newbie with Edge

[Redfish]

My wife and I just completed our first weekend camping trip with the Edge M21. It is small but still much larger than our tent. We have tent camped of off our motorcycle for years so some different. We will test the air mattress from tent camping next trip as the factory mattress is very hard. We will also be looking for a slide canopy as we got a little water during a rain squall. Anybody have lessons learned they would like to share?

Thanks,
Redfish
South Louisiana

 

[kravchuck]

How are you liking your M21 by now? We could tell at the Dealers that the mattress would be uncomfortable. What do you think of the quality, and the towing? Any help on what kind of hitch you purchased would be appreciated. We are still looking but might be interested in purchasing. Thanks.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Redfish, Welcome to the Heartland Family & Forum. I haven't seen the Edge in person yet but if it's anything like Heartlands other rigs, it has to be good. Enjoy the new toy. We've motorcycle camped for years. Went from a tent to a Bunkhouse, to a motor home towing the bike in about a 15 year stretch.

 

[Redfish]

We have made only the first trip so far. We plan to be in Marksville Louisiana in about two weeks then take the bike and trailer to the Georgia mountains for the 4th of July. The M21 pulls like a dream behind a F350 dually as the trailer weighs about 3200 lbs. we pulled it about 350 miles the first trip. It is lots of truck for this TT, but I hope a diesel 1/2 ton will be avaliable in a couple of years. We put a memory foam mattress topper. I think that will fix the hard mattress thing. I appreciate the welcome to the forum. After reading a lot of post here, I bought the mattress topper and a generator base on experience here. As far as quaility of the TT, it seems very well put together. Wife and I are pleased and are looking forward to lots of trips.

 

[maryj]

We just got our first trailer, Edge 18. What is a slide canopy? How does it work. I noticed some moisture on the top of the slide inside the camper. Its been closed tight for a few days, but we have been getting lots of rain. Maybe a little seepage is normal. Any recommendations? Thanks

 

[rckc228]

Congrats and welcome to the heartland forum.Lots of helpful ,knowledgeable people willing to help.

 

[Redfish]

Maryj,
Slide awning may be the proper term. The dealer offered to sell me one and they are available on Ebay. It fastens to the TT above the slide and to the slide. It unrolls as the slide is extended. It is intended to keep rain off the slide top while the slide is extended.
Have a good one,
Redfish

 

[Larry77]

I've heard mixed reviews with the slide canopies...I've heard they can actually hurt the seal by lifting up the light weight slider slightly. I live in Washington St so I'm sure if there's leaking problems I will discover them soon

 

[tmcran]

We just got our first trailer, Edge 18. What is a slide canopy? How does it work. I noticed some moisture on the top of the slide inside the camper. Its been closed tight for a few days, but we have been getting lots of rain. Maybe a little seepage is normal. Any recommendations? Thanks

IMHO seepage is not normal and should not happen. I have found that the slide topper doesn't prevent leaking. And if the wind is blowing hard can cause problems.

 

[cajuncamper]

Edge Travel Trailer

We purchased a Edge M21 full body paint. On our first and only camping trip with this camper we experienced many problems. It rained through the side, had problems with the radio and speakers, the awning fell on my head, etc. etc. Most important, please check the welding on your Edge chassis eye beams. May be a safety issue. We are not happy campers.

 

[jbeletti]

...We are not happy campers.

I understand we took care of these issues for you a couple months back. Are there other unresolved issues? If so, please follow-up with our Customer Service department (877-262-8032) right away.

Jim

 

[combine_billy]

I've heard mixed reviews with the slide canopies...I've heard they can actually hurt the seal by lifting up the light weight slider slightly. I live in Washington St so I'm sure if there's leaking problems I will discover them soon

I have these on my current camper and would not recommend it at all.

 

[cookie]

I've heard mixed reviews with the slide canopies...I've heard they can actually hurt the seal by lifting up the light weight slider slightly. I live in Washington St so I'm sure if there's leaking problems I will discover them soon

I don't know how light your slides are but mine are quite heavy. Hard to imagine the topper would hold the slide up unless it is in need of adjustment. I have them and not only do they keep water, snow and dirt off the top they are great for keeping the heat from the sun off. As far as windy conditions, some can be a bit noisy, but there is a fix for most of that. Over all I love em, and will never own a coach without them.
It all boils down to likes and dislikes.

Peace
Dave

 

[Redfish]

Our M-21 is off to the factory to have the rear wall and both side walls replaced due to bonding issues. It seems we will be without a camper for about a month. Product testing pulls a vacum.
Redfish

 

[annirroc]

Just picked up our M18 full body paint on Monday and basically pulled it from the dealer to our camping site - the trailer was late in arriving and our holiday time was ticking by so we were anxious to get going. LOVE the trailer! however, a couple of things:

1) Yes, the mattress is quite hard. Slept in a tent trailer for the last 10 years with a much better sleep - definitely thinking of upgrading the foam.

2) Day 2 and the city water outlet spewed over half our water supply out into the bush. Not sure what happened or how to fix - we plugged the outlet for now and I guess will need to contact the dealer.

Other than that, so far so good!

Question: Our dealer suggested spending another $1500 to 'protect the paint' - didn't do it but are wondering if we need to do something special to look after the paint. Planning on using warm water and a chamois to wash our unit - any other suggestions?

 

[Redfish]

A memory foam topper helped the matress a lot. Our dealer didn't mention paint protection. It seems to be an automotive paint without a clear coat. I use car wash detergent and a soft brush to clean it them use the same on the truck. I do have a number of paint chips due to stuff being picked up by the tires. I was a little slow about putting on mud flaps but I think the TT could use a chip resistant coating on the lower front.
Have a good one,
Redfish

 

[annirroc]

A memory foam topper helped the matress a lot. Our dealer didn't mention paint protection. It seems to be an automotive paint without a clear coat. I use car wash detergent and a soft brush to clean it them use the same on the truck. I do have a number of paint chips due to stuff being picked up by the tires. I was a little slow about putting on mud flaps but I think the TT could use a chip resistant coating on the lower front.
Have a good one,
Redfish

Thanks Redfish! The front of our Edge is actually protected with 'Diamond Shield' - a 3M product that's basically a clear film that I think is applied with heat - I think the new Edges are coming from the factory now with this already on. Hopefully that'll keep most of the chips off so I don't have to become expert at applying the touch-up paint.

I kind of thought the $1500 'paint protector' was a bit of a dealer scam - couldn't find a really good reason to go with it and the dealer didn't have enough information to really convince us so we didn't, but after paying the extra $$ for the full body paint I am a little nervous about keeping our unit 'pretty' long term. I was told not to use a high pressure washer (not that we have one anyways) - sounds like a some TLC will be the trick.

 

[Larry77]

We had the same issue with the "city water" connector but the service guy found it before they released the trailer to us (he replaced it with a brass version). With a memory foam topper and a thick mattress pad we now have a quite comfortable bed. Couple minor things I'm going to do is install a door holder (not sure why it didn't come with one), and add another battery for dry camping. I installed black out panels to the roof vents and the door because I'm one that actually likes to sleep in and watch movies in the dark.

 

[annirroc]

Hi Larry. Just spoke with our dealer and they're sending us a brass valve as a replacement -- the dealer said this has also happened to another Edge so I'm thinking it is a common problem. (Would've been nice if he thought to replace it 'before' we took it out.)

We have the M18 and the bed is 86" long -- a standard queen is 80" so I'm thinking of using a bolster pillow to fill in the 6" (unless I can find a 86" foam).

 

[kampfirekid]

Hi Larry. Just spoke with our dealer and they're sending us a brass valve as a replacement -- the dealer said this has also happened to another Edge so I'm thinking it is a common problem. (Would've been nice if he thought to replace it 'before' we took it out.)

We have the M18 and the bed is 86" long -- a standard queen is 80" so I'm thinking of using a bolster pillow to fill in the 6" (unless I can find a 86" foam).

I think you mean your bed is 76" long. I don't know of an RV bed that is 7'-2" long in a travel trailer. I'm 6'-5" and have been looking for a looooong bed for years, and had no luck. If it is that long, please confirm... I may have found my next trailer!