Take it easy on the Heartland wannabe!

[Saildogs]

We have had our 24RBS for two years and no slide issues at all. We travel with two standard poodles and there is plenty of room for all of us. Good luck in your search for the best floorplan for you.

Diane

 

[Marge]

Marge,

No reason to apologize, everyone has different experiences and opinions. I'm listening to them all. At this point I agree that they are worth it, I just wanted to make sure they were not also a pain in the xxx.

By the way I love your quote "All who wander are not lost." I have a favorite t-shirt with that on it.

I've found a 22FBS and 24FBS close that we will try to see next week. I hope to see an FX21 next weekend. That should help firm up our goals.

Thanks for everyone's opinions,
Dick

We really do like this trailer, we are getting ready for another 2 week trip, going to to Idaho and Montana. Last year we went to Northern California and had a blast going down bumpy old hilly highway 101.

For two people and a Schnauzer we have loads of room.

Ah yes it is a great quote and so true!

Another thing to consider, we love to camp in St. Parks and National parks and some of the sites are not that big, if you have a really big slide-out you can run into problems, not having enough room to put the slide out. Also with the smaller slide-outs if you do need to have it in, you can still get around inside fairly well. We know people with the bigger slide-outs and it is a real ***** trying to do anything inside when the slides are in.

 

[rneals]

I'm already keeping the National and State park site sizes in mind. I've always liked the cozy little sites back in the trees. Since our government has decided parks don't need to be improved, much less maintained; we will have to live with the older, smaller sites while they still exist.

I grew up camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. Glacier Basin campground was our favorite because of all the trees. The park has been hit hard by the beetle infestation. I've heard that most of the trees in the campground are gone. I hope to get up there with a new trailer as soon as I can. Hopefully it is not as bad as I heard.

 

[Marge]

One of our favorite places for a few night boon-docking, North Fork in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

 

[TXBobcat]

I know this sounds a bit weird but think about it...

Don't purchase a trailer on price. I have found that a number of owners have later on spent more money buying a different one because the one they bought was to small or difficult to get around in or such other problems. Trailers depreciate quickly so you are loosing buying power each time you trade in the old one. Remember a dealer never looses money on a trade and purchase.

Look at it with the idea of what you want or need, find one if you can and then see what you can do to purchase it. Then look at the type of TV you need to pull the trailer. If necessary wait a while and save the extra needed finances to make a good purchase once.

FWIW
BC

 

[TXBobcat]

Another comment...
We have a 38ft Bighorn 5th wheel. We use to have a 29ft SOB 5th wheel (wish we had looked at a bigger one and is why we traded for the BH) and a 23ft Popup.

So far I have found that with our 38ft BH we can go about any place we want and have never had a problem finding a desent campsite in a SP, COE's (our favorite), private and commercial locations.

We have not spent much time in National Parks but I am not concerned about getting a site there either.

Out 29ft SOB was easy to tow and park, but we had to climb over everything (rear entry) to get around when the slide was open or closed. I also found that the smaller trailers many times are not insulated well enough if you are caught in cold weather and could be a problem in high heat.

Be patient and find one with what you need.

BC

 

[rneals]

One of our favorite places for a few night boon-docking, North Fork in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Marge, your picture is an excellent example of exactly what I look for in a campsite. I stare at that picture and wish I were there.

TXBobcat, I understand and appreciate what you are saying. And I can even see your larger 5th wheel setting in that same campsite. But I think the "feel" of the experience would be different for me with a larger trailer. More like the trailer becomes the focal point than the wonderful setting you are in. I know that makes me sound like a hippie tree hugger. But I don't think I am, just a different way of looking at things, I guess.

The reality of my situation is that we are comfortable spending $15K on a new trailer but $20K is pushing it. If we feel that we have to spend more than $20K to get the minimum space or features we would be comfortable with; we will most likely not buy a trailer at all. As a child, my family camped on vacations because that was the only way we could afford to travel and gain those wonderful childhood memories. Motel traveling was way out of the family budget at the time. In today's world there is no financial justification for camping with the cost of a new trailer, sufficient tow vehicle purchase and maintenance, increased towing fuel costs and the cost of campsites. Those who do it can afford it and prefer to travel that way; they don't do it to save money. It is my preference too, but there is a limit to what I can spend to achieve it.

This is just my opinion of course and I respect all differing opinions because we all have a right to our own based on personal experiences and financial situation. I will say that even if I had an unlimited budget, I doubt I'd be looking at trailers that are much larger. I'm not looking for a home on wheels; I'm just looking for a comfortable way to travel. Please don't be offended by my opinion, I'm just looking for what is right for our travel needs.

Thanks for the input,
Dick

 

[ZNK]

Dick,

I can personally recommend the 29BUDS or 28BRS North Trail. You could pull both and they both offer all of the options you are looking for except for the heated underbelly. I am not sure that, that is actually an option. These are both bunk models, lots of space, fiberglass and high quality. Nice walk around queen size bed. Try to check these out, you'll be impressed.

Zack

 

[rneals]

They both look like nice trailers and certainly have a lot of space. But we've decided to eliminate "bunks for the grandkids" from our wish list. We decided that no more often than we would use it, it was not worth the weight, length and cost of the larger trailer. We will get what works best for the two of us and use the dinette or sofa bed for the occasional visiting munchkins.

Thanks for the suggestions,
Dick

 

[Tomharg]

Hi Dick,
Welcome to Heartland, and to The Big Search (for just the right trailer). Just a couple of general comments. With slides, my wife and I have found that it is imperative that we be able to get to the bathroom with the slide(s) in . . . sometimes you, ahem, just can't wait. In addition, it is nice to be able to get to the 'fridge with the slide(s) in so you can have a quick lunch in the coach and relax for a few minutes.
Oh, one other thought about slides: please make sure you know where all your pets are (particularly cats, if you travel with cats) before you open or close a slide -- we almost lost one of our cats when she got scared and hid in the wrong place when the slide started to move and make noise.
Good luck with The Search!
Tom

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I am only addressing the depth of the slide issue. I have never seen a 40" slide on any RV regardless of size or cost.

The only RV I know of with that depth of a slide room is made in Canada. Okanagan, I believe, is the manufacturer.

 

[rneals]

except for the heated underbelly. I am not sure that, that is actually an option. Zack

Zack,

You're right I don't think a heated underbelly is an option. It appears trailers are either designed and built with it or not. It also looks like all North Trails (at least Light Weight and Focus Edition models) except the FX17 are built that way. I don't know why the 17 is the exception. Some trailers do offer the heated tanks as an option.

The only reason I included an enclosed and heated underbelly in my wish list is for marginal weather use. I don't plan to use the trailer in sub freezing weather for any great length of time; but it could happen occasionally in fall mountain trips. The main thing I was thinking of was a planned trip from Kansas to CA in February. I was hoping that we could use the trailer on the way out but until we reach southern AZ we would probably have freezing temperatures. I hoped that the heated underbelly might let me travel with water in the tanks. Although there appears to be differing opinions on the forum about running the furnace while driving; I thought I might be able to do that on the way out there.

Thanks,
Dick

 

[dl_camps]

Hi rneals, I'm going to chime in hear too. We purchased a 21fbs this past May. We ordered one from the factory as we wanted a different interier fabric. We also started with tents, then to pop up now a TT. So far we love it. We have camped 3 times so far this year, with 2 of the times being 1 week each. My DH says it's so very easy to tow, he doesn't even feel it back there. For the type of camping we do, mostly a week at a time, it is great. Storage doesn't seem to be a problem and if you need extra hanging space there is always the bathroom cabinets with bars for hanging clothes. There is sooo much space in the front trunk too. We are empty nesters, no grandchildren yet so I can't comment on having bunks, but they would be nice if company comes, but then the dinette will make into a quick bed too if need be. I do agree that a couple of extra feet may have been nice & to have the couch, but we needed to stay within budget and wanted a smaller trailer too. We do love the slide and I know if we ever buy a different TT we would not get one with without it. Next year we want to get a generator as most of the time we camp without electric, but we do have two batteries now which lasted a full week with no problem. Anyway, for the two of us the 21fbs is a good fit. I wish you luck with your decision. I know we work hard for our money and a big purchase is a weighty decision.

 

[ZNK]

I personally think it is a bit better to get something larger than you think you need. In my experiences this always pays off. The same thing goes with TV's always get one size bigger and you will never regret your purchase.

 

[rneals]

I thought it was time for an update. Since my last post we have been able to look at most of the trailers we were still interested in. All would work for me but my wife evidently has a more discriminating eye.

We looked at 2 Focus models. Not only does she think they are too small, she thinks the quality of the interior fit and trim is not up to snuff.

We looked at a 21FBS and other larger Calibers. While she thought the fit and trim was better, she was immediately turned off by the contact paper backsplash in the kitchens. It looks good in photos but in person it looked cheap to her. It didn't help that two of the trailers actually had bubbles under it indicating poor attention to detail during application; does that carry over to other areas?

We also looked at some Coachmen Apex trailers which she liked much better. And even I (with no decor eye at all) agreed. The interiors are much brighter and simpler. It makes the space seem larger than it really is. We both found the North Trail decor to be darker and too busy for our tastes; but I realize everyone has different preferences and I don't want to question anyone else's choice.

So it looks like we will not be buying a North Trail. I guess my advice is not to buy on pictures, go see a trailer, kick the tires and most importantly be sure to get the wife's approval. If mama ain't happy, nobody is!

Thanks to all for your opinions,
Dick

 

[ZNK]

The 2012 and newer North Trails do not have issues with height. They are quite high off of the ground.

 

[rneals]

Well we finally pulled the trigger but it wasn't a North Trail. We saw a Coachmen Apex 258RKS on a lot and my wife really liked it. My opinions were pretty meaningless after that. The floor plan was the main selling point, the decor was #2 on the list. I ended up just trying to find the best price on the trailer and was very successful. The dealer we first saw the trailer at was given a chance but could not even come close to Wholesale RV Club's price, about 60% of MSRP for a 2013 that had only been on their lot for about a month. Kristen at WRVC was very helpful and I'm anxious to go pick it up.

Thanks again for all of your opinions and suggestions. They were all helpful.

Dick Smith

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Dick, enjoy your new trailer. Keeping Mama happy is what it's all about.