Cruiser
1984 - 2006
The Conway Cruiser has the longest production run of all the Conway models. In fact, it's production lifetime is actually longer than that of the original Conway company, itself. The Cruiser commenced production in 1984, and remained a current model, continuously, until new owners, Pennine, finally ceased manufacture in 2013, almost 30 years after the first model rolled off the production line.
During those 30 years, many aspects of the Cruiser have changed, significantly, including dimensions, weights, equipment levels and colour schemes, but it has always remained true to its original layout, with the only minor change being the later introduction of U shaped seating.
In the Specifications section below, the top figures represent the Mark 1 Cruiser, when it first came out, whereas the lower figures represent the 2013 models, when production ceased.
The Cruiser was a typical 6 berth folding camper, along the lines of the Pennine Sterling and Pullman, and the lesser known Trigano Randger 575LX and Raclet Tamaris.
As stated above, the Cruiser has remained largely unchanged, in terms of layout, although it has become significantly larger and heavier over the years, and equipment levels have continued to improve, with the introduction of the likes of the wardrobe and heating / hot water system.
When the Cruiser was introduced, in 1984, its key selling point was that it could (supposedly) be set up in around 60 seconds, using their revolutionary 'Connaumatic' system. You can see how this looked in the 1984 Sales Brochure below.
Due to the longevity of its production, the Cruiser went through a large number of colour scheme changes over its lifetime. The original 1984 and 1985 models were brown and beige (as in the 1984 brochure). In 1986 / 87, this changed to brick (orange) and beige, and, in 1988, this changed to burgundy and grey. (In this year, the door was also moved over to the near side of the camper, in line with most other UK models, in order to facilitate easier entry / exit on UK roads. Just three years later, in 1991, another change, this time to bottle green and beige, and, again, in 1993, to bottle green and grey,which continued until 1995.
In 1996 and 1997, the colour scheme changed to petrol blue and beige, and, in the latter year, the new style gas locker was also added. 1998 and 1999 saw the move to violine blue and beige, as well as the introduction of the kitchen shelf. The last Cruisers produced by the old Conway company, from 2000 to 2002 were in algue green and beige, and this colour was retained for 2003, by new owners of the brand, Pennine. In 2004 and 2005, the canvas colour changed, yet again, to royal blue and beige, and, in 2006, to marine blue / metallic grey. 2007 and 2008 saw the move back to blue and beige, however, in 2009, Pennine introduced the new, acrylic, canvases across the entire Pennine / Conway range, in the now familiar charcoal and grey colour scheme. This remained with the Cruiser until its demise, in 2013.
Listed below are the links to the 30+ brochures and manuals for the Cruiser together with the links to a range of setup instructions, from 1986 to our latest 2003.
Also, below, we have a couple of videos for the Cruiser both from Campers and Leisure Limited. The first shows the setting up of a 2005 Cruiser, and the second is is a brief walk around video of a 2000 model.
We are grateful to Blue Sky Holdings for permission to reproduce the information above. www.blueskyholdings.co.uk
Unit Type: Conway Cruiser Folding Camper (Discontinued Model)
Berths: Six
Canvas Colours:Year | 1984 | 1985 |
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| Brown / Beige |
| 1986 | 1987 |
|
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| Brick / Beige |
| 1988 | 1989 | 1990 |
|
| Burgundy Green / Grey |
| 1991 | 1992 |
|
|
| Bottle Green / Beige |
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
|
| Bottle Green / Grey |
| 1996 | 1997 |
|
|
| Petrol Blue / Beige |
| 1998 | 1999 |
|
|
| Violin Blue / Beige |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Age Green / Beige |
| 2004 | 2005 |
|
|
| Royal Blue / Beige |
| 2006 |
|
|
|
| Marine Blue / Metallic Grey |
| 2007 | 2008 |
|
|
| Blue / Beige |
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Charcoal / Grey |
Setup Instructions:
Conway Brochures that include the Cruiser:
1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1994 1995 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004/05 2006 2008 2009 2013
User Manual: 1986 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Specifications:
Floor Plan:
Setup Demonstration: Cruiser 2005
2005
Putting Away:
2009
Walkthrough Video:
2000
Images: