looking for advice on 109 rtt or dormobile

[farmerdave]

Hi all,
I'm new to this forum, first post actually. I have been looking for a 109 dormobile or park ranger for about a year now, no luck so far. The search goes on, but I have started to think about the rtt scenario. What do you all think about the rooftop tent vs. dormobile or park ranger for traveling with kids on the trail? Incidentally, if anyone knows of one or the other of these in the Aptos, CA area to see up close and personal, I would be interested in checking them out closer. I have only seen one dormobile in person and at the time I was at a car show and didn't take the time to really check it out.

[albersj51]

Welcome!

I think Old English Cars in Asheville, NC has a park ranger for sale. Oldenglishcars.com
I bought my 2a from them...good people

[yorker]

How old are the kids and how many are there?

Dormobiles are cool but you could run out of room in a hurry. The same is true of Land Rover Ambulances.

[farmerdave]

I have four girls, but I don't see myself taking more than two at a time on the trail with me. (I can only stand so much arguing at a time). They are 11, 8, 5, and 2. The eight year old is the most keen to go on any type of camping trip. She has been badgering me for a pocket knife for at least a year now. She saw a jeep with a dog in it this morning and told me she wants both the jeep and the dog.

[farmerdave]

Thanks for the welcome and the lead on the truck in NC. I don't know what the situation would be for California emissions for a truck from 1983, but it might be worth looking into.

[Nium]

TeriAnn's Dormobile is pretty darn cool.

Couple of inside shots (scroll down the thread a little till you get to TeriAnn's post)
http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7776

Check out her website for more pics and a ton of Land Rover Series advice...
http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/indexPage.htm

[yorker]

I think a RTT would be a nightmare with young kids, between the "dad I have to go to the bathroom" at odd hours and how kids always seem to want to go in and out of a tent 10,000,000 times a day a vehicle based solution might be better. Or even a quality ground tent in addition to a vehicle based camping unit.

[ignotus]

Dave,

Welcome to the forum, there is a Park Ranger(not for sale) over by Costco, The next street up from the railroad track on the right. Belongs to a nice chap named Nicholas. I am pretty sure he'd let you take a gander at it.
Do you have a Series Rover now? There are about 8 of them in SC County. Three are diesels. I live in Boulder Creek.

gene

[Wander]

I agree with Yorker that you're going to need something larger like a big ol family tent. A RTT is great for two people-especially a couple as they are about the size of a queen bed inside. Another idea might be a trailer like an AT or even a pop up if you aren't camping too far out. You could park the camper at the site and then take the rig on the trail with out all the added weight.

[farmerdave]

Thanks for the response, is Nicolas a member of this forum? I'd rather not drop in on someone unannounced. And no, I don't have a series yet. I have a Unimog with four wheel steering that I was toying with making a trail vehicle, but I don't have the time for it, and I find Rovers much more appealing.

[TeriAnn]

What do you all think about the rooftop tent vs. dormobile or park ranger for traveling with kids on the trail? Incidentally, if anyone knows of one or the other of these in the Aptos, CA area to see up close and personal, I would be interested in checking them out closer. I have only seen one dormobile in person and at the time I was at a car show and didn't take the time to really check it out.

Up until about 4 or so years ago, I had THE Dormobile in Aptos California for a decade, then moved to Monterey county and this summer to Flagstaff. There is a single gray Park Ranger in the Santa Cruz area that was imported By Linus Tremain of Live Oaks area.

I conversed with the grandson of the person who made the Park Ranges a few years ago. He said his grand dad make about a dozen or so total. Of those there may be two in North America, one of which is in your area. It is gray with an alternative roof not shown in the advertising material. The Park Range is missing some of its interior stuff including the bed parts. The alternative roof lifts about a foot and a half.

There are 3 Dormobiles undergoing painfully slow restorations in the South SF Bay area, 2 apart, one of which is partially reassembled the other of which might be buyable near a town called Visalia, CA. And there is a '62 Dormobile I know in Southern California. One in Oregon, 2 in Arizona, one in Colorado, 3 in Washington and that's about it for the Dormobile in the Western states that I sorta keep track of. There are probably a few more Dormobile scattered around in the Western States that I am unaware of.

Anyway, the 4 door based Land Rover Dormobile sleeps 4 people, BUT there is only interior for a single person to comfortably camp completely inside one. With multiple people you sleep inside, cook inside but spend most of your time outside where it is way less cramped.

Last summer (June, '10) I visited a VW dealer showroom in Salinas (North Salinas just off 101) that had a tent on display that was made to dock on the back of a VW bus. It looked spacious and like it would nicely fit the back of a Land Rover. It looked to be an excellent solution for a Dormobile that carried multiple people and would provide good rain or other harsh weather protection.

If you get serious about buying a Land Rover Dormobile you should join the Dormobile mail list. If there is one for sale usually someone on the list knows about it.

Consider a Land Rover Dormobile to be a go anywhere class B RV, made of 1960's technology that the factory says need maintenance every 4000 miles.

You can learn more about them in the Dormobile area of my Land Rover web site (http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/Dormobile/index.html)


Series trucks can be a bit tippy with much weight on the roof or someone walking around who is not walking near the roof center line. And I'm not sure about young kids or some adults being safe around a roof top tent.

I think you would be MUCH better off with a large dome style tent like the one in the VW showroom, that docks to the open rear of a truck. You have wider camping space and less chance of someone accidentally falling 7 feet.

I think a wider docked rear tent that can be used in conjunction to the rear interior makes a whole lot more sense than a roof top tent.

[greenmeanie]

One could just buy a 9X9 Ex MOD tent (http://www.tentsplus.co.uk/99ip.htm)that was designed to dock to the back of a LR series 109. The are heavy with thick canvas so hot in the summer and ideal in the winter. They are also almost bomb proof.

[LaneRover]

One could just buy a 9X9 Ex MOD tent (http://www.tentsplus.co.uk/99ip.htm)that was designed to dock to the back of a LR series 109. The are heavy with thick canvas so hot in the summer and ideal in the winter. They are also almost bomb proof.

That would depend on the size of the bomb of course

[ignotus]

I don't know if Nicholas is on this forum. I sent him an email to take a look here. Generally speaking EVERBODY with a Series Land Rover is happy to talk about thier rig to an interested stranger/outsider.
I for one would like to see your Mog!

I will echo others feelings that your family is too large for camping in a Rover and would need a tent. I also think you would need a 109 5 door with seating for everybody. While you can fit 3 across the front seat it is not practical for long trips and the middle person should be the smallest.

gene

[lrover109]

Think there is / was a carawagon with a 2.6 on the series vehicle for sale section of the forum think it was down in AR - I have a 67 wagon wtih a RTT my - 2 kids (6 & 7) love it - kind of a mobile tree fort for them and I can actually get my wife to come out campling as well.

[farmerdave]

Up until about 4 or so years ago, I had THE Dormobile in Aptos California for a decade, then moved to Monterey county and this summer to Flagstaff. There is a single gray Park Ranger in the Santa Cruz area that was imported By Linus Tremain of Live Oaks area.

There are 3 Dormobiles undergoing painfully slow restorations in the South SF Bay area, 2 apart, one of which is partially reassembled the other of which might be buyable near a town called Visalia, CA. And there is a '62 Dormobile I know in Southern California. One in Oregon, 2 in Arizona, one in Colorado, 3 in Washington and that's about it for the Dormobile in the Western states that I sorta keep track of. There are probably a few more Dormobile scattered around in the Western States that I am unaware of.

Anyway, the 4 door based Land Rover Dormobile sleeps 4 people, BUT there is only interior for a single person to comfortably camp completely inside one. With multiple people you sleep inside, cook inside but spend most of your time outside where it is way less cramped.


If you get serious about buying a Land Rover Dormobile you should join the Dormobile mail list. If there is one for sale usually someone on the list knows about it.

Consider a Land Rover Dormobile to be a go anywhere class B RV, made of 1960's technology that the factory says need maintenance every 4000 miles.

I think you would be MUCH better off with a large dome style tent like the one in the VW showroom, that docks to the open rear of a truck. You have wider camping space and less chance of someone accidentally falling 7 feet.

I think a wider docked rear tent that can be used in conjunction to the rear interior makes a whole lot more sense than a roof top tent.

Hi Teriann
Thanks for the thorough response. As far as the series being 60's tech and needing maintenance, I enjoy wrenching on my vehicles, so no biggie, its part of farming as well. I am well acquainted with Lucas (The Prince of Darkness). I have been interested in series Rovers for years, just have not acted on the impulse yet.

I checked out your website, I think that I saw you driving the opposite side of Highway One once, I almost drove off the road trying to see your Rover going by.

I met Linus once, he is a nice guy - let me drive his Volvo camper.

As for the one in Visalia, is it a basket case?

The rear tent idea is interesting, I wonder how much time it takes to set up/break down. When I take the kids camping we have a huge tent that takes forever to set up by myself.
Dave

[farmerdave]

Think there is / was a carawagon with a 2.6 on the series vehicle for sale section of the forum think it was down in AR - I have a 67 wagon wtih a RTT my - 2 kids (6 & 7) love it - kind of a mobile tree fort for them and I can actually get my wife to come out campling as well.

Can all four of you fit in the RTT? The tree fort thing is kind of what I thought my kids would think too.
Dave

[farmerdave]

I don't know if Nicholas is on this forum. I sent him an email to take a look here. Generally speaking EVERBODY with a Series Land Rover is happy to talk about thier rig to an interested stranger/outsider.
I for one would like to see your Mog!

I will echo others feelings that your family is too large for camping in a Rover and would need a tent. I also think you would need a 109 5 door with seating for everybody. While you can fit 3 across the front seat it is not practical for long trips and the middle person should be the smallest.

gene

My Unimog is ugly as all get out, but you are welcome to come see it, provided you come in your Rover:thumb-up: My shop is east of Watsonville. The unimog has a selector in it that lets you use front wheel steering, rear wheel steering, turn the wheels in opposite directions, or in the same direction (crab sideways). It is just a toy at this point. My dad is an auction junky and bought it at a Cal Trans auction, for some inexplicable reason. It is fun to play with though.
Dave

[lrover109]

They can. My daughter sleeps at our heads and my wife son and I sleep the length - guess it is a benefit of having smaller kids. There are several different tents that you would have to open off to the side and would have more room - think that there is now even a "double tent" - with two ladders adult and a kid side - for us, the thought was that eventually I would get kicked down or my wife would have another excuse not to camp with us

[NRutterbush]

There is a dormobile in Visalia? Seriously? I'm 45 minutes away (30 if excited) and I'd love to go see it, check it out, maybe bring it home to add to my collection of torn apart rovers! Is the owner on the forum? Drop me some directions, I will bring beer, and am willing to help if you need a project done.

I saw a 110 that looked kitted out for some sort of expedition a few weeks ago in Fresno, but I couldn't get turned around fast enough to catch them up.

As far as importing to CA, as long as you are pre 1975 (verify that, might be 73) or diesel, you are good to go. No smog required.

Personally, I think the Unimogs are awesome. My roommate had one in college, and it is hard to beat the low-low-low...low-gears that you can get from them. Does yours change right and left hand drive with a lever?

I agree that rovers have much more character than mogs. I've been thinking about doing some sort of RTT / Dormobile hybrid, where I would have a roof hatch that let you access the bottom of the tent, and gave room to stand up.

Any thoughts?

-Nate
'63 88 Petrol - dead but together
'61 88 Diesel - exploded isometric diagram mode

[gambrinus]

The Dormobiles in Visalia belong to Charles Irvin. Not sure if he's keeping the whole collection or if he'd consider selling one.

RW