New Expanda Owner

[legweak]

Hi!

We are picking up our 17.56-1 Outback on Monday. We are trading in our Flamingo which we bought new 7 years ago. We have three kids under 9, and the Flamingo just didn't offer enough cupboard space for a growing family.

Starting to get excited...

Legweak.

 

[chartrock]

:welcome: Welcome aboard, Legweak, Good to have another Queenslander. Congrats on the upgrade and can understand the excitement, Monday is pretty close. Let's have some pictures and info on the new purchase.

 

[Moto Moto]

Welcome and congrats, you must be very excited!

 

[cruza driver]

Gee the 17 footers sure are popular, its amazing how many have gone from a Jayco camper trailer to the Expanda including us :first:

What are you vehicle are you towing it with?

 

[Bushman]

:welcome: aboard legweak

 

[legweak]

We're towing with a Prado 150 series.

We've bought a fairly stock standard 17.56-1 with full annexe and patio as twice a year (Xmas and Easter) we park for at least a week at a time. The only options are roof airconditioning, large fridge, privacy screens, shelves in the robes and a battery. No HWS or anything fancy as we don't want to lose storage space. We didn't go the shower model as we are used to our outside ensuite setup and portable toilet, and the 17.56-2 just didn't have enough storage.

We do a bit of bush camping, but as we have been doing it our entire lives we don't need total luxury. What we wanted was something that was very quick to set up and pack up - a place for everything and everything has its place hence the emphasis on cupboards. Also, this is starting to get to the limit of what the Prado can tow.

The Flamingo ended up being stacked to the roof, and it became laborious to pack and unpack it. We certainly got out money's worth out of it - we have spent around 360 nights in it since we bought it. Great little camper.

But we did splurge today on a new Kogan 22" LED TV/DVD/PVR and a Logitech iPod Dock just for the caravan....

legweak.

 

[boots33]

Hi right back at ya It looks like we are getting quite a few expanda owners down here in the SEQ part of the world (up here for all you frozen southerners) We have just got ours too and are busy trying to find time for our first trip. Have fun on monday..

 

[Fair-Dinkum]

Welcome! We too are in New Beith and are set to collect our 17.56-2 OB in the next couple of weeks. It's great to see another Queenslander. I was going to say that it must be because of our awesome weather, but looking outside today at the rain and bleak weather, I can't justify that comment!

 

[legweak]

I just dropped our Flamingo into Brisbane Camperland to save me taking it to work on Monday. There was a family with 2 kids picking up their new Outback Swan, and been given the rundown on how to raise it etc. The kids were so excited, Mum and Dad looked excited. I remember the day we picked up our Flamingo - a very exciting time. I hope this family get as much enjoyment out of their Swan as we did, but they picked an awful day to pick it up....

Fair-Dinkum - if your kids to to Greenbank SS we have probably seen you around....

 

[Moto Moto]

I too remember the excitement when we first got our Hawk. That excitement was tripled when we got the Expanda:rockon:

 

[Fair-Dinkum]

Hello legweak yes one of our kids goes to Greenbank SS and the other starts next year, I drop the eldest off to Gumnut house each day. Would love to catch up with you sometime and look forward to hearing how the new vans is once you pick it up.We hope to, fingers crossed get our van next weekend from the Bundy dealer.

 

[legweak]

Fair-Dinkum,

Sent you a private message. Would be funny if we are 100m apart as well!!

 

[Fair-Dinkum]

I've responded! Yes, it would be funny. Although we have a very active and social street (lots of street parties for little reason :high5 and know that you don't live in our street .....

 

[legweak]

Got the new Expanda today and it has exceeded our expections. It certainly is big and the Prado knows it is pulling it. Kids have climbed all over it and claimed their beds.

We sat n it for an hour working where evrything is going to go.

One interesting thing - it has a 475kg payload even though it only has one water tank.

I will post photos in the next couple of days.

Legweak

 

[Fair-Dinkum]

How exciting! I was wondering how you went with the collection. We are looking forward to the photos to get us through the next couple of weeks until ours arrives!

 

[boots33]

Congratulations Legweak lots of fun times ahead

 

[Moto Moto]

Congrats, look forward to see some pics!

 

[cruza driver]

Good stuff Legweak and congrats on the pick up

 

[chartrock]

Congratulations Mate. Enjoy. :thumb:

 

[legweak]

With my better half and kids being really sick, we haven't had a chance to take some decent photos yet. Here are some lo res photos from my mobile and from inside the van at night time.

You will notice we got shelves put in both robes. Each kid has their own space for clothes, we will put our clothes under the TV, and use the other robe as our food pantry.

Legweak