560 Ultra Build (planning stage)

Amen!
My husband and I are seriously thinking about driving up to Wisconsin (2 1/2 days drive) to tour the Camp Inn factory. Mind you, I've been interested in purchasing a Camp Inn teardrop for quite awhile....almost 200 builds ago to be truthful. A couple of years ago we drove to New York to see a 560 Raindrop that a nice couple were selling. They were including the side tent and just about everything else. As nice as it was, I was certain I wanted a 550 Teardrop. Last summer we drove out to the 1st MAUCICCO and we met the owners of Mcnugit, Jim & Jamie. They were very kind and eager to show us their teardrop. I've called Camp Inn 3 times...spoke with Cary twice, and Marty the last time. These folks were so easy to talk to and helpful. Never once did I feel pressured or patronized as a woman. I am certain the folks at Camp Inn genuinely care about their product and their customers, and they continually look for ways to make it the best it can be.

 

Thanks to all for your responses and opinions, I am convinced on the brake option and will add to my list, leaning toward the TV/DVD option only because the sunroof is no longer offered, and thanks to Camp-Inn for making my decision on what type of interior finish harder (Seriously I'm enjoying this) we will make up our minds when we see them in person. In the mean time will keep following along here and taking it all in...Thanks to all! Ron and Missy

 

Just a clarification on the sunroof and warranty concerns. The issues with the sunroof are from a combination of things.

1) When the sunroofs came from the manufacturer, they occasionally had defects that required additional labor on our part to correct them before installation. Sometimes, however, we missed the defects until a customer had a sunroof leak and brought it to our attention.

2) There have been some sunroofs that were not installed properly, due to employee error. As these have been discovered, we have retrained employees on proper installation techniques.

3) There have been some sunroofs that had leak issues due to customers not following the proper operating and maintenance procedures as outlined in the Owner's Manual (p. 23).

When issues have arisen, we have worked with the customer to have the issues resolved in their locale, whether it was a repair or replacement of the sunroof. Sometimes, we repaired the sunroof here, when the customer brought their teardrop to us.

In most cases, leaks did not occur until the trailer was three or more years old. However, we still covered the repair as a warranty expense (The warranty states a 2 year coverage for this type of problem.). If the issue was due to the sunroof manufacturer's defect, we still assumed responsibility for it. The sunroof manufacturer would not cover the material costs as it was already outside of their warranty period. As a result, we covered the cost of materials and labor for the repairs.

Although we covered the cost of repairs, it did not change the fact the problems had occurred. Customers were inconvenienced and experienced wet bedding, as well as the frustration that came as a result of these issues and getting them resolved. In addition, it was also not cost effective for us to continue the sunroof as an option, as we spent more in warranty repairs than we received in sales on the option.

Even though we have improved inspection of materials and installation on our end, we will not know if this has been enough until several years have elapsed. This, along with the inconvenience and stress to the affected customers, and the cost of warranty repairs, resulted in our decision to discontinue the sunroof as an option.

As a side note, most of our customers who have sunroofs, have not experienced these issues.

 

Thanks very much for your detailed explanation Betsey

Sharon

 

Thanks Betsy, I pretty much thought that was the case with the sunroofs. We are nine days away from picking up our trailer, with sunroof, and I was waiting to run that by Cary. You have now saved him some time. I was pretty sure if a majority of people had problems I would have heard about it here on the forum. Looking forward to meeting you all on the 23td.
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

RDD,
Love the TR-6!
It was one of the most favorite cars I owned 35+ years ago. Alas when a baby came along, and family raising costs took priority, it had to go.
Still miss it however, but the baby that came along has now provided us with two grandkids......well worth the trade.

 

Well, Deb and Kyle, My suggestion would be, Why waste a trip? Just go ahead and order and then when you go to pick it up you can do the tour of the factory. I still love the look of the 550 but am happy with my 560. The extra space really helps a lot. I can carry some extra stuff and not have to unload the bed before turning in. I really don't like fuss and extra work. My little Honda Element pulls it just fine. During some rainy days it has been very comfortable to go inside and sit on the sofa to read a book. It is all about personal preference.

 

Pnutbuttrptty- You're right of course. It's not a short distance to drive...about 18 or 19 hours from us. However, we're off right now (teachers) and other than cleaning out the attics this summer, we've not made any plans. I guess I'd like to get away for a few days. Lol.
This forum has helped tremendously in trying to decide style, options, etc. I know if my two children were still little, I'd most definitely want the 560. We are empty nesters now and the extra few inches the 550 affords in our garage wins out.
Speaking of options, I understand the interior choices include mahogany, birch, or bamboo. I haven't seen pictures of the birch or bamboo options, so I'm curious about those.
Ps. I like the name, "pnutbuttrptty."

 

Thanks, the TR is a 1975 with 40k actual miles. Fell in love with them when I graduated from college in 1979 and bought it used then. Told myself I would never part with it and haven't. After the Camp-Inn purchase plan on a ground up restoration. Has become a great companion along with our golden retriever who loves to ride in the passenger seat, she gets plenty of attention sporting her doggles...p.s. she hasn't learned to drive a standard transmission.....yet....

 

Although I'd never want one in a vehicle, I love my sunroof in the camper, and am soooo glad to have it because it's just another dimension to experience from inside, looking vertical as well as out the windows.

 

Missy, Ellie and I met with Craig and Carry yesterday and we are "on the grid" so to speak with an early May 2015 delivery date. We are fortunate to live only 4 hours away and stopped by as we traveled to northern WI to fish for a week.They spent 3 hours with us answering all of our questions while showing all of the models feature s and options. Received a detailed tour of the production facility and met several of the craftsman and women. It was an enlightening experiances. After two years of research and anticipation of seeing the Campinn for the first time they exceeded our expectations. Decided to go with the 560 w/trailer brakes minus the parking brake, A/C and heater, TV/DVD, hitch (avid bike riders), bumper and the bamboo finish (missy loved it), and the new back-up light package (which many have not seen yet). Jury is still out on a few things that we have time to add before our build starts. Now start to think about other things like stereo speakers and a radio, and traveling plans. Now the fun begins.....

 

Congrats! It's a long wait but well worth it. Have fun.

 

Now the real shopping begins. It really enjoyed getting the first build pictures. Nice that you live close. I'm glad I had 2000 miles to practice driving in the middle of the country with no traffic. By the time I got home I was totally comfortable pulling the trailer. I hope you have fun going through the process.

 

Ron and Missy --

So great to hear about your visit to CI and your very positive impressions! Our trailer will be picked up in April and we are beyond excited! Because we are avid birders, last night we talked about all of the hotspots we want to visit once we have the TD. Spring migration hits in May...and we'll be ready!

Wow, bamboo? Is that more sustainable than birch, I wonder? I'd love to see what that looks like. I wonder if Cary can send a "swatch"; I'll have to ask!

Enjoy the planning! We've added a few things since we placed our initial order. No TV/DVD nor AC, but went with a furnace. Also recently added an Alcan cover and bumper and hitch for bikes. Among lots of other options!

Happy trails!

Diane

 

It would be great if a picture of the bamboo interior could be posted on this forum-- I'd love to see it and learn more about it.

 

I'm with you, Chuckwagon! That's a great idea!

Diane

 

Missy & Ron - I'm so happy to hear that you are in the process of ordering your 560 - you won't regret it! And I bet your sweet Ellie will love camping in a Raindrop as much as our Sophie does. Have fun picking out all of your options I'm a wee bit jealous of all the new choices/options that you now have to pick from...especially curious about the bamboo! You should take a ride to Necedah and check out Camp-Inn Camp-Outt in September - we'll be there and would love to see you! - Julie

 

We recently made a visit to Camp-Inn to deliver stereo components for our upcoming 560 build. I know several of you out there had an interest in seeing samples of the two up-grade finishes. I photographed both together along with the stock natural finish. In the first photo the Mahogany in on the left and Bamboo on the right and natural is on top. The second photo is the bamboo with a leather sample my wife picked out although this is an undecided option at this point.

 

Bamboo is pretty! Since we are getting a 550 we went with the birch since it is brighter and lighter and will hopefully make the trailer feel "bigger"! But that bamboo is appealing! Glad our order is in already!

 

I love the mahogany when off set by the lighter trim pieces...just stunning.

That was the one thing about buying used that I regretted as we can't change the paneling. But it sure it pretty.