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It was a strange feeling to stand at the door of my garage this morning and watch my 2007 Sprintaway Lux disappear down the road with a strange number plate on its rear end.

On the up side, it has been bought by two UKCS Members.

A number of unforeseen circumstance had lead us to change our minds about the suitability of the Sprintaway to our present and future needs and when they suddenly stopped producing them after a production run of only 30, we decided that it was time to look for a more spacious unit that had a more substantial track record and whose general comfort and resale value was backed up by the Owner’s Reviews rather than the conjecture of the manufacturers.

Those trips that we did manage in the Sprintaway, we enjoyed and we visited places that would have been impossible in any other type of caravan and even wildcamped in some spectacular places.

Now we will change the way we camp to suit our new unit and hopefully enjoy many more trips in our 2007 Pennine Folding Camper.

Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 23/10/2010

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I'f you'd liked it that much Lobey, you wouldn't have got shot of it.

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In the end it was nothing to do with liking it or disliking it.

Between ordering it and it being delivered, I had both knees replaced. 6 of the 7 storage lockers on the Sprintaway are under the floor (it has a double floor system) and to get into these requires kneeling down.

As we later found out, in inclement weather, the Sprintaway is an uncomfortable unit to spend all day cooped up in and so an awning is essential but again, putting up an awning can require kneeling.

I still think it is an inovative little unit but only for those that are fit enough to make use of it.

Sadly that is no longer the case for us and so we have moved on to a more suitable unit.

We have owned a number of different types of camping units in the past but as our circumstances changed, so did our camping needs. After 3 tents, 2 trailer tents, 2 camper vans and 2 caravans, the folding camper is number 10 and whilst we have only managed one trip away in it so far, it does suit our present needs very well.

Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 23/10/2010

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It was a strange feeling to stand at the door of my garage this morning and watch my 2007 Sprintaway Lux disappear down the road with a strange number plate on its rear end.

On the up side, it has been bought by two UKCS Members.

 

 

Now we will change the way we camp to suit our new unit and hopefully enjoy many more trips in our 2007 Pennine Folding Camper.

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That really is a strange feeling to see your 'van with a different number plate on it.  When i said goodbye to my lovely 'van it seemed so strange to see the different number plate on her backside :(

Hope you have many more wonderful holidays in your new Folding Camper.  Have you got the awning with it?  Does that need pegging out?

Sorry Tentz but I don't see it that way.

At the most I will spend 6 weeks of the year towing a van. That leaves 46 weeks of the year where, if I tow a large van, then I am paying over the odds for fuel and tax for a car that is way too big for my needs.

One of the stipulations that we require these days is for a more comfortable unit, but one which is still towable by the same size of car that we towed the Sprintaway with and the only unit that will give us that is a Folding Camper.

I would need a 4x4 to tow a caravan that would give us the same spacious dimensions as the FC. Instead, with the Scenic I am losing 4mpg between towing and solo and that suits me just fine.

On top of that is the storage fees for a larger van. None with the Sprintaway as it fits into a garage or lock-up. I have been there with the much maligned white box and I aint about to make that mistake again.

In the meantime I am sure the Sprintaway's new owners will be well chuffed with their purchase and from what I know of them and their lifestyle, it will be well suited to their needs.

Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 23/10/2010

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This is the problem with micro caravans in general. They look cute & they are cleverly designed but the much maligned 'white box' is more practical. Even small caravans have to be towed & still cost the same on ferries etc. so you might as well tow a larger one, which is what most people do.

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Hi Jax, Paying the same for small or big everywhere, including on sites, has always been a bug bear of mine, so in that case, size doesn't matter.

However, as you say, when away on my own in the wee van, it really did come into its own although it could still be painful for me to reach for stores in the underfloor lockers.

We were a bit sceptical about whether a folding camper would suit us and we bought one before giving up the wee van, so that we could try it out to make sure it would be okay.

It really has been a pleasant surprise to find out that we now have a unit that can be towed by the same cars that towed the Sprintaway, gives us oodles more room, and, proper storage areas although much less of them.

There will always be champions of the micro van, as there will be of every other type of camping unit and I am just sorry that we had not bought ours sooner and had the chance to enjoy its benefits before I had these operations which severly restricted the ways that we should have been able to use it.

Hopefully 2011 and the FC will bring a camping season that will make up for all the disapointment and curtailed trips of the last few years.

Thanks Jax. Fortunately we got the same for the Sprintaway as what we paid out on the FC and so we are happy all round
We will have to put a motor mover on the FC but for us that is a necessity for us.

Whilst I am sure that in the future we will use the awning of the FC, at the moment we are still getting used to the "camping in a dance hall" feeling that we have in the Pathfinder.

For all that the Sprintaway was small, the amount of room that I have suddenly aquired in my workshop is fantastic. I was there today to look for some tools and I could actually see from one end to the other and I found everything I was looking for in 5 minutes flat.
Normally I have to hunt for hours to find anything in there.

Thanks for your sympathy! We had decided to give up proper camping and just have a tourer on a seasonal let, BUT I don't think that will happen, Ireland beckons again so I think it will be a small caravan.

P.S love the wee creature at the bottom of the page!.

Quote: Originally posted by Molly7 on 26/10/2010

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Thanks for your sympathy! We had decided to give up proper camping and just have a tourer on a seasonal let, BUT I don't think that will happen, Ireland beckons again so I think it will be a small caravan.

P.S love the wee creature at the bottom of the page!.

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