just thought I'd add to this discussion as a mate of mine and myself bought a Trak Shak each in 2006. I got the first Chinese made and he got the prototype. I had warranty and he didn't. That mattered as we both had issues. I still have mine. He sold his years ago.
The paint does peel but not badly. I suspect, quite strongly, that this is because the steel used in parts of the trailer was very high carbon and very dense. It only peels on some panels. My tent wasn't waterproof. At all. It was replaced. The alignment of the trailing arms was off causing weird tire wear.. The basic wiring in the connector box was completely unlabelled and the wiring in places too thin. The "stainless" steel rack is not stainless. They went back to galv later. Almost all of these issues are the consequence of "material substitution" that is now legendary in China.
BUT
We have done 300-350 nights in this camper over the past 13 years. I have had no serious failures. No flat tires. Just some wiring issues. The mattresses are too hard but not so much that we bothered to change them. We have towed it through Boggy Hole, down the Finke part of the Old Ghan Route, up to Coburg Peninsula. Through sand, mud, corrugations, 85cm of fast flowing Top End river, around the Meerinie Loop before it was paved (that took the completely off the underside) and 10's of thousands of road km.
It is as tough as old boots.
Would I advise someone to buy one? Yes but only if you really intend to go beyond the tar and you need the 4-6 beds. It is not a caravan. It is built tough, requires 2 fit people to setup and packup and is not "comfy. It is made to be reliable in the most extreme places in Australia, and has been. Think on this: there is no plastic except the 12v plugs and the tail lights. The 12V plugs all needed replacing. It is all steel with the exception of the wiring, tires, suspension bushes and lights, tent floor and timber bed insert.
It is also heavy. FULLY loaded it gets up around 1500kg. You need a suitable car. Land Cruiser or Patrol. Anything smaller is asking for trouble.
So does Chinese made vs Aussie made matter? No. IF you buy new get a written warranty. I'd be wanting 2 years. If you buy second hand then any issues should be long fixed... or really obvious.
