Just Browsing 14.44-4 or 17.58-1

[Patons]

hello

We are looking at vans and have narrowed it down to these 2 OB models. Would anyone that has either of these shed some light on why you picked that model etc.? We don't have a lot of room to store a van and also want to spend as least amount of $ as possible. 2 adults + 2 kids 8&13.

Thanks

 

[MBC004]

I have just ordered my second 17, for us it was all about the room, should the need arise and we are forced inside we did not want to be all over the top of each other. Also storage..... You can never have enough

 

[Crew family]

We've just upgraded our Eagle to a 14.44-4 OB and love it! The bunks at the end suit our kids and there is plenty of storage for the 4 of us. Don't need a bathroom as we have a night time porta loo we store in the boot or underneath during the day, and don't mind heading to the ammenities at other times.
Anything longer than 14.5ft wasn't going to fit in our driveway, so that was our biggest tick, but it's also that it's a single axle rather than double so we can do a little more off-roading if we want to. Good luck in your decision making.

 

[Axl]

We have a 2010 Outback 14.44.3 which is a shower toilet combo model, when I say we its just me and the missus so I cant really comment on what it would be like with kids. In saying that the only time you will probably all be inside together is to sleep or bad weather (hopefully you don't see much bad weather) so I reckon you will all fit no worries.

As far as internal storage goes again I reckon you would be fine as we don't really use half of what is available to us and as you have mentioned I brought the 14.44 because of yard storage room, this is the only size van that fits behind our front fence. The only con I had when we upgraded from a soft floor camper trailer was the fact the awnings on a 14.44 are only 11ft long, the C/T had 18ft of awning.

As we spend most of our day outside the more awning space we could get the better off we would be, to solve this issue I brought a porch that slips into the anti flap kit thus extending the awning space to around 17ft, if you wanted you could buy 2 one for each end and have 23ft of awning space which would be heaps for a family of four, hope this helps.

 

[megcam]

We were looking at a 14.44-4 or a 17.58-1 when we ended up buying our 17.58-3. I think the expanda might actually be more spacious inside but the 4 walls won us over. We came from a soft floor camper and having spent 3 months travelling with 2 kids in it our primary reasons for upgrading were:
- 4 solid walls for some of those dodgy by the highway o/night stops you see along the way
- No rattling canvas or frames (our tent used to rattle & squeak in the slightest breeze)
- Somewhere to hide out of the weather when it's raining

Went down to the yard to order one, sat in the 14.44 and some wind came up and that was it. The toilet/shower requirements were chucked in by swmbo at the end. Still like those 14.44s though. Good luck with the choice

 

[Maz]

Hi Patons,

We have the 14.44.4 touring after having an eagle. We chose this model as we didn't have a lot of storage space and didn't want to pay for storage. This van fit comfortably in out garage on an angle. We are a family of five and this van has been great easy to tow and manoeuvre with loads of storage especially compared to the eagle, i actually have empty draws and cupboards!
The bunks are spacious and ours have heaps of storage for the kids at either end, my girls don't even fill them they're that big.

As a family of 5 we have had to convert our dinette for our youngest which wasn't an issue to begin with, however all our get aways this year have ended up with wet weather and as our kids are getting older we are finding space to be very limited when we are all inside. We also found that with the wet weather we are in the van earlier and as our youngest sleeps on our dinette we have no option but to lay on our bed which as many know isn't the most comfortable to sleep on let alone spend more hours laying on! Yes an annex will help with this problem but we've had really really wet trips where even the concrete slab has been under water.
I'm sure as a family of 4 this space issue we have encountered won't be so much of a problem for yourselves. We have also found that usually only have room for 2 to get dressed at a time due to limited floor space.

We are now in the process of upgrading to most likely a 17.58-1 but are also looking at the 16.49-4 option both will sleep 6 comfortably but also offer some space to dress and free up our dinette. We did consider a starcraft to get completely away from canvas but we just wouldn't be able to get the space without having to tow a really large van and having to upgrade a vehicle too.
Hope this helps.

 

[Gregg]

We have had our 14.44-4 for a month now and we love it. We went to buy a Swan from the dealer and on the day it rained and that was the end of that. Saw the 14:44-4. 2 adults 2 kids. 4years and 18months. No issues with space. love our van.

 

[Ted farkas]

We did 4 months around oz in hours 8 & 11. I hate towing and the 14 feels big, it has been excellent. We put a curtain rail up ro divide it for changing. Towed it across the gibb, oodnadatta, eremeei loop. So good too jump in out of weather during a lunch stop. We had howling window at seal rocks a few days ago...no probs. i would like a toilet...that would be my only upgrade.