcome anyone that can turn that upside down.
@@jktl1000s We do our due diligence with everything we speak about. We did a fair amount of research into what parts were imported including talking with people who actually work for MDC. The wall panels specifically are made in China. The X Trac suspension is from Cruisemaster which is located in Brisbane. We are not wrong, period.
@FarFromOrdinary not enough research bud...these campers are very cheap in Australia Australian made equivalent at least twice as much ....look at Patriot camper 80/90k made in Oz compared to 20/25k imports
![The start of something NEW (Jackson FF from MDC) [ep 139]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4WQibiCgg_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I own one here in Australia and they are awesome. We go bush with ours and have had no problems towing it in sand and over rocks. It does add a bit of weight and you can feel it when you go uphill on a standard Jeep wrangler JK. If you have a done up vehicle or a ram or dodge Ute you will have no problem towing it anywhere. Camping in the trailer is like staying at a motel as you have all the home mods as it has a step up transformer so you can use your home appliances if needed. Sometimes I think it is to much to go camping with it but when I get to where I am going and open up the trailer which takes about 2 minutes to set up then I see the appeal for the ladies by having the camper trailer. She can even use her hair dryer. It was well worth the money and here in Australia you even get one with aircon.
Nice!! Good to know about the air that would be nice to have
Hi! I'm a 60-year-old retired US military guy living in the UK with my English wife. We are long-distance international overland travelers and bought a used one MDC camper trailer 2 years ago that is almost identical to the Jackson. We LOVE it! Can it handle whatever you throw at it? Absolutely. It is palatial inside and out when set up. It takes me and the misses 5-10 minutes to set up without any of the annex. No more than a roof top tent. Basically, it is just a giant roof top tent on wheels with a kitchen ;-) We don't carry the whole annex, just the awning and the two sides. That is enough for even the most torrential rain (remember, we live in rainy old Blighty!). Is it great for wet weather? No, there are better rigs for wet weather but it works fine. Is it great for mild to hot weather? Perfect! My old-school Land Rover Defender pulls it like it's not even there. Putting it away takes about 10 mins even with the awning. I would say the only downside is pushing all the canvas up on the center bow is fairly heavy. At 61 and in decent shape I can still do it but it is a younger man's game. Remember that this trailer is aimed at young families, not "grey nomads". It does have a lot of storage for food/camp kit, etc. but not a lot for people. You'll need to keep most of your personal stuff (clothes bags etc.) in your vehicle. The part my wife loves the most is the ability to stop and make a meal from the slide-out fridge, pantry, and kitchen without opening the trailer. No 'garage sale' unloading of boxes just to make a sandwich makes her day! Only real changes to make are to dump the inside table and upgrade to a proper DO35 hitch. The table is heavy an awkward. I put in a normal camper table with a removable swing out leg and am very happy with it. The poly block hitch is garbage for hitching up. It works, but there are much, much better options. Anyway, that's m tuppence worth. In short, we are very happy with it. Cheers from over here, y'all!
This is absolutely wonderful feedback! Thank you!! That's really good to know about the setup time that was one of my first curiosities. It does seem like it's geared towards smaller families so that makes sense. Does it get wet on the inside or is the canvas not completely waterproof?
@@FarFromOrdinary The canvas is awesome. We have never got wet inside it. The big advantage is the tropical fly on the top. It does 2 things.; 1., it shades the main canvas roof so it is cooler in the hot sun and, 2. it sheds rain before it reaches that main roof. It is a very common feature of African and Aussie tents and tent trailers. We store the trailer outside and it water can, under extreme weather conditions, work it's way in between the main seal on occasion. After any big storm I just open it up to check it and make sure it is dry or, if it does get a little damp on the edges, let it dry out. If you store in the garage you will have zero issues. The HUGE windows with awnings are perfect for air flow even on rainy days. We have spent a number of days in crap weather with the window awnings out and the windows unzipped to get some airflow with zero water issues. One of the best things is the ability to zip up the bed area from the sitting area. A. it keeps out skeeters and bugs from your sleeping area and, B., if I get up before her I can keep the divider down so I can have some light and let her sleep in. It is also good if you have company and you want to throw your bags up on the bed but keep your stuff out of sight. Cheers!
how you imported in uk because this product is australian and they not selling any in uk
Definitely a nice camper for sure. I actually built tear drop style offroad camper to hitch to my JK and decided to sell it all. I just didn't feel that comfortable running a trailer on the trail. Too much anxiety of having another axle and set of tires for me. You could put yourself in a bad situation trying to turn around on a narrow trail. If this is more of a base camp setup, it might work. But then you might have to backtrack hours if the trails you are running don't circle back.... but then do you decide to not bring the trailer for that trip? but then do you decide it was a waste of money if you arn't using it? For me a RTT on the JT is perfect, but i know you have kids. There are very large RTTs out there with divider walls... but is it too much weight on top? decisions, decisions.
So many decisions LOL! There really are endless options I hear ya on towing it behind ya, especially this one is heaver than others we've visited.
I'm really enjoying your new series on your search for the perfect off-road camper trailer. I've been looking around a bit myself and believe that I have my choice figured out, but you've reviewed two others I didn't know about. Have you looked at Opus yet? I would love to see you review the OP4 and hear your thoughts on it. There's a dealer up in Denver that carries them... Keep up the good work. Love your channel!
Thanks!!! We're actually supposed to visit an Opus 4 tomorrow along with Hiker.
@@FarFromOrdinary Awesome, can't wait to hear what you think. Those guys up at B&B in Denver are really nice! I'm not at all affiliated, just walked in there one day and enjoyed my visit... After seeing the Opus OP4 and then watching your review on the MDC, I almost wonder if the companies are related. A lot of similarities...
@@vish_colorado interesting!
@@vish_colorado They are both built in China, which explains the cheaper prices.
@@JohnSmith-s7b Neither are made in China. Both are originally Australian companies. I don't know much about MDC, but I know Opus' main components still come from Australia and the final assembly is in California. Opus isn't cheap either.... I wish they were less expensive! In my experience, these smaller manufacturers are the ones making quality equipment. The major camper manufacturers are producing crap!
I have the earlier version of the Cruiser Highside--a similar model to yours.
Several things I noticed in your first episode--you did not put in the safety pins in the tow bar pin--that scared the hell out of me.
The second minor thing, was your putting the guy ropes upside down. Adjust them at the pegs, and and put a half-hitch around the poles--that stops the wind lifting the annexe roof off the top of the poles. I also bought a pack of different coloured electricians' tape to mark my tent and annexe poles--so much quicker grabbing the right pole-and tennis balls cut in half with a small hole drilled in them,. fitted over poles and pushed down firmly make them almost downpour proof
I also notices you put the window shades up too high, put them a tad lower and not stretched so taut--if it rains, that way the rain trickles out instead of pooling. The same goes for the annexe--drop the front two poles a bit if it rains.
I strongly recommend that you look at the Australian MDC website--it has a HEAP of good information.
In also put a 2KW Diesel heater in the so-called safe box--about as safe from intruders as paper knickers. THAT worked a treat when it is cold as:-
Only other thing I did was replace the water pump with a bigger one. I have a couple of roll-op bladder tanks which roll up, and when I need to have more or longer showers, I can put that in the SUV and fill it at a nearby creek or stream, and have an extra fifty, or one hundred litres, depending upon which tank I use and what else is in the vehicle.
I did one thing that may now be standard on your camper--I fitted flow-through ventilation in the fridge compartment. using a small fan to draw air from the fridge door, and expelling it through a hole I drilled in the top of the partition between the fridge compartment and the lockers. In the door of the lockers, I fitted fine stainless steel mesh in the outlet, and a baffle to keep out rain. I always run this computer fan which draws air from the original inlet, but using a small car air filter fitted to the door instead of the old easily clogged tiny felt or paper ones. It turns on using a thermostat switch set to 40 degrees Celsius, adjacent to the radiator of the fridge.
Great tips!
Hi Mike, our trailer in the UK is a Cruiser Highside as well. I like the fridge vent idea. I'll give that a go! Cheers from over here!
Why no one takes any zoom out view to see all at once, at least one shot?
really want to see real time set-up. Those pop-ups seem to take 30 to 40 minutes just to set up. Vs. teardrop. which is stop, open done. 🙂 Granted there are only 2 of us most the time. Kids use the RTT if the go. that's another 1min to pop open.
Ya i hear ya! Only challenge with the drop and the RTT is that it won't fit in the garage. And the weather here in CO isn't very nice!
Nah, 5 mins tops if you just want to open it up and sleep. 10 if you want to open up the window awnings. Maybe 20 if you want to put the big awning up (without all the walls). 30 if you you want to do the whole enchilada and are planning on staying in the same place for 4 or 5 days (but then the time spent is irrelevant.) Most important is ZERO minutes spent unloading anything out to make a sandwich. Just open the slide, pull it out, slap your sandwich together, slide it back in, eat, and you are on your way!
@ailo4x4 Thanks. unfortunately it's too heavy for the Jeep Wrangler
Built in China, not Australia. Just down the street from Black Series and Opus...
I don't care where they outsource some of their components, it's still the best quality off road pop up that we've come across. American RV companies are making the lowest possible quality rig then selling it for obscene prices and we welcome anyone that can turn that upside down.
@@FarFromOrdinarynot some of their components….whole rig imported from China,not saying thats bad just saying you’re wrong
@@jktl1000s We do our due diligence with everything we speak about. We did a fair amount of research into what parts were imported including talking with people who actually work for MDC. The wall panels specifically are made in China. The X Trac suspension is from Cruisemaster which is located in Brisbane. We are not wrong, period.
@FarFromOrdinary not enough research bud...these campers are very cheap in Australia Australian made equivalent at least twice as much ....look at Patriot camper 80/90k made in Oz compared to 20/25k imports
But where’s the AC? 😅
BTW! You look pimp in those glasses.
😆 ya got them from some guy! 🧡