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 Topic: Dandy Riva Destiny 2006 Question
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25/6/2019 at 8:54pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: None Entered
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Hi there,
Thanks to anyone reading.
First some background.
The missus and I are considering taking the plunge in one of the above (Dandy Riva Destiny 2006) that from some pictures looks in decent knick and is local to us.
Reasoning being that she's grown up knowing folding campers and camping holidays, her folks having owned Conways and Pennines over the years. It's never been my thing, but with her being a teacher and us having a couple of small kids (1.5 and 3.5) and the costs of Summer School-aligned holidays, this is a sensible way to go.
My preference could be a regular caravan (I've grown up knowing holidays in a static in Suffolk) and being susceptible to mild asthma anything that exacerbates damp cold air is not ideal, although the Dandy with it's insulated sides seems to be a reasonable compromise here.
Tow-caravans won't work for us as she passed her driving test after 1997, and our towing car is already 2200KG when empty (Jeep Commander 3.0), so we'd quickly pass the 3500KG limit for her to tow, plus the idea of a caravan snaking or going over is of concern as her grandparents had a near miss back in the day.
So long story short, the FC looks like being the way to go, and we're leaning towards a Dandy on account of the insulated interior, durability, and the put-away-wet capability (we're not the best for either maintenance or time intensive tasks with the two young kids and both working) given it's been one of her parents bug bears over the years with their FCs.
Our budget is circa 5K at a push.
But the question we have about the Dandy is (and having trawled the forums can't find an answer to) what is the deal if you have to put it up when it's raining.
My understanding of the the more traditional FC is that the canvas and sides are all part of the same and so folding out in the wet everything is already covered. The Dandy sounds like that isn't the case, and there would be the potential for the interior to get wet while trying to put up the sides and fasten the roof to the sides? Is this the case and is it a big deal for when trying to stick up and it's chucking it down (which at some point in the UK or Northern France will be inevitable).
Would be great to get comment from anyone that knows. Also how practical would this model be for one person putting it up on their own? She'll likely at times go away without me as she gets more holiday time than me (another reason the Dandy appeals given the half terms in late winter/early spring and late Autumn), and also with the kids the age they are one person needs to monitor them while the other does any practical task.
Apologies for the long rambly message, and thanks in advance for any guidance or insight offered.
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26/6/2019 at 9:41am
Location: Lincolnshire
Outfit: Pennine Pathfinder FC.
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When our son was 2 we bought our first trailer tent. It was perfect for us at the time. We could pull up ,level, unclip the top and open up. If it was raining, we had instant cover, plus our son had room to sit and play with his toys,so there wasn’t the issue with him getting bored, more importantly he was safe if we were in and out unpacking the car. we would sit him in his bed pod.The opening up of the trailer was so easy and only took a few minutes where we would leave our son strapped in his car seat.
I think this would suit you better in the respect that it would be easier to erect. Our son was asthmatic, and he never had it any worse in the trailer than he did at home, even on the wettest of holidays. I hope this info is useful and you find something to suit you all. 😊
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Love The Life You Live.
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26/6/2019 at 8:18pm
Location: West country
Outfit: Mondeo
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The Destiny is a big lump of a dandy. This is the toilet model. It is probably quite difficult for one to erect although some can do it. The hard part being putting the bed support bars on their tubes at the end of the camper.
A designer would be a better choice and ideal for 2. It is possible and quite easy to erect for one person but easier with 2.
As regards erecting in rain. The beds fold over and raise the roof as they do. The beds are mostly covered at this stage and the interior is covered by the exterior of the side walls.
You then lift the side walls up into place. At this stage if the roof has a puddle of water on it, it can fall inside but this can be prevented by pushing up on the roof before raising the side walls and being careful that the roof does not fall inside the side wall.
After the side walls are up the end walls are raised under the roof and the batwings (PVC walls by the beds) are fixed into place. It is now fully water proof.
They can be left wet for long periods. I've left mine for about 3 months and the only problem was the PVC windows were covered with milky white clouding which couldn't be wiped off. After a couple of hours this completely disappeared on its own and all was well.
If the PVC gets dirty it can be cleaned so it looks like new again after many, many years simply by using some CIF crème cleaner. The only thing it wont remover is the stain left after someone has left a spare wheel on it for a long time. You will notice only previous owners ever do this.
In coldish misty weather, the inside of the roof can get wet from condensation even though the roof is insulated. I found running a small electric heater cleared this in no time. I used a quartz infra red heater which can be set to 400 watts or 800 watts. 400 was all we ever needed. It just sat on the floor and had a trip switch which cut it out if it was knocked over.
I'm not sure if the roof lining which is available would stop the condensation but I do doubt it would. With the electric heater it was warm and dry and probably the nearest you will get to a caravan for the weight. MTPLM is only 500kg so well in for your licence.
Link to Riva Dandy where you can buy them and get full support and advice from Ian.
Post last edited on 26/06/2019 20:22:32http://www.rivadandysales.co.uk/
Post last edited on 26/06/2019 20:25:44
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28/6/2019 at 7:42pm
Location: West country
Outfit: Mondeo
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If she takes the test you can tow a proper caravan (even a twin axle leviathan) or the Dandy Toilet Destiny which will have loads of room.
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via mobile 25/6/2019 at 10:56pm
