Tent Camping in a Tornado? Coleman Grand Tour Santa Fe
Written: Dec 28 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comfortable, stable, airy, and big windows
Cons: None, very nice
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| djgeiger's Full Review: 2000 Fleetwood Coleman Grand Tour |
We have enjoyed tent camping for many years. Tents are just so convenient when camping in remote wilderness areas. I never thought I would consider camping in anything other than a tent. With today’s dome tents a campsite can be set up in less than fifteen minutes. We experienced a rather unique situation that made us consider camping in something other than a tent.
While sitting near our campfire the wind started kicking up. Shortly it began to rain so we headed to our tent to keep dry. The wind was becoming a bit fierce so we turned on our little battery-operated radio. The area we were in was under a tornado warning. “George, did you remember to dig a basement?” The tent walls were hitting us from all four sides. We climbed in our sleeping bags to keep warm. George falls asleep. He can sleep through anything! I lay there watching the tent flapping and listen to the tree branches falling all around us. I kept envisioning a big tree falling in the middle of our tent. Time to rethink this tent situation.
Rent before you buy. Try it before buying it, be it and RV or a tent trailer. Until you actually get out and use it and live in it you really won’t know if you will really like it or not! We thought a tent trailer would be perfect but will it be?
The item I am reviewing is a Coleman (by Fleetwood) Santa Fe Grand Tour. The year model is 2000.
At only 1,689 lbs the tent trailer was very easy to tow. Even for a smaller car like our Saturn it wasn’t bad at all. Even though the recommended towing weight for our Saturn is only 1000 lbs we have towed our boat and the tent trailer for short distances. The length of the tent trailer when closed is only 7’3’ x 15’. The height is 55”. The trailer caused little wind resistance.
The first time we set up the tent trailer it was easier than we had anticipated. The Posi-Lock crank mechanism allows you to use the mechanism without fear of the handle kicking back. The crank down stabilizers were easy to get at and simple to use. We do enjoy camping on beaches. One option I would enjoy is the stabilizer with sand pads. Once the stabilizers were set in place the trailer was very stable to walk in.
When we first stepped into the newly erected tent trailer I was surprised at the size and stability of the step going up into the trailer. After stepping into the tent trailer to the right is a big king size bed (77” x 70“). The bed is much more comfortable than I had expected. It has a natural comfort quilted bed mattress. Beside the door is a little porta pot storage cabinet. On the left side of the door is a hutch and storage area. Straight across from the entry door is a swing-level galley with a built-in ice chest. Next to the galley is a portable dinette table with a bench seat on each side that can be made into a bed (72“ x 42“). The table is lightweight and portable and can be used outside. At the far left side of the tent trailer is a double size bed (77“ x 48“). All the mattresses offer pretty decent support. The beds have aluminum frames. This particular trailer can sleep 7 people comfortably. On each side of the trailer in front of the beds is a set of privacy curtains.
The tent trailer is bright and airy with big vinyl windows. The windows can be opened up with no fear of bugs getting in, the windows all have a fine screen mesh. There is also an aluminum screen door with an automatic spring return. No need to yell, close the door your letting bugs in! The tent fabric is a Sunbrella 302 acrylic fabric. The material breathes so you don’t have that usual heat problem and trapped in odor problem I have seen with the old tent trailers. Those old trailers could be down right stifling! The material is also hypoallergenic. In the old tent trailers the tenting material had to be very dry before putting it away. They were prone to mildew and dry rot. One handy feature the bed design allows that the windows can open even during a rainstorm. No rain leaks in and you can have a good amount of cross ventilation.
On the outside of the trailer is a storage trunk. You can get to the 23 cubic feet of space from an opening from the outside or and opening from the inside of the trailers near the king-size bed. An outside shower is an optional feature that I would order. So often dirt and sand is tracked in and is so hard to get rid of. With this outside shower, kid’s feet could be showered off before entering the tent trailer. There is also a very handy gray water tank. This tank can be removed and emptied. Also on the outside of the trailers is a neat little high pressure stove with a preparation table next to it. All you have to do is haul out the portable table on the inside of the trailer to eat outside.
All the trailers come with a spare tire and a lug wrench. All the wheels have five lugs for extra safety. There is a vinyl spare tire cover.
The trailer was priced at $7,797 at the pan Pacific RV Center in French Camp, California. The warranty is pretty good. A limited lifetime is offered on the roof, tubular steel frame, one-piece structurwood floor, and one-piece structurwood bed platform and stainless steel lifter system. A limited five-year warranty is offered on the Sunbrella acrylic tenting material. All other trailer components are on a limited one-year warranty.
Now the question remains since we have tried it do we like it enough to purchase it? We really liked the trailer we tried. Every thing worked sensationally. It was comfortable and easy to use. If we were stuck in another storm situation would we be any safer? No, I seriously doubt it. The tent we were in stay right where we pegged it down. If a tree had fallen on our heads we’d be dead. We’d be just as dead if a tree fell on this tent trailer. As high as the winds had been I really doubt if the tent trailer would have stayed where we had put it. The wind would have gotten a strong hold under the trailer and would have flipped it over or at least moved it over several camping spaces. The tent trailer just can’t be taken in areas where we like to camp. We much prefer to hike into remote areas where there are no other or few other campers. Having a tent trailer takes far more planning than regular tent camping. We have all our equipment ready to go at all times. One stop at a grocery store and we are ready to go camping! If we had young children we might feel differently. We had a fun, joyful trip with the rented tent trailer but at this point in times in our lives we will stick with regular tent camping
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
djgeiger
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Member: Diana Geiger
Location: Huron, South Dakota USA
Reviews written: 146
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