Have a few friends with Jayco Swans. They say that it takes an hour to fully setup.

It will be my next step up from a camper trailer.

timboon

jayco swans are good , they dont take long to set up at all , id say your set up in under an hour max on average,

take a genny & portable coleman shower and you can stop/stay pretty much anywhere you can tow it into with your 4by

one thing to pay particular attention to is the locking down of the ''top ' , this is fatal if not done properly , the lock down tabs only have small screws into the sidewalls to anchor them ,we had the top of a jayco swan ripped off while passing a road train outside of carnarvon back in sept 2012 ,

the whole top just ripped /lifted off , under the vortex pressure of wind as we passed a triple cattle truck at speed of 90kms hour on the flats outside of town , and id checked the lock down tabs just 30km back when we fuelled up ,they where down tight .. its rare but it happens , wrote off the jayco !!

if i had one again id be inclined to put a ratchet strap over it at the front when travelling

hezzy

we have a jayco swan.  Just putting up the top, folding the beds out and securing takes minutes.  Putting out the awning, annexe walls, setting up the drinks fridge, tables chairs bbq could fill the rest of the hour.  Ours is the touring version, not the outback, but are similiar when setting up.  We sleep two adults in the queen size bed, and three kids (7 and younger) in the double bed. The inside table is only used for dining in an emergency. And can be converted to a bed.  The Flamingo is the same size. But different interior layout.

we bought from Caravanland on Albany hwy, beckenham, and had a good customer service experience.

We brought a Jayco Swan in 2002, from a dealer in Mount Gambier SA. Lived in it for 18 months straight, plus many other trips as well. Just sold it last month.
Are you thinking new or second hand?
Swan perhaps better for two adults and two children. I have plenty of advise, do's don'ts and other suggestions if you want.
The setting up does take a little bit of work, but it is a team effort. Each of us (2) had different tasks and it went up or came down in an orderly manner.
Like I said I have much advise on the subject, let me know if you want to hear it.
Are you going to the caravan show at Claremont?

 Check out Goldstream Storm.... Built in Victoria. They only produce one off road poptop, really nicely put together. We've got one on its way from the eastcoast at the moment. A little bit more expensive than the Jayco campers but I'm a firm believer of you get what you pay for. Build quality is head and shoulders above the Jaycos.. ( trust me my wife looked at every freekin van at the 4wd and camping show..!) Can't wait for it to arrive. Why can't we run road trains with cars? Then I could take the centre connie and the van at the same time!!!

Cheers fox will do, I'm hoping that this wont be like every other toy/tool and the initial planned budget blows out because you get your arm twisted but I like you Fox prefer to pay for things once rather than chase your tail.

However, we really only need a quick water proof lockable room to sleep in and for the missus to play mum with the bub...

I'll check the Goldstream forsure

TB

 just spotted a pop top in Margaret river that sits on the back of a land cruiser ute, that way he can drag his RIB along behind. I got a couple of pics but I can't download to this thread so I will just stick them on a new one.

 Have a hunt around for a good second hand one. There are a few floating round at the moment and they are reasonably priced. The only reason why we bought new is because my wife paid for it !!!. Thought it was a bit weird when she suggested we go to the camping show....If I'd known she was buying I would have taken her to Leisurecat.....:)

 If it's for only the two of you, have a look at the flip over hard floor campers!!! Bloody awesome, solid flor up off the ground and real easy to set up.

only limited on amount of storage space!

 We had a Jayco Swan and it was pretty awesome. Towed it from Hopetoun to Perth and back a few times and barely affected fuel economy. We slept 5 of us when we (the kids) were a bit younger, but for 2 people it would be great. Takes bugger all time to just push out the beds etc. if that's all you're gonna do

You will find that they are very easy to tow. We towed ours with a Mitsubishi Magna, and you hardly knew it was there. Putting up the unit is time consuming compared with a caravan, but when you are young that shouldn't present too much of a problem.
One of the problems with these units is that they are very susceptible to wind. The top when wound up is supported by four steel extendable RHS rods, and they really are not strong enough in a wind.
Some form of additional support is needed, we went and brought a awning and annex. Where ever we stopped and I thought there was going to be wind, I would put up the annex, which gives additional bracing.
Believe me I have been through some storms and speak from experience.
Another item which is a must get, is the fly's over each of the bed area's. What happens is that on cold nights the breath of the sleepers (hot air) rises and hits the cold canvas. This then condensers back to water and drips on the unfortunate.
The fly's trap a layer of warmer air and this problem doesn't occur. In the summer hot months they provide a "Tropical" roof effect and help reduce the temperature.
These vans also get bloody hot, but plenty of zip down windows allow the cooler air to come in late afternoon.
OK I have more to come. But will close this one off.