Jayco Expanda. Whats the deal????

[rickwagupatrol]

I see alot of you guys are starting to get the Expanda and was wondering if you could tell me a bit (lot ) more about them.
We have had a quick look at a few and they seem to be the right stuff so to speak, but at the same time there are alot of them for sale as well.
Why is this???

Is it just that people are buying them and realising they dont like the whole camping thing or are they not as good as seems?

Any and all comments appreciated.

rick.

P.s.  How do we tell which is an offroader??

[Bushman]

I think you'll find most of the ones for sale are simply due to people upgrading to full vans eg no canvas or from the earlier models (soft ended) to the newer Hard Lid (HD) models. or simply just dont require the van anymore.

The "Off roaders" are know as "Outback" basically different chassis with different options, bigger wheels, off road hitches (optional) suspension options etc, 

[dazzler]

We travelled oz for 4 months in a jayco swan.  Would have loved an expanda just for ease of setup.  But then I probably would have wanted a full size van with a shower/toilet.  But then I would have wanted a fifth wheeler with a slide out.....

[rickwagupatrol]

Bushman.
Yep, we are finally going to replace the Goldsream we sold last year and are looking at these Expanda's.
They seem to be the right stuff so to speak, but seing so many for sale, even the newer hard lid models have us wondering if people are finding that the Expanda is not all it is cracked up to be.
I'm hoping thzat the Expanda owners on here will be able to give us a better insight into them so that we can make a more informed decision.
I see Coromal have taken on the same style with what they call the Transformer ( hade to have a laugh at that, the missus reckons it should be Bumble Bee ).
Though the bed design does look smaller, it does seem easier to set up. Any thoughts???

Dazzler,,,yep know what ya mean, we started out renting a camper, then got a Jayco Dove to start, then onto the Goldstream and now possibly the Expanda.
A fifth wheeler would be nice, we even have a prime mover allready to pull it with. How long do ya reckon one would last behind a Ford Louiseville with Hendrickson spring arse end...lol

rick

[POD]

I'll give my view:

We had an Eagle. Was comfortable, did what we wanted but was a pain to set up if we were touring and we got caught in a bit of a storm that put the heebee geebies up me.

I always thought we would progress to an expanda. BUT - You still have canvas ends, the ends need to be folded up and down on arrival, the bed needs to be unmade and remade at every stop, the beds have a join in them which I found uncomfortable. We felt, for our wants, that the expanda would not really solve our issues.

We decided on a pop top, 17 footer. It has a shower/toilet and a full size bed that is always made up. It is pretty much perfect for us.

Look, I'm not saying that the expanda is not a top piece of kit because, quite frankly, I think they are fantastic. But for us (couple, no kids) we felt the pop top was a better fit. If you need more beds then the expanda would suit better. If you want to go a bit further off road then an Eagle or Swan, etc. If you want to go extreme off road then a KK or whatever.

YOU are the only one that can make the decision as to what suits you.

If you think you know which direction you want to go but not positive, then hie one for a weekend or week and see how you go.

I've heard it said that it will take three incarnations of your van/camper set-up until you get it right. That is exactly the number it took for us.

[jtraf]

I am in the same boat at the moment.  We are looking for a 16.49.2 expanda so that we have space for the five of use to sleep comfortably and also have an easier setup/packup.

I also thought about why there are so many on the market but it is like cars.  People have differing reason why they buy and sell.  If me buying their near new van for $$ saving and it suites my needs why not.

good luck with the purchase.....

[4wd26]

take a look at the other offerings in the same style.

some of the short comings of the Jayco design (beds needing to be made up every night don't happen with some of the other manufacturers


might be so many for sale due to tough times- recreation especially higher cost expandas is a luxury some cannot afford?
sell the van get a cheaper campertrailer as the compromise?

[Bushman]

As far as making beds go we leave the sheets on just remove pillows and doona's though if folded right you can leave doona  on , not realy an issue.

Granted some of the other models have a slighty better bed set up arrangement  eg Windsor Rapid wereby the canvas is actually attach to the lid and opens with it then just drop bed base down.

[mattz]

As said previously......have a look at all the "expander" type vans on the market......there are a few now.
The one we own,we only remove the pillows for pack up.
Set up is great.
As far as

[rickwagupatrol]

Okay so what other makes are there to have a look at.
We know about the Jayco and the Coromal, whats this about a windsor rapid???  Any others we should have a look at?

We have a ten year old daughter to cart around with us so we need more than something with just a double bed in it, this is why we are looking at the Expanda type for now. One day we may get the fifth wheeler...lol


rick.

[Bushman]

Okay so what other makes are there to have a look at.
We know about the Jayco and the Coromal, whats this about a windsor rapid???  Any others we should have a look at?

We have a ten year old daughter to cart around with us so we need more than something with just a double bed in it, this is why we are looking at the Expanda type for now. One day we may get the fifth wheeler...lol


rick.

Ok the choices are so far

Jayco Expanda      (many sizes and layouts)
Windsor Rapid        (  "       "       "        "     )
Parramount Duet    ( "        "       "        "     )
Coromal Transforma  2 x Layout
Concept Icon.

[4wd26]

Windsor caravans - make a "Rapid"- many choices in layout
I have the 472s (equivelent to a Jayco 16.49.6 poptop) shower toilet model
http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=5968.0

Mattz runs a 474s - hartop version of the shower toilet rapid

Parramount caravans make a "Transformer"

Obviously the Jayco and Coromal

not sure of others out there available now as I stopped looking/ researching when we got ours.

[rickwagupatrol]

Thanks for your help guys.
Now all we gotta do is decide which one we want...lol

rick.

[achjimmy]

Yep expandas are great if you want to tow a reasonable size van but sleep 5 or 6. I would look at the Rapids as well, although new I don't think any of the competitors get near the Jayco for the dollars they ask. I didn't think much of the coromals at he show last year. Very low overall height but i would have to wear a crash helmet to go  in and out of the door. We are on our 2nd 16ft Expanda and as Bushman says the beds pack up with basic sheets on and the hard lid is very easy to set up.

[Strawb]

Haven't been on here for a while, been busy. Got a brand new Windsor rapid 474S SE (Special Edition has all the bells and some whistles already installed) just before Xmas. Needed something that would sleep 3 to 5 and after coming from a Jayco Hawk wanted to be able to set up easily and be able to still park it on the driveway.
Liked how the bed ends folded up on the Rapids better than all the competitions. We spent around 6 months looking at the different set ups/ brands/models etc. Canvas folds up onto the bottom of the beds.
What I really like is how bloody easy they are to set up compared to the wind ups and when canvas is wet it doesn't  matter.
Oh I really like that the Misses really likes it too because that means I get out more.

[rickwagupatrol]

Okay so SWMBO is starting to really hint at the Expanda. So i have a few more questions.
Has anyone put 16 inch rims on an Expanda with 265/75r16 tyres?
If so, will Patrol 16 inch rims fit?
How high did fitting the bigger rims and tyres lift the Expanda?

Thats it for now. thanks again, 

rick.