Tell me about your current RV?

[JimK]

On 12/16/2019 at 4:35 PM, noteven said:

I’m campaigning a Cirrus truck camper right now but that’s not a “real RV” right?

I know exactly what you mean.  I very rarely stop by to read these forums for the same reason.  Most of the discussions seem to involve big rigs that are often about the size of a mobile home.  I am not looking for an onboard vacuum system or a laundry or replacing the recliners with something more comfortable.  I did not need to sign up for a training course to be able to drive or maintain my RV.

I enjoy RV living because of the mobility and convenience in visiting National Parks and other scenic areas.  My wife and I, along with 2 cats, did that full time for 2 years in our Northstar truck camper.  Most of the places we really liked would not even accommodate a 30 or 40 foot big rig with or without pulling a toad.  And I certainly would not have liked towing or paying the fuel costs to drive a big rig 60,000 miles in those 2 years.

[noteven]

Cirrus 820 truck camper:

- Alde heating & hot water system - gives quiet and energy efficient continuous radiant heat - no cool air blowing during fire up and cool down cycles. The system will operate on 12v and lpg, 15amp ac/lpg blended, or 30amp ac. It has night temp setback and warmup in the am settings. It is quiet when operating. 

- rear wet bath and wardrobe style floor plan. No slides. Does not leak air drafts in cold weather.

- non industry typical interior materials, colors, & styling inside and out. Sturdy design using 3/4” plywood for cabinets. Multiply drawers. Pretty good aerodynamics.

- dual pane acrylic awning windows with integrated shades and bug screens. Warm and reduce outside noise. Sky window above the bed for star gazing.

- aluminum roof, welded aluminum frame with foam insulation with Asdel plastic exterior walls inside and out to minimize damage an accidental leak can cause.

- insulated service panels can be removed from the bottom to expose all tanks and valves for inspection/repair.

- all led light fixtures. 2 x 20lbs lpg cylinders. 
- factory options: Zamp solar equipment, Fiamma awnings, air conditioning that a Honda 2000 will run.

- good size tanks for a truck camper 35gal fresh, 30gal grey, 16gal black.

- other features like remote door lock, remote jacks, 12v TV/entertainment, “European” lavatory, sink, cooker, large wardrobe, lots of overhead storage.

Truck campers on big enough trucks have good ground clearance, and you can tow various trailers. You can unload this camper and use it on the ground leaving the truck available for pickup truck stuff. It is designed for 6’6” bed trucks but I use it on 2 different long bed trucks giving me a storage area between the camper and truck cab.

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, JimK said:

Most of the discussions seem to involve big rigs that are often about the size of a mobile home. 

Really? So does that mean that I have to leave since I travel in a 20' travel trailer that don't even have a slide? You are making some statements that just aren't accurate. 

[mptjelgin]

What an odd twist. A perfectly innocent thread labelled "Tell me about your current RV" has devolved into why a couple of people who own truck campers feel disenfranchised by the SKP's forum.  Gotta' love internet forums!!

[agesilaus]

Exactly I own a mid sized TT that fits none of his giant rv parameters. Let's get back to the original thread which was interesting

[sandsys]

13 hours ago, JimK said:

Most of the discussions seem to involve big rigs that are often about the size of a mobile home.

Three of our motorhomes were 24' long and the "big" one was 35'. You may be spending too much time on the HDT forum.

Linda Sand

[noteven]

Well I also have a 30ft winter capable TT and a 40ft 5th wheel toyhauler with a Kenworth dually to pull it. 
 

When using those I am enchanted with the forum. 🤣. 

[JimK]

1 hour ago, noteven said:

Well I also have a 30ft winter capable TT and a 40ft 5th wheel toyhauler with a Kenworth dually to pull it. 
 

When using those I am enchanted with the forum. 🤣. 

Sounds like you own a couple of real RVs.  These forums should help if you need to pick new recliners, update your laundry, add a freezer, etc.

[rickeieio]

Some folks don't seem to accept diversity well.   I enjoy learning about RVing paths other than what we've chosen. I admire folks who can stay for months, or years, in a small space.  Our living space is only 27', but it's way larger than a slide-in.

As for picking  recliners, I asked about that very thing a few years ago, when my wife was going to have to sleep in one for a couple months after shoulder surgery.  We didn't want another one in the house, but it made sense to buy one that would work in the RV when she was able to sleep in bed.  I allowed us to ditch the hide-a-bed couch.

[etu]

We have a 2004 Keystone Challener 29rlb 5er (31'9"'). This is our first camper and we have been totally happy with it. We bought it used in 2012 but it must have been stored inside for most of those years because it was like new and still looks very nice today. Only 3 repairs:1) the inverter because I hooked it up to incorrect power source at my shop the week we got it. 2) stuck one way valve on the hot water supply to the kitchen sink on our 3rd year. 3) broken plastic drawer track guide in bedroom chest last year.  Oh yeah, I forgot we also replaced the fabric on the awning.

We especially like the rear living area with the large rear window which always seems to look out over scenic views, rivers, lakes and oceans. We especially like the separate room for the bathroom closet. The cabinets are real wood and sturdy.

I'm happy with everything as but dw wants more kitchen counter space. So we are on the look for a newer one with an island in the kitchen. So far we have been reminded how much sturdier our camper "feels" comared to the ones built today. We will stay at or just under 35 feet to ensure we can find a space when we drop in without warning. And we are looking for a good used one so someone else enjoys the depreciation. Until then we like ours just fine. 

Eddy

[rls7201]

The DW and I travel in a 1995 33', 8' wide Bounder.The ol Boundeer has  owned us since 2002. It treats us very well. Provides a comfortable ride and stays on the road. We feed it well with one gallon of 87 octane every 7 miles. Last Year the ol Bouncer stood still long enough for me to feed it some paint to replace the stripes. Then I gave it a bath with some Zep Wet Look. The Dometic absorption frig keeps the ice cream hard and the lower portion at 32-34º at all times. The bed is toasty warm at night when the ol Bounder turns on the 12 volt electric blanket a few minutes before bedtime. We have a magic switch by the sink, that when flipped puts hot water in the shower. Sure hope it keeps working until I can figure it out.  When driving down the road, the ol Bounder keeps the batteries charged, so we can watch the 12 volt TVs, play on the internet an be toasty when we run the furnace. Sometimes when we stop for a few days, the ol Bounder will flip the switch to the solar panel lifts and we can watch the panels rise up into the air to collect that stuff from the sun. Boy! That makes the Bounder's batteries happy. And the batteries do need to be kept happy to spin over that 528 stroker, high compression engine. I did rectify the ol Bounder's cataracts with new LED headlight bulbs that are aimed correctly and don't point in your eyes unless I want the high beams to. OH yeah, the tail lights are LED panels from Bargman, that you can actually see in the day too. One of the ol Bounder's downfalls is the 100 gallon fresh water tank. It takes forever to fill. And then those two pesky 50 gallon waste water tanks take a long time to empty. I guess that's the price we have to pay every 7-10 days to sit off grid. The RVing life is tough but I guess we are learning to adapt to it.

Richard

Edited February 23, 2020 by rls7201

[Rick&Phy83]

 We purchased our Jayco Melbourne 29D in February 2016 and we have a Jeep Wrangler as a toad. It was a one owner with 24,000 miles.  It’s our first RV and the past three years have mostly been long weekends with a few one week trips.  This past October we took a two week trip to Myrtle Beach and Nags Head and now we have really caught the RV bug!!  I retired last May And Phy will retire this coming May.  One thing we’ve realized over the past three years is that we want to move up to a class A for move storage space and room in the living area.  After the Hershey RV show we found our dream class A.  So now we are in search of a Forest River FR3 30DS hoping to find a used 2018-19 sometime this spring.

[Consolenut]

Well not sure based in previous comments. But i have one of those bigger rigs negatively spoke of.  Ive made upgrades and upsizing over the years. Started at 30ft Prowler before i knew better. To a CarriLite to a Newmar Kountry aire 39rkwb. Now a 45ft Teton "Big and Tall" Reliance Experience XT4. Reason being always liked the tall part. Only seen a few of these ever. 6'8" in bed room is nice for me at 6'6". Big just meant 6ft longer then my last rig. Yeah 4 slides huge storage and lots of capacity (4115 CCC on the sticker) Awesome  cabinetry and a smart floor plan. Just me and my shih tzu so plenty of space for us. Will i get anything bigger probably not. Do i like my Teton absolutely.  Weather no longer matters where ever i go the Teton is up.to the task.  -10 to 110 so far its seen it all. No sweat either. hurricanes and tornados excluded. Would i do it smaller looking back maybe but doubtful. Maxed out on overall length almost.  But hey only live once. 

[rfcn2]

We have had our 2002 Country Coach Affinity just over ten years now.  We are the second owners.  I spent months researching all the different types of Class A coaches when buying the last time, and looked at and drove a bunch of them.  The first time I drove this coach it just felt super stable and secure on the road.  We used to look at other coaches a lot at RV shows and some of the big rallies a couple years into owning this one, but just stopped doing that is we just never see other coaches we like better than ours.  

Unlike some of the other posters on this thread I can't say we have never had anything but regular maintenance.  The previous owned did not fix much and there were all kinds of bugs it took me about three years to work out.  Now she just seems to go along with a little something here and there.  This is a really solid built coach.  The insulation is very good and so when it is warm or cold outside or noisy not so much filters into it.  

Country Coach "closed" back in 2010, but not too long after that one of the brothers opened up the same factory again.  Then Winnebago bought CC.  But we have never had any issues getting parts of service for her.  I have driven this coach about 65000 miles in the last ten years.  Three times back to Ohio from California, and to most all of the National Parks out west.  I keep thinking I should sell her and downsize due to the coach's and my advancing age, but seems like I always change my mind as with our CC I know what I have and decide she is just part of the family.  Many of my wife's best times together in our long marriage have been in this rig so I would guess she will be sticking around for a while.  

In my opinion the reason we still like this coach so much is that the floor plan is right for the two of us and our Airedale, plus she has good build quality.  Very little wears out and nothing looks shoddy.  

If for some reason our coach were to disappear this week I would just go out and find another one like her.  But likely I would not be able to find the same exterior colors and interior.  

Edited January 5, 2020 by rfcn2

[Dennis M]

2005 Newmar Mountain Aire 35 BLKS fifth wheel. We bought it off a repo lot in Virginia in 2007 for 50% of MSRP. As far as we (and an independent RV tech) could tell it had never been used. We've done some interior cabinet modifications to make it fit our lifestyle better (Focal Wood Products), Winegard Trav'ler, and upgraded our recliners (Bradd & Hall).

We have lived in the fiver for about six month a year since 2010 and full timed for one year. Have towed it over 100k. The Mountain Aire has duels on two axles - 8 tires - and weighs 18.5 ready to travel. GVWR is 20k. We ran the OEM BFG tires for 3 years, then put on Michelin XPS Ribs. Just put  on a new set of XPS Ribs last summer. Never a tire issue.

Ours is a four season package with two furnaces, heated belly compartments, dual pane windows, and one ducted AC unit. Coldest we survived was a night at 18 Below and three days with a high below zero. Filled a 40 lb propane tank every other day! The single AC unit has been more than adequate.

Only problem we ever had was a continual problem with broken spring hangers. Finally broke down and put on a Mor Ryde Independent Suspension in 2016. Wish we had done it sooner! We can tell from the way things no longer move around inside that it rides much better. Also increased our GVWR since we upgraded from 8k to 9k axles.

The Mountain Aire has held up amazingly well. Ten winters in Arizona have taken their toll on the outside which is starting to show it's age, but the inside still looks like new. We have been contemplating a paint job.

We would highly recommend Newmar fivers, but they quit building them in 2007. If you can find a well maintained used one grab it!

 

 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Dennis M

[rickeieio]

Perhaps they quit building Mountain Aires in 2007, but our X-Aire is a 2008, and you can view online literature for the 2010 line-up.

Agreed, Newmar built a solid unit.

[ARGO]

Yeah, X-Aire was the last gasp for the fivers. I would have grabbed one, but I LOVE my dual tandems on our 03 KA.  Very happy w/ ours, had it painted & many upgrades. Was at the Tampa rally a couple of years ago, asked the Newmar Big Chiefs what fiver they would buy today if no Newmars. Silence..........

Only downside to a Newmar fiver is that the MH owners made us feel like "trailer trash" at the rally. That's OK, "I've got friends in low places".

 

[rickeieio]

There's no shame in having a hood.

[ARGO]

HOOD is GOOD!

[hemsteadc]

dint= didn't