Quote:
Originally Posted by prydey
Agree. Pro's and con's to everything. Another good thing about the wind up ones is most of the sides are clear windows when wound up, as you can see in the pic I posted earlier. This gives them a nice open feel inside and you don't feel stuck in a box, like you can with some vans. It means the views are available from inside as well as outside.
A further downside is they do get cold in winter for obvious reasons. Mind you, we went to naracoorte in July and kept warm enough with just a little fan heater (240v though).
Shav, at least you're doing your homework. When we decided we might want to get back in to camping for our kids, we wasted a lot of money buying a tent and associated furniture only to use it once and decide tenting wasn't for us. I think a lot of my journey is in this thread (I did start it). If I had my time again I would probably bypass the wind up and go straight to an expander type van/pop top. Just easier for one night stop overs etc.
So if you are looking to get in to exploring the outside world, try to work out fairly well exactly which type of accommodation suits you.
Lots of people offer advice, which is great as you get to tap in to their experiences, and then you just hand pick the bits that apply to you and discard the rest... or all of it 
If you ever want to check mine out just give us a yell. Takes 5 min to set it up. |
Cheers mate. I have the side awning and side tent and I dont mind the true camp feel. The tent is good as you can at least have shelter if you dont want to take the van. Downside is the time to set it up. Its an easy 2 man job or take your time one man job. A lot harder on your own when there is lots of wind.
Im getting on in years so am looking for the experience with minimal fuss now. Hence looking all the portable options out there first. I slept in my car with foam mattress and find thats great for an over nighter. Easy to setup and pack up. But for the times I want to head away for 3,4,5 nights somewhere, a pop top will serve its purpose better for my old bones over a longer period of time.
Ive considered the roof top tent and while convenient, I dont want it as a permanent feature of my car.
Ive also considered getting a trailer, welding some rails on to fit the RTT on it and set the tub area for a fridge and make shift kitchen. But by the time I do that and fuss around with it, Im better off buying a camper trailer which is already set up. Decent camper trailers are not cheap either, then there is the canvas concern I mentioned before and while I know I will have to pop it up to dry at home, its just another thing to add to the maintenance list.
Then to step up from that, its getting into pop top areas. The Jayco Penguin is a great little unit. Ive checked one out at the last caravan and camping show and really liked it. I would need to get real with myself though and think about the canvas maintenance on it though. The Jayco Freedom looks the goods. Minimal canvas, still feels large and plenty of space.
My only concerns is towing it with my little XV. The XV can only tow 1400kg braked. So the Jayco Freedom is on the highest end of what the car can legally tow. I need to work out what pay load I have left to carry. Not that I want to bring everything but I need to know Im not exceeding the legal limits.