MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: mheloy on November 24, 2014, 07:49:20 PM
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I'm noob in camping please be gentle.
I convinced my wife to go to Bendigo for the leisurefest and look at camper trailer. We looked at a few on display and we noticed that it can be hot inside the canvass tent. Except the forward fold from Eagle CT. Could it be the tropical roof? It was around 30 deg at that time. I also felt that these things are big and can be daunting setting up. I was like it seems CT is not an option for us. My wife said she doesn't like that.
Then we went to the Jayco area and looked at hawk Swan and eagle. She liked it as it was cooler inside and nice layout. I was looking at the outback versions but it seems all of them can go above the 150kg limit of my cx9 towball weight. It seems like our only option now non outback version. Is it? Can those still go remote free camping that cars can go?
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Replace the wife???
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Replace the wife???
....usually a VERY expensive exercise....
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Replace the wife???
Cheaper to by a new car. :cheers:
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My dove outback is 120kg,might be worth a thought
Scott
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I think you will find most canvas tents will be hot..but yes a tropical roof cover will minimise the inside termp a little bit. One of the reasons we are also looking at a jayco style is because of the set up and pack up times. On holidays with our old camper trailer it was taking nearly 2 hours to pack every thing up..kids bunks, bikes chairs kitchen annexe etc etc. An we found that because the kids would go to bed early in the main tent part, the wife and I would be stuck in the annex freezing cold( Grampians, VIC). After that holiday we decided we want to upgrade to a jayco camper just for the comforts if the weather is average!
Our good friends have a Jayco Swan, and have flipped the axle to give it more clearance..so IMO if you dont drag it down nasty tracks and set them up with batteries etc then ofcourse you can free camp with them
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Go for a double swag and a baby Weber Q. Save lotsa dollars.
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If you drive to the conditions, ie:, sloooow dooown in rough conditions/roads and speed up on smooth roads/blacktop, adjust your tyre pressures properly you will be surprised just where you can get to with out too much drama.
As for the camper, you will just have to keep looking for what meets your car specs and remember,until about 10 years ago there was no such thing as an "off road " camper or caravan, they were all built pretty much the same with 5 leaf springs and an ordinary tow ball, you just took them where ever you wanted to go carefully. I only had a 6x4 trailer with a tradesmans top for years and that went into a few rough places without any problems ;D
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As said above by xcator, drive to the conditions and be sensible in where you go. I reckon wherever your CX9 will go, or wherever your wife will let you take it ;D, you will be able to tow your standard Jayco.
Good lick in your search
KB
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There are so many options out there. Take your time and have a good look around.
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Remember that you arnt usualy inside a camper trailer tent section much during the day so the heat under canvas isnt that much of an issue and they cool down pretty quick as night falls.
On the Jayco over a camper trailer, rent one each for a week end trip and see which one you like ..
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We were up there too and looked at as much as we could. My wife does like the caravans also but they are just too big for the available space we have. Tow vehicle would also be an issue. Biggest problem we had was all the Jayco swift/hawk/eagle etc was the low bench height. Also the cost compared to the CT we purchased
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Get a girlfriend, leave the wife at home and enjoy.
Lets face it, what could go wrong.
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I'm noob in camping please be gentle.
I convinced my wife to go to Bendigo for the leisurefest and look at camper trailer. We looked at a few on display and we noticed that it can be hot inside the canvass tent. Except the forward fold from Eagle CT. Could it be the tropical roof? It was around 30 deg at that time. I also felt that these things are big and can be daunting setting up. I was like it seems CT is not an option for us. My wife said she doesn't like that.
Then we went to the Jayco area and looked at hawk Swan and eagle. She liked it as it was cooler inside and nice layout. I was looking at the outback versions but it seems all of them can go above the 150kg limit of my cx9 towball weight. It seems like our only option now non outback version. Is it? Can those still go remote free camping that cars can go?
I would be suprised if a good forward fold camper was much different in time frames to set up than a Jayco with bag ends.
As has been said. You mainly are in the tent part at night. So heat during the day shouldn't be too big an issue.
Tropical roofs do make a fair bit of difference.
However if you go that way
I suspect an "on road" Jayco or on road camper trailer.will go anywhere your current tug will.
I have seen some on road campers get to some pretty interesting places. :)
Hiring a few different types is a good idea. Or hang out in some caravan parks watching others set up. Most people are happy to talk to you about their pride and joy.
Or as you have done.. Attend one or twenty trade shows.
Or bite the bullet and buy what you like.
It's easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. :) (I bravely wrote this knowing their is little chance the other half will read it)
Good luck with your search.
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Thanks for the reply guys
briann532,Jeepers Creepers
nice one guys but ot an option. hehehe
scottatsea,
120kg ball weight on a fully loaded dove? might check this as well. Is that a queen size bed infront and double bed at the back?
I've got two kids 2 and 8 y/o
Shippo,
Thanks for that. yes most likely we will be getting the Jayco for convenience and ease of setup and of course Wife approval factor.
but that budget is not yet on the horizon a second hand maybe, we'll see.
xcvator,KingBilly
Yes I thought of this too, that's why I've given an onroad swan,eagle or hawk a thought. I don't have a AWD CX9 either (FWD only)
so I won't really go where a car can't go. I just thought of going outback for future proofing... just in case I wanted to go
to place where mild offroading is required. Of course I would need to upgrade my tug as well.
edz,
That's a great idea... can you point where can I rent one (Jayco)?
Fathom,
What is a bag ends in Jayco? I also noticed people "upgrade" from Canvas CT to Jayco or something similar... might as well do the
"upgrade" one time right?
Thanks again guys for the advise. I'll be looking at "on road" Jayco most probably. Or maybe trade my 2007 CRV to a Navarra/Triton? my wife would kill me :D
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The dove is a queen at front and a double at back,check out the lay outs here
http://www.jayco.com.au/range/camper-trailers/camper-trailer-details/ (http://www.jayco.com.au/range/camper-trailers/camper-trailer-details/)
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Not sure where your based Mheloy but if you google " Jayco hire victoria " you should find one near you,quite a few listed .. our local Jayco dealer has rentals available so I'm thinking most other dealers would have that aswell ..
For a camper trailer rental just google it too.
Just thinking you might have a few issues with the kids sharing a bed deck of a Jayco, putting the table up and down if you needed a seperate sleeping arrangement would be a pain .or you could modify / the lay out to have a permanent bunk for the younger one .
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As others said, look around and attend as many shows as possible or check them out in person etc. I used to go and chat with CT owners in caravan parks when we still had a tent who, like Fathom said, were more than happy to show me their camper and give me some great ideas. Plus tons of places hire out.
We went camping last year at Lake Eildon with our ct during a heatwave and was quite suprised how well it handled the heat. It was ridiculous sitting under a tree outdoor whereas inside the camper was waaaay better - super cool/bliss as we opened up all the windows and let the natural breeze through. I would assume jaycos would have tons of windows to help ventilation?
Something to keep in mind I guess. If not, there's portable fans/aircons... ;D
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There is a jayco just listed in classifieds!
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Yea a ct promotes more sociable interaction, as generally the kitchen and fridge are located outside on most hard floors, the pop top caravan forces you to be inside more to make lunch, get drinks etc
Generally under the awning on a ct in daytime is more pleasant than being inside!
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Yea a ct promotes more sociable interaction, as generally the kitchen and fridge are located outside on most hard floors, the pop top caravan forces you to be inside more to make lunch, get drinks etc
Generally under the awning on a ct in daytime is more pleasant than being inside!
So your pop top makes you less sociable?
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Yep, the awning area on a CT does make us somewhat green with envy.
Cheers
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Thanks scottatsea
Thanks edz, I found a few... will try this whenever we can
dazzle, will look into that