Planning a trip to go see a 560

I went though my list again and it came down to the Airstream Sport or the Camp-inn 560. My wife hasn't weighed in yet and her vote counts 60 percent, so I'll have to wait and see what she says.

I'm partial (in a big way) to the Camp-Inn. The more I look at it on the web the more I love it. It also suits my camping style more so than the Airstream.

The next step is to look at one in person. After a brief discussion with Cary, the nearest location I can go to see one is about 8 hours round trip. Now, I just need to schedule it and head up. Hopefully, we can do it sooner rather than later. I've caught the camp-inn bug.

...and I'm already pricing out the options.

Jaime

 

Jaime going to see your first Camp Inn will be very exciting kind of like going to see an old friend you haven't seen in a while.

 

Scheduled!

Just finished talking with Bonnie. She was extreamly nice and had nothing but good things to say about her experiences with her 560. We are driving up after our son's hockey game this weekend and I can hardly wait.

In the meantime, I have 5 days to come up with my sales pitch for my wife. I've read the user's manual (several times), read 60 percent of the information on the forums, devoured the offical web site and watched every youtube video I could find (total of 7). All that is left to do is to put together the presentation, hire a ninja and rent a pony (it's way easier to win over the kids so that it's three to one before I start the presentation )

Jaime

 

Like the pony idea. Bribery can be so handy. Ganging up on momma is another winner, especially if the kids go all boo-boo lipped. No - wait... she's a mom with multiple offspring and therefore immune to the boo-boo lips.

Try chocolate and booze. It always works on me.

And if that doesn't work, point out how much money you will save in the long run. Jim and I just finished a coast to coast tour. Two months, twenty some odd states and Canada-eh. We were guessing how much it would have cost us just for lodging and restaurants had we not owned the TD and cooked our own meals. Thousands, baby, thousands. No way we could have afforded that kind of trip and seen all that small town America and natural beauty, without selling the house, that is.

And if THAT doesn't work, you can always fall back on jewelery or just pitch a fit and roll all over the floor kicking and screaming. Whatever works.

Camp On,

Sue

 

Have her sit on the couch, and look at the galley.
Then book a dozen campsites for next summer, and have her help you start picking out a tent.

 

Way ahead of you Evan

We start camping 2-3 times a month next year (March) through my my kids scouting programs as well as a spring break 7 day camping trip to orlando. Then, in the fall, I'm renting the 560 for a weekend campout near Necedah and hope to hand Cary a signed contract before we leave.

That is assuming she isn't sold on it by the end of the tour this weekend.

We do have to finish the new garage first and a house addition (both slated to be finished by the end of the summer if all goes well with the contractors). Afterall, I need a place to store the lil' guy.

 

To quote the song...'just one look, that's all it took, yeah, just one look.' (Probably before your time.) To be honest, once she sees one, the cute factor will kick in and make it a lot easier to convince her. Pictures do not do them justice. Have her spend some time on the forum and ask the questions she will have. It's comfortable, cozy, compact, and its value really doesn't decrease. I wish you good luck, but I don't think you'll need it!

Deb

 

hey, I think I know that song!

The hollies? It has an awesome bridge if it's the one I'm thinking of.

It was before my time...most of the music I love was before my time. I'm from a family of musicians, so our taste tend to span generations.

Anyway, I hope you are right and I'll have her sold on it this weekend.

Jaime

 

I'll be sure to include the full report which I hope includes a thumbs up from the wife. She spent some of her own time checking out the camp-inn website last night. That's a really good sign.

I didn't know that Linda Ronstadt sang a version of Just One Look. I did a little digging and found out that it wasn't even an original for the Hollies! It was a Doris Troy song which I've never heard either.

The things you learn

Jaime

 

Headed up tonight to stay in Pittsburgh before heading on to St. Marys for my first hands-on tour of the 560.

If any of you have advice on things I should point out to the wife or that I should pay attention to myself let me know.

The units a new one (2012) so it should have all the latest bells and whistles.



Jaime

 

As a lady, the things that impressed me most:

- lots of storage (both inside the cabin and in the galley)
- that cast iron stove! Nice!
- check out the crumb catchers between the cabinets in the galley on the counter, also those doors come off to make cleaning them a breeze)
- set the bunks up (have the kids test them for you!)
- sit on the couch
- have her check out the set up and tear down, I think it will be far less intimidating than bigger RVs (I am totally comfortable going on my own and not having the husband with me...I can do everything myself, and there is power in that).

Those are some of my tops at least!

 

If Cary ever needs someone to market and sell his trailers he should talk to Joe and Bonnie. They gave us a first class tour of the unit and by the time they were finished my wife was sold on it. Bonnie was perfect, adding details about setting up the kitchen, awnings and side tents between Joe’s detailed tour of every nook and cranny of the unit. In Joe, I found a kindred spirit. We love attention to detail and both researched the heck out of travel trailers before we settled on the raindrop 560.

I could write for hours about our tour but I’ll try to be brief for now and just list some of the things that stood out.

1.) There is not a single picture or photograph that I’ve seen which prepared me for the wood finish. It is beautiful!
2.) It’s been said before but can’t be said enough. Trim, finish, details, hardware: all of it is top notch.
3.) If you have ever toured other travel trailers, what stands out is how flimsy the construction feels in many of them. The 560 is solid from top to bottom.
4.) Joe set up the bunks for us to look at. Jack, my 10 year old son spent a lot of the tour on the bottom bunk fake-sleeping. That sold Jack.
5.) The unit is light and can be easily moved by hand. Joe pulled it out from the wall so we could easily get around it for a better tour. It is way easier to move it by hand than I expected.
6.) I thought the inside storage by the bench was an access to the through way storage on the exterior. They are two separate storage areas.
7.) The interior storage behind the bench has a power outlet. I didn’t know that.
8.) The interior storage on the AC side has an additional outlet I did not know existed (you plug the AC into it)
9.) The doors have a small vent so that you always have access to air in the cabin.
10.) The leveling jacks are BIG.
11.) The storage compartments under the bed are larger than I expected.
12.) If you haul bicycles using the rear hitch there is some concern that they obscure the view of the trailer’s break lights.
13.) My wife found the oddest things important, like the wind screens for the kitchen area and the bumper while she thought the furnace and sunroof were unnecessary.
14.) Bonnie makes gorgeous quilts.
15.) The doors lock from the inside and if you are not careful, there is a slim chance you might lock yourself out of the camper.
16.) Joe uses Sharkhide on the exterior. It looks fantastic.
17.) The wife LOVES the Dometic Frig.

I know I’m missing a bunch of things but those are the ones that stood out. The first big hurdle is out of the way. Now for step 2, financing and getting ready for the trailer. I’m in the process of turning my current garage into a family room and building a new garage. Once I have those projects finished I can focus on getting the trailer under contract. Time to go look at garage plans.

Jaime

 

Yep, once you see one in person it's a done deal.

The wind screens for the kitchen are actually very helpful.
Whether or not the furnace is helpful depends on how you plan to use the trailer. With a furnace it is possible to use it all year (at least where we live).

The sunroof is nice because you can look up through it and see the stars at night. However, if you had to choose, the fantastic fan is certainly more important. (560's can have both).

 

Yep, once you see a Camp Inn there is no turning back. The quality is superb but once you visit the factory you see why. I was so impressed on how everyone there seemed happy and loved their jobs. They want to produce the best they can. Great product--we are loving ours.

We had great sales people as well, Meribeth and Benn. We are meeting them at Cape Canaveral tomorrow for three nights. We were originally going to see a couple of night launches but they have been cancelled and moved. So now our trip is just R & R.

Carol