Hello and a big thanks to all posters on this forum who, over the past 18 months, have helped in our decision making process. Yes I have been lurking for a long time
We are a family of 5 (myself, my wife and our 3 children - 7, 4 and 2) and less than 3 weeks ago took possession of a 2015 Jayco Swan Outback and are more than happy with our purchase. We picked the CT up on a Thursday and were out camping for a long weekend near a slow moving creek away from everything the following day for a long weekend. As with all new things, you need to learn how to use them properly and we learnt from that weekend that when it is 2 degrees outside, you need more than a light weight doona to keep you warm! Besides that it was simply superb. The HWS with external shower is just magic when you are used to just going a couple of days with the occasional dip in the creek.
I have been a tent camper all of my life but after a major tent failure due to wind and an ageing tent on a recent trip, we decided that it was time to move from camping to glamping. I was originally hooked on a Trackabout Safari SV Extenda but after borrowing a soft floor camper for a weekend to test it out, we decided that for our family and requirements, the Jayco suited us more. If only I could have both ....
We aren't the sort of family to make a major purchase like this and rarely use it so we already have 5 trips planned before the end of this year ranging from weekend bush camps to BIG4 caravan parks. We plan on spending the next 2 years learning how to get the most out of our CT before embarking on the big one. We are planning a trip up the Qld coast to Yeppoon to visit relatives before heading inland to Carnarvon National Park and from there following The Outback Way right through to Perth before meandering back along the Southern coastline all the way back to Brisbane. We have 4 months up our sleeves for this little adventure and I take great heart from a couple of posts and youtube videos I seen of people doing the Hay River Track with a Jayco Swan Outback. We have a 2007 Prado V6 petrol to pull the CT along but we'll see if that needs an upgrade before we head off into the wilds.
I have only made one very small customisation so far. I bought a fly screen from
www.bugoffscreensoz.com and so far it is absolutely terrrific. It has impressed my wife no end. We left the CT up over an entire weekend to season the canvas and with kids running in and out all day, we didn't have any flies or other insects inside at all. When I started packing up I rolled the fly screen up and 2 minutes later I had flies inside so, although not a scientific test, that was good enough for me. It was also fairly windy and the flyscreen didn't blow open in the wind so a big thumbs up from us although I am thinking about purchasing a second one as a spare as they don't look or feel that durable, especially with 3 kids running in and out all day long, but time will tell.
Next on my list for customising is Skytracks (I'm a bit scare of drilling anything into my ceiling at the moment), drawers for my cupboard and a tent pole holder (thinking about making one out of marine grade ply so if anyone thinks that is a silly idea than glad to hear about it) that fits the limited space under the 2015 model front boot.
Michael
