ARE they building what WE want??

Read article by Greg Gerber and agree...the RV industry needs to change themselves or 'Big Brother' will come in, just like they did with the campground issues.If you want to see prices soar,just wait till there is an inspector on site with Red tags!!! Agree construction is #1,with options from all suppliers.And you are correct with my needs vs others needs.Love the idea of solar,but under pine trees in the NF a 2nd smaller genny made more sense to me.By comfy living room it means to be functional,I camp to be outdoors,but it does rain sometimes,then into garage for games!Thanks for all input.

My trailer is an 06 Raptor and at some point I want to buy new again,but will it be made better,and serve my needs better.Please feel free to ad on to my wish list.
1 Total loaded weight around 15k- 18k.
2 water cap around 100 to 150.Black and gray to match.
3 total max length 40ft.
4 Garage 14ft if enclosed,open-whatever,both styles are needed.
5 I like a three axle ride,esp if on rough roads or sand
6 7k 16in axles, overbuild with air ride suspension
7 Fiberglass sides with as little graphics as possible,Arizona
pinstripping is a PITA.
8 good clearance at rear(i have a 3ft skid plate on mine)
9 4 batts,and quality Inverter/charger 3000w pure sine wave,all receptacles hooked working
10 I like the option of having elec or gas refig,esp if under trees for a week or 2... but make it BIG,or 2nd refrig.
11 5500 genny with 2 hvac or 7k possible,Fuel injected
12 All leds
13 A liveable interior with King bed in main bedroom
14 Nice size bathroom..Nothing fancy,but nice.corian ok,no granite,no glass bowl-sinks, make it last not showy. One bathroom,who wants to clean 2....
15 2 motor landing gear
16 Proven slide system ..I Like bedroom and living room slides..Be able to use bathroom w/o using slide, and able to get to refrig w/o using slide....Not possible in most of new TH....
17 LT tires name brand...
18 Fiberglass roof
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Some of that is what I want...some not...so who is WE?

#1 on my list - Quality construction!

Your specs are too heavy for my desires, I only want 2 axles, don't want enormous garage, don't need king sized bed...but I'm not everyone, so there should be options.

I wish I had option of electric fridge when boondocking for if propane runs out.

A high quality solar system that really works would be nice.

Whats advantage of 2 motor landing gear? Glad you didn't put self-level....every one I've seen has too little clearance.

I agree with 2, 6, 7, 8 (I had ours lifted 2" via subframe=awesome), 9 - (6 volts I assume), 11 (ours has 5500 Onan only 1 AC cuz in Colo), 12, 14, 16 (we have no island in ours and can walk through entire trailer with slides in - we have only 1 LR slide and 1 BR slide (wardrobe) = enough, 17 (FOR SURE!!), 18 (sounds good but not sure advantages?)

Something else I want - we have 2 fuel tanks. One for fuel station one dedicated to genny. I have no way to extract fuel from genny tank. Can't siphon..its blocked. 2nd pump would be great.

Some things I DONT want - Granite, fireplace, 2nd fridge, to hafta open slides to get to fridge and to have a place to sit.

JAC1982 wrote:
Forest River XLR Nitro has 2 new models coming out with 14 (36VL5) and 16' (38VL5) garages. The specs aren't listed on their website yet, so not sure on lengths etc. I think the 14' could be under 40', but I doubt the 16 is. A Forest River dealer may have more info than what's on their website, but here's the floor plan: 36VL5

Honestly though, with what you have listed... large separate garage, comfy living area, big bedroom with king size bed, you're going to run out of options under 40'. I don't see how they could fit all that into less than 40 very easily.

I agree, OPs living/kitchen space will run out quick in a 40ft hauler with 14ft garage.

jims1 wrote:
Unfortunately no current production builder will build what you want. But there are options-
SpaceCraft RV will build what you want easily. We are in discusssions with them about our future home.
Buy a floorplan that you can live with, then upgrade everything.
Most everything you mention can be changed with $$. Axles, tires, generator, AC's, batteries, water tanks (yes they can be changed, you just have to plumb them), remove all decals, etc. Not the cheapest option, but you end with an RV you reallly like.

I'm also talking with them but I don't think you would be in the under 18K range.

You need a gooseneck stacker with living quarters. You just need to decide how much head room the toys get verses the people.

Forest River XLR Nitro has 2 new models coming out with 14 (36VL5) and 16' (38VL5) garages. The specs aren't listed on their website yet, so not sure on lengths etc. I think the 14' could be under 40', but I doubt the 16 is. A Forest River dealer may have more info than what's on their website, but here's the floor plan: 36VL5

Honestly though, with what you have listed... large separate garage, comfy living area, big bedroom with king size bed, you're going to run out of options under 40'. I don't see how they could fit all that into less than 40 very easily.

2btowed wrote:
My trailer is an 06 Raptor and at some point I want to buy new again,but will it be made better,and serve my needs better.Please feel free to ad on to my wish list.
1 Total loaded weight around 15k- 18k.
2 water cap around 100 to 150.Black and gray to match.
3 total max length 40ft.
4 Garage 14ft if enclosed,open-whatever,both styles are needed.
5 I like a three axle ride,esp if on rough roads or sand
6 7k 16in axles, overbuild with air ride suspension
7 Fiberglass sides with as little graphics as possible,Arizona
pinstripping is a PITA.
8 good clearance at rear(i have a 3ft skid plate on mine)
9 4 batts,and quality Inverter/charger 3000w pure sine wave,all receptacles hooked working
10 I like the option of having elec or gas refig,esp if under trees for a week or 2... but make it BIG,or 2nd refrig.
11 5500 genny with 2 hvac or 7k possible,Fuel injected
12 All leds
13 A liveable interior with King bed in main bedroom
14 Nice size bathroom..Nothing fancy,but nice.corian ok,no granite,no glass bowl-sinks, make it last not showy. One bathroom,who wants to clean 2....
15 2 motor landing gear
16 Proven slide system ..I Like bedroom and living room slides..Be able to use bathroom w/o using slide, and able to get to refrig w/o using slide....Not possible in most of new TH....
17 LT tires name brand...
18 Fiberglass roof


I have 2 grandkids that camp with us when possible and they sleep on air materesses in garage,with their own TV,DVR and game system. It gives them their own space and usually all kids come to watch movies.
I know everyone camps different,but I am boondoggeling in NF at dunes,or sometimes in CG.I probably camp in spots that most cannot believe,but it is all about the view in the am with a cup of joe.

You can get a 40' ++ triple axle, King size bed and 14' garage now. I think a lot of it after that is ordering options and doing a little customizing. I know with my Stealth, 106 gallon fresh water is standard and they have another 40-50 tank as a cheap factory option. LED is pretty standard now. Genny's are getting bigger for the 2 or 3 AC units. Solar is optional on many. Fridges have gotten huge. But you are in a 6 figure toyhauler now. :)

For me the biggest improvement the RV industry could make would be on water proofing. A lifetime, leakfree roof like the RV Flex Armor system. And then to use seals that don't require chalking and rechalking and checking constantly. My 1976 K5 Blazer doesn't have water leaks, why should a 5 year old camper be any differnt?

And don't get me started on **** the RV service industry calls ready to camp from the dealer, and the length of time it takes it takes to get things fixed after your first outing.

An interesting read from Greg Gerber in what he calls, "RV Industry Death Spiral. I've made it through about half so far. I won't agree with everything, but he brings up some very valid points.

I wouldn't trust camping world to do anything.
I saw how they fixed my buddies front cap on his hauler...... wow.
I would rather haul my trailer to a guy in California that gets nothing but awesome reviews on how he fixes stuff.

Exactly but what if the users, builders, service techs, etc. got together virtually where specific concerns are brought up and solutions are looked into?

Fixing the problem is usually better than minimizing the symptoms, which are what the QC issues reflect.