Walkthru/Exenda and 9' vs 12' tents

[Fun Police]

We were at Canberra yesterday to start our search and came across an interesting dilemma re campers and tent sizes.

Looking at the setups on show (and we'll only consider Aussie made), a lot had 12' tents with standard width sleepers.
Some had 9' tents with extenda/walkthru sleepers.

None had extenda/walkthru sleepers and 12' tents on display.

Now, this has become a bit of a debate in our house hold.... my thoughts are to go 9' with and extenda as this should be ample room (2 kids, no more).

Wife has said for $600 odd more, why not get the 12' and be sure.  She also refuses to have bunks (for safety reasons).

Looking at her perspective andd oing a rough CAD outline the dimensions of the extenda/12' is around 5.4m square. 
Fine for the standard 6m x 6m caravan/camping ground powered spot we seem to be finding. So no lockout issues there.
Doesn't matter too much in the bush or where sites are not powered.

I guess my question is - is it going to be a PITA to set this up or is it not too much of a worry and ("Happy wife, happy life").

I can see us travelling north (say) and doing overnight stops on the way then basecamping for a week, and weekend trips.

What do people think??  Throw it out there for the pros/cons!!

[crackacoldie]

We have a 12' extended/walk-in challenge camper, pleanty of room for the kids and for us to not trip over one another when getting dressed etc.  Has 4 poles to put in for setup (2 legs and 2 spreaders) and in calm conditions 4 pegs.  Maximum setup time 10mins (for an overnighter without the awning).  The 9' version has 4 poles and pegs, less room, same setup time.  Choice is ease, as you say "Happy Wife - Happy life".

  Cracka

[baldheadedgit]

For an extra 600,,,, go for it,,, extra bit of room can make a big dif..
As far as setup goes,, it depends on the brand, some 9' can be a pain as much as a 12' can..
But on saying that some 12+ footers are easy as well... when your out there looking, go thru the setup with the seller, only make sure they let you have a go,, some guys can make it look like a walk in the park..

 

BHG

[barneys]

fun police  which camper are you looking at

[Fun Police]

Great Aussie.  They seem to tick all the right boxes

[browny81]

For us we have the 12ft not extenda If we had the extra dollars would have an extenda anyday though i would go (9/10ft for ease of setup most of our camping is the same weekend trips (1/2 nights) Touring 2/3 weeks setting up every 2nd to 3rd night I personlly don't like spending 3/4 hr setting up including chairs tables gas etc etc.

[nisnav]

Have a look at the Tambo Omeo it is a walk up / extenda with a 10ft tent as standard I think
All Aussie made here in Vic and a great package lots of owners on here to ask them about them
www.tambocampers.com.au,

[Fun Police]

Looked at the idea of the Tambo's.
Great campers however they are getting out of our price range.
Once you add in the price of the awning walls etc it ends up being around $25k or so.

Looks like we will go with the 12' tent, but want to have a go first to see if it is a titanic struggle or fairly easy.

[rodsswag]

Hi Fun Police, I have an 8ft extenda set up just me and the boy. If I had my the extra $$$$$ I would of got a 12ft just as easy to set up. The only down fall is the little extra weight in a bigger tent, but if that doesn't worry you why not spend the extra $$$$ for the extra space especially when the wife is asking for it. Happy wife happy life goes without saying 
Just my oppion

Rod......

[Mumof3]

We have a 10ft tent, not an extenda . We have 3 kids, but use bunks. Plenty of room, but got all annex walls and this gives us extra room and protection from all the rain and also the cold in winter. I was adamant that I wanted the 12ft, but JT talked us out of it. Said some caravan parks can be greedy and can charge 2 sites, said hubby will hate the extra hassle of extra canvas having to put it up by himself.

[Mumof3]

Another thing Fun Police, is that Great Aussie Campers hire out trailers. Don't know if they hire out the extenda though. We hired from them a couple of years ago to see if we enjoyed camping in one, before we purchased a trailer.

[Dion]

We have a 10ft Extenda (Lifestyle) and its perfect.  I think the 12ft tents are just a little too much canvas, especially on a extenda camper.

We have a Q/S self inflator on a Q/S stretcher on the floor in ours for the critter(s) and still plenty of room for bags, walking around, fridges etc.

[crackacoldie]

some caravan parks can be greedy and can charge 2 sites

I have only struck this once, so we went to the freecamp just outside town, the greedy park didn't get our money then.

  Cracka

[Matto]

We have a 10ft Extenda (Lifestyle) and its perfect.  I think the 12ft tents are just a little too much canvas, especially on a extenda camper.

+1 (apart from the Lifestyle bit  )

10ft is plenty for us, because you've got the extra 2" (3" in the Lifestyle??)  of width to the tent courtesy of the extenda walkway.

Good luck!
Matto

[johnmm]

G'day, we saw GA for the first time at the Qbyn show as well. Didn't see the extenda though. We were considering just a 12 ft top for our trailer, but now having looked at extenda on the website not so sure. We have two boys and a girl (under ten) and thought the 10ft would be okay, however the 12ft was impressive, but that is considering our existing floor space is about 7x7ft. Probably not helping your dilemma but consider what happens when the weather turns bad.....would you need the extra then? On a side note, what were your thoughts on the window mesh? Seemed pretty big holes although they said they would do a midgie version but didn't recommend it due to reducing airflow.

Cheers
JohnMM

[Fun Police]

After the Newcastle show on the weekend we are definitely going with Great Aussie, with the extenda and with the 10' standard tent.

Lifestyle had the 10' setup with their extenda on show and it was heaps of room. IMO the 12' tent with the extenda would be overkill, plus very heavy.

As for the screens, have a look at the better quality of the GA screens vs the smaller midge proof ones.

We're sticking with the standard ones for ventilation as where we will be sandflies etc should be minimal. Nothing a mosquito candle or net won't fix if we really have issues

[BigJules]

Lifestyle had the 10' setup with their extenda on show and it was heaps of room. IMO the 12' tent with the extenda would be overkill, plus very heavy.

I think you're absolutely spot on here. The 10' tent on an Extenda has a heap of room inside, you could easily fit several sets of bunks/stretchers/swags and still be able to walk around without kicking the kids. Plus, they're not so heavy that putting them up is an effort and they don't extend so far that finding a commercial campsite becomes challenging.

The one advantage of a 12' or wider tent is the extra annex space out the back, but hey, you're camping/holidaying, why do you want to be inside the tent or the annex for too long unless it's to cook, eat, get dressed, sleep or snuggle.

If you need more room than this, look at an extra room that fits to the front of the tent, which is inside the camper footprint. Having had one of these, I foudn I used it only when we set up for a week, even though it was easy to put up and pack away.

[earle]

I have a 12' non-extanda and find the canvas quite easy to put up by myself. 10' extenda would probably give heaps of room inside.

Like BigJules my thoughts go to the annex. With two little kids we find the 12' annex great. Roll up the canvas and its pretty much just a large screened area, keeps the insects away from the kids and the food. Also good for inclement weather.

[LJs GU]

Fun Police,

We've got a 10' with the extenda/walkway option on our Camel Bushman.

We have 3 kids (4, 6 & 8y/o).  For their bedding, we have two options: use 3 stretchers or, a bunk bed plus 1 stretcher (4 & 6 sleep on bunk). Even with 3 stretchers, we find there's still plenty of room, (especially in the morning when we're all getting dressed).  However we do put their clothes bags (and ours) under the stretchers.  If they had mattresses, then it might be a bit more cramped.  Something to consider??

Also, on the bunks, I initially thought that they would be dangerous/wobbly, but surprisingly they're very very sturdy.  My only fear is the little ones rolling off from the top, but the side rail reduces that.  The BIGGEST problem with them is setting the b@stards up.  I don't mind them if we're staying somewhere for a week, but for overnighters they get the 'A'.

We (not me alone, but SWMBO as well) chose NOT to go the larger 12' as someone mentioned about camp site sizes.  9 times out of 10 that's not a factor, BUT we have been camping twice when it would have been a problem. (Wilsons prom site and Lake Nagambie). I don't think the extra weight and extra time (if any) would put me off them.

Anyway all what I've just said is crap, because I guarantee that if you go the 9'/10' tent you'll always be thinking about the 12'.  And it sounds like 'someone in your family' will always hold that over your head.  That's life hey?

LJ

[cancan]

The thing to look at also is by going the larger size you not only gain extra space in the tent section but you also gain extra space in the annex.
We always have extra kids turn up to play with ours and when it rains it has been good with the extra space (we have a 13ft tent but no walkthrough yet) plus we have a large table/bench combo and we have room to still move around.
We are looking at upgrading at the moment and the annex space is a more a concern with us compared to tent space as we only sleep and get dressed in the tent and spent anyother time at the CT in the annex.

[Fun Police]

Fun Police,

We've got a 10' with the extenda/walkway option on our Camel Bushman.

We (not me alone, but SWMBO as well) chose NOT to go the larger 12' as someone mentioned about camp site sizes.  9 times out of 10 that's not a factor, BUT we have been camping twice when it would have been a problem. (Wilsons prom site and Lake Nagambie). I don't think the extra weight and extra time (if any) would put me off them.

Anyway all what I've just said is crap, because I guarantee that if you go the 9'/10' tent you'll always be thinking about the 12'.  And it sounds like 'someone in your family' will always hold that over your head.  That's life hey?

LJ

The wife is happy with the 10' tent now after seeing them in the flesh, so that's good.  We'll stick with it.  After all it's only 24" 

[Frostd]

We have a 10 foot extenda (Lifestyle). The kids sleep on either swags on the floor or on individual beds on either side of the tent, with plenty of room to walk between them.  We also have a table that stands just inside the door.  There is plenty of room to do what we need.  Extra 2 feet, will add extra weight and will have to be folded up under the the cover.  If your concerned about the difficulty in putting the 12 foot tent up, ask to have a crack at one v's a 10 foot tent.

[Desert lover]

We have a Challenge (meridian) C/T which folds out from the side.... has a 12 ft tent .  Great space, holds q/s concertina bed to sleep second couple and still have space to have table if required.  Also 12 ft annex.   Not sure how the extenda works compared to our set up but definately go the extra space...when it is raining and the kids are 'home' it is worth every dollar!

Cheers,

[Top.ender]

Fun Police,

We've got a 10' with the extenda/walkway option on our Camel Bushman.

We have 3 kids (4, 6 & 8y/o).  For their bedding, we have two options: use 3 stretchers or, a bunk bed plus 1 stretcher (4 & 6 sleep on bunk). Even with 3 stretchers, we find there's still plenty of room, (especially in the morning when we're all getting dressed).  However we do put their clothes bags (and ours) under the stretchers.  If they had mattresses, then it might be a bit more cramped.  Something to consider??

Also, on the bunks, I initially thought that they would be dangerous/wobbly, but surprisingly they're very very sturdy.  My only fear is the little ones rolling off from the top, but the side rail reduces that.  The BIGGEST problem with them is setting the b@stards up.  I don't mind them if we're staying somewhere for a week, but for overnighters they get the 'A'.

We (not me alone, but SWMBO as well) chose NOT to go the larger 12' as someone mentioned about camp site sizes.  9 times out of 10 that's not a factor, BUT we have been camping twice when it would have been a problem. (Wilsons prom site and Lake Nagambie). I don't think the extra weight and extra time (if any) would put me off them.

Anyway all what I've just said is crap, because I guarantee that if you go the 9'/10' tent you'll always be thinking about the 12'.  And it sounds like 'someone in your family' will always hold that over your head.  That's life hey?

LJ

We,ve got a 14 ft tent made by Aus Wax Converters and although I,ve never had anything smaller I can assure you that the weight of the tent is alot more than I would have expected.So much so that if i was made aware of the weight I would have considered a smaller tent.I,d be interested to hear from anyone else about the weight of their tent!!!     P.S ..and before the snickers start I,m 6,4 weigh 108 kgs and go to the gym 4 times a week!!!