@Lisyloo317 make sure you know what you want don't just grab something for the sake of it I know they mite be hard to find but good things come to those who wait don't say later we should have got ???? spending so much coin make a clear choice of what you want
Decisions
- Thread starter Lisyloo317
- Start date
100% @Bluey! Huge decision. Doing our absolute best to make the right one. Its been 4months of solid thinking lol.and more now because of looking at the 18.57.6. Whats meant to be will be I guess....haha we thought last yr buying our Brand new jayco swan was everything we wanted haha and now weve sold it LOL
@burnsie how do you find your van for setting up, light and noise??Hey @Lisyloo317 we are also a family of five with an 8, 6 and 3 year old. We ended up with the 17:56-2 OB for a couple of reasons, it firstly was the right weight for us to tow behind our Prado and secondly provided us with all the "fruit" we wanted from a van for our trip next year around Oz and our other trips away be it in a caravan park or free camping.
We never considered the full height versions as the weight would potentially have been a concern but if pulling with a Ranger you are probably fine, but also the fuel economy increases slightly...... (but what a few extra litres of fuel per 100km if you are on holiday's)
At the end of the day I think both would suit a family of five, they both have some advantages and disadvantages, sounds like you guys are keen on getting something pretty soon though which means you will have to weigh up those pros and cons..... so good luck with the decision either way we will want to see lots of pics and modifications of the van you end up choosing.
@Lisyloo317 we have the same van as @burnsie and:
1. Setting up - I can have the roof popped, bed ends out and awning setup in less than 10 minutes on my own (Full awning etc will take a little longer and depends on refreshments between jobs )
2. Light - Find it to be dark at nights (Even darker with the canvas bed ends fitted). We sleep with at least one pop top flap open so we know the sun is up :flame:
3. Noise - I can't compare with a full height van as it's been 20 years since we stayed in one but compared to a tent..... No issues at all!
If unsure what you want why not hire one or two to try. I know you are "very" south of the river but there is a place in Joondalup that hires out a few expandas. Have a look HERE for info. They only advertise the 16' model on their website but I have seen larger ones parked in the yard when driving by.
1. Setting up - I can have the roof popped, bed ends out and awning setup in less than 10 minutes on my own (Full awning etc will take a little longer and depends on refreshments between jobs
)2. Light - Find it to be dark at nights (Even darker with the canvas bed ends fitted). We sleep with at least one pop top flap open so we know the sun is up :flame:
3. Noise - I can't compare with a full height van as it's been 20 years since we stayed in one but compared to a tent..... No issues at all!
If unsure what you want why not hire one or two to try. I know you are "very" south of the river but there is a place in Joondalup that hires out a few expandas. Have a look HERE for info. They only advertise the 16' model on their website but I have seen larger ones parked in the yard when driving by.
Theres a van put on here last night get on it looks ok in south aus 2011 outback
@Lisyloo317 we have the same van as @burnsie and:
1. Setting up - I can have the roof popped, bed ends out and awning setup in less than 10 minutes on my own (Full awning etc will take a little longer and depends on refreshments between jobs
2. Light - Find it to be dark at nights (Even darker with the canvas bed ends fitted). We sleep with at least one pop top flap open so we know the sun is up :flame:
3. Noise - I can't compare with a full height van as it's been 20 years since we stayed in one but compared to a tent..... No issues at all!
If unsure what you want why not hire one or two to try. I know you are "very" south of the river but there is a place in Joondalup that hires out a few expandas. Have a look HERE for info. They only advertise the 16' model on their website but I have seen larger ones parked in the yard when driving by.
Ahh thanks for that!@Lisyloo317 we have the same van as @burnsie and:
1. Setting up - I can have the roof popped, bed ends out and awning setup in less than 10 minutes on my own (Full awning etc will take a little longer and depends on refreshments between jobs
2. Light - Find it to be dark at nights (Even darker with the canvas bed ends fitted). We sleep with at least one pop top flap open so we know the sun is up :flame:
3. Noise - I can't compare with a full height van as it's been 20 years since we stayed in one but compared to a tent..... No issues at all!
If unsure what you want why not hire one or two to try. I know you are "very" south of the river but there is a place in Joondalup that hires out a few expandas. Have a look HERE for info. They only advertise the 16' model on their website but I have seen larger ones parked in the yard when driving by.
Yes! Refreshments are a necessity when setting up a van
Would you happen to know how much a hot water system might be to put in a 17.56-1? I do like the 1's for that extra bit of room
Hey @Lisyloo317 agree with @dagree not much time at all to setup, the kids like to help as well.
We found so far with the bed ends that the kids like to go into them and read or play games etc and it feels like we have more space, noise is not really an issue for us as we have 3 kids so we make most of the noise........ most of the time the kids swap around between the bunks and the bed ends as to where they sleep and ours luckily tend to sleep anywhere so noise on that front is fine, I have even found that using the shade ends and the heavy duty canvas ends to reduce noise even more and of course no light which is perfect for our little one that still has day sleeps.
Regarding the HWS you will find a lot of 17:56-1 vans have this as an option already installed with a outdoor shower, if not you can get them retrofitted and plumbed in from what I remember it was between $1500-$2000 so fairly pricey but that did mean you get hot water at the kitchen sink and for an outdoor shower, some people also use the portable hot water devices like the companion one and use a pop up tent next to the van to shower in or get hot water to do the dishes, otherwise the ablutions block and camp kitchen are your best friend.
We found so far with the bed ends that the kids like to go into them and read or play games etc and it feels like we have more space, noise is not really an issue for us as we have 3 kids
so we make most of the noise........ most of the time the kids swap around between the bunks and the bed ends as to where they sleep and ours luckily tend to sleep anywhere so noise on that front is fine, I have even found that using the shade ends and the heavy duty canvas ends to reduce noise even more and of course no light which is perfect for our little one that still has day sleeps.Regarding the HWS you will find a lot of 17:56-1 vans have this as an option already installed with a outdoor shower, if not you can get them retrofitted and plumbed in from what I remember it was between $1500-$2000 so fairly pricey but that did mean you get hot water at the kitchen sink and for an outdoor shower, some people also use the portable hot water devices like the companion one and use a pop up tent next to the van to shower in or get hot water to do the dishes, otherwise the ablutions block and camp kitchen are your best friend.
Haha yes, our 3 are also noisy, the little one is 8 months so is still having 2 sleeps a day. They do need it fairly dark when they sleep. We found the swan that we had previously was so light. But our friends had an Expanda and it was a lot darker because of the hard lids and less canvas walls.Hey @Lisyloo317 agree with @dagree not much time at all to setup, the kids like to help as well.
We found so far with the bed ends that the kids like to go into them and read or play games etc and it feels like we have more space, noise is not really an issue for us as we have 3 kids
Regarding the HWS you will find a lot of 17:56-1 vans have this as an option already installed with a outdoor shower, if not you can get them retrofitted and plumbed in from what I remember it was between $1500-$2000 so fairly pricey but that did mean you get hot water at the kitchen sink and for an outdoor shower, some people also use the portable hot water devices like the companion one and use a pop up tent next to the van to shower in or get hot water to do the dishes, otherwise the ablutions block and camp kitchen are your best friend.
Well...we have defiantly decided that a 17 is the way to go. Totally agree with the bed ends creating a feel of more room. I think we would actually prefer a 17.57-1 that has the bigger fridge, a hot water system and external shower and a full annex. We don't mind the external shower of we need to use it and would prefer the extra space inside. For now we are mostly at caravan parks so will use showers and toilets there. Good to be able to have a hose off with the shower when we are travelling.
@Lisyloo317 the bed ends have a privacy curtain which can also block out any light coming in from inside the van. Used to put the grandson to bed during the day and he slept longer than when at home!!
Now that'd be cool! Haha. Think we have decided to get a 17-56-1. Found one over easy and they may drive it toward wa for us. Heading to Perth this wknd to suss a few out also
@Lisyloo317 do you know about the Facebook closed group "CARAVAN AND CAMPING buy, swap and sell". There are a couple of 17's on there (although not in WA that I have yet seen).
You certainly have all your bases covered. That dream van will be yours very soon! :whoo: