Some Jayco questions

[olfella]

Hi all.
As I mentioned , my Introductions  thread, I’m seriously interested in a new Jayco Penguin Outback. I’m wondering what accessories are worthwhile.

The salesman mentioned electric raising of the roof, air or solo, not both, for weight purposes,  and the slide out BBQ.
There are things that I would also like such as the twin water tanks, twin gas bottles and a few others that I’ve read about here on this great site.

I love my bush camping, especially on a river somewhere, so 12 volt power is a consideration.
So I’m after some help from the experienced members, particularly those with the Jayco’s.
Thanks for your help.
Ian. 

[chester ver2.0]

Electric raising of the roof i would not bother with the old handle does it easy enough

Twin water tanks yes as it is supprising how much water you go through

I would also consider solar if you are going to park by a river with no power for a while

Twin gas bottles unless you have a hot water sytem dont bother i 9kg bottle lasts me 5 weeks cooking and running the fridge

If i had my time again i would get them to make a custom hatch so i could have a webber Baby Q in there rather than the roll out stove the like to call a BBQ

This is all coming from a goldstream owner (similar style to Jayco)

[dazzler]

Wished we had the slide out bbq on our old jayco.  We almost never cooked inside!

How much is the electric raising option and does it come with a handbag?

[fishfinder]

never cook in side dont have a slide out bbq not keen on the idea. We always on free standing bbq but i do like the idea of placing the bbq away from under the annex under a shady tree not having it fixed to the side of the van

[Argle]

12V for sure - maybe look at an external 12v point that can be used to plug a solar panel into (one of the folding types you can move around with the sun rather than roof mounted) 

[Mandrake]

For the solar and 12v stuff refer to my Mandrake n Nada bought a Penguin thread .. If you are not Kean on gas fridge then option out to the 110l Waco..great fridge !! Send PM if you need more info...cheers Mandrake

Sent from the thing that does everything.

[olfella]

Thanks for the great replies!

The 12 volt lift accessory is around an extra thousand dollars. I’ve not tried a winder to see how difficult they are.

Many years of horse breaking haven’t been too kind on the old shoulders. But the handbag might be handy.

[Vitara_JaycoSwift_Outback]

If I could buy mine again I would get the boat racks installed so I could take a couple of Kayaks or store a bit more gear on top if we wanted to. Also make sure you get the Solar pack if its not standard. Works a treat with the LED lighting and so convenient if you have a couple of free camping nights. 

Stick with the manual wind up its so easy it wouldn't be worth the extra dollars.

[briann532]

Hi all.
As I mentioned , my Introductions  thread, I’m seriously interested in a new Jayco Penguin Outback. I’m wondering what accessories are worthwhile.

The salesman mentioned electric raising of the roof, air or solo, not both, for weight purposes,  and the slide out BBQ.
Probably depends on your age........... The leccie winch does make it a lot easier ( I didn't get one, but don't need it either!)
I thought the bbq was far too small for me, but thats just my 2c worth

There are things that I would also like such as the twin water tanks, twin gas bottles and a few others that I’ve read about here on this great site.

Definitely twin tanks, we find it very handy for bush camping, twin bottles are convenient but far from necessary 1 bottle lasts us a month in the bush, cooking, hot water and fridge

I love my bush camping, especially on a river somewhere, so 12 volt power is a consideration.
Solar power is AWESOME!!! - See Mandrake or PM for a DIY solution (Mandrakes systems are worth it though!)
So I’m after some help from the experienced members, particularly those with the Jayco’s.

I paid extra for the ALKO ESC - I can't describe how unreal it is - I tested it through the high country on and off road and it works REALLY well. (probably not something you should test, but I wanted to see if it really worked - It does.)

You can also install a water pressure pump and filter for minimal cost and this makes life a lot easier.
There are heaps of mods you can do, but even standard they are pretty good units.

Awnings and bed flys give great cover and keep you warmer in the colder months and eliminate condensation.
Standard leds now and a heap of other goodies make them a really good value for money option.

We're on our 2nd new Jayco now and wouldn't consider anything else.
Best of luck with it,
Brian



Thanks for your help.
Ian. 

[Sparkdog99]

Get an electric pump for the sink (12v). And an external tap on the A frame. Solar would be good as would gas hot water if you have the money.

[olfella]

Thanks very much everyone, thats just the kind of information that I'm after.
Ian.

[fishfinder]

Thanks for the great replies!

The 12 volt lift accessory is around an extra thousand dollars. I’ve not tried a winder to see how difficult they are.

Many years of horse breaking haven’t been too kind on the old shoulders. But the handbag might be handy.

$1000 for electric wind up or 20 cartons of beer - It is easy to use the handle even if your 1/2 pissed

[scruffycol]

I use 18v cordless drill to wind up roof and for legs

[paulo]

Hi,

I agree with the previously mentioned free standing BBQ and Solar Panels. You can put them where ever you like, solar in the sun, van in the shade, and you don't have a greasy BBQ under you annex next to your bed.

Also, maybe have a think about a Fiamma style awning. On short stays I'm sometimes too lazy to put the awning roof out, but I think (I haven't had the chance to speak to anyone about this) if I had a Fiamma style I would use it all the time.

Cheers,
Paul

[Bm0]

We have the Fiamma on our Dove.

It was on the camper when we bought it, but I now consider it to be a must have, we wind the awning in and out depending on wind sometimes, just because its so easy!

We have a couple of friends who travel with us that have got Fiamma's on their campers since seeing ours.

[Patr80l]

I have twin gas bottles on my Hawk.   Not because I need the extra capacity but because one is connected to the fridge and stove and the other is used with a hose to run an outside BBQ which we set up on a folding table next to the draw bar.
The annexe that came with it is difficult to erect and the poles are useless.  We're looking at getting a Fiamma.
We ticked the box to get a battery; the lighting is already 12V.   It's nice to be able to have lighting without connecting to car or mains, and with an inverter all the minor 240V stuff is taken care of too.   With those minor drains on the battery, I can't see a need for solar.   (The 3 way fridge is never used on 12V).
I fitted an electric water pump for the sink.   Try washing your hands one at a time while the other works the pump handle!

[axle]

I have found the pull out stove on our Goldstream really handy. Can't see what the fuss is about. I'd have ours out tea cooked and back before some of your blokes had unpacked, setup, levelled the greasy old BBQ, found the gas bottle and hooked it up :p

[nbd73]

With regard to whether 2 gas bottles are needed, if you are not optioning yhe 12v fridge then you are going to need to carry a spare gas bottle for the fridge anyway so may as well have one factory fitted where all you have to do is close the empty one, open the new and flick the lever. Its either that or guesstimate how much gas is left and refill your single bottle when its not quite empty. All of this is irrelevant if you dont plan on any remote camping so intended use will guide you. Worst case scenario with 2 bottles is u wake up in morning or come back to camp from an outing and find the fridge is off, but it wont have been opened so wont have lost much temp, even in summer. My 2c, I consider this to be 1 of my favourite options I made. That and hot water system,  just so easy for washing up and speeding up boiling water for morning coffee (much quicker to boil water that's already 60deg rathet than 20)
Good luck with whatever you choose 

[olfella]

There is some great information here. 

We've been having a debate here,  the  wife would rather one of  the models with the slide out beds, being old pharts getting up in the night can be a pain in the A.
She is wondering, can the beds be left made up in the Eagle? her favorite model/layout.

Also one of the attractions with the Penguin is its ability to pull up and have lunch and a cuppa on the side of the road.

Are the slide out beds, easily pulled out of the way and left UN-erected while having lunch.

Thanks again for all of your help.

[nbd73]

There is some great information here. 

We've been having a debate here,  the  wife would rather one of  the models with the slide out beds, being old pharts getting up in the night can be a pain in the A.
She is wondering, can the beds be left made up in the Eagle? her favorite model/layout.

Also one of the attractions with the Penguin is its ability to pull up and have lunch and a cuppa on the side of the road.

Are the slide out beds, easily pulled out of the way and left UN-erected while having lunch.

Thanks again for all of your help.

I would try to convince her otherwise if its just the 2 of you as its much easier to get out of the Penguin bed.  The beds do slide out easily but you would probably want to still put the support props underneath as there is a fait bit of weight that would be hanging on just the sliders, especially if you option the innerspring mattress.  I am actually trying to convince my parents to look at the Penguin at the moment.

Getting out of Eagle/Swan beds is not as easy, particularly for the person furtherest from the lounge access.

[axle]

I would try to convince her otherwise if its just the 2 of you as its much easier to get out of the Penguin bed. 

Getting out of Eagle/Swan beds is not as easy, particularly for the person furtherest from the lounge access.

X2 for this. I think you will find the eagle beds a pain to set up for just two.

Perhaps a good idea might be to hire a pull out bed jayco for a few nights to test it out first.

[Patr80l]

The advantage of pull out beds is that it opens up a lot more floor space.  The cost is that it's a bit more effort to set them up and if you don't unhitch they can prevent you from accessing the rear of the tow vehicle.
You can leave the bedding on them (doona but not pillows) but it ads to the bulk and makes it harder to close the roof ie more huffing and puffing to pull down the roof to compress the bedding so that you can close the clasps.
So penguin is a lot easier to "pop" the roof for a cuppa but if that is really the way you travel, consider a normal caravan or use one of the side lockers for a little stove or use the back of the tow vehicle.

[Pingu]

Hi Ian
We have a 2013 Jayco Penguin OB. We have used it quite a lot for free camping, and for this we have:
Solar panel installed on the roof (120w)
2 100amp/h batteries plus a small inverter (300w) for charging laptop and phone etc
We also have a generator just in case
You should ensure you have at least 1 12v and 240 socket outside. If we were doing it again we would probably put a second 12v outside.
We have twin water tanks installed plus a 12v pump and a tap on the A frame.
We have a Fiamia wind out awning plus sun blocker, the kitchen mate on the opposite side, and end awnings at either end. This really helps with keeping the sun out, great for privacy and also keeps the rain off the canvas.
We didn't get the electric roof winder, instead we use an 18v drill to wind it up plus letting down the stabilizers
We have 1 9kg gas bottle which so far has lasted approx 40 nights away with half in a caravan park and half free camping. I have installed a gauge on the gas bottle to let me know how full it is (or isn't). Still over half full. However, when free camping we do most of our cooking over a fire if possible, so the gas is used for the fridge only. We also heat our water over the fire for showers etc using a Hillbilly instant hot water system.
We carry a small spare bottle of gas as a backup.
We had a gas bayonet installed on the A frame, but have yet to use it.
We originally had a Jayco Finch but got fed up putting the beds out and changed to the Penguin. Much easier and quicker to set up. We also find the Penguin easier to pack as there are no beds in the way, and fridge is directly in front of the door so you can easily switch from 240 to 12v just before you leave.
So far we have found the solar power to be excellent - we have had phones laptops and lights running off it together with no issues.
We found that we never sat at the dinette table - so we drop this down into the bed setting and put up folding shelving for clothes and just use that area for storage as so far we have always sat outside under the awning.
Obviously everyone has different needs, but we would never consider a slideout bed type again over the Penguin.
Hope this helps
Brian