Hi all,
Nancy, Jeff, Brenda and I went to the Chicago RV, Boat, Camping and Van Show today to see what was new in RV’ing.
All of the major RV manufacturers were there showing everything from pop-ups, truck campers, travel trailers, 5th wheels and class A, B and C motorized units. It was nice to the dealers again from the Chicago area and surrounding states. We’ve seen them this year at the big show in downtown Chicago, at the Rockford show and here again in Rosemont at today’s show.
Of course, we went straight for the Heartland display. Collier RVs out of Rockford was representing Heartland today. They carry many lines and had a huge display but only one Heartland today. They were displaying the Grand Canyon (image below). It seems that they actually sold the unit (s/n 81) at the show today! At one point, they had the door on the unit closed with a sign on it reading “Deal in Progress” (image below). So that’s great news. Jeff and I handed a few Collier reps some business cards and magnets with the Heartland Owners Forum URL with the hope that they hand them our to Heartland buyers and interested parties.
One interesting highlight today was the chance meeting we had to tour the Wayzalot trailer. Have you seen this unit? You may have if you saw the RV Crazy episode of the Travel Channel recently. Terry and Hardy Evans built a 5th wheel trailer that has an Old Tyme appearance inside and out. It’s called Wayzalot. Jeff and I toured it and met the Evanses (images below). I also think I found a taker for some of the “old stuff” I have lying around the basement (radios, railroad lanterns, insulators etc.)!
We toured most of the campground booths. Nancy and I are always looking for campgrounds within a couple hours of the Chicago area so we spoke to quite a few owners and picked up some brochures. We even met the owner (Mark) of our current favorite area campground, Blackhawk Valley, just south of Rockford, IL (image below). We told Mark we’re looking forward to bringing the new Landmark out to his place. Last time we were there we were still in our TrailManor. We also spoke to a few nearby campgrounds about seasonal sites. If we have to pay $100 a month to store our Landmark, it may as well be on a campsite nearby for a few hundred dollars more per season. So we’re checking a few of those out soon.
Saw something really interesting. A gasoline filler on the outside of a 5er. It was a toy-hauler and Jeff tells me this is a popular feature on them. I guess if you haul motorcycles, 4-wheelers, snowmobiles and such, having a way to refuel them easily is a plus. Anyway, it just struck me as odd to see this gas cap in the trailer. I crawled underneath and looked at the tank too. Take a look at the attached images of the side of the trailer and the underside. You’ll see the filler cap and a compartment next to it that has a fuel filler handle. The underside image shows the tank. It went across the entire width of the trailer behind the rear axle. The reason I bring this up at all is that I am thinking down the road about an Onan genset in the front of the 5er. There are Pros and Cons for going LP or gasoline. If one went gasoline, perhaps a rear mounted tank within the frame is viable. Just need to run the fuel line to the front. I am sure this is a long discussion on its own though.
Jeff spent some time at an Onan dealer discussing the virtues of their Microquiet line, pricing and install issues etc.
We are always on the lookout for great RV ideas and we came across a few today too. One was louvered doors on the washer/dryer cabinet (image below). No need to keep those doors open when using the unit. This could be a nice modification to your Heartland or other RV.
Another neat idea was Velcro strap awning light fasteners (images below). They have the tab tops that slide into most awnings. They have about 6” of Velcro strap hanging down that you use to strap your awning light wiring to. Give the lights a tug and you can pull the lights off in a hurry if you ever need to – like in a surprise storm or sudden gusts. Another nice feature of this mounting strap is that it can stay on your awning and it will roll right up in your tube with the awing. We have yet to try it out but for a $12.99 (IL tax included) investment, it’s worth a try. They come in a bundle of 7, in various colors too and are available online.
We ran into a vendor that we met at the downtown show in January. They sell the vinyl picnic table covers. Jeff and I both bought a set from them last month at that show. It was nice to see them again and they graciously took more of our cards to hand out to folks looking for a new trailer! Their company is called Barely Roughing It. The covers come in colors and are available online.
Finally, one item that caught my interest was from a truck up-fitter, Classy Chassis out of Valparaiso, IN. They had a Ford F-350 that was really decked out. And while the Ford did stand out, the item I am interested in was the ceiling mounted console (image below). The picture I took does not do the console justice. The console is about 10” wide, is mounted on the roof (headliner) and goes from the windshield to rear cab window. In front, it has a built-in CB radio and a row of switches for lights and such. There are several overhead lights built into it that are individually controlled. This model also have a DVD player with an integrated fold-down LCD screen mounted rearward of center for the rear-seat passengers. They build and install these consoles at their plant in Valpo and it is available without the DVD/LCD. If you are looking to trick-out your truck with some fancy and functional items, look at Classy Chassis.
Well, that’s a wrap from this year’s show in Rosemont, IL. See you on the trail!
Jim
Nancy, Jeff, Brenda and I went to the Chicago RV, Boat, Camping and Van Show today to see what was new in RV’ing.
All of the major RV manufacturers were there showing everything from pop-ups, truck campers, travel trailers, 5th wheels and class A, B and C motorized units. It was nice to the dealers again from the Chicago area and surrounding states. We’ve seen them this year at the big show in downtown Chicago, at the Rockford show and here again in Rosemont at today’s show.
Of course, we went straight for the Heartland display. Collier RVs out of Rockford was representing Heartland today. They carry many lines and had a huge display but only one Heartland today. They were displaying the Grand Canyon (image below). It seems that they actually sold the unit (s/n 81) at the show today! At one point, they had the door on the unit closed with a sign on it reading “Deal in Progress” (image below). So that’s great news. Jeff and I handed a few Collier reps some business cards and magnets with the Heartland Owners Forum URL with the hope that they hand them our to Heartland buyers and interested parties.
One interesting highlight today was the chance meeting we had to tour the Wayzalot trailer. Have you seen this unit? You may have if you saw the RV Crazy episode of the Travel Channel recently. Terry and Hardy Evans built a 5th wheel trailer that has an Old Tyme appearance inside and out. It’s called Wayzalot. Jeff and I toured it and met the Evanses (images below). I also think I found a taker for some of the “old stuff” I have lying around the basement (radios, railroad lanterns, insulators etc.)!
We toured most of the campground booths. Nancy and I are always looking for campgrounds within a couple hours of the Chicago area so we spoke to quite a few owners and picked up some brochures. We even met the owner (Mark) of our current favorite area campground, Blackhawk Valley, just south of Rockford, IL (image below). We told Mark we’re looking forward to bringing the new Landmark out to his place. Last time we were there we were still in our TrailManor. We also spoke to a few nearby campgrounds about seasonal sites. If we have to pay $100 a month to store our Landmark, it may as well be on a campsite nearby for a few hundred dollars more per season. So we’re checking a few of those out soon.
Saw something really interesting. A gasoline filler on the outside of a 5er. It was a toy-hauler and Jeff tells me this is a popular feature on them. I guess if you haul motorcycles, 4-wheelers, snowmobiles and such, having a way to refuel them easily is a plus. Anyway, it just struck me as odd to see this gas cap in the trailer. I crawled underneath and looked at the tank too. Take a look at the attached images of the side of the trailer and the underside. You’ll see the filler cap and a compartment next to it that has a fuel filler handle. The underside image shows the tank. It went across the entire width of the trailer behind the rear axle. The reason I bring this up at all is that I am thinking down the road about an Onan genset in the front of the 5er. There are Pros and Cons for going LP or gasoline. If one went gasoline, perhaps a rear mounted tank within the frame is viable. Just need to run the fuel line to the front. I am sure this is a long discussion on its own though.
Jeff spent some time at an Onan dealer discussing the virtues of their Microquiet line, pricing and install issues etc.
We are always on the lookout for great RV ideas and we came across a few today too. One was louvered doors on the washer/dryer cabinet (image below). No need to keep those doors open when using the unit. This could be a nice modification to your Heartland or other RV.
Another neat idea was Velcro strap awning light fasteners (images below). They have the tab tops that slide into most awnings. They have about 6” of Velcro strap hanging down that you use to strap your awning light wiring to. Give the lights a tug and you can pull the lights off in a hurry if you ever need to – like in a surprise storm or sudden gusts. Another nice feature of this mounting strap is that it can stay on your awning and it will roll right up in your tube with the awing. We have yet to try it out but for a $12.99 (IL tax included) investment, it’s worth a try. They come in a bundle of 7, in various colors too and are available online.
We ran into a vendor that we met at the downtown show in January. They sell the vinyl picnic table covers. Jeff and I both bought a set from them last month at that show. It was nice to see them again and they graciously took more of our cards to hand out to folks looking for a new trailer! Their company is called Barely Roughing It. The covers come in colors and are available online.
Finally, one item that caught my interest was from a truck up-fitter, Classy Chassis out of Valparaiso, IN. They had a Ford F-350 that was really decked out. And while the Ford did stand out, the item I am interested in was the ceiling mounted console (image below). The picture I took does not do the console justice. The console is about 10” wide, is mounted on the roof (headliner) and goes from the windshield to rear cab window. In front, it has a built-in CB radio and a row of switches for lights and such. There are several overhead lights built into it that are individually controlled. This model also have a DVD player with an integrated fold-down LCD screen mounted rearward of center for the rear-seat passengers. They build and install these consoles at their plant in Valpo and it is available without the DVD/LCD. If you are looking to trick-out your truck with some fancy and functional items, look at Classy Chassis.
Well, that’s a wrap from this year’s show in Rosemont, IL. See you on the trail!
Jim
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Are they already available? 
