Caravaning!!!

Submitted: Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:03

ThreadID: 27385 Views:7437 Replies:14 FollowUps:6

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Johnny boy

Yes I know this site is for 4WDs and camping and yes thats what I currently do BUT! my wife has fallen in love with a pop top caravan called a Windsor Rapid and I was just wondering if anyone has any feed back on this van, constructive comments appreciated and yes I know its not going to go where my 100 ser might but if need b I have our little 4 man tent handy for over nighters .

Cheers JB.

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Reply By: Blackie - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:08

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:08

I'm sure someone here will bw able to assist. But if not try a caravan specific website there are lots.
Some one will undoubtedly give you a link.

AnswerID: 135277

Reply By: flappa - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:14

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:14

I have heard nothing but good reports on the Rapid.

Great idea with the pop out ends.

I spoke to a couple at Healesville after a big storm 3 weeks ago , had no problems and were really happy with theirs. Had only had it about 6 months from memory.

Not saying there arent problems or that there aren't better vans , but , from what I have seen , they are well worth looking at.

AnswerID: 135278

Reply By: ExplorOz Team - David - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:26

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:26

Jonny Boy - based on the home page title: 4WDing - there should be no reason that you cannot ask this question here. Good luck.

David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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AnswerID: 135282

Reply By: Member - Paul P (Bris) - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:47

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:47

G'day

You may also like to try here Caravaners Forum

Regards

Paul

AnswerID: 135289

Follow Up By: Member - Paul P (Bris) - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:50

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 17:50

URL Typo Caravaners Forum

Paul

FollowupID: 389230

Reply By: Member - Colin P (WA) - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 18:00

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 18:00

G'day Johnny,
We looked at them at last years show and liked the look of them but the beds at either ends are a bit small for two people IMHO and the person on the wall end has to climb over the other to get out . Talked to a bloke who has one and he sleeps in one bed and his wife sleeps in the other ,possible solution. We where looking at the 21' off road with shower/toilet.
good luck
Col

AnswerID: 135297

Reply By: wallypop - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 19:41

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 19:41

hi there jB

i had a windsor wincheeter for 4 years it was a poptop 15 ft timber frame and we traveled over 10.000 ks with ours in that time on tar and dirt nind you not bush tracks but some roads that shook your teeth
and in all that time all i had go wrong with mine was the shocks they died
anything else you would like to know email me wilko44@tpg.com.au

len

AnswerID: 135314

Reply By: Barajak - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 20:38

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 20:38

A friend of mine has had his for one year, no problems, nice van, well built and lots of room for there size. He is now thinking of selling it as after three months in the van on a big trip the climb over bed idea is not such a good idea.

AnswerID: 135327

Follow Up By: Johnny boy - Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 07:48

Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 07:48

Hi Barajak ,
just had a read of your post and am greatfull of all the advice I have been recieving ,Im not very tall Im only 5.7 and my wife about the same I see in the specks that it says 4,6'' drop down bed Im hopping they ment width not length Ill check it out because its the hard roof and bottom that sells it for us as standard Poptops dont cater for the 2 boys unless we go up in size which I dont really want to do and Ive had experiences with campers and they were never good ones and for your friend what state is he in how big is his van and how much was he thinking of selling it for ( thats if he still is ) thanx again keep you all updated .

Regards JB.

FollowupID: 389302

Follow Up By: Barajak - Saturday, Oct 22, 2005 at 21:14

Saturday, Oct 22, 2005 at 21:14

Hi JB
If the van is for sale how can I contact you?

FollowupID: 389658

Reply By: Steve - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 20:38

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 20:38

Johnny: Just gone thru the whole exercise. Looked at Rapids and Coromal Silhouettes. I preferred the Silhouette due to it's smaller towing mass and better price as well as the independent suspension. Both fold out ends. In the end we went for a Coromal Excel for the ease and speed of setup and comfort. Bit of a compromise on where we can go but after thinking long and hard, decided that it'd take us to most places and we can tent it the rest. The old conundrum mate....whatever works best for you in the end. Takes a lot of hunting around, asking questions, asking yourself where you will spend most of your trips. We started seriously considering the Kimberley kamper, which I loved, but the handbrake rightly pointed out that as keen sea kayakers, most of our trips are along the coast and usually goodish roads. Cape York can wait for now.

AnswerID: 135328

Reply By: Croozer - Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 20:49

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 at 20:49

Johhny,
If you arte a tall person, I believe the beds in the Windsor Rapid are not as long (across the van) as the beds in the Jayco Expanda, might be worth checking out.
Cheers,
Stu

AnswerID: 135332

Reply By: Philip A - Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 08:37

Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 08:37

Mate of mine in WA has one and we went on 2 weeks holiday with them.
Biggest issue is that bed. It is short and you have to climb over each other to get out.
Also the fact that there is canvas all over the bed negates an advantage of a caravan over a camper , ie insulation from cold.
Otherwise it seems good and my mate is happy. From my point of view I thought it was quite heavy for an on road van of that length at 1000KG.
The big advantage to them vs their previous double ender camper is that you can stop for lunch and get in even with the roof down and have lunch sitting at the table in the dry, and overhead storage.
Regards Philip A

AnswerID: 135373

Reply By: Ridely - Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 12:37

Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 12:37

John Boy

Have a 13.5ft Rapid and happy as a pig in....

We bought ours after doing 3 months in a Jayco Finch. By comparison the Rapid is a ballroom.

The advantage of the Rapid / Expanda set up is that you can get inside for lunch etc - gets you away from the flies and you don't have to take a seperate tuckerbox in the back of the car (We still do for day trips)

On the bed length issue, I am 6 ft and have no problems. Just be aware that they make 2 widths, from memory 7ft and 7ft 6. We have the wider one. But the wider you go the less palces you can drag it.

We chose the Rapid over the Expanda for the hard roof as it give a bit better insulation from heat. If it gets too hot and your on power, just turn on the aircon. It was 39c here the other week and we tested it out, very comfortable.

The only problem so far is that it has copped a hiding from flicked up stones on dirt roads - I am in the process of making a stone guard. We have friends with an Expanda and the new Jayco finish is a lot more resistant to rock damage. Also dust sealing on the dirt roads - but the Exapanda is no better and a quick sweep out when you arrive solves that problem.

We are in Roxby Downs and most of our weekends off we head north - Borefield Track, Oodna Track, Birdsville Track, plus a bit of more extreme station tracks and nothing has falled off/apart (yet).

As with anything, it's horses for courses. Don't expect to get it places you would a smaller camper trailer, or even our old Finch. But if you want a bit of luxury (it certainly aint camping) we are certainly happy with ours.

AnswerID: 135405

Reply By: Alan H - Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 14:11

Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 14:11

Hi Johnny boy.
We've got a 14.6" Rapid and have done heaps of trips in it and still enjoy it. Yes the bed is a bit short for six footers but I sleep diagonally across being 6'1" and it's not a problem at all.
The cook sleeps down the other end!

I've modified it a bit by having shelves in the robe and slide out _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx for tinned stuff underneath the cooktop.
All round it's a good van and I like being able to pull off the road for a cuppa without putting the roof up or pulling beds out which is why we sold our Goldstream camper........... too much trouble for a quick stop.

Workmanship is not bad but I reckon the chassis welders were on a bonus system going by the splatter they put on! Saying that though it hasn't fallen apart so it's not too bad.
Like you, if we're going anywhere you wouldn't drag a van we use a tent and park the van up in storage somewhere.
Enjoy whatever you buy and happy travelling.
Alan H.

AnswerID: 135418

Reply By: LandieRick - Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 20:29

Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 20:29

johnny Boy,

I have a 11 month old 16 ft rough road rapid, which is towed behind a chipped up disco TD5. just done a quick lap of 17000 ks including dragging it down the Gibb river road with wife and a 4YO.

Aside from a couple of nuts and bolts that fell out of the oven, the van went really well - very impressed - and a tad surprised - expected a bit more.

I am 5.8 and the wife a tad shorter - Earlier comments are right about the bed, climbing over each other etc, but no big deal - I have the 7 ft wide version - works well for me.

No obvious quality issues (getting a service and check up in a couple of weeks)

All vans are a compromise - but this one works very well for me. Love the hard bed top in wet weather and the 270 degree flyscreen for hot waether. Air co works well reverse cycle when required.

happy travelling.

Cheers

AnswerID: 135469

Reply By: Member - Captain (WA) - Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 22:26

Thursday, Oct 20, 2005 at 22:26

Hi JB,

I have the Rapid 13'6" offroad model for nearly 4 years now. It has been on some pretty rough tracks, including one where I ended up ripping off the awning and having to replace both sides of the van sheeting. Apart from these "cosmetic" issues, the van itself went really well, simply too big a van for the track I went on! Now that the sheeting and awning has been replaced, the van looks like brand new inside and out. Have never had a problem with loose cupboards or the like, the worst has been a light fitting that doesn't like the corrugations. Very impressed overall, the speed of setup really is 30 seconds for an overnight stop.
!MPG:3!
I have had a cushioned vinyl rock deflector placed over the front bed end as even with a full length rear vehicle mudflap you still get plenty of rocks hitting half way up. I have been in torrential rain and it kept all the rain out, although the metal "roof" can be like a drum in heavy rain (but no leaks!). Also added a bike carrier on the front A frame and have jerry can holders on the rear bumper.
!MPG:8!
At 5'8", I don't have a problem with the beds, in fact we have had 4 in one bed, the kids migrate down from their end so I often drop the table down and sleep lengthways with 4 across.
!MPG:4!
I was looking at replacing the Rapid with a camper trailer after the tight track incident, but after having a cold nights camping recently and being able to turn the A/C on heat, well have canned that idea (will get a tent for when the tracks are too tight).
!MPG:7!
While I am very biased, I think the Rapid is the best of the end opening type campers.

Cheers

Captain

AnswerID: 135494

Follow Up By: Ridely - Friday, Oct 21, 2005 at 09:13

Friday, Oct 21, 2005 at 09:13

Captain

I'm after a bit more info on your cushioned vinyl rock deflector to protect against stones.

A photo or two would be good if you have them.

As you said, the stone dents go half way up the van and almost no stone guard would get them all. So the padding may be a good way to go.

Regards

Ridely

FollowupID: 389448

Follow Up By: Johnny boy - Friday, Oct 21, 2005 at 10:50

Friday, Oct 21, 2005 at 10:50

Mate Im rapt in the Photos you sent , my wife is more interested in the whole deal now that we have the feedback from yourself and all the other E,O members , I just recieved a call from a dealer that has a 2003 road mod 13.6" rapid with A/C and roll out awning and said the price was $23900 and that new was $35000 onroad what do you think ?
and is your A/C roof ,wall or duct ??
one last thing does it really only take about 30 seconds to set up ???
thanks again captain .

Regards J.B.

FollowupID: 389467

Follow Up By: Member - Captain (WA) - Friday, Oct 21, 2005 at 11:33

Friday, Oct 21, 2005 at 11:33

Hi JB & Ridley,

Ridley - Sent me your email address and I will send some pics. Click on my rig pic for my email address.

JB - Is the 2003 13"6' model now with the sink along the wall as opposed to perpendicular to the wall? If so, this is an improvement IMHO. The price sounds good, but do you want an off-road model? The biggest difference is the strength of the chassis (6" main rails) and suspension. If you are not going off-road (gravel roads ARE off-road, gravel is worse than slow rocky trails as the corruggations can destroy vans) then the price seems good. But do not get an on-road model and think it will last off-road. Short gravel roads without corrugations will be fine, but long distances on corrugated roads needs the off-road pack.

Does it include an annexe? I have a heap of extras on my van from the factory (compressor fridge -not gas, galaxy windows, corner jacks -not stabilisers, rear jerry can holders, full 12V power pac and lighting, fully galvinised -not duragal, dual water tanks, etc...) My aircon is a split system with the internal unit above the sink and the condensor mounted in the cupboard near the door. I believe the condensor is now mounted under the seat near the sink, much better IMHO.

The setup for an overnight road stop is a true 30 seconds. You simply turn 2 T handles and the bed end opens. End of quick setup. For a longer stop you need to use the stabilser legs (~2 minutes), and raise the roof (~30 seconds) and connect water and sullage hoses if needed (~1 minute). The awning out is easy (~1 minute), but add a good 15 minutes for the annexe, I only use that for 3 or more nights.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Email me direct if you want any more info/pis etc...

Cheers

Captain

FollowupID: 389476