Off the ground, out of the tent
Written: Oct 21 '01
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Pros: Good sized beds, decent storage space, nice fit and finish
Cons: small walking area, mattresses a bit thin
The Bottom Line: Coleman obviously has the best overall quality pop up camper on the market. Fit and finish excel over any other model we have looked at.
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| kathybrj's Full Review: 2000 Fleetwood Coleman Destiny |
It took, one, just one tenting trip, to convince the husband that we needed a pop up camper. I needed a place to organize things, especially for cooking. I wanted a place up off the ground, that would stay relatively dry and have a few amenities.
We decided on how much we could spend, went over that amount by $1,000, but have ended up extremely happy with our purchase.
We looked at several used models of pop up campers, and we always gravitated back to Coleman Campers, made by Fleetwood. We decided on a 10' box, due to towing constraints. The particular model I liked was the Sedona. Not a lot of gadgets and fluff, the Sedona came standard with an ice box and electric brakes. One pull out bed is king size and the other is a double. The dinette folds down to another bed.
From the start, we came up with modifications that we could make ourselves. We added a portable potty (built right into a storage cabinet), and a dorm refrigerator, which is 1/10th the cost of a standard 3-way RV refrigerator. Both items ran us under $150.00 to buy and install.
Pulling this pop up is a dream. It handles very well on the road and parks nicely. We can unfold it and have it basically set up in less than 15 minutes, which is nice in the rain. Add another 10 minutes for the awning, but we're overly- picky about how the awning goes up.
The galley area could use more counter space and the faucet is set much too low to the sink, making it difficult to fill the coffee pot, or rinse dishes. The galley is also set 5" lower in the Destiny series campers (the ones with the fold over galley), so we built a deeper box and reset the sink and stove on it.
The trailer cranks up easily and the bed poles sets quickly. The door stores up on an easy slide track on the ceiling and comes down nicely. Our children help out quite a bit with set up- it's certainly not rocket science, in the least. We are particularly happy with how easily the bed ends slide out. Many other brands we looked at had very difficult bed end pull outs. Not the Coleman- they glide with ease.
The standard mattresses are a bit thin and we have ended up using an air mattress on the king sized bed. However, we believe that a piece of 3/4 foam board will add extra comfort, while also adding some insulation for cold weather camping.
The Sedona comes air conditioner ready, with roof braces in place. We have not added an A/C unit yet, but, the way the camper is pre-braced, it should be a project we can do ourselves.
There are plenty of electrical outlets, but we added tow additional ones- one under the galley area for the refrigerator and one by the dinette table for an extra lamp.
The Sedona does come with optional equipment, such as the 3 way refrigerator and a furnace. Again, we decided that we would add the options ourselves, to save on overall cost.
Having the Coleman pop up has made camping a much more pleasurable experience for the whole family. It is easy to organize our equipment and everything stays dry and off the ground. Sleeping is exponentially more comfortable and cooking is much easier than it would be if we were still tenting.
For the price we paid, we are extremely happy with our Coleman Sedona.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 4000.00
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: Coleman Sedona
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Epinions.com ID:
kathybrj
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Member: Kathy Brojakowski
Reviews written: 34
Trusted by: 2 members
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