Conqueror Companion vs Commander

[Ashraf Sayed]

Hi Folks
Been contemplating crossing over to offroad campers trailer/campers.
After extensive checking around, narrowed it down to the Conqueror
Companion and Commander.
Price tag +R300k :/

For those of have wither of these what has some of your experiences
been or even your comments of offroad travel with campers/trailers in
general, locally or outside our borders...will be appreciated.

Cheers for now
Ash :)

[Bruce Turner]

Hi Ash,

We have a Companion and love it. Prior to that we had Xplorers which dont have a nice layout but have the best bed. 

We chose the companion due to its smaller size and in my opinion the better kitchen. Some have complained about leaks, poor workmanship, swaying and rocking but we have never experienced any of that. 

I would suggest you hire one for a weekend before making a decision. 

Rgds

BruceT

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[Ashraf Sayed]

Tx Bruce, hiring one that's a good idea. Thanks for that.

Interesting that the GVM for both is the same (1800kg).
Like the idea of the extra space in the Commander with 2 x 3 year olds
might be handy but more of a muchness.
The Platinum Companion is a beauty!

Keep well
Ash

On Thu, Mar 15, 2018 at 11:04 AM, Bruce Turner <bjtu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Ash,
>
> We have a Companion and love it. Prior to that we had Xplorers which dont
> have a nice layout but have the best bed.
>
> We chose the companion due to its smaller size and in my opinion the better
> kitchen. Some have complained about leaks, poor workmanship, swaying and
> rocking but we have never experienced any of that.
>
> I would suggest you hire one for a weekend before making a decision.
>
> Rgds
> BruceT
>
> On 15 March 2018 at 11:00, Ashraf Sayed <ashie...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Folks
>> Been contemplating crossing over to offroad campers trailer/campers.
>> After extensive checking around, narrowed it down to the Conqueror
>> Companion and Commander.
>> Price tag +R300k :/
>>
>> For those of have wither of these what has some of your experiences
>> been or even your comments of offroad travel with campers/trailers in
>> general, locally or outside our borders...will be appreciated.
>>
>> Cheers for now
>> Ash :)
>>
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[Bruce Turner]

You are also more than welcome to come to my house and "play" with mine.

(Im in Randpark Ridge for now) 

Rgds

BruceT

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[Jean Struweg]

"for now" - do you have plans to move Bruce?

Cheers

[Bruce Turner]

Jean, yes possibly but not finalised yet. (just a move to another house, not immigrating or anything like that) 

Rgds

BruceT

[Andre Janse van Rensburg]

Bruce, have a look at this!

https://www.mobilodge.com/

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[Ashraf Sayed]

thanks Bruce :)

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[Andre Janse van Rensburg]

Wish, sorry, should be for Ashraf:-)

[Ashraf Sayed]

tx Andries, bottom end model start up price R388k...yikes! Saw this at
the Beeld show couple of weeks back. Very nicely finished.

[Jean Struweg]

Ash

With 2x 3year olds you need to manage expectations around where everyone travels sooner than later. When we went to Kosi Bay/Jozini in Dec, the 2 x 5 year old lighties we had with us had great plans to travel from Gauteng to the coast in the boat.☺

Their plans were in an advanced stage when the adults got wind of it, and it was a mission to get them to abandon it 

Cheers

On 15 March 2018 at 11:15, Ashraf Sayed <ashie...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Marc]

Ash, we've through it all. Started with a roof tent, then as kids came, evolved to the off-road trailer, evolved to an off-road caravan in the form Conqueror Companion.

I've just last week sold the companion to go back to roof-tent.

Conqueror was a fantastic option and after first hiring a few different setups , we decided on the Companion being the best fit to our wants & needs. It was the right choice but as with everything, there was never an exact 100% user-fit and there were a couple of things I changed.

It was robust, towed well and could be loaded. They have a few unique design inclusions that are nifty, but given my time again, I'd buy something else that was less costly.

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[Ashraf Sayed]

Tx Marc, good info... was the Commander an option at the time you
bought the Companion.
Only hired the Conqueror Conquest trailer once upon a time. Did some
bush camping with it, also performed great.
At this in my time its about kids....interesting this natural
migration from tent...to roof top tent...to trailer...to offroad
caravan...

The RTT taking a break for now :)

Cheers 4 now
Ash

[Marc]

Yes, but I did look strongly at the Commander but wifey and I both dislike the storage layout and the "food/provisions" facility.

[Shayne Wentink]

Anyone got a commander for sale that I can pay in £.
Looking for something around £7000

Regards
Shayne

[Marc Hall]

If you find one for that price, it’ll probably be in very poor condition.

To give an idea....my well used 2010 Companion sold 10 days ago for R150k

mh

[Bruce Turner]

Agree with Marc. At that price it may be in pieces.

Rgds

BruceT

[Geoff Hill]

7000 Sterling is about R120000 so only R30000 short.

 

Geoff

 

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[Shayne Wentink]

Ah ok, may need to save a few more ££ I saw one on OLX today for R160k I’d be keen on something like that. 
Thanks Shayne

[Martin]

Hi Ash

I have one of the older units. I camp a lot with car only + rooftop / pop-up or bedroll and use the Companion for family excursions.

The older units had a few issues;

Duck walking - fixed with proper loading and upgraded shock system.

12v Pump giving in - should be fixed by now.

Water tanks not filling up properly - might still be an issue, let them demonstrate everything. Important. let someone fit a gauge in the tanks for you if they don't have it on the new unit. Nothing worse than running out of water mid-shower.

Very crappy DB board/charger. The first one I had almost set the caravan alight. The replacement unit us so-so, but I see that the ones in the latest model are completely different.

Batteries are difficult to get to - make sure it is fitted properly. You don't want to try and work in that space on holiday). Also, check the batteries they are installing. Some people might say that Calcium 105Ah Deep Cycles are old tech.

Leaking pipes/connectors - they have a new piping system so this is almost certainly fixed.

Stabilizing legs at the back - this is an issue in my opinion. The legs are there to keep the rear in place when you unhook the caravan but you cannot level the unit with it. Get yourself a jack that fits underneath the stabilizer legs to lift and level the caravan when needed. 

Access to the geazer and gas bottles used to be a bit of an issue. I think it is fixed now.

You will battle to roll up the massive L-Shaped tent by yourself but it is possible if you take steps along for your wife or someone to assist. (Some of the tents leak right at the top where the zips come together. It should not be an issue when set up properly but let them show you.)

My family appreciates the massive kitchen and big tent though. There is also a lot of packing space in the rear for luggage, extra tents, bikes and what have you. The two king size beds are a bonus.

I have never camped with a Commander but my BIL has one and we have camped together. I think the ventilation in the Companion is much better. The kitchen and cupboards are definitely better. 

One plus for the Commander might be that it is easier to stop and sleep in "en route", but only marginally so. It also used to have a handy rack on the back.

Regards

Martin