Some advice from a non-FWC owner but an owner of a Phoenix camper. We have owned it for a few years now. Answers/input/suggestions in bold.
Need input on FWC options (new 2016)
- Thread starter jonb96150
- Start date
If you haven't pulled the trigger consider The AT camper also out of near Sacramento. I like that they are a bit simpler in many ways though truly "clones" by folks that left FWC.
many peoples "over the phone" experiences have been better with AT (All terrain) at least when seeking parts/ service for there older FWC campers I hear. If your experience is different please post dont want to spread hearsay. Very unlike Alaskan who will drop just about anything to help you out no matter how ancient your "telescopic camper"
many peoples "over the phone" experiences have been better with AT (All terrain) at least when seeking parts/ service for there older FWC campers I hear. If your experience is different please post dont want to spread hearsay. Very unlike Alaskan who will drop just about anything to help you out no matter how ancient your "telescopic camper"
Sparse Gray Hackle
Geezer
Excellent customer service and attention to customization requests by ATC. I'm impressed by them.
Time for an overdue update from the OP.
I procrastinated on pulling the trigger on ordering a new Grandby for so long that when my wife asked when it would be ready to pick up I knew I was in trouble! So I renewed my search for a used one with newly found motivation.
Somewhere (I think it was on wander the west) I found a link to a virtually new 2016 that had been purchased from the Jackson Hole dealer. The orig owner used it for a short time and decided it was too small for his liking so he bought a Hallmark and left the Grandby at the Hallmark factory outside of Denver. The Hallmark folks listed it on their website as a courtesy to him. So I rolled the dice and drove 1200 miles to pick it up.
It had a lot of options that I would not have ordered but it was a front dinette model which is kind of hard to find used.
Options we would have ordered:
Jacks
Roof fan
Yakima tracks only
2nd deep cycle (they are nice AGM)
Front dinette
Gas strut lift assist
Porta potti (still in wrapper unused)
Now for the options we would not have ordered:
160 watt solar panel: I was going to do this myself and save some $, but now I'm glad it is already done and done right. The 160W does a great job of keeping the big batteries fully charged.
2.7 cu ft 3 way fridge: I would have opted for a compressor fridge.
Forced air furnace: I was going to install a catalytic heater requiring no power. The furnace is nice to take the chill off in the morning, but I would not want to hear it cycling on-off all night. And not as efficient as a catalytic, the furnace is exhausting BTU's to the outside as all furnaces do.
6 gallon water heater with outside shower: Don't know if the shower or water heater will get much or any use. Potable water is usually too precious in the boonies to use for showers. I would rather have more storage space.
8' Fiamma side awning with light: I have yet to use this in our 2 weeks of camping but I know it will get used. The main issue is that it is already pinstriped from trees and brush and I'm afraid it is going to be badly damaged. If it's not too hard to remove and install I will put it on for trips that don't involve tight overgrown two track trails.
Exterior LED lighting: It has the lights on the vertical sides of camper and also underneath the four corners of the camper. I really like these and am glad they were installed. Some folks said they never used them but I use them a lot. Most of our camping is boondocking, just a level spot in the middle of nowhere, and quite often there are rocks, holes, etc... to trip over after dark. Having these lights is great. With two of us it is hard to move around in the camper, so I can putter around, brush teeth, shave, just sit and read, listen to the radio, etc... outside after dark. It really adds to useful space after dark. The side lights and underneath lights are switched separately so you can use just the underneath lights for a more discrete light source that won't be seen from a distance unlike the side lights which are very bright. Not uncomfortable to look at, but can be seen at quite a distance. I even left them on all night as a test and still had 12.7V in the morning after using the interior lights quite a bit.
Thermal pack: Really glad it had this option. Seems to help keep the camper cooler when it is warm outside, as well as warmer when it is cold outside. Added bonus is that when you open the windows you can tuck them in between the thermal pack and the vinyl wall and they are out of the way. Especially the window above the stove. I have seen pix of that window just kind of flopping about close to the stove and sink. Looks awkward, in the way, and prone to cooking and dishwashing splatter.
After 40 years of tent camping we are in camper heaven! We use some nice self inflating pads on top of the supplied cushions which are a little firm for our old bones and sleep very well. Sometimes too well! With windows closed for warmth, and with the thermal pack it stays fairly dark inside and one morning we didn't get up until 08:30! We were really surprised at how late it was!
Thanks to all for the input. We are glad to be a part of the FWC group. I was in Reno yesterday and three different people came up to me and wanted to talk about the camper. I was surprised. Here at S. Lake Tahoe you see FWC campers several times a day, so I did not think they were so unusual. But there seems to be a lot of interest in them.
Thanks again!
I procrastinated on pulling the trigger on ordering a new Grandby for so long that when my wife asked when it would be ready to pick up I knew I was in trouble! So I renewed my search for a used one with newly found motivation.
Somewhere (I think it was on wander the west) I found a link to a virtually new 2016 that had been purchased from the Jackson Hole dealer. The orig owner used it for a short time and decided it was too small for his liking so he bought a Hallmark and left the Grandby at the Hallmark factory outside of Denver. The Hallmark folks listed it on their website as a courtesy to him. So I rolled the dice and drove 1200 miles to pick it up.
It had a lot of options that I would not have ordered but it was a front dinette model which is kind of hard to find used.
Options we would have ordered:
Jacks
Roof fan
Yakima tracks only
2nd deep cycle (they are nice AGM)
Front dinette
Gas strut lift assist
Porta potti (still in wrapper unused)
Now for the options we would not have ordered:
160 watt solar panel: I was going to do this myself and save some $, but now I'm glad it is already done and done right. The 160W does a great job of keeping the big batteries fully charged.
2.7 cu ft 3 way fridge: I would have opted for a compressor fridge.
Forced air furnace: I was going to install a catalytic heater requiring no power. The furnace is nice to take the chill off in the morning, but I would not want to hear it cycling on-off all night. And not as efficient as a catalytic, the furnace is exhausting BTU's to the outside as all furnaces do.
6 gallon water heater with outside shower: Don't know if the shower or water heater will get much or any use. Potable water is usually too precious in the boonies to use for showers. I would rather have more storage space.
8' Fiamma side awning with light: I have yet to use this in our 2 weeks of camping but I know it will get used. The main issue is that it is already pinstriped from trees and brush and I'm afraid it is going to be badly damaged. If it's not too hard to remove and install I will put it on for trips that don't involve tight overgrown two track trails.
Exterior LED lighting: It has the lights on the vertical sides of camper and also underneath the four corners of the camper. I really like these and am glad they were installed. Some folks said they never used them but I use them a lot. Most of our camping is boondocking, just a level spot in the middle of nowhere, and quite often there are rocks, holes, etc... to trip over after dark. Having these lights is great. With two of us it is hard to move around in the camper, so I can putter around, brush teeth, shave, just sit and read, listen to the radio, etc... outside after dark. It really adds to useful space after dark. The side lights and underneath lights are switched separately so you can use just the underneath lights for a more discrete light source that won't be seen from a distance unlike the side lights which are very bright. Not uncomfortable to look at, but can be seen at quite a distance. I even left them on all night as a test and still had 12.7V in the morning after using the interior lights quite a bit.
Thermal pack: Really glad it had this option. Seems to help keep the camper cooler when it is warm outside, as well as warmer when it is cold outside. Added bonus is that when you open the windows you can tuck them in between the thermal pack and the vinyl wall and they are out of the way. Especially the window above the stove. I have seen pix of that window just kind of flopping about close to the stove and sink. Looks awkward, in the way, and prone to cooking and dishwashing splatter.
After 40 years of tent camping we are in camper heaven! We use some nice self inflating pads on top of the supplied cushions which are a little firm for our old bones and sleep very well. Sometimes too well! With windows closed for warmth, and with the thermal pack it stays fairly dark inside and one morning we didn't get up until 08:30! We were really surprised at how late it was!
Thanks to all for the input. We are glad to be a part of the FWC group. I was in Reno yesterday and three different people came up to me and wanted to talk about the camper. I was surprised. Here at S. Lake Tahoe you see FWC campers several times a day, so I did not think they were so unusual. But there seems to be a lot of interest in them.
Thanks again!