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As a Pathfinder owner, I've got zero complaints. I absolutely love it.
Not sure exactly what advice you want, but here's some things to bear in mind:
1. Size / Weight:
The Pathfinder is a fair bit bigger than the concorde, so be prepared to deal with the extra size and weight.
I've never found towing an issue, but unless the ground is completely flat (or you're moving it down a slope), you'll likely struggle to manouver it by hand. Not normally an issue on site, but maybe a consideration for storage if storing at home. Consider one with a motor mover if possible, or a winch which is what I use.
Also although it will fit in a standard garage, they only *just* fit (with literally millimeters to spare) into the type of single garages you get in a row of garages. Another reason to consider a motor mover for finer control. When mine was stored in a garage I actually used a motorized jockey wheel to get it in a garage, which was fine, but it was useless for anything but the slightest of slopes.
If you store it outside, get a winter cover. They're around £150 and well worth it.
2. Canvas
If you can, go for one with the newer synthetic canvas. They dry out in 20-30 mins after a downpour. My old cotton canvas took literally days to dry out if it got wet, and getting two straight days of dry weather is a challenge here on the West coast of Scotland.
For older canvases, check the condition. Some mildew on older models is probably unavoidable, but anything more than the odd spot you want to avoid.
They're really the only things you need to worry about apart from the usual checks you'd do on any caravan/trailer tent.
From personal experience (and expense), the only gotchas for a noob are:
When setting up:
- don't forget to close the hot water heater valve when setting up. I normally store the water pump next to it, and make sure it's the first thing I do before taking the pump out. If you forget you'll end up wondering why it's taking forever for the water to come through, and why there's a huge puddle underneath your camper!
- connect the drain hose to the sink before connecting the hot/cold supply so you don't forget. Drain water all over the carpet will get everywhere and take weeks to dry out.
When packing up.
- don't forget to open the hot water heater valve to drain it. I do this as soon as I'm about to put the water pump away.
- disconnect all connections - i.e. 12V light plugs, the hob gas, hot/cold water connectors and sink drain before you pack anything away. If you forget, those water connectors will snap as you lift the sink unit. They're around £40 a go if you can get them (which I don't think you can nowadays).
Everything should pack away / unpack without effort. Do not at any point force the camper open or close. If it's not going smoothly, stop, reverse what you're doing and check the position of the frame poles/canvas and try again slowly - most likely something has got stuck (e.g. poles crossed or canvas stuck in the wrong place) and just needs a nudge out of the way. Be careful when moving the wardrobe place - it should slide easily if you get the angle right.
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Topic: Pennine pathfinder
via mobile 18/5/2025 at 10:24am
