Hi would welcome opinions/experiences as I've narrowed my next move down to these 2, other atlernatives welcomed also. The Pennine seems to be plusher inside, almost like a like a luxury caravan. See a lot for sale, and not too many dandy's. Just wondering what u people think. Moving from a touring caravan by the way.
To my mind it has to be the Pennine. But YOU know best just what you are looking for. Have a good look at both in the flesh before you make up your mind.
I know, once I saw inside the Pathfinder I was impressed. Only reason the Dandy is on the list as their is no canvas to put away wet!!!! Where is a good place to buy from?
You dont see many Dandys for sale because they never go rotten or get mouldy. Most people are only selling them because they have 1. Changed to a newer Dandy or 2. Changed up to a tintent or to a new tent.
Mine is a Dandy 4/5 (Dart) and is for sale because I now have a caravan. Personal preference because I sometimes go camping on my own with 3 kids. The van is a lot easier for me to assemble.
Quote: Originally posted by BentAxle on 19/09/2005
Hi would welcome opinions/experiences as I've narrowed my next move down to these 2, other atlernatives welcomed also. The Pennine seems to be plusher inside, almost like a like a luxury caravan. See a lot for sale, and not too many dandy's. Just wondering what u people think. Moving from a touring caravan by the way.
Bent Axle
Dandy's seem to be kept - figure it out for yourself. People only seem to move onto another one or can no longer use a FC. I'd always go for a Dandy over canvas, personal oppinion, as you don't need to worry about drying out the tent if it's raining when you pack up. Also they are very wind proff. When we had a frame tent the wind would still come through the canvas. The insulated roof of the Dandy keeps a lot of warmth in.
We have a 1994 Dandy Destiny and am very pleased with it. Does everything I want from it and looks like lasting forever.
The fundamental difference between the Pennine/Conway/Trigano ranges and the Dandy's is the material of the top/sides. All are very good products.
The Pen/Con/Trig have a heavy guage canvas tops/sides (similar to that which awnings are made but thicker) and the Dandy has a double thickness of heavy PVC with insulation in the middle for the top, and hard sides.
Both methods work extremely well. Dandy use the selling point that you can put theirs away when wet. Guess that you could put any of them away when wet, but I would think it is good practice to get them properly dried out as soon as possible in any case.
The PVC of the Dandy will certainly dry quicker. But I think Dandy are probably stretching the point slightly in regard to putting it away wet, as it all depends upon the amount of bacteria present.
For me, the real advantage of the Dandy is the superior insulation that PVC material provides. However, here again I have not heard Pen/Con/Trig owners complaining of being cold.
Go to the Caravan Show which is coming round very soon now, compare them all, then buy a recent well cared for one second hand.
Definatly Dandy, In our climate they are spot on. How many times have you had to pack up wet, Then worry about geting a dry spell to dry it out ? Also if you indulge in a bit of winter camping the PVC holds the warmth in superbly. I,ve slept in early march in just boxers on top of the duvet !!! Hopefully I,ll be geting a Destiny shortly. The pennine may have plusher soft furnishings & a full oven buts thats it . The only trouble is they (Destiny,s) rarely pop up on the 2nd hand market because people hang on to them. When they do you,ll have to move quick aswell. They also command a high 2nd hand price like the pennine,s aswell. At the end of the day it,s down to you but personally I,d go Dandy everytime I just can,t imagine camping any other way. Regards THUMPER.
------------- The British soldier must be driven to digging in the moment he occupies a piece of ground,lest he waste time in sightseeing,souvenir hunting & drinking tea.....
Maj Gen F.W. Festing (GOC 36 Inf Div )
Look out for the examples fitted with, the now discontinued, gas underfloor heating. It works silently and superbly.
I asked a Dandy rep why they had discontinued such a good feature. They gave me what sounded like guff about in some extreem circumstances snow can block the flue.
Everything is possible I suppose. I feel,a more likely reason is the possibility of grilling your bare feet on the outlet grill in the floor.
It does get very hot. But then again that is whay you asked it to do, AND you have to be pretty dumb to leave your foot there! It works so well, I'm willing to take that risk.
The real reason they were stopped is that they didn't meet current european safety standards (one of the ways is what the Dandy rep told you) and the company couldn't afford to make them fit the standards. Shame 'cos they are very good.
Ok guys I'm convinced , I had to to wait 3days on a break in the weather [ sea mist + continuous rain) in Devon late July to take my new Isabella awning down, wet (still raining) and 24 hours to get home and get into the garage to dry. A pain.
Ref: The Gas underfloor heater, are they not hard on gas and cause condensation? If I am on site and paying for a mains hookup , I have a small 500w oil filled radiator which can be left on when it's chilly.
I also carry a small B&Q £15 Fan/Frost heater , with 1,2 or 3kw settings for when it's freezing. Use gas in the caravan if overnighting enroute at a service ares etc.
As I live in N. Ireland I'd doubt if I could get to a Dandy 4sale privately before someone on the mainland, maybe have to go the Riva themselves.
Quote: Originally posted by BentAxle on 21/09/2005 Ref: The Gas underfloor heater, are they not hard on gas and cause condensation? If I am on site and paying for a mains hookup , I have a small 500w oil filled radiator which can be left on when it's chilly.
Big AL
Al,
My Destiny has a single 7kg Propane bottle (The red ones). Never really measured consumption. Must be reasonable, otherwise I would have thought about it before now.
Never found condensation a problem. Perhaps because I put up the cotton inner lining. Takes a few minutes, but creates a really nice 'Arabian Nights' tent atmosphere.
Naturally, you dont need your own gas heating on if you have ehu. But the underfloor heating is so effectve, at least you have the option of no ehu, even on the coldest nights.
Quote: Originally posted by BentAxle on 21/09/2005
......................if overnighting enroute at a service ares etc.
Big AL
Given that everything is a compromise of some sort, you have identified a disadvantage of any folding camper.
The advantage you get from towing a 500-800kg low trailer must be offset against additional set up time which takes 20-30 mins. Whilst not intrinsically difficult, it is enough to discourage me totally from informal en-route stops.
I'd suggest going to the Earls Court show now in November where you can see them all practically side by side.
We went there last year when we weren't sure what to buy, and I think we were the first ones in the door that actually went upstairs to the FC/TT displays.
We got good walkthroughs/explanations of each of the penine, conway & dandy (riva ?) units, and the sales people were in no rush, as they weren't mobbed by crowds of people, (and we didnt actually tell them we weren't buying there and then )
It is good to see them so close together, as, if you're unsure about anything, you can just walk back across the floor to the other display .. you dont need to remember everything while you drive to a different dealer to see the other type(s).
I ended up with a penine, and as others have said above, the only real issue is the folding up when wet.... not so much that the canvas is put away wet, as it can be dried very quickly later, more that while its raining, and you're trying to fold up, some of the "stuff" inside could get wet. I never had to do this yet, but when I'm folding up I always notice something that would get wet if it was raining. Mabye there is a way of folding in the rain, but I don't know of one. Thats all that really keeps us back from using it more. (We live in Ireland, and it is wetter than UK !)
Best of luck with whatever you decide on. We wouldn't change it. Can't wait to get away again.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Dandy Destiny Vs. Pennine Pathfinder
I just can,t imagine camping any other way. Regards THUMPER.
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