Our 2001 Coleman Santa Fe Tent Camper
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Our 2001 Coleman Santa Fe Tent Camper |
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| Floor Plan of the our Coleman Santa Fe |
At the end of March 2001, we purchased a 2001 Coleman Santa Fe popup tent camper. We purchased the camper from Western Campers, one of the premier Coleman dealers located in Fort Worth. Before we made the final decision on what make and model we would purchase we visited many different dealers and looked at the various manufacturers and their models. We choose the Coleman line for many reasons. A few of them were:
Quality of the units we looked at
Materials used in the construction
Amenities of the units
Coleman/Fleetwood name
Reputation of the Coleman dealers
Fold over galley (main buy point for Terry)
2 stoves (one inside and one outside)
Wide door and sturdy step
Our main buy point was the fold over galley. We love it since it keeps everything upright and doesn't tip over at a 90° angle, it stays straight. We bought a "fully loaded" model since the unit we bought was just back from one of the RV shows. The units most of the dealers display at the show are fully equipped with most of the popular options. This way they are able to show the potential buyers what the unit looks like with the options installed. Our Santa Fe unit came with the following extras:
3-way Refrigerator (12 volt, 110 volt, propane)
Hot water heater (propane)
Air conditioning (a must for Texas!)
Canopy
Deep cycle marine battery
When we bought our Santa Fe, the show specials were still on as well as some promotional offers by the manufacturer. We felt that it was too good a deal to turn down. Concerning the canopy, we have found that the canopy really helps in keeping the camper cooler in the hottest part of the day. We love the hot water heater even though it seems to make the inside of the camper a little warmer. We may try turning it off and relighting it when it is needed. It only takes around 10 minutes to heat up. The refrigerator is great. It's cut our buying of ice in half. About 24 hours before we leave we plug the camper into 110 volts and turn the refrigerator on to cool down. Right before we leave, we unhook the power cord and switch the camper over to 12 volt power to maintain it while we drive down the road. When we get to our campsite and unload the ice chests, the refrigerator is cold and ready to be loaded.
Below are some pictures of our Santa Fe and how we have it fixed up.
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| Our Coleman Santa Fe ready for the road |
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| Looking towards the galley and our dinette |
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| Looking towards the full-sized bed |
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| Chuck sitting on our king-sized bed |
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| All setup and ready! |
If you have any questions
or camping "tips and tricks" you'd like to share, please drop us a line.
Thanks for stopping by. Please check out our monthly column, "Your
Web Connection" or explore our Camping
Journal.
Authored by Chuck and Terry Mencke
"Our Camper Tour" was last modified: June 3, 2001
URL: www.web-connection.org/camping/camptour.htm
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