jayco eagle camper trailer
Submitted: Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 15:46
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vik
My family and i are looking at travelling along the east coast for approx. 1 year, 2 adults and 2 small kids, wondering if the jayco eagle camper trailer has enough space and whether or not we would be alright without an air con. Would love some
feedback from people that have travelled with
young kids.
Reply By: Best Off Road - Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 16:09
Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 16:09
I would recommend strongly against the Eagle, or any wind up camper for that matter, for your purpose.
We had an Eagle for a year, only two of us and we found the lack of storage space to be a real problem.
A year in the road like that and you'll go mad.
Have a look at The Expanda.
Cheers,
Jim.
AnswerID:
338815
Follow Up By: Goona - Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 23:46
Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 23:46
Jim,
I am intrigued did you ever go off road and with only 2 people there would have been ample room. We have 2 adults and 2 children 1 still in nappies and we have no problems whatsoever. I have meet people on our trio that had 2 adults and 4 children and yes this was a bit squishy but certainly not with 4 and with 2
well!!!
Goona
FollowupID:
606407
Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Tuesday, Dec 09, 2008 at 06:23
Tuesday, Dec 09, 2008 at 06:23
G,
It was an "Outback" version and 90% was off road
bush camping.
The space issue was around the amount of stuff that had to be kept in boxes on the floor. We converted the wardrobe to a panty, but that meant taking the contents of the pantry out before each packup.
Nowhere to store clothes, had to takes clothes in and out of the car each time we set up.
There was plenty of space on the spare bed to put stuff, but that stuff had to be put somewhere when we packed up.
Cheers,
Jim.
FollowupID:
606413
Reply By: HGMonaro - Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 17:37
Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 17:37
While I'm going to ultimately agree with Jim, it's not for the same reasons. :)
We have a Goldstream Wing which is the same layout as a Jayco Swan. Ours is a 2A 2C family.
Do you need A/C, no, not in a wind-up camper I don't believe. The beauty of a wind-up is being able to open most walls to allow the breeze through. This also makes for a
bright interior where many vans have limited windows and are quite dark in comparision.
We did a 99 night 1/2 lap of Oz and had ample storage room. We took a porti-potti (didn't use) and LCD TV (hardly used) along with the usual food, clothes, etc. My wife won't let the kids run around in grubby clothes anywhere so had over a weeks worth for each. We had slightly less without needing to wash anything. You do need to be organised and pack efficiently.
Space wise, a wind-up (or Exapanda style) has lots of room. You need a very big van to get the usuable floor and living area that is available in a wind-up. The bed ends double as play areas for kids. With Eagle/Swan layout you can also seperate the kids if needed, one at the table and they other on the lounge or bed end. Our 2 sleep on one bed end (we got the matress made into 2 so they get tucked in seperately... yes we take doonas, blanketrs and sheets for many temp options) which means we don't have to pack up the table to make a bed at night.
So, wind-ups have their plus's, they also have some downsides, you do have to set them up. Not a big task but it still needs to be done. You're also still sleeping under canvas. This is good on hot nights (open it up) but when it rains you still have to deal with that aspect and packing up in the rain is no fun. Some say stopping en-route with a wind-up is a pain, but we make our lunches each day. Takes a minute to crack it open to get at the fridge, etc. We like to stand up and walk around during lunch. We usually get the footy out too for some exercise.
For a longer trip (year or more) I think the added security (physically and against the elements) of a full van would outweigh the disadvantages of towing it around since you'd move less as a percentage of the time parked up.
Cheers, Nige
AnswerID:
338836
Reply By: Anthony (Vic) - Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 20:39
Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 20:39
We have two girls (8 & 10 years) and a Jayco Dove outback. We did a 2 month trip Nov / Dec 2007 travelling 10,000kms. While we had our camper since 2003, it wasn't until our 2 month trip that we worked out a better system for setting up or breaking
camp.
The wind up campers are great but if you are stopping only for one night after a longish day towing, you learn to do only a basic
camp set up. By this I mean, no bed flys (unless you expect rain), even leave the
camp hookup to the 4wd, only get out what you need for the night. The less you have packed on the camper floor the better, that way your not move gear out of the camper and back in when its time to go.
So, our general rule is, if its an over night
camp, we keep it very simple and quick to setup and therefore quicker to pack.
If it's not an overnighter, we stay at least 3 nights, then we go to a bit more effort with setting up
camp, like fitting a tarp onto the side of the camper for shade etc.
The Dove is smaller than the Eagle, and found the size fine, just as said above, don't take to much stuff. You will be amazed what you don't use.
AnswerID:
338862
Reply By: Goona - Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 23:42
Monday, Dec 08, 2008 at 23:42
Vik,
We are currently on our 6 month of our 7 month trip around Aust and are in a Goldstream Wing 11 and most times we only stay 1 or 2 nights. We always put the flys up but most times without the ropes unless it looks like rain. The flys are better with the heat and the cold as they do offer some insulation. It really depends on what you intend to do. Would I have a full size van now way as we love to get off the beaten track I.e. we did the Telegraph track with ours in tow and there is no way a full size van would get through there. We have 2 kids 4 and 2 and we converted the lounge
seat to a clothes storage by removing the curved section and this has been a godsend. If you have plenty of room in your car for clothes etc then space would not be a problem as our was full of outboard motor, tackle boxes, boat safety gear, anchors etc. Pack up only take around 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour.
Goona
AnswerID:
338885