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stevie

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Posts
4
Location
Puget Sound
 
We are retiring early. Spending our children's inheritance. I ordered a 2013 Ford SCrew 6.5 bed, 5.0 V8 with a 3.73 rear end. My payload is 2330 and my tow is 9200. We have looked at RV's and travel trailers on and off for about 3 years. Its getting a bit more serious now that we will be retired and trip time is no longer a constraint.
We go on monthly fall, winter and early spring clam digs at Longbeach, Wa. It rains regularly and usually stays above the low 40"s. Campground has power and water and propane is delivered. June thru August we will have a boat along for fishing.

Most trips I expect 2 -5 including my daughters new baby in the trailer. Housemouse says a slide out is a must so we have room for the playpen.
Possible trips with 8 adults and children.

The number of models and floorplans is staggering. I live near Seattle so within 40 minutes there are a ton of RV dealers. And we have a show in Tacoma in March. Will be bringing pens and clipboards to keep notes. It is so hard to remember which one had what. 

So far we have looked at Jayco, Passport, Cougar, and Raineer. Leaning towards Jayco but nothing is set in stone. I have towed a lot of boats big and small but not a travel trailer. Looking to keep my trailer weight under 7000 lbs. 

So my questions would include
How reliable are the slideouts. Since they are unsupported, is there a weight rating on who can sit there? I have some really big friends. 
Some of the waste water tanks get down to 22.5 gallons? Seems small?  Average seems to be around 30. I don't want to park the trailer and then every few days tow it to a dump station. Our campground has grey water only dump in the sites. 
Construction? Aluminum framing or wood? Are the lightweight trailers structurally as sound as the heavier ones? 
Fiberglass or aluminum siding? 
Who makes trailers designed for winter camping? They may all say that but I am still learning this stuff.
 
Slides have become extremely reliable in the last decade, it wasn't always that way though. Personally I prefer rack & pinion slides using electric motors for reliability but others think that hydraulics are the way to go.  Both can be headaches but it's my belief that the rack & pinions are more user servicable. As far as weight limitations are concerned you would need to address that with the manufacturer however keep in mind that most that I know of do NOT recommend slide support jacks as they can damage the slide itself if shifting occurs.

If you have grey water dumping available then the size of the grey tanks isn't as important unless you're boondocking.  Don't scrimp on the size of your tanks, it will bite you down the road.

Aluminum frame units have become more popular and I personally wouldn't own anything else simply because I've had to deal with water damage in the past that rotted part of the wood framing of a unit.  Aluminum frame models do tend to cost more but their resale value is also higher and the durability of the aluminum is in my opinion worth it.

As far as the siding is concerned here is where aluminum is not something that will help you. Yes it's lighter than fiberglass but trying to keep it maintained is a lot of work, it's like trying to wax a corrugated steel building, no fun.

Most new campers are four season, how extreme depends upon the manufacturer.  Arctic Fox has been a good four season manufacturer for many years now but you will pay a premium for one of their units.
 
stevie said:
How reliable are the slideouts. Since they are unsupported, is there a weight rating on who can sit there? I have some really big friends.
I had slideouts in one of my RVs and I will never have them again. One slide got stuck out and it was a major pain and a major expense to repair. However I am definitely in the minority around here, most people insist on slideouts. They will hold the weight of your friends no problem. 
Some of the waste water tanks get down to 22.5 gallons? Seems small?  Average seems to be around 30. I don't want to park the trailer and then every few days tow it to a dump station. Our campground has grey water only dump in the sites.
I am a single person living full time with a 32 gallon grey and 32 gallon black tank. I can go two weeks with no problem since I am very good at conserving water. And I only stay in campgrounds with free showers so I don't have to use my propane to heat up the water. With 8 people you will be dumping every other day at least unless you are militant about teaching everyone how to conserve water.
 
Who makes trailers designed for winter camping?
Trailers and winter camping don't belong in the same sentence. RVs in general are lightweight because of thin walls and a lack of serious insulation. And the doors, windows and vents leak cold air like a sieve. There is a reason why we call ourselves snowbirds. ;D
 
Appreciate the answers guys. Our campground is a membership thing so electricity is 1 dollar a night. Our friends have a ceramic heater that keeps the gas heat from coming on all night. In our Class C, I use the gas heat as it is so small but we do go thru the propane. I turn the hot water heater off at night. Not sure if I am gaining much there. As far a tanks go, two weeks for one person won't work with the large family. We may have to set up rules about using campground facilities when possible. The dump station is only a hundred yards away but still a pain to set up and take down a trailer for that. So 30 gallon minimum will narrow it some more. 

Aluminum frame, fiberglass exterior. That will narrow it a bit more.  I don't plan to be doing any boondocking but that is a consideration. My class C has a generator built in. I have a small one I use only when the power goes out to keep the freezer running at home. Maybe it finds a home in the trailer. 

I am reading about power vs manual awnings. At the coast, the wind almost always blows in the colder months. I like the manual for this reason and when we are crabbing or digging clams, we set up our cooking and burners outside and like to keep a dry area outside for hanging waders and all the assorted toys we need. I leave my manual up all trip except when the storms pass thru. Only once did I have to get up in the middle of the night to pull it in. Never had a power awning. If I got to brace it and tie it down than that sort of defeats the power option for me. The problem I see is all the trailers I have looked at so far have the power awnings. Bummer.
May have to research what others have done to keep those stable.
 
You also have the option of getting a portable "blue tank" you dump into it and it is on wheels so you can pull the tote to the dump site and empty it. Lots of people use them.
 
captsteve said:
You also have the option of getting a portable "blue tank" you dump into it and it is on wheels so you can pull the tote to the dump site and empty it. Lots of people use them.
If Catblaster were to get one he would have to put a motor on it. ;D
 
Since we will be retired, a lot of our trips will be a couple weeks at a time. It just lowers the trip cost to stay longer. A "blue" tank sounds like a much better option than hooking up the trailer to dump the tanks.
I wonder what the ratio is of new rvs that have issues compared to new ones that don't. I would think before we buy, the dealer should fill all the tanks, and fire up the heaters and do a complete camp out in the parking lot. That would expose the water line leaks and other issues before I find them at the campground. Or my front yard. 
 
It's a REALLY good idea to set up at a campground near the dealership and do a 72 hour test after the purchase. Hook up electric only, fill the fresh tank and test EVERYTHING!! Water leaks are common and a cycling pump will tell you of a problem usually before you step in it.
 
stevie said:
Since we will be retired, a lot of our trips will be a couple weeks at a time. It just lowers the trip cost to stay longer. A "blue" tank sounds like a much better option than hooking up the trailer to dump the tanks.
I wonder what the ratio is of new rvs that have issues compared to new ones that don't. I would think before we buy, the dealer should fill all the tanks, and fire up the heaters and do a complete camp out in the parking lot. That would expose the water line leaks and other issues before I find them at the campground. Or my front yard.

Most new ones will have some issues. At the factory they slap them together and expect the dealer to catch the mistakes. Make sure that you take all the time you want on the PDI and everything is demonstrated to you. Look at everything, open every thing. Have a very critical eye before you sign the check!
 
stevie said:
Snipped...

I wonder what the ratio is of new rvs that have issues compared to new ones that don't. I would think before we buy, the dealer should fill all the tanks, and fire up the heaters and do a complete camp out in the parking lot.

All RV's have issues  but in a used unit there might be a better chance that the PO has already fixed some of the annoying ones.

You are expecting a lot, way too much in fact!!! Most dealers do very, very little and likely only the stuff YOU have spotted during a pre-purchase inspection and have insisted on them fixing before giving them your money. The manufacturer's and dealership's quality control departments are both YOU, more often than not.
 
Most new RVs have issues. In that regard, it's more like buying a new house than a new car. Sometimes the number is small and the severity minor, but other times the list is long and severe. Or anywhere in between.

Dealers do a pre-delivery inspection, but it is considered sales overhead and often assigned to a semi-skilled person who is given a minimal amount of time to complete the task. Good dealers do  a fairly comprehensive job, but many do whatever they can get by with. Sometimes its the salesman's job, something he has to do to earn his commission. You can guess he isn't often real thorough. Or real knowledgeable either. His main motivation is to sign off "OK" so he can get paid.
 
SeilerBird said:
Trailers and winter camping don't belong in the same sentence. RVs in general are lightweight because of thin walls and a lack of serious insulation. And the doors, windows and vents leak cold air like a sieve. There is a reason why we call ourselves snowbirds. ;D

All depends on your definition of winter.  We are native Texans and had no problem with "winter" in Oregon (Portland area).  For us temps never got below 25.  We ran the furnace periodically but most of the time just a space heater sufficed (and warm clothes).  In the upper 20's you'll want to have a heated water line (or run off the internal fresh tank and pump). 30 or above and that is not required (in my experience).  Not sure how low we could have gone, but I would have gotten nervous much lower than that.

Look for a trailer with a "winter" or "polar" package and you'll most likely get an enclosed underbelly where the tanks are.  Often the fresh water tank area is heated.  Beyond marginally thicker walls, and locating water lines toward the interior, I'm not sure what else RV manufacturers offer to constitute a winter capable trailer.  There are companies that make full skirting, which helps keep warmth in.
 

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