vw westy to eagle/tacoma?

[dirtyhippy]

Hello, thought this would be the place to ask. The wife and i have traveled with a vw westy for about ten yrs, firstt a 78 full camper, than moved to a 87 vanagon full camper. We have enjoyed both of these rides, happy with the utility and space.
Stumbled upon fwc on the internet a couple of years ago, still have not seen one in person. We also have a 2nd gen v6 tacoma. So the question is, would we be happy with an eagle on our tacoma? space and utility compared to the westy? would it feel the same size wise or more cramped? surely would be a step up as far as driving comfort and reliability.
Maybe some one here made this same switch? thanks for any advice or insights.

 

[PAU in Montana]

I owed a 69 VW camper and good friend had a late 70s model then went to a late 80 westy. The two of us traveled the west on many climbing adventures in his vehicle and mine. Although mine was not near as nice as his mid-80s mode we did have fun and like the comfort. In my opinion the VW offers a little nicer opportunity to have conversations and talk with other people in inclement weather. As you have the dirver/passenger area and table for seating not to mention the big side door and possible awning. (if you had one) He now has a FWC and loves it I had one and now I’m hunting for another. The two of us do some off road stuff to include a little white water. The ability to tow and still live in comfort with FWC is a plus. The things I enjoy lead us both to FWCs.

Best of luck

 

[Hittheroad]

Hello, thought this would be the place to ask. The wife and i have traveled with a vw westy for about ten yrs, firstt a 78 full camper, than moved to a 87 vanagon full camper. We have enjoyed both of these rides, happy with the utility and space.
Stumbled upon fwc on the internet a couple of years ago, still have not seen one in person. We also have a 2nd gen v6 tacoma. So the question is, would we be happy with an eagle on our tacoma? space and utility compared to the westy? would it feel the same size wise or more cramped? surely would be a step up as far as driving comfort and reliability.
Maybe some one here made this same switch? thanks for any advice or insights.

We have an eagle and Tacoma. I have not been in a westy but years ago traveled in a British equivalent. I think you will find more room and more options for the use of space in the FWC. I would guess the biggest advantage is the truck and the fact you can change the truck should a better one come along. I am sure an Eagle owner in your area would be happy to show you theirs. You need to get in one and see how they work.

 

[Lighthawk]

Former mid-80's Westy owner here -------> Hawk owner.
PAU makes a good point about space. The pass through layout of a Westy gives more room IMHO.
The benefits I get from a 4x4Tundra/Hawk are the off road capabilities. We also find the furnace/Wave heater plus homemade insulation pack allows for cold weather camping, which I would not have done with my van. Cabinets in the van are much higher quality than FWC, sadly.

 

[Phird05]

I didn't make the switch immediately, but I can tell you the biggest advantage to the truck vs. Westfalia for me was the ability to get to more remote places with my truck and camper. I loved traveling in the VW and it served me well. I especially liked the "jump into the driver's seat and go ability. But overall, I would say you won't be dissatisfied with the room, it is just a different layout. I also have the ability to tow my raft or drift boat with the truck. I was kind of restricted when I had the Westfalia. I either had to use the truck to do the towing or travel with the van and not tow my toys. Now I have the advantage of both towing and the camper.

Hope this helps.

Good Camping,

Paul

 

[Bosque Bill]

I travelled all over the US and Canada in my '68 VW Campmobile (the precursor to the Vanagon.) I loved that machine for camping and was able to make it up some pretty rugged backroads in Colorado. I was certainly a "dirty hippy" in those days . I kept it until the late '80s as a second car for camping. Couldn't bear to sell it, so donated it to charity.

I have a Fleet on order for my V6 Tacoma. (The Fleet is 6" wider than an Eagle.) I drove up to Denver to check them out. My perception is that the Fleet is much more "spacious" inside than the VW. With the VW you only had a very small area in which to stand up; with the Fleet there is a much larger standing area. However, I could fit 3 or maybe 4 people around the table in the VW, I don't think there is is much room for that in a Fleet/Eagle as more interior space is used for the galley - a plus in my opinion.

You do have more windows to look out while sitting down in the VW if that is a consideration for you. The main windows on a FWC are at standing level.

It was easier getting in and out of the Campmobile with its wide door; the FWC campers have a narrower and shorter door, but even a big guy like me fits through easily. And as a couple of people said having the "cab" within the camper gave a feeling of more room, but I didn't think that was an effective use of space while camping. I don't know about the Vanagon, but I couldn't cook inside the Campmobile, but had to use a Coleman stove hanging off the sink/ice-box unit outside.

You really need to see one and get inside to find out if it might work for you. FWC is taking a number of models to outdoors shows this spring. Check their site to see if one of those is near you.

 

[dirtyhippy]

Thanks for the replys, reasons for the switch would be capability and reliabilty. We are always pushing our westy to the max. But love the livability, small but workable. I assume the eagle will have a similar workability?

 

[Missing Link]

Welcome DH - Never owned a VW Bus, so can't make a comparison, but I can say that the versatility of a truck/pop-up camper makes the most sense for us. Had an old FWC Fleet for ten years and currently have an ATC Bobcat on an 06 Tacoma. We like the flexibility of using the truck as a daily driver (with reasonable gas milage), hauling things in the bed when needed, and then simply adding the camper when taking a trip. I don't know your family automobile situation, but adding a camper to your existing Tacoma might allow you to have one less vehicle, hence less maintenance and insurance. As others have said here, try to get access to camper in your area because only you will be able to determine if a pop-up is right for you and you needs.

 

[bsharp007]

I went directly from a Eurovan camper to an Eagle on a Tacoma. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. First I prefer camping out of the Eurovan, the layout is a little more convenient and felt like it had more storage. Also one person can relax in the back or even sleep while driving and plenty of room for the dog while driving. Probably the two major advantages for the FWC will be a major increase in power over the Westy and a huge increase in ground clearance. The bed in the FWC is much larger then the one in our Eurovan. We were mostly confined to pavement in the Eurovan although I broke this rule on accasion and got stuck a few times, it wasn't so much the lack of 4wd it was the lack of ground clearance with the propane tank underneath. A couple of other nice things in regard to the FWC is no registration or major maintenance a major cost savings and insurance is way cheaper.
Overall I didn't regret going from the Eurovan camper to a FWC.

 

[coguzzi]

i can actually replay to this one, i have had 6 VW vans in my past,1 66 split window kombi and 5 of them being vanagon syncro's (4x4 vw vans) and the last one being a syncro westfalia weekender with a small cabinet installed (didnt take up as much floor space as a full westy). then of those i did 3 subaru engine conversions on since the stock VW wasserboxer is not that great at all. since i did them myself and considered restoring syncros a hobby, i knew every nut and bolt on the van which inspired alot of confidence, as well as the subaru conversion makes the vehicles ultra reliable anyway (other than some wierd VW quirks left behind like weak shift linkage etc). longer you drive VW vanagons, the more spare parts you carry.

and since i was always into syncros, nimbleness and where i wanted to go wasnt an issue, syncros WILL go almost anywhere you point them. my last one i did the mack-daddy SVX 230hp 6 cylinder subaru motor, towed my motorcycle trailer no problem and tons of power to spare--axle breaking power (yes, i carried spares)

BUT, i hate trailering and my wife could never get used to the long shift linkage and didnt like to drive it, so i sold my beloved SVX syncro westfalia and built a 4x4 Ford E350 diesel campervan, think build your own sportsmobile, pop top and all, that way i can load the motos inside. thought it would be the end all, but it wasnt. size limits where i can take it, its very heavy so if you do get stuck who is gonna help you, maintenance is high $, i dont like working on it since its so big and heavy duty, and, ironically i think i have it 100% sorted now, but reliability wasnt what i expected and my wife wanted me to tinker less and travel more.......

SO, since i already have a 02 toyota tundra that i love and 100% trust (as i have all my toyota trucks ive ever owned) i just ordered a FWC hawk 2 weeks ago. so i can not comment 100% for sure on the FWC, but i went and looked at eurovan campers and some more vanagon westys before commiting, i found there to be just as much if not more usable space in the FWC, with the exception of being able to throw misc stuff in the front seats. one thing i will miss is being able to crawl in back and sleep while someone else drove--but, i think i am really going to enjoy the switch--time will tell. also i am back to towing the motos, guess i gotta suck it up (or admit im getting to old to ride dirt bikes anyway) i still think my syncro would make it more places than my stock 02 tundra with a camper on the back, might have to remedy that--ha. i still have my ford van as well, dragging my feet on selling it since its sorted now, but it will probably leave my driveway soon.

 

[Alex]

Hello, thought this would be the place to ask. The wife and i have traveled with a vw westy for about ten yrs, firstt a 78 full camper, than moved to a 87 vanagon full camper. We have enjoyed both of these rides, happy with the utility and space.
Stumbled upon fwc on the internet a couple of years ago, still have not seen one in person. We also have a 2nd gen v6 tacoma. So the question is, would we be happy with an eagle on our tacoma? space and utility compared to the westy? would it feel the same size wise or more cramped? surely would be a step up as far as driving comfort and reliability.
Maybe some one here made this same switch? thanks for any advice or insights.


Check the link in my signature line. I had a 88 Westy full camper and switch to 06 Tacoma with Bobcat/Eagle. If I can get the Westy to be as reliable as my Taco, I'll stay with Westy. The use of space is MUCH better/efficient in the Westy. I don't offroad so having that ability on my Taco does not add much for me. In a Westy the driving quarter is part of the living space once you camp, with Tacoma + eagle that space is lost once you start to camp.