jayco hawk vs flamingo
Submitted: Monday, Feb 15, 2010 at 16:09
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scoots68
Hi, I'm undecided about which camper trailer to buy & looking for some advice. I've 4 kids age 4 - 10 & we currently have a Swan. We want to change to either a Hawk or a Flamingo. The main reason for the change is so when weather is bad & we don't have the annexe set up we can all sit inside comfortably & eat together round the table. I like the floorplan of the Hawk better than the Flamingo (bigger seating area) but not sure about dropping actual camper trailer size as it means less overall space & storage etc. Would appreciate any opinions from those of you who may have one of these campers. Cheers.
Reply By: Hairs & Fysh (NSW) - Monday, Feb 15, 2010 at 20:06
Monday, Feb 15, 2010 at 20:06
Hi,
Is this the floor plan that your Swan has?
Image Could Not Be Found
If it is, it is nearly the same as our 87 model, it didn't have a table at the lounge end so I bought one of these
Wineglass Table leg
Fixed a piece of 12mm Marine ply to it and now we (2A 3K) can fit all of us around the table, Hail, rain or shine. When do in use it can lay on one of the beds and when traveling sits on the edge of the lounge and becomes a shelf to store the
camp chairs on. If we needed to, it could be used as another double bed.
The small table opposite the kitchen is now the youngest blokes bed, ours doesn't have the cupboard on the right as you first come up the stairs, it is the back of the
seat with storage under neath..
We don't use our annex walls at all. The camper has been lifted about 12" so they are too short ATM.
Our Swan is very comfortable for the five of us.
Hope this info is of some help.
AnswerID:
404346
Reply By: Member - Geoff H (QLD) - Monday, Feb 15, 2010 at 22:06
Monday, Feb 15, 2010 at 22:06
Another option might be to add to your current ennexe. Either sew on extra canvas or sew on some 2inch velcro and add some canvas or shadecloth walls.
We stiched velcro all round our kitchen tarp 16x20 and hang heavy duty shade cloth wherever we need it, although it's not waterproof the rain hits it and runs down to the ground with just some mist coming through.
Regards
Geoff
AnswerID:
404369
Follow Up By: Hairs & Fysh (NSW) - Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 06:32
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 06:32
Hi Geoff,
Last time we camped at the Mann River, a family had a Eagle that had the annex extended to the length of the bed flies and shade clothe walls. This made the annex a lot bigger, the shade cloth was made so it didn't drop straight down, but finished at the pegs at the end of the guy ropes. This made for a lot more room and not so Boxed in. We're are looking at getting shade cloth made to suit for the annex walls on ours. Our bed flies are made from the silver lined tarp and helps reflect a lot of the suns heat.
We also have a bag awning on the kitchen side, which is about 3 foot wide, amazing how much heat it takes off that side of the camper.
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Reply By: briann532 - Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 18:45
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 18:45
We had the same dilema last year.
We ended up with the Hawk as it was a little bit shorter, but it suprisingly gave more useable room.
The layout suits our family
well. We have had 4 kids in there......
But.....................
Its not something I would like to do long term.
We also liked the idea of the kids sitting away from the kitchen area.
Hot food, stove, boiling water etc.
With the Hawk, they could only reach the sink.
Have been inside plenty of Flamingo's and personally, much prefer the layout of the Hawk.
As far as storage goes, you'd be suprised, but I honestly believe there is more in the Hawk. You will need to change the door swing under the sink though.
It hinges on the wrong side for some stupid reason. Easy fixed though.
we also thought the
robe in the Flamingo was a bit silly. You have to fold it down when travelling................May as
well fold your clothes if they are going to end up on their side, and there is no way we would pack and unpack it every time we moved.
Just my 2 bob, hope it helps.
Brian
AnswerID:
404448
Follow Up By: scoots68 - Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 21:59
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 21:59
Hi Brian,
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Glad to hear you've had 4 kids inside a Hawk as I too llike the layout of the Hawk over the Flamingo, hubby is concerned about shorter van compared to what we've got with the Swan. If we're anywhere long term we always set up an annexe for the kids to sleep in, our biggest concern was we are doing NT later this year & will have lots of short stops with no annexe & wanted to fit everyone in at dinner time which I think the Hawk will do best. The bed converter seems to give a big enough double bed for 2 kids & we can extend the table if we need to. Our Swan has a fold down
robe too, like you say not much use for anything really! Cheers Rachael
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Reply By: Member - William B (The Shire) - Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 20:46
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 20:46
Hi scoots68,
As mentioned in another reply, the floorplan I would go for is whichever one
places the kids furtherest away from the cooking area.
Cheers,
William
AnswerID:
404467
Reply By: scoots68 - Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 22:02
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 22:02
Thanks Jon for your input. Our Swan is great when we've got the annexe up but we struggle to all eat inside. We do have the table top/bed extender & hadn't thought about using that as our permanent table so that's something to consider but I think our table is actually quite small so although the people might fit the food probably wouldn't! Might have to think about making a bigger top for it. Cheers Rachael
AnswerID:
404485
Follow Up By: Hairs & Fysh (NSW) - Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 at 10:55
Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 at 10:55
Hi Rachael,
Every little idea helps, whether you purchase another camper or modify the one that you have. It also gives you an idea what to look for in another camper.
Anyway, you'll sort it out,and happy travels
:)
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