Off Road Camper Trailer V Jayco

[JCAT]

We have owned 2 Jayco Swans, a 2002 model which we used to travel around Aus for 6 months, we sold it after 18 months to give us the money to build a new house. At the time we only had the one child, our 3 year old daughter. We spent around 150 nights in it and were able to do a basic set up (no annexe) in 12 minutes. With both annexes it was about 1.5 hrs.

The second was a 2006 model which we got after my wife went back to work. We kept that one for 4 years. At that time we had the 2 children, our son was 2 when we got it. My son slept on the double bed and our daughter on the kitchen table which we folded down every night. Again we spent 133 nights in that one.

We now have a Lifestyle Extenda Elite, which is 2.5 years old and have spent 109 nights in it.

We sold our last swan and purchased the lifestyle camper so we could go anywhere. After owning two swans and knowing other jayco owners I didn't trust them to stay together over hundreds of kilometres of corrugations. ( I know many people on here have done just that with there's ) The Jaycos were not set up for free camping so were only used at van parks.

Jayco

Kitchen inside makes it very easy to cook in all weather, we used our kitchen constantly to cook all sorts of food and just gave it a good airing whenever we got home
A quick or basic set up is quicker than our camper but a full set up takes the same amount of time
Was very comfortable lounging around on the club lounge
We tended to fall over each other, get in each others way, which is very frustrating in very hot and humid weather
Couldn't take it anywhere
Great resale

Camper

We are always outside, even when cooking which IS camping, just throw warmer clothes on and light a fire
We never take the tv anymore (always did in the Jayco)
Heaps more room for all the kids gear and mine
We can go anywhere, even caravan parks if SWMBO or the kids demand it for a change
We can eat on the side of the road by folding out the kitchen off the tailgate and have access to all our food
Less resale
Slightly longer set up (probably ten or so minutes more without the awning)


I think need to establish what sort of camping you want to do. More remote go the camper every time. Mainly parks then go the Jayco.

We have use both on touring trips we you are setting up and packing up every day and can honestly say the set up times and pack up times are very similar once you get yourself sorted out.

Just my opinions.

Good luck with your decision.




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[Dice]

RRP: $23,306 for the Dove outback model

We are getting roof mounted a/c
Independent suspension

Best price so far is circa $27k

Then we will be adding bed flys, awning, do35 hitch, hot water and shower etc etc

  The only problem with the A/C is you need to cart a genny around to use it or stay in caravan parks,we were going to get it on our swan but rated the solar more important in the end and a couple of 12v fans with the windows open provides a fair bit of air flow on those warm nights.

[jamesjfa]

Thank you for the detailed responses everyone. Much appreciated.


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[GraemeL]

We recently went through the caravan v's CT v's Campervan, I wanted something was very quick to not only setup but packup as well. It also had to be easily accessed when we wanted to stop for a beak and have a cuppa.
It also had to be off road, nothing really extreme though.

We settled on a CT, specifically a Grand Tourer, from Adventure Offroad Camper Trailers, it can be setup with just the tent and bed in 4 mins or complete including all walls to kitchen annexe in 15mins.
This has the best design I have seen in a CT, the bed is at normal bed height, so no need for a ladder and you don't need to climb over each other, it has a full length kitchen on one side and massive storage on the other. Whatever you have on the roof rack, stays on the roof rack, when setting up and packing up.
The kitchen easy easily accessed for the quick stops and nothing needs to be unpacked or moved.

[Just some guy]

I think a hire of one is the way to go to start off with. I don't have a brake controller on the Challenger, would one come with the hire do you know?

Cheers,
James

After selling our soft floor camper trailer (because we didn't like setting it up, packing it up at the camp site, then setting it up and packing it up again at home in the drive way because we always got soaked) - we hired a 16 foot caravan to see if we liked it - the caravan had electric brakes and had a brake controller fitted on the drawbar for people who didn't have one in their car (which must be fairly common).  He said they worked just fine but we had a controller fitted from our previous camper trailer so didn't use it.  I imagine most of the camper trailer / caravan hire places would have similar brake controllers fitted to the caravan - not sure how they work, but apparently they do... 

We found out within about 200 meters driving after picking it up that a 16 foot caravan wasn't for us - just too big to tow.  We ended up with a Jayco Penguin and having used it now many times over 18 months, we are very happy.  Its easy to set up and pack up, dries far quicker than our soft floor camper did and has comfortable places to sit and cook inside if the weather is cold or wet.  It is so much more practical and comfortable for us.  BUT we don't take it anywhere rough, and wouldn't.  It just wouldn't hold up.  So we camp somewhere that doesn't require going over rough tracks to get there, then just take the Hilux to go sight seeing.

So, overall - it depends on how far off the bitumen you wish to camp - good gravel or dirt roads are fine for a Jayco but if you have to use 4WD to get through obstacles (other than slippery surfaces) then I think a much more rugged and compact camper trailer would be better suited.

Hiring something (although a lot of $) is a great way to find out if you like something.

[jamesjfa]

Went up to Newcastle today and had a look at the Jayco dealership. My wife (and I admit I) liked the look of the Eagle. Seemed a good size for us. I asked the salesman for a ball park figure and he came up with $24149 for the tourer and $27149 for the outback. This included bag end flys. Just as we'll I was sitting down lol. Now if the minister of finance is happy to spend that on a Jayco then only fair I get to look at other options in the same price range ?

Still going to keep my options open. Have to hire a Jayco style to to see if it suits us.

Cheers
James


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[Bird]

Went up to Newcastle today and had a look at the Jayco dealership. My wife (and I admit I) liked the look of the Eagle. Seemed a good size for us. I asked the salesman for a ball park figure and he came up with $24149 for the tourer and $27149 for the outback. This included bag end flys. Just as we'll I was sitting down lol

what price range were you expecting?

[jamesjfa]

I had an idea it would be in that range. I guess if I was going to buy today and sat down with them properly I may have gotten a better price. That will come later when I know which way we are going to go.


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[BigJules]

It's only a couple of weeks until the Rosehill Show, then you can check out all of the options.

[briann532]

I thought my jayco was an off road camper trailer..............

I've owned my hawk for about 4 years now and it goes most places. Just have to have a rig suitable to tow it there.

Numerous water crossing, high country, 3 x outback trips, countless runs in low range through forests and parks.
Slowly, cautiously and no problems so far.
I did seal mine underneath completely with sikaflex and sprayed it with paint to seal the timber. No probs so far.
The underbody has copped a full sandblasting from the stones, but that happens to anything you tow out there. A can of hammertone every couple of years fixes that.

I could never ever go back to a conventional camper after owning the jayco. In a recent thread I was considering upgrading, but they don't have what I want right now so next jump will have to be an expanda. No $ at them moment (just upgraded car)

I couldn't recommend the jayco enough and after years of ribbing from our 4wd club, most of them now own jayco's............... 

Go to the dark side, you'll never look back...............

Cheers
Brian

[CRW]

I must admit, for my own circumstances I started out with a Jayco Swan Outback then went to a Complete Campsite Soft floor and recently upgraded  to the Complete Campsite Hard floor.  very different path to some, but I go off road a lot and some extreme track at that so I needed some thing that could handle the rougher stuff a bit better than the Jayco, don't get me wrong i have nothing against the Jayco which is a capable rig, just not for me and the places we go.

[cruisindub]

Thank you for the detailed responses everyone. Much appreciated.

Also, Thanks form me.
Chester, stozz, Jcat, some great replies there. pros/cons and great explanations and reasons of why decisions were made.
Great information and valuable input.
Thanks again,
Cheers, cruisindub.

(we are thinking also of changing our camping/touring setup)

[robsjack]

I went from tent camping to a soft floor but it hasn't improved the setup time much at all. Whilst we generally only camped for a week at a time a couple of times a year this was ok but we're at the stage now where our kids are all big and dont camp with us anymore. I'd like to get away a bit more regularly for shorter weekend trips. Since we're not into heavy offroading I think the Jayco outback would suit us fine. It seems that a setup with one of those quick awnings would only take you 1/2hr or so which sounds good to me. It also seems that whilst they're not rated for "true" offroading it seems that with a few mods to improve their strength and careful driving you can take them most places.

Just have to save some pennies......

I'm looking forward to having a good look around the rosehill show.

rob

[BigJules]

Whilst the soft floor campers might all like similar they aren't. It shouldn't take a long time to set up a well designed camper.

[sanz]

Hi all ...timely thread.

We have gone through the same process. Made a list of what we actually want to do and then looked all ALL possible solutions to see what would mostly fit. Started with CTs and then investigated the windups, then the crossovers, poptops and then vans.

Really came down to research and physically looking at different options of each variety.

For a while it was looking like we'd be going for a windup like an Eagle. Having crawled all over numerous examples, testing things out, looking at construction, looking at new versions and old versions etc, and then researching online, I've come to the conclusion that they WILL NOT be suitiable for us. Main reason being one of our main requirements was offroad ability/construction/ruggedness. While ticking a few other boxes they didn't tick that main one. Creature comforts just didn't outweight the ability to go anywhere we wanted to see.

A combination of size, weight and again offroad ability knocked off the poptops and vans, although there was some we looked at that were VERY nice inside and out and had aircon, toilet/shower etc ... those features started looking appealing. In the end we'd have had to sacrifice seeing some parts of the country. Again not something we were negotiating on.

That left the crossovers and CTs ... and to my mind at this point the CTs are in front by a long shot for a number of reasons (not just price).

So we are looking at all the CTs we can. The ones we are focussing on will get us everywhere we want to go, with enough space to carry the gear we'll need and be comfortable enough to travel with for at least 6 months. The price will allow us more onroad luxuries on our travels with some left as backup/safety. The kids will love it, SWMBO will get used to it (we'll still have hot showers etc) and we'll get to actually SEE parts of the country that the caravan park crowd won't even know existed.

Win-win all round I reckon. Our $0.02 anyway ... thanks for listening ;-)

Sanz

[GUEY]

We where 50-50 when deciding between Jayco and camper.
What sold us the Jayco in the end was that we quite often come home wet from camping.
For the size camper trailer we would need as a family we don't have the room to set up at home to let it air and dry.
The Jayco can be set up in a lot narrower space (half a double driveway) with the awnings hanging. Can be left this way for a couple of weeks if need be.

[kiva]

What sold us the Jayco in the end was that we quite often come home wet from camping.
For the size camper trailer we would need as a family we don't have the room to set up at home to let it air and dry.

Although we have different CT's, we share the same problem - drying stuff when there isn't the space.

[Fly Fisher]

Hi all ...timely thread.

We have gone through the same process. Made a list of what we actually want to do and then looked all ALL possible solutions to see what would mostly fit. Started with CTs and then investigated the windups, then the crossovers, poptops and then vans.

Really came down to research and physically looking at different options of each variety.

For a while it was looking like we'd be going for a windup like an Eagle. Having crawled all over numerous examples, testing things out, looking at construction, looking at new versions and old versions etc, and then researching online, I've come to the conclusion that they WILL NOT be suitiable for us. Main reason being one of our main requirements was offroad ability/construction/ruggedness. While ticking a few other boxes they didn't tick that main one. Creature comforts just didn't outweight the ability to go anywhere we wanted to see.

A combination of size, weight and again offroad ability knocked off the poptops and vans, although there was some we looked at that were VERY nice inside and out and had aircon, toilet/shower etc ... those features started looking appealing. In the end we'd have had to sacrifice seeing some parts of the country. Again not something we were negotiating on.

That left the crossovers and CTs ... and to my mind at this point the CTs are in front by a long shot for a number of reasons (not just price).

So we are looking at all the CTs we can. The ones we are focussing on will get us everywhere we want to go, with enough space to carry the gear we'll need and be comfortable enough to travel with for at least 6 months. The price will allow us more onroad luxuries on our travels with some left as backup/safety. The kids will love it, SWMBO will get used to it (we'll still have hot showers etc) and we'll get to actually SEE parts of the country that the caravan park crowd won't even know existed.

Win-win all round I reckon. Our $0.02 anyway ... thanks for listening ;-)

Sanz

Hi Sanz,

I was just curios to where you were thinking you could take a offroad camper but not a jayço outback? We were going through the same questions / concerns as you (and many others have) when trying to decide on a camper trailer and couldn't really name that many places were you might take a strong off road camper trailer but not a Jayco. My parents in law just bought an oddysey and it weighs 1200 kg losded up so not that much lighter then a jayco c/t. Yes it is a fair bit narrower. I think the Jayco chassis and suspension is very well built and could handle the off road as much as most c/t out there.

So it got me thinking again where are these people talking about when they say they would take there c/t there but wouldn't take a Jayco and what is it based on? Interior strength? Chassis strength? Weight? Height? Width?

Love to hear your thoughts

Cheers

[MDSimpson]

We also did the hire before you buy thing. We were originally tent campers, SWMBO hated it...
First hire was a Complete Campsite 16foot (older model) not too bad, but dark inside, and yes it rained almost the whole weekend. Admittedly, it was without LED lights and all the smart stuff available.
Next was to try a Jayco Swan Outback, but the hire mob did not have an annex, so we ended up taking their Expanda and loved it, just couldn't afford to buy one..
We then borrowed a 2004 Jayco Eagle Outback, without battery and free camped for a weekend, hooked up to the battery in my Prado.

We ended up with a Jayco Flamingo 2007 as my wife is a big fan of flat surfaces, like the hard floor, bench tops etc..
While we do like outside, cooking is done inside, for things like pasta, veges etc.. the meat is cooked outside on the Weber Q.

We love it...

FWIW, the guys we hired off seem to be closing their doors and selling their Jayco's on ebay, they have a Swan, Expanda and Sterling.

[Streety]

who was it?

[nbd73]

Fly fisher, most comments relate to the interior cupboards & fixtures and how they are put together. The general consensus is that they aren't built to withstand corrugations and repetitive jarring. The gold stream brochure advised against these conditions also. And width is an issue. For rocky terrain and sand they're ok if you take it easy.

[chester ver2.0]

Width
Weight
Dust Ingress

These are the 3 that limit how far i take the goldstream off road in order but really i am stoked with our storm for what we do which i would label dirt road camping.

We also purchased what is called a bed swag for when we do the dusty tracks (Oodnadatta some of the Gibb and maybe great central road in 2014) and we lay some excess canvess over the lounge everything else can be wiped down when you get there

[Fly Fisher]

Obviosly there will be issues with how far people take them off road due to there weight and how wide they are but if the only issues to towing a jayco/goldstream style camper to the same places as any other off road camper trailer are some interior latches breaking, a few cupboard issues and a bit of dust then I would hardly call that not capable enough to handle what another off road camper could.

Of course this is just my opinion but so far other then the width of the jayco c/t there hasn't been enough evidence put forward to say that the jayco style camper is not good off road. I have no doubt they have there limits as does every c/t but you seem to read about allot of people that have taken these certainly off the beaten track when towed with care.

[nbd73]

I optioned my GS with the VC independent coil suspension. Now I have read the opinions of a well respected media contributor on here who believes that is totally unnecessary for a trailer. I am in no position to say I know more, but having towed a normal box trailer with leaf springs and no shockies I can say the GS coil set up is a 100% improvement, and goes a long way to limiting any impact transferred to the trailer body. It is amazing to tow, and handled the rocks at Teewah Beach at Easter without a drama. I would think in standard form the issue (tied up with dust ingress) would be deep water crossings, but if you intend to do that sort of thing your 4wd will need modding with snorkel, extended diff & transfer case breathers etc, so a few mods to the trailer would sort that out. In any event, the floor level is pretty high> you would be up at almost window level on the car before the CT was in trouble. Suits my purposes and use, and most importantly fits in the garage with roof 80% up when not in use, which I believe to be one of the keys to preservation of canvas etc.

[schmik]

Maybe check out the hardfloors.  Something like a CUB is halfway between a jayco and a soft floor.

mike