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Are you thinking this year may be the year you buy a dandy but still have doubts,lets see if we can clear those doubts out of your mind and remove some misconceptions about camping under pvc.
The first thing to get out of the way is the phrase sweat box,this is used mainly by two types of people the first is the canvas camper owner who has never camped in a dandy,or is secretly jealous of the advantage of pvc,the second is the dealer who hasn't got any dandys in stock.They are not sweat boxes even if the one you buy doesn't have insulated walls it will have insulated roof,where does the sun come from mainly ?above and with the roof being white and insulated most of the heat will be reflected away.They will get hot inside if the temperature outside is high enough but have you been in a caravan,canvas camper,tent or motor home on a very hot day,i have used them all and the dandy is by far the best.
The next thing you hear is condensation,the first thing to say here is condensation only really comes into play with out of season camping and then only in uninsulated dandys,if an insulated one is kept warm inside you will not get any (the last statement is from my own experience camping in -8 with electric heater on all night),canvas campers say they don't get any well they do its just that unlike pvc it soaks in and cant be wiped off,it will even form on these new acrylic fabrics.
Putting away wet you will hear many stories about canvas campers having there canvas ruined because it was packed away wet,you will not hear the same about dandys,the statement is often made (again by people who know nothing about dandys)that they know of a dandy that was packed away wet and it smelt foul when opened,this would happen if the beds and carpet got wet when packing away and where left packed away (this shouldn't happen because the roof stays over the interior whilst erecting and folding away).Pvc by its nature unlike canvas or modern tent materials can not soak water up so even if you pack it away with water on it and leave it the water can only lay on the surface,most of the water can be removed by wiping with a towel during packing away anyway.
Styling and looks cant argue with the modern canvas camper on this point,unless you buy a late dandy camper it will look dated but lets look at why,the main reason is its probably knocking on for 20 years old and still got years left in it(that says something on its own).
Looking after your dandy is not a great problem especially with the earlier models,no fancy body or furniture mouldings here to worry about just flat panels made of materials that are still available and if a major problem should arise you still have full factory back up from the people that made them.
Towing,if you are concerned about towing then the dandy is a good starting point the4/5 berth models have a maximum weight laden of 500kg, while the dandy 6 is 750kg the later higher sided models do come in at a higher weight.
One thing i should talk about is the awning loads of scare stories out there about dandy awnings being a right pig to erect,i guess they can be but two people of average height and fitness should have no problem after a couple of times,they are a bit quirky and take getting used to,but the benefit is tremendous over a canvass awning,first once erected and staked down it will stand nearly anything our weather can throw at it and at the end of the holiday it can be put in its pvc bag wet and left until next time.
The first thing to get out of the way is the phrase sweat box,this is used mainly by two types of people the first is the canvas camper owner who has never camped in a dandy,or is secretly jealous of the advantage of pvc,the second is the dealer who hasn't got any dandys in stock.They are not sweat boxes even if the one you buy doesn't have insulated walls it will have insulated roof,where does the sun come from mainly ?above and with the roof being white and insulated most of the heat will be reflected away.They will get hot inside if the temperature outside is high enough but have you been in a caravan,canvas camper,tent or motor home on a very hot day,i have used them all and the dandy is by far the best.
The next thing you hear is condensation,the first thing to say here is condensation only really comes into play with out of season camping and then only in uninsulated dandys,if an insulated one is kept warm inside you will not get any (the last statement is from my own experience camping in -8 with electric heater on all night),canvas campers say they don't get any well they do its just that unlike pvc it soaks in and cant be wiped off,it will even form on these new acrylic fabrics.
Putting away wet you will hear many stories about canvas campers having there canvas ruined because it was packed away wet,you will not hear the same about dandys,the statement is often made (again by people who know nothing about dandys)that they know of a dandy that was packed away wet and it smelt foul when opened,this would happen if the beds and carpet got wet when packing away and where left packed away (this shouldn't happen because the roof stays over the interior whilst erecting and folding away).Pvc by its nature unlike canvas or modern tent materials can not soak water up so even if you pack it away with water on it and leave it the water can only lay on the surface,most of the water can be removed by wiping with a towel during packing away anyway.
Styling and looks cant argue with the modern canvas camper on this point,unless you buy a late dandy camper it will look dated but lets look at why,the main reason is its probably knocking on for 20 years old and still got years left in it(that says something on its own).
Looking after your dandy is not a great problem especially with the earlier models,no fancy body or furniture mouldings here to worry about just flat panels made of materials that are still available and if a major problem should arise you still have full factory back up from the people that made them.
Towing,if you are concerned about towing then the dandy is a good starting point the4/5 berth models have a maximum weight laden of 500kg, while the dandy 6 is 750kg the later higher sided models do come in at a higher weight.
One thing i should talk about is the awning loads of scare stories out there about dandy awnings being a right pig to erect,i guess they can be but two people of average height and fitness should have no problem after a couple of times,they are a bit quirky and take getting used to,but the benefit is tremendous over a canvass awning,first once erected and staked down it will stand nearly anything our weather can throw at it and at the end of the holiday it can be put in its pvc bag wet and left until next time.
