MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: jamesjfa on April 05, 2013, 08:47:35 AM
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Hi
I recently sold my Customline On-Road (12' Tent) and am now looking at a replacement. I like the idea of another Customline but this time an off-road with full awning and brakes etc. I thought the tent was spacious and comfortable (family of 5) for our needs.
My lovely wife has now come up with the idea and a reminder (even though I can't remember this) that now we should get a Jayco or something similar. I've said to her that these would be smaller to what we had and also more expensive than a CT.
Can I have other people's opinions? Especially from those who have owned both.
Cheers,
James
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Sorry I haven't owned both, only the Jayco. You will have more undercover room with the Camper.
The Jayco suits our family of 4 better than a camper, but I do miss the extra space of camping with a tent and big tarp.(not the setup and packup though). We have added a stand alone gazebo for extra external space and find this handy as we can move it to where it is more beneficial.
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Thank you Guey
I explained that to my wife but she likes the "comfort" of the Jayco type.
Cheers,
James
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We have the Goldstream similar idea to the Jayco I will go through our decision making process to give you some idea.
If it is purely a weekender then yes go a soft floor and you will be more than happy, we first hired a Jonnos for comparison and for the weekend trip of go, setup and not move for 3 days it was perfect. We then took the Jonnos on a 3 week trip to the red centre with the pradopoint group in 2009 and here is where we found some drawbacks.
1.With daily moving the set up and pack up was getting to be the same as a tent
2.We had some bad weather on the way home and spent 3 days locked in the camper and found it quite dark and not very nice place to be
3.As the floor is sewn in we found it impossible to keep dirt and dust out
4.We were paranoid about ripping the floor when we had to bring the chairs and tables in and spend 3 days of playing cards inside
We had then planned on doing a half lap of OZ so the fact that we would spend several months living in this thing and we may even spend longer if we found work we liked the extra luxuries of the Jayco style of camper, especially the club lounge in the bad weather if you are sitting around in it. We have a kitchen inside and a BBQ outside so we take our pick depending on weather or mood.
I will admit that the jayco style does have some limitations mainly around its size and weight
1.Due to the width tight tracks are really hard
2.Due to the weight when loaded (around 1.3 to 1.5 tonne it would have to be very hard packed sand for me to tow it on sand with my Prado diesel (old 1kz motor)
3.Due to size when folded out and bed fly’s up you do need a decent size site to put it on ours for example fully out with bed fly’s is almost 17 foot long that is the length of a caravan
4.As you have a lid folded down and vents in door etc no matter what you do dust will still get in
Over all they can advertise em as off road as much as they like but in reality they are dirt road tourers mainly due to size and weight we took ours along half of the Oodnadatta and the Gibb river road to Elquestro but that is probably the limit I would go. I f I went a bit more hard core it would only be on tracks that I was familiar with.
The fact that we are pretty settled in Perth now we have decided to hold onto the Goldstream as it owes us no money and we love the extra luxury items (yes I am now a soft as miner) so we will now keep it for a while
I will however say that after 5 months of living in the Goldstream if we were to do that time again or longer we would seriously consider a caravan with shower toilet combo especially if you are both getting up and getting ready work each day
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Thank you. More food for thought. Most of it will be weekenders with the occasional week here and there.
Cheers,
James
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I was told recently that no Jayco is rated for offroad = EG: kills your warranty..
Can someone with Jayco paperwork confirm this?
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We owned both and pretty much agree with the others.
In bad weather, the Jayco is the way to go as sitting in a dark tent does not do it for us. Less space is not a bad thing if it stops everyone from taking more things they don't need.
You should also consider space at home as the Jayco takes up half the carport at our place. Towing wise, the CT was much easier (didn't feel it on the Paj).
I also reckon the Jayco is much airier/cooler even in hot weather. We had a solar reflective blanket on the CT but it wasn't as good.
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I was told recently that no Jayco is rated for offroad = EG: kills your warranty..
Can someone with Jayco paperwork confirm this?
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teh info
I knew you'd have it ;)
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Here's my take. If you compare a similarly priced camper with a Jayco (~$25-30K).
A walkway style camper gives an extra 2' of room inside the tent, plus several brands have excellent storage options, with drawers inside the walkway. This means no more bags; just pack the drawers and off you go. The walkway also serves as travel storage for things like bedding, prams, stuff, meaning your car doesn't have to be loaded. I believe it's pretty hard to load anything into a Jayco style unit without putting it up.
If you spend $25K or $40K on a Jayco you still have to climb over your wife to get in and out of bed. You don't with a walkway style camper.
Jayco's have the kitchen inside. Campers are at least out in the annex.
You can take the camper to that spot where you may not be able to take the Jayco.
Wet weather is no fun regardless of what you're camping in.
I believe there would be little difference in setup time, packup time between well engineered examples of both types.
Hire a pop top. See how many times you sit on the lounge, use the oven, cook dinner inside.
None of this is to suggest that the Jayco/Goldstream style units are not good. They are good, or they wouldn't be so popular. They clearly appeal to many of the ladies in our lives, which is an important consideration.
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Years ago we used to to go camping in an offroad Southern Cross camper trailer with 5 kids whose ages ranged from about 3-15. We always spent 2 weeks at SWR at Xmas time plus other trips at Easter etc. We had plenty of room but always commented that if we had to do regular pack ups etc, it would be a pain in the a*&%. Actually, the kids used to run a competition to see who could guess how many times their father would swear when setting up. Lots of sweating when setting up poles/ropes etc and a real effort for height challenged people like me.
New times, kids are older (youngest is 19), new partner (who doesn't swear). We have a 2011 Eagle OB and love it's quick set up and pack up. Admittedly, the kids no longer come camping with us so we have plenty of room for just the 2 of us and sometimes the dog. We also have a Fiamma awning for extra quick set ups etc.
FYI, ex still has the camper after approx 15 years and it's still going strong.
It really is horses for courses - what may suit you at one stage of life won't suit later......
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I knew you'd have it ;)
I'm learning form you YODA ;D
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I think a hire of one is the way to go to start off with. I don't have a brake controller on the Challenger, would one come with the hire do you know?
Cheers,
James
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We originally owned a jayco style camper, much older and only a on road model. We sold it for a soft floor off camper trailer because we wanted to get off road more. And now we are selling the soft floor to get a jayco dove outback.
The things we don't like about our current set up are
if we are going away for just one or to nights and we don't set up the whole annexe, we are cooking, eating, washing up etc in the rain if it rains, with the mozzies and flies. As a bare minimum we need to set up the awning. Which is a pain in itself.
There is no cupboards or organisation to the cutlery and crockery, everything is out of plastic tubs.
There is no where to sit and eat, quite hard to sit at a table in camp chairs.
Have to climb a dodgy ladder to get into bed, quite hard after a few frothies
We find the soft floor part of the camper pretty much useless to sit in or do anything in, so once again we need to set the annexe up to have more useable space
I do like the hard floor campers and the features they offer but the storage is pretty crap, and IMO you need to spend upwards of $30K to make them comfortable enough for long and short stays and robust enough to handle all the tough outback stuff.
Father in law just bought a Australian off road camper (odyssey) but at the sum 60 odd grand!
I love the fact the we can rock up to a camp spot in a jayco and set it up and have everything in there we need for an overnight or a week long stay. Fridge, oven, table, couch, sink, etc etc
And honestly I have done a fair bit of traveling (2 years around Australia) and haven't taken my off road camper trailer to that many places where a jayco outback couldn't get to with a bit of care.
Good luck with the decision
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Hi James
Easter was my ninth trip away since chrismas, what I find is if swmbo (sometimes) likes it you have no
problems at all going away camping, as soon as it becomes job (chore) to set up and pack up they start asking them self
"is this worth it".
The jayco eagle OB works well for us at this stage.
The only problem I can see is we have 2 kids (boy & girl) and it will not be long before we have to look at the sleeping arrangement.
As for off road if I get it where a holden or ford can not get I'm happy, and the last thing I would want off road is a trailer
hanging of the back of my car (thats why we have tent & swags)
Cheers
Geoff
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I think a hire of one is the way to go to start off with. I don't have a brake controller on the Challenger, would one come with the hire do you know?
Cheers,
James
James most hire companies use mechanical overide brakes on their hire models so no controller is nessisary
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We originally owned a jayco style camper, much older and only a on road model. We sold it for a soft floor off camper trailer because we wanted to get off road more. And now we are selling the soft floor to get a jayco dove outback.
It is a Dove I was thinking about too. Obviously prices will vary from dealer to dealer but do you know what the RRP is on one of these?
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James most hire companies use mechanical overide brakes on their hire models so no controller is nessisary
Excellent that is good to know.
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Hi James
Easter was my ninth trip away since chrismas, what I find is if swmbo (sometimes) likes it you have no
problems at all going away camping, as soon as it becomes job (chore) to set up and pack up they start asking them self
"is this worth it".
The jayco eagle OB works well for us at this stage.
The only problem I can see is we have 2 kids (boy & girl) and it will not be long before we have to look at the sleeping arrangement.
As for off road if I get it where a holden or ford can not get I'm happy, and the last thing I would want off road is a trailer
hanging of the back of my car (thats why we have tent & swags)
Cheers
Geoff
Glad you are getting the use out of it.
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We currently own 2012 ob hawk and absolutely love it
We owned an esytrail soft floor and would never go back to the dark side
Apart from the constant leaking and taking 4 hrs to set the entire thing up we were over it
It it so much more appealing now to just hook up and hit the road
It now takes less than 1 hr to set up inc full annexe
I tow with a hilux with exhaust and chip and have taken it up through the bush, river xings etc with no probs....just beware that it is slightly longer and wider than box trailer type
Would consider upgrading rubber to 31s when time comes
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It is a Dove I was thinking about too. Obviously prices will vary from dealer to dealer but do you know what the RRP is on one of these?
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RRP: $23,306 for the Dove outback model
We are getting roof mounted a/c
Independent suspension
Waeco fridge
Twin water tanks
Twin gas tanks
Extended drawbar
Water tank control panel
Wind up antenna
16" wheels
Best price so far is circa $27k
Then we will be adding bed flys, awning, do35 hitch, hot water and shower etc etc
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Are you putting solar on?
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Are you putting solar on?
Yes, we are hoping they will leave the solar provision on the roof as we hear they are deleting that option when the weight of extras gets too close to the limits. 79 kg
That is why we are leaving off the awning and bed flys for now.
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Hi,
We have done the full circle on camper set ups. Our journey over the last 20 years or so looks like this:
tent -> swags/trailer -> hire soft floor -> 05 O/B Eagle -> 11 O/B Swan -> 08 KK.
(still have the swags for beach or rough camping)
We don't camp with kids just a big blue heeler, so our situation is not the same as yours. But the key considerations for us were:
* We like to tour. Which means the occasional stay of a week in one place, but usually move every 2-3 days. So quick set up / pack up was vital
* We cook and eat outside. Never used the kitchen in the Swan or Eagle. Might have boiled a kettle or heated soup but that was it. So for every meal we had to go into the camper, gather all the cooking utensils, plates, food etc from the cupboards and take it outside to cook on portable camp stove, then take is all back inside to wash and pack away.
* We don't camp in caravan parks if we can help it. Ruggedness of offroad capability was increasingly important for us.
* We live in WA, so must of our camping is in good but often windy weather. We dont tend to camp if we know it is going to be really wet. Most of the time, the weather is good / mild / stinking hot / windy
* Windy - in windy conditions, we hated the way the Jaycos would rattle and hum. I would rarely sleep well as I would be lying in bed wondering when the whole thing would tip over or the corner upright poles bend or collapse. Often we had to tie ropes from the corners of the roof to the ground. For the record, it never tipped over, collapsed or bent. However, I always felt vulnerable
* Roof storage - anything you put on the Jayco roof racks has to come off before you wind up the roof. In the KK, whatever we leave on the roof/boat rack, just flips over and out of the way.
* General storage - all the extra stuff that you dont want to take in the car needs to be stored on the floor of the camper. On long trips with a reasonable amount of gear, packing the Jayco every morning was like a jigsaw puzzle. And you basically had to pack the floor and walk out backwards. Once the roof is wound down, very hard to access anything in the camper. When you arrive at destination, everything that is stored on the floor has to be moved.
* We actually found the set up time for Jaycos a bit tedious (better than a soft floor though), but The Driver is impatient and doesnt like wasting time on set up. One great thing he did was bought a cordless/battery-powered drill fitted with a socket that matched the drop down legs. Fastest and easiest way to put the legs up and down rather than winding the big handle.
* Since buying the KK (which was a huge decision for us given the cost) we have not looked back. We havent used the full awning yet, just the Kwik Awning and some shade walls. We invested in a good quality C-Gear floor mat - our best value purchase ever.
* We go camping to be outdoors. Sitting inside is not a consideration for us, unless the weather is cr@p and then we lie on the bed to read or we go 4wd'ing. If its cold and windy outside, we wear jackets, beanies, gloves and warm socks then light the fire. We call this 'camping'.
There is no perfect solution for everyone. Everything is a compromise. The best advice I can give is go and hire a few different sorts a few times each. I wish we had hired a Jayco a few times before we went down that path. Hiring the soft floor taught us it wasnt for us.
Best of luck with your decision. You will work out what suits your family's needs best.
Stozz 1 & 2
:cheers:
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RRP: $23,306 for the Dove outback model
We are getting roof mounted a/c
Independent suspension
Best price so far is circa $27k
geez would be fantastic to have air conditioning when camping -awesome luxury! i want it too when i make my fortune. Does anyone know of any old fashioned remedys for cleaning mould out of canvas or ripstop when damaged? The reason is i like lots of second hand goods but unfortunately not canvas thanks to the pungent memorys of my teens. All old tents smell to some extent, I'd say it all comes down to how the tent is looked after.. Never say never as they say. especially if i could get some tent repair and cleaning feedback from the myswag members?
back to my dream of airconditioned tenting.. and not about one of the $200 Crazy clarkes portable aircon models hehe more like the wife and a giant fan!!
kev
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We have owned 2 Jayco Swans, a 2002 model which we used to travel around Aus for 6 months, we sold it after 18 months to give us the money to build a new house. At the time we only had the one child, our 3 year old daughter. We spent around 150 nights in it and were able to do a basic set up (no annexe) in 12 minutes. With both annexes it was about 1.5 hrs.
The second was a 2006 model which we got after my wife went back to work. We kept that one for 4 years. At that time we had the 2 children, our son was 2 when we got it. My son slept on the double bed and our daughter on the kitchen table which we folded down every night. Again we spent 133 nights in that one.
We now have a Lifestyle Extenda Elite, which is 2.5 years old and have spent 109 nights in it.
We sold our last swan and purchased the lifestyle camper so we could go anywhere. After owning two swans and knowing other jayco owners I didn't trust them to stay together over hundreds of kilometres of corrugations. ( I know many people on here have done just that with there's ) The Jaycos were not set up for free camping so were only used at van parks.
Jayco
Kitchen inside makes it very easy to cook in all weather, we used our kitchen constantly to cook all sorts of food and just gave it a good airing whenever we got home
A quick or basic set up is quicker than our camper but a full set up takes the same amount of time
Was very comfortable lounging around on the club lounge
We tended to fall over each other, get in each others way, which is very frustrating in very hot and humid weather
Couldn't take it anywhere
Great resale
Camper
We are always outside, even when cooking which IS camping, just throw warmer clothes on and light a fire
We never take the tv anymore (always did in the Jayco)
Heaps more room for all the kids gear and mine
We can go anywhere, even caravan parks if SWMBO or the kids demand it for a change
We can eat on the side of the road by folding out the kitchen off the tailgate and have access to all our food
Less resale
Slightly longer set up (probably ten or so minutes more without the awning)
I think need to establish what sort of camping you want to do. More remote go the camper every time. Mainly parks then go the Jayco.
We have use both on touring trips we you are setting up and packing up every day and can honestly say the set up times and pack up times are very similar once you get yourself sorted out.
Just my opinions.
Good luck with your decision.
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RRP: $23,306 for the Dove outback model
We are getting roof mounted a/c
Independent suspension
Best price so far is circa $27k
Then we will be adding bed flys, awning, do35 hitch, hot water and shower etc etc
The only problem with the A/C is you need to cart a genny around to use it or stay in caravan parks,we were going to get it on our swan but rated the solar more important in the end and a couple of 12v fans with the windows open provides a fair bit of air flow on those warm nights.
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Thank you for the detailed responses everyone. Much appreciated.
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We recently went through the caravan v's CT v's Campervan, I wanted something was very quick to not only setup but packup as well. It also had to be easily accessed when we wanted to stop for a beak and have a cuppa.
It also had to be off road, nothing really extreme though.
We settled on a CT, specifically a Grand Tourer, from Adventure Offroad Camper Trailers, it can be setup with just the tent and bed in 4 mins or complete including all walls to kitchen annexe in 15mins.
This has the best design I have seen in a CT, the bed is at normal bed height, so no need for a ladder and you don't need to climb over each other, it has a full length kitchen on one side and massive storage on the other. Whatever you have on the roof rack, stays on the roof rack, when setting up and packing up.
The kitchen easy easily accessed for the quick stops and nothing needs to be unpacked or moved.
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I think a hire of one is the way to go to start off with. I don't have a brake controller on the Challenger, would one come with the hire do you know?
Cheers,
James
After selling our soft floor camper trailer (because we didn't like setting it up, packing it up at the camp site, then setting it up and packing it up again at home in the drive way because we always got soaked) - we hired a 16 foot caravan to see if we liked it - the caravan had electric brakes and had a brake controller fitted on the drawbar for people who didn't have one in their car (which must be fairly common). He said they worked just fine but we had a controller fitted from our previous camper trailer so didn't use it. I imagine most of the camper trailer / caravan hire places would have similar brake controllers fitted to the caravan - not sure how they work, but apparently they do...
We found out within about 200 meters driving after picking it up that a 16 foot caravan wasn't for us - just too big to tow. We ended up with a Jayco Penguin and having used it now many times over 18 months, we are very happy. Its easy to set up and pack up, dries far quicker than our soft floor camper did and has comfortable places to sit and cook inside if the weather is cold or wet. It is so much more practical and comfortable for us. BUT we don't take it anywhere rough, and wouldn't. It just wouldn't hold up. So we camp somewhere that doesn't require going over rough tracks to get there, then just take the Hilux to go sight seeing.
So, overall - it depends on how far off the bitumen you wish to camp - good gravel or dirt roads are fine for a Jayco but if you have to use 4WD to get through obstacles (other than slippery surfaces) then I think a much more rugged and compact camper trailer would be better suited.
Hiring something (although a lot of $) is a great way to find out if you like something.
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Went up to Newcastle today and had a look at the Jayco dealership. My wife (and I admit I) liked the look of the Eagle. Seemed a good size for us. I asked the salesman for a ball park figure and he came up with $24149 for the tourer and $27149 for the outback. This included bag end flys. Just as we'll I was sitting down lol. Now if the minister of finance is happy to spend that on a Jayco then only fair I get to look at other options in the same price range ????
Still going to keep my options open. Have to hire a Jayco style to to see if it suits us.
Cheers
James
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Went up to Newcastle today and had a look at the Jayco dealership. My wife (and I admit I) liked the look of the Eagle. Seemed a good size for us. I asked the salesman for a ball park figure and he came up with $24149 for the tourer and $27149 for the outback. This included bag end flys. Just as we'll I was sitting down lol
what price range were you expecting?
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I had an idea it would be in that range. I guess if I was going to buy today and sat down with them properly I may have gotten a better price. That will come later when I know which way we are going to go.
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It's only a couple of weeks until the Rosehill Show, then you can check out all of the options.
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I thought my jayco was an off road camper trailer.............. ;D ;D ;D
I've owned my hawk for about 4 years now and it goes most places. Just have to have a rig suitable to tow it there.
Numerous water crossing, high country, 3 x outback trips, countless runs in low range through forests and parks.
Slowly, cautiously and no problems so far.
I did seal mine underneath completely with sikaflex and sprayed it with paint to seal the timber. No probs so far.
The underbody has copped a full sandblasting from the stones, but that happens to anything you tow out there. A can of hammertone every couple of years fixes that.
I could never ever go back to a conventional camper after owning the jayco. In a recent thread I was considering upgrading, but they don't have what I want right now so next jump will have to be an expanda. No $ at them moment (just upgraded car)
I couldn't recommend the jayco enough and after years of ribbing from our 4wd club, most of them now own jayco's............... >:D >:D >:D
Go to the dark side, you'll never look back............... 8)
Cheers
Brian
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I must admit, for my own circumstances I started out with a Jayco Swan Outback then went to a Complete Campsite Soft floor and recently upgraded to the Complete Campsite Hard floor. very different path to some, but I go off road a lot and some extreme track at that so I needed some thing that could handle the rougher stuff a bit better than the Jayco, don't get me wrong i have nothing against the Jayco which is a capable rig, just not for me and the places we go.
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Thank you for the detailed responses everyone. Much appreciated.
Also, Thanks form me.
Chester, stozz, Jcat, some great replies there. pros/cons and great explanations and reasons of why decisions were made.
Great information and valuable input.
Thanks again,
Cheers, cruisindub.
(we are thinking also of changing our camping/touring setup)
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I went from tent camping to a soft floor but it hasn't improved the setup time much at all. Whilst we generally only camped for a week at a time a couple of times a year this was ok but we're at the stage now where our kids are all big and dont camp with us anymore. I'd like to get away a bit more regularly for shorter weekend trips. Since we're not into heavy offroading I think the Jayco outback would suit us fine. It seems that a setup with one of those quick awnings would only take you 1/2hr or so which sounds good to me. It also seems that whilst they're not rated for "true" offroading it seems that with a few mods to improve their strength and careful driving you can take them most places.
Just have to save some pennies......
I'm looking forward to having a good look around the rosehill show.
rob
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Whilst the soft floor campers might all like similar they aren't. It shouldn't take a long time to set up a well designed camper.
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Hi all ...timely thread.
We have gone through the same process. Made a list of what we actually want to do and then looked all ALL possible solutions to see what would mostly fit. Started with CTs and then investigated the windups, then the crossovers, poptops and then vans.
Really came down to research and physically looking at different options of each variety.
For a while it was looking like we'd be going for a windup like an Eagle. Having crawled all over numerous examples, testing things out, looking at construction, looking at new versions and old versions etc, and then researching online, I've come to the conclusion that they WILL NOT be suitiable for us. Main reason being one of our main requirements was offroad ability/construction/ruggedness. While ticking a few other boxes they didn't tick that main one. Creature comforts just didn't outweight the ability to go anywhere we wanted to see.
A combination of size, weight and again offroad ability knocked off the poptops and vans, although there was some we looked at that were VERY nice inside and out and had aircon, toilet/shower etc ... those features started looking appealing. In the end we'd have had to sacrifice seeing some parts of the country. Again not something we were negotiating on.
That left the crossovers and CTs ... and to my mind at this point the CTs are in front by a long shot for a number of reasons (not just price).
So we are looking at all the CTs we can. The ones we are focussing on will get us everywhere we want to go, with enough space to carry the gear we'll need and be comfortable enough to travel with for at least 6 months. The price will allow us more onroad luxuries on our travels with some left as backup/safety. The kids will love it, SWMBO will get used to it (we'll still have hot showers etc) and we'll get to actually SEE parts of the country that the caravan park crowd won't even know existed.
Win-win all round I reckon. Our $0.02 anyway ... thanks for listening ;-)
Sanz
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We where 50-50 when deciding between Jayco and camper.
What sold us the Jayco in the end was that we quite often come home wet from camping.
For the size camper trailer we would need as a family we don't have the room to set up at home to let it air and dry.
The Jayco can be set up in a lot narrower space (half a double driveway) with the awnings hanging. Can be left this way for a couple of weeks if need be.
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What sold us the Jayco in the end was that we quite often come home wet from camping.
For the size camper trailer we would need as a family we don't have the room to set up at home to let it air and dry.
Although we have different CT's, we share the same problem - drying stuff when there isn't the space.
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Hi all ...timely thread.
We have gone through the same process. Made a list of what we actually want to do and then looked all ALL possible solutions to see what would mostly fit. Started with CTs and then investigated the windups, then the crossovers, poptops and then vans.
Really came down to research and physically looking at different options of each variety.
For a while it was looking like we'd be going for a windup like an Eagle. Having crawled all over numerous examples, testing things out, looking at construction, looking at new versions and old versions etc, and then researching online, I've come to the conclusion that they WILL NOT be suitiable for us. Main reason being one of our main requirements was offroad ability/construction/ruggedness. While ticking a few other boxes they didn't tick that main one. Creature comforts just didn't outweight the ability to go anywhere we wanted to see.
A combination of size, weight and again offroad ability knocked off the poptops and vans, although there was some we looked at that were VERY nice inside and out and had aircon, toilet/shower etc ... those features started looking appealing. In the end we'd have had to sacrifice seeing some parts of the country. Again not something we were negotiating on.
That left the crossovers and CTs ... and to my mind at this point the CTs are in front by a long shot for a number of reasons (not just price).
So we are looking at all the CTs we can. The ones we are focussing on will get us everywhere we want to go, with enough space to carry the gear we'll need and be comfortable enough to travel with for at least 6 months. The price will allow us more onroad luxuries on our travels with some left as backup/safety. The kids will love it, SWMBO will get used to it (we'll still have hot showers etc) and we'll get to actually SEE parts of the country that the caravan park crowd won't even know existed.
Win-win all round I reckon. Our $0.02 anyway ... thanks for listening ;-)
Sanz
Hi Sanz,
I was just curios to where you were thinking you could take a offroad camper but not a jayço outback? We were going through the same questions / concerns as you (and many others have) when trying to decide on a camper trailer and couldn't really name that many places were you might take a strong off road camper trailer but not a Jayco. My parents in law just bought an oddysey and it weighs 1200 kg losded up so not that much lighter then a jayco c/t. Yes it is a fair bit narrower. I think the Jayco chassis and suspension is very well built and could handle the off road as much as most c/t out there.
So it got me thinking again where are these people talking about when they say they would take there c/t there but wouldn't take a Jayco and what is it based on? Interior strength? Chassis strength? Weight? Height? Width?
Love to hear your thoughts
Cheers
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We also did the hire before you buy thing. We were originally tent campers, SWMBO hated it...
First hire was a Complete Campsite 16foot (older model) not too bad, but dark inside, and yes it rained almost the whole weekend. Admittedly, it was without LED lights and all the smart stuff available.
Next was to try a Jayco Swan Outback, but the hire mob did not have an annex, so we ended up taking their Expanda and loved it, just couldn't afford to buy one..
We then borrowed a 2004 Jayco Eagle Outback, without battery and free camped for a weekend, hooked up to the battery in my Prado.
We ended up with a Jayco Flamingo 2007 as my wife is a big fan of flat surfaces, like the hard floor, bench tops etc..
While we do like outside, cooking is done inside, for things like pasta, veges etc.. the meat is cooked outside on the Weber Q.
We love it...
FWIW, the guys we hired off seem to be closing their doors and selling their Jayco's on ebay, they have a Swan, Expanda and Sterling.
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who was it?
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Fly fisher, most comments relate to the interior cupboards & fixtures and how they are put together. The general consensus is that they aren't built to withstand corrugations and repetitive jarring. The gold stream brochure advised against these conditions also. And width is an issue. For rocky terrain and sand they're ok if you take it easy.
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Width
Weight
Dust Ingress
These are the 3 that limit how far i take the goldstream off road in order but really i am stoked with our storm for what we do which i would label dirt road camping.
We also purchased what is called a bed swag for when we do the dusty tracks (Oodnadatta some of the Gibb and maybe great central road in 2014) and we lay some excess canvess over the lounge everything else can be wiped down when you get there
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Obviosly there will be issues with how far people take them off road due to there weight and how wide they are but if the only issues to towing a jayco/goldstream style camper to the same places as any other off road camper trailer are some interior latches breaking, a few cupboard issues and a bit of dust then I would hardly call that not capable enough to handle what another off road camper could.
Of course this is just my opinion but so far other then the width of the jayco c/t there hasn't been enough evidence put forward to say that the jayco style camper is not good off road. I have no doubt they have there limits as does every c/t but you seem to read about allot of people that have taken these certainly off the beaten track when towed with care.
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I optioned my GS with the VC independent coil suspension. Now I have read the opinions of a well respected media contributor on here who believes that is totally unnecessary for a trailer. I am in no position to say I know more, but having towed a normal box trailer with leaf springs and no shockies I can say the GS coil set up is a 100% improvement, and goes a long way to limiting any impact transferred to the trailer body. It is amazing to tow, and handled the rocks at Teewah Beach at Easter without a drama. I would think in standard form the issue (tied up with dust ingress) would be deep water crossings, but if you intend to do that sort of thing your 4wd will need modding with snorkel, extended diff & transfer case breathers etc, so a few mods to the trailer would sort that out. In any event, the floor level is pretty high> you would be up at almost window level on the car before the CT was in trouble. Suits my purposes and use, and most importantly fits in the garage with roof 80% up when not in use, which I believe to be one of the keys to preservation of canvas etc.
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Maybe check out the hardfloors. Something like a CUB is halfway between a jayco and a soft floor.
mike
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ComPletly agree with fly fisher...it comes down to the driver and how you navigate the obstacles
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I was more than happy with our Tambo and it served its purpose really well. It was used off road mainly through the high country on some pretty rough roads but we didn't go dragging it up goat tracks and there was no where we took it that people weren't taking Jaycos/Goldstreams.
Now that we've got a young fella we found there wasn't enough room in the Tambo for all of us plus the dog and after much discussion and going through the pros and cons we've gone and bought ourselves a Outback Dove, the decision to go a Jayco over another CT came down to a few things, but the main one was getting a bigger tent area meant needing more level ground to set up on. Also the wife wants to do more touring rather than 4wding, so easy setup for overnighters was a biggy, we've got the annexe for longer stays if we need more room, and it can still get to places the soft roaders can't.
I used to be of the opinion that CT's were the only way to go, and I'd heard all the horror stories about Jaycos, then I spoke to people who actually owned Jaycos about where they had taken them and what problems, if any, they had and the responses I got back was a few niggling issues that Jayco were happy to fix and a little bit of dust ingress, which is fixable. But they had all taken them to places I thought would only be accessible by CT's without any major damage.
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Hi Sanz,
I was just curios to where you were thinking you could take a offroad camper but not a jayço outback? We were going through the same questions / concerns as you (and many others have) when trying to decide on a camper trailer and couldn't really name that many places were you might take a strong off road camper trailer but not a Jayco. My parents in law just bought an oddysey and it weighs 1200 kg losded up so not that much lighter then a jayco c/t. Yes it is a fair bit narrower. I think the Jayco chassis and suspension is very well built and could handle the off road as much as most c/t out there.
So it got me thinking again where are these people talking about when they say they would take there c/t there but wouldn't take a Jayco and what is it based on? Interior strength? Chassis strength? Weight? Height? Width?
Love to hear your thoughts
Cheers
Hi Fly Fisher,
We were actually thinking the same things ... where would we be going that we couldn't take a Jayco or similar?
As we have not travelled before, we actually don't know where we'll want or need to go! Don't want to get to an awesome spot and go "ahh well pity we can't take the van down the track and stay the week ... Bugger hey".
And if judging by some of the fantastic spots we go regularly on weekends, we'll need something smallish, light and able to handle hard knocks. All the Jaycos we've seen look great but seem a little wide for some of the tracks we find ourselves on. Last thing we'd want is to put a branch or rock through the side and potentially not be able to repair easily.
Other than that we've looked at 14 offroad spec windups and all have had some pretty major issues (bent uprights that wind up the roof, cracks to the chassis etc, water damage, gaping holes where the canvas meets the body) ... And that was in the 15k to 30k price bracket! Sure some owners take care of their vans but not most of the ones we've seen so far have been trashed.
I guess we'll see what happens after a while on the road ... can always change if we find we're not going where a Jayco can't :-)
Still got a lot to learn about this and am finding this forum a wealth of information and advice. Thanks to all who help us newbies out.
Sanz
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Sanz,
Your certainly right about the plethora of information on this forum.
Im not sure of the brand campers you were looking at between 15-30k but I don't blame you for not being impressed. I certainly wouldn't be paying up near 30k for a van with a cracked chassis or gaping holes in tne canvas considering you can buy a brand new jayco for less then 30k. We have just orderd our outback dove for 27k with a heap of extras and 12 months warranty.