Pop top caravan V Pop up camper - Husband V Wife

Hi Jodie
We have a pop top trailer (goldstream wing). We thought that the ease of towing and the fact that we can camp pretty much where we want was a good enough pay off for the packing. However friends of ours have just changed their pop top for an expander [jayco]. He decided that as they were going to stay in caravan parks the expanda was a better option.
Although we haven't yet been away for a big trip we are looking at replacing our tow vehicle with a twin cab ute, this will mean [hopefully] that we will be able to pack more stuff in the car making access easier. We might even end up with a smaller fridge in the car also so we can make lunch before leaving.
Hope my totally in-experienced thoughts will help you to make your near impossible decision easier.
Richard

Hi jodie, we have a goldstream wing poptop and love it!
The only time I'll trade up to a caravan or pop top caravan is when we're old and not interested in anything other than bitumen and van parks, don't see that happening any time soon.
Yes we are a little envious when we see caravans pull up, pop out the awning, and crack the beer. We have 2 kids and 2 dogs, so we haul a lot of gear ( on the road for a total 2 years ish) BUT you don't see them in the camps we get to go to.
Right now we're camped at Inskip point, on the way to Fraser this morning. There's no way a caravan could have fit under the trees to get where we are, and I wouldn't be taking a caravan over to Fraser.
As for storage, there is heaps of room in them, ofcourse it all has to come out when we set up for a night, but it's really not too much hassle. I can get to my fridge by removing just one big box of clothes also.
We do a fair amount of one or two night stops too, and it's not too much of a bother, sure beats working thats for sure.

Either way you'll love what ever you get, either one will be a compromise on certain things, there is always a better option out there no matter what you get.
Enjoy your travels
Troy

Both types have their advantages. I would say a pop up camper is ok if you intend to stop at a location for a while and getting to in accessible places but if you are travelling I would suggest a caravan, pop top or full size. With a caravan you can easily pull up and have a quick brew without too much trouble and of course if inclement weather should be around with a caravan you are better off than in a pop up camper especially with a 3yo kid.
Then there is packing up. With a caravan you just hook up and go but with a camper you have to pack things away and if it is raining at the time you cannot leave the camper folded away for too long and don't forget the 3yo kid. When it is bed time their bed is already made up and all you need to do is pop them in it.
My son-in-law had a camper and you should have seen the hassle he had packing it up in the rain. He couldn't stay on the site extra time due to his work schedule
Just my two bobs worth

Jodie,
I have a pop up pull out camper trailer and for nightly stops it is too much work to set up and pack up.It is a great camper when set up for longer stays and very roomy and comfortable.For being on the road i too like the Windsor Rapid for ease of set up or a good lightweight pop top caravan.
Good luck with your choice .
Mark

Hi Jodie,

I cant help you with your specific question as we have a very minimal travelling set-up and no children coming along on the trip. But as fairly experienced travellers may I suggest the following:

There is no perfect set-up, everything is a compromise. Also whatever you start out with you will change and modify it as you gain experience. I guess the trick is to get as close to what you want initially so the changing does not become too expensive or too difficult.

I have seen quite a lot of campers with external pull-out kitchens. See if you can have a look at some. If you can go to a well used camping area and chat to those who are camped there you will find that most are happy to show you their rig.

Perhaps try hiring a van and a camper trailer for a few days to see how you like them, both from the towing and living angles. The cost may pay dividends later on.

Also when you are travelling you do need to be organised. For us this means having a place for everything - and keeping everything in its place. It also means having lists of what we have and where it is kept. Sounds a chore but once you get the hang of it, it makes life a lot simpler. It also means having a routine for setting up and pulling down your camp so important things dont get overlooked etc.

If you click on our blogs link and scroll through you will find our blog on our Troopy set-up which may give you some ideas about living out of the vehicle while you camper is closed up.

Have a great trip whatever set-up you choose.

Cheers,

Val.

Hi Jodie,

I have had a Windsor Rapid, a Camper trailer (Camprite) and now have a Quantum. I understand your dilema and it sounds as if you have very similair needs to my family.

Our Windsor was great, but you cooked inside, washed up inside and unfortunately spent too much time inside. its a great van but too easy to spend too much time inside.

So we went for the Camprite. Its arguably the best camper trailer on the market for a family of 4. We had a great time in it and I do sometimes regret selling it. But as you say, storage was always an issue.

We recently upgraded to the Quantum and it has the best of both worlds. The main things were the slideout outside kitchen and a rollout awning while having full offroad capabilities. It also does have a shower/toilet and after never having one i must admit they are a godsend. It also has a lot of other features that makes it the best compromise for our purposes. we would have no hesitation in setting off for a 6+ month tour of Aus on any roads with it. the only drawback is its price :(

Given what your requirments and budget is, i would go the Windsor Rapid, it would serve you well.

Cheers

Captain

Jodie,
Pass this on to your husband.

Mate go with what the wife wants, makes for an easier life and when things go wrong, it's her fault.

Just speaking from experience.

Des

On our 3mth 1/2 lap of Oz we put our wind-up camper (a Goldstream Wing... welcome to the Goldstream love-in.. never seen so many posts by owners in the one place before!) 56 times. Never found it a hassle other than making sure the door was exactly where the Mrs wanted it! However, we manage to keep our camper pretty free of clutter... we only have a couple of things that travel on the seats (doonas & pillows). Everything has it's place and gets put back there at worst the night before we intend to move. We generally open it up at lunch stops as we prefer to make our lunch when we want it rather than in the morning, but we only lift the roof enough (2-3 cms) to open the door and use the external table. We can then get at the fridge and pantry (how easy this is can depend on the campers layout) for whatever takes our fancy (this also lets me to occasionly convince her that since we haven't made our lunch, we can grab a pie instead!). We don't have the need to sit down or have a nana-nap during stops... in fact we take a footy and have a kick to get some exercise into our boys (we also try to find playgrounds so they can have a run around).

I don't think there's enough difference to towing a full van to a wind-up, the wind-up won't be much (if any) lighter. Maybe if you're got strong winds you might feel the full van a bit more. Not enough difference to base your selection on this aspect entirely. We've been a couple of places where a full height van would have struggled to get to due to over hanging tree branchs, but in general that's not an issue unless your comparing it to places you might drag a camper-trailer. The wind-ups are still wide, and in our case long too.

A hard sided van (pop top or otherwise) has many benefits over a wind-up but one thing that doesn't get much of a mention very often is the ability to open a wind-up up and let the breeze flow through. We've used the in-laws full van and find it very dark, hot (can't always run the noisy A/C) and claustrophobic. You take your full van to some scenic vista and can't see it!

They are some crossover (half camper/half caravan) campers with external kitchens but they are all high priced units. We do most of our 'frying' outside on a portable BBQ (single burner on a bottle, which doubles as our cooking when we leave the camper behind and use a tent for some reason) with the other preparations including any veggie cooking inside. We have campfires on occasion and cook spuds/damper in the coals along with meat on a steel plate with legs we have for this purpose.

Not sure about prices of Windsor Rapids but you may struggle to get either that or a Goldstream at the lower end of your budget. A Jayco will be possible. I wouldn't discount a Jayco, it may not be as good but one hooked up to your car is better than a Goldstream in the dealers yard! They are a few other brands similar to the Rapid (eg Paramount Duet) so look around.

So... for a 6mth+ trip, I think I'd recommend a hard sided van (pop-top, fold out beds, whatever suits) if you can find one suitable (size, beds, cost) but if you're organised, a wind-up is a valid option and not that much of a problem to put up and down.

Cheers, Nige

Hi Jodie, You sound like you know what you want so go for it. As others have mentioned on this site there a fores & against every aspect of mobile accommodation!! We have had full van, pop top & Jayco out back & loved them all. We hardly ever cook inside or wash dishes. The pull out kitchens can be great but sometimes a hinderance too. If the wind changes we pick up our table (Light aluminium) our one burner chinese made stove (or if more jets needed out three burner stove) and move out of the elements. I suppose with a fixed kitchen you could alway rig up protection with an extra tarp or whatever when it blows in under your awning. We carry our Engel in the vehicle & a small supply of biscuits, cheese, cold meat etc.. to make sandwiches & have no need to access our Jayco. It's a dream to tow weighing just over a tonne & you are not pulling a "sail" into the wind....that knocks the fuel economy around..but hey, some people pull full vans around Australia in excess of 3 tonne fully loaded and are not bothered by their huge fuel bill!!! Anyway good luck & tell your husband...."happy life...happy wife"

As so many earlier respondants have mentioned you get what suits you. We have 2 girls now 9 & 7 and owned a jayco style camper trailer for 8 years from before they were born until 18 months ago when we bought the Windsor Rapid offroad and would not look back, it was the best move we ever made. We spent at least 8 weeks a year away in the Jayco when kids small (before school) and had a blast, the only downside was setup time, newer ones are way better but still don't compare to the rapid. To do a long stint away, moving every few days I really believe the expanda/rapid is the way to go. I admit the camper was 22 years old but for $5000 it was a start, serious lack of storage for a family, a bugger to stop for lunch and in the end a fair weather only camper after enduring 1 too many storms with kids scarred the roof was coming in on 50km/hr winds springing up during the night not to mention days packing up in the wet trying to keep beds dry. The rapid is due to be away for 3 months from April and test runs show ample storage for 4, setup in 3-5 minutes(including unhoooking from car) space for portaloo and offroad allows similar access to spots as camper trailer. If we were to spend 20-30,000 we would not spend it on a camper trailer (just our opinion) it is too big a compramise for the money. As an indication we got a 2006 rapid offroad, 1 owner for $23500 in immaculate condition,(we looked for 4 months though) so it comes down to time and personnal preference.
You wont look back, we love our rapid!!!

When we were deciding the same thing my wife thought about how often I would go off fishing and leave her in the campsite. From a security point of view she went with the van. Didn't like the idea of only having canvas around her with the camper option.

Can any one tell me the height of the kitchens in a Goldstream Camper, are they higher than in a Jayco..I noticed they were very low when at Caravan expo last year and I did not like them at all. I am not super tall but I hate short assed benches.