Eggcamper Teardropp - RV review and consumer reports

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viper

In the extreme heat and humdity of the Gulf coast, the stock Frigadare 5000 BTU AC proved not up to the task. The stock unit is just 16" wide and Frigdaire has not made that model in years. The internals of the AC compartment are made specifically to fit just that model. No room for upgrades or a replacement. The new units are 18.5" wide!!!, not 16", so the opening has to be enlarged and the newer units are about 3" longer. The AC has a molded fiberglass compartment which is thus not useable and must be cut away in part. The platform the unit rest on is too narrow so its lips must be cut away also. A new compartment and support must be built for the newer models which are completely digital, with remotes and the 5K BTU, 6.5K BTU($149 at Lowes, I reccomned this as the min now )and the 8K BTU unit is $199. They have 5 year warranty and are Energy Star rated unlike the older models and come with 10.8 SEER. So in effect even with greater cooling capacities, they use less energy and run on high only when required.. I personally would mode this upgrade out at the start since if your AC goes out on you, you will not be able to get a replacement.. this could wreck a whole vacation in 95 degrees. In otherwords your warranty really does not help you if you cant get a replacement unit that does not fit. I would also replace the Elixir Power supply for similar reasons although creating a wider cut out is much less work than doing the hole rebuild required on the AC compartment and rebuilding everything around it... in 95 degress... As mentioned the Elxir power supply is nolonger made, they are out of business for at least six months or longer so there is no MFG warranty and no replacements.. you can have mine if you would like. I replaced mine with 30AMP AC - 55 AMP 12vDC... WFCO WF8955 with 3 stage charging for 160 dollars. more ac and dc lines. I'm sure Jim at EGGCAMPER will get on to this sooner rather than later... Regards

Viper

Well I got an EGG even before I could sell My Eagle Bus Conversion due to health issues (back injury) and the need to have something my wife could tow and I was not able to climb up the steps of the Coach for the first couple of months after surgery. There are seldom any used ones on the market.. and used even with Casita's there are no real bargins. Micro campers are in. Egg Camper has no dealers. We bought sight unseen from the factory and had a delivery service bring it to Cape Coral Florida. We had lots of modifications made at Port Charlotte RV service; so that its all electrical, with eletric tongue lifts and rear stabilizers (could not crank any thing for the next year), SAT dishes, Home theatre and 32inch Flat screen attached to a custom built cabinet to house the electronics. We added a Honda EU 3000isa Gen which will run for more than 20 hours on a tank and powers everything at once. We hooked the GEN and shore power to an auto power transfer switch as in the big boys(so Gen and shore power will not merge) and solar panel on roof to charge the house battery. Once you add a bed spread,throw pillows, a wall clock, colored shower curtans, towels.. and a couple of small colored mirrors, its plenty homey.. see the website for some examples.. especially if you get colored seat cushions. Our was painted Inferno red crystal pearl with metalic gold and silver wide strips and left white on top. We inspected the rear bumper welds and found them excellant after hearing they had problems in one case. We had 3, 220 plus lb men climb on the bumber and go up and down for a few minutes and decided after that, no increased support was required. Perhaps the STEEL bumper is now improved as of June 2010. We added a bolt on hitch so we could mount a bike rack. Of course we have the rear stabilizer cross members between the 60" steel frame adding additional support. We mounted the hitch upside down to give it greater ground clearance and its rated at 250lbs. Its wider than any other with a unigue dual fiberglass shell, the outside and an internal shell that forms the interior.. no wood to rot, no stables, no stick furniture. It also 5-6" taller in the inside than any other. It tows very well! We added a back up camera on its rear. SOME SMALL PROBLEMS AS TO BE EXPECTED. Ground wire came undone when the screw attaching it to the frame corroded and fell off in 2 months in the Florida Humid salty air. Another reason to buy an Egg which has few metal components. It came with just one set of keys for the door and the 30 amp electric shore power opening. Otherwise it's fine, basic and realiable... easy to fix and upgrade. Off the shelf components... such as a regular window A/C mounted thrpough the side.. if it breaks.. 89 bucks gets you a new one.. or 49 bucks to replace the micro wave... We also a added aluminum alloy wheels for a little more style. I THINK ITS PERFECT ALTHOUGH PART OF ME THINKS 2 FEET LONGER, SAY 19 FEET WOULD BE EVEN BETTER. Regards

Pierre-Emanuel de Gaspe

To escape the snow and the cold, I have spend about 6 months per year on the road for the pass 55 years. first we had the Airstream behind the Caddy, then in the 60s we shifted to the motorhome, (Travco, Executive, 3 GMC, etc.) we had them of every color, size & style,: motorhome with full sun deck, 28' winch to put the boat in the water some 30' away and an elevator in it!!!! they had finish from french brocade at $250./yd to Malabar teak floors and corian & marble kitchen with mosaic wall bathroom. With all that said, now I travel with a Casita, my 3rd. its fun and made for the road. The factory can easily sell its production so they do not need to improve too much, as a matter of fact they made most improvement to be worse than the original. They do not offer what should be offer from a manufacturer who wish to remain number one. Maybe someone else will. As of now the Casita, with the addition of a few indispensable items such as a build in Generator, macerator system etc. is the best thing on the road, I have now one for sale, its brand new 17' and I am also looking to buy a 13' for when i travel alone.

Pierre-Emanuel de Gaspe

to escape the snow and the cold, I have spend about 6 months per year on the road for the pass 55 years. first we had the Airstream behind the Caddy, then in the 60s we shifted to the motorhome, (Travco, Executive, 3 GMC, etc.) we had them of every color, size & style,: motorhome with full sun deck, 28' winch to put the boat in the water some 30' away and an elevator in it!!!! they had finish from french brocade at $250./yd to Malabar teak floors and corian & marble kitchen with mosaic wall bathroom. With all that said, now I travel with a Casita, my 3rd. its fun and made for the road. The factory can easily sell its production so they do not need to improve too much, as a matter of fact they made most improvement to be worse than the original. They do not offer what should be offer from a manufacturer who wish to remain number one. Maybe someone else will. As of now the Casita, with the addition of a few indispensable items such as a build in Generator, macerator system etc. is the best thing on the road, I have now one for sale, its brand new 17' and I am also looking to buy a 13' for when i travel alone.

dancingrandma

Looks like a very practical way to enjoy traveling and camping. Not too bad on the environment either since it doesn't weight much and may be gas efficient. I am getting too old for any extensive tent camping. This is a good alternative.

Rose and Bill, we live about an hour south of you in North Carolina and would love to see your Egg Camper if you do not mind entertaining one more. If that would be possible.

Rose and Bill

We bought an eggcamper in Nov-- drove to Michigan to pick it up . We are very happy with it so far (3 trips). We live outside Raleigh,NC if you want to see one.

Leslie

Looks interesting....but all that white fiberglass inside looks cheesy in the pictures, might be better in real life! Any way to get some color in there? Would love to see one up close!

one eye

I am looking for used Egg'or the like, must be in good condition, fairly new. Where can I see these around Portland Oregon? will travel if properly motivated

John West

I like the Eggcamper and need more information on it--Is there a Dealer in Virginia// If not, where is the nearest one to Zip 23692. I'd like the information ASAP-It looks like a new 'twist' on camping for my wife and I. Jack

Bill Robison

We bought our EggCamper a few weeks ago. Boy is it roomy! I'm a big guy at 6'3" and about 260# - it seems just right for me - lots of headroom both standing or lying in bed! I have created some mods to put on a bath door, rear storage and make the second bed wide enough for both granddaughters to sleep comfy. I've taken all the wood doors down so I can paint them a soft color my wife picked out to coordinate with our cushions, etc. Have some ideas for solar charge unit - but for now will use Honda EU2000i genset for remote camping. If anyone would like to see one in real life we are near Lansing, Michigan. Send us a note deepthinkers(at)gmail.com

bikingrandma

Cute, but kind of sparse and utilitarian looking, not "homey" at all. But maybe with a few decorator touches here and there... Looks well built, though.

dave p

just finished a 10,863 mile trip towing the egg. no problems....rear bumper will not handle the weight of two bikes. bends and cracks the weld. need to weld reinforcements. traveled highway, back roads and real back roads. no problems and some real bumps.

Viper

I'm waiting to sell my Eagle Bus Conversion and get one. I want something small that can be pulled by any of my vehicles.. in the end I just need bed, bath,frige,a/c, Microwave, Flat screen sat TV, 2 burners and a head/shower.. a place for my Lab if I stay in hotel, and for me and wife, dog when we are taveling... stop somewhere and tour around in the Hummer... This looks simple, no maintenance, no stick furniture. And has what I need, no excesses... Need to expand size of gen to 3K and have a couple more hours of gas for Gen on board, A rear hitch for a 3 bike rack also (not for towing). I like it... I like the convenience of a full scale coach.. just do much to maintain and towing a vehicle is a pain as you approach 65 feet long. Too big for many places... And it des not mater how big they are they all are only really for Two. Regards

Albert

like to find a dealer near zip 85220 e-mail (dbironazmi@aol.com).