Jayco Finch - Anyone had one?

We had a Hawk some years back.
Lots of positives.
Easy to tow. No need for any fancy hitch gear. Not even brakes when empty. Less strain than full size vans & hardly changes the economy. No mods required either. Not even clearance mirrors if towing a roadie with a 4x4.
Easy to move around the yard. You can actually push them by hand.
Easy to store. Thats where caravans spend most of there time anyway.
Heaps of room inside.
Great ventilation.
Usually much cheaper than full vans.
The thing I liked the most was there was 360 deg of windows to help enjoy the scenery.
Lots of negatives
Setting up & pulling down in the wet is a pain. If it is raining, just stay another day.
Can get a bit flappy in the wind.
No good for the all important smoko stops. Too hard to access things inside. Gotta carry a smoko box & a fridge in the car.
Gotta be conservative (or sneaky). You can wake up the whole van park if you get carried away. Your obviously not past that yet, so that might be an issue.
Usually have 3 way fridges. But that can be rectified.
The one I liked the least was that it was a caravan.
Hope that helps

G/Day Chris

We had a 2004 Jayco Finch Outback, we bought brand new, we kept it for 18 months, we used it on a regular basis, after a while little things like stiching around the Clears deteriorated, some of the trim around the canvas came undone,the Telescopic Supports started to give us trouble when raising and lowering the roof section, we found it was ok for 2 people, with an annex attached to it, and what gave us the horrors was putting it up and down when travelling, plus folding up wet canvas when it rained, they are a good entry level if you are progressing from a tent, I reckon a Camper Trailer is a lot quicker to erect ect, on the plus side we got what we paid for it when we sold it.

Cheers

Hi Chris

After owning both a Finch and now a Swan I would say go for:

1) the largest size you can afford to buy
2) the largest size you have room to store one
3) buy either an Eagle or a Swan. The layout is family friendly, PLUS the fridge is directly opposite the door. Ideal when its down, packed up and you want to get into the fridge.
4) you do not have to buy new or nearly new to get a great buy. Plenty of secondhand ones available that are in great nick and wont break down or fall apart. I suggest you buy from mid to late 90s on to get the modern shape with boot etc.
5) Buying secondhand will allow you to be sure you are suited to this style of camping etc without breaking the bank; you can modify it to suit yourself with the savings over near new; you wont panic each time the kids (or you) bump it etc; resale value is not going to shock you, they hold their value well

You will appreciate the extra storage room and extra space for each in the family when away, esecially on those rainy or really hot days when you just want your own space.

You can address the 3 way fridge issues if you have any. I have and mine works just fine.

Cheers....

We moved from a tent to a Jayco Dove and really enjoyed it. It is worth getting the canvas awnings that cover the bed ends it they are not on the one you are looking at. They add shade and keep the bed canvas clean and dry so you don't get messy canvas inside when you pack up - we were amazed how often it rained when we were packing up. It was still miles easier than the tent! A huge advantage over a tent that you will appreciate with small children is that these Jaycos are fully screened and off the ground so you can get away from mozzies and flies and creepy crawlies when necessary!
Some of those stacking plastic drawers from Bunnings were useful for clothes etc. They travelled on the floor or in the vehicle and spent the day on a bed. The 3 way fridge was excellent and could be run on gas so we were not restricted to camping near 240volt power connections or trying to run our Engel off a battery! A full solar set up seems a bit over the top for a Finch but no doubt it has been done!
You might find the Finch beds a bit smaller that the ones in the Dove or Hawk - a lot of couples seem to use them as two singles in the Finch.
We loved the way we could leave it packed with basic linen, cooking and eating equipment etc so it was quick to get ready and go at short notice.
We finally moved to a full caravan now that we are retired can go on long touring trips. For a six month trip we needed more storage and less setting up. The Dove was perfect for short camping trips not too far from home.
Good luck Lynne

I agree with PradOz,

We have had both the Flight (smaller than a Finch) and an now an Eagle.

I think the Finch will be too small for 4 people.

Have fun.