slide vs no slide
Here is my question. We are well into our 60's. We are thinking about getting a class c and the kids will take the truck camper and truck. This class C will be used for lake camping with grand ...
Forum Discussion
We special ordered our rig in the spring of 2007. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT, a 2007 Phoenix Cruiser 2350. It is small by motor home standards. It is only 9'-10" to the top of the a/c unit, and is 23'-8" long. My point here is that it is small, yet we absolutely "Love" our rig without a slide out. We have no regrets with that decision. But our rig was selected with just the two of us in-mind for the majority of it's use, and we do plan to own it for a total of 35 years, hopefully more if we are safe enough to drive anything at the age of 85.
We looked at the negatives that just one slide out can introduce, especially with age. Here are the things I think about.
- One slide out adds roughly 500 extra pounds to what is typically a heavy rig to begin with.
- One slide out would have costed us an extra $4000.
- There is a massive hole in the wall, weakening the over-all structure. The wider the slide out, the greater the risk of the roof sagging in the middle of the hole, especially if the heavy a/c unit is in the right spot.
- The rig is especially sensitive to being level to work the slide out with care.
- Wind driven rain can puddle on top of the box. When you retract, in comes the water. You won't know it's there until you brake real hard.
- Then there is the water on the two sides. In comes wet dirty walls.
- The same goes for bugs. They too come in for the ride.
- Slide outs leak in cold when it's cold, and heat when it's hot.
- There is more volume of air to heat and cool efficiently, a common complaint in the RV industry when conditions get "testy".
- Slide outs are not as well insulated as the main wall
- A slide out reduces the size of the window in that position.
- A slide out reduces wall space by roughly 8" that would otherwise make a roomier dinette or wider couch.
- Slide outs like to rattle when the rig is being driven.
- You get significantly less storage with a slide out, from smaller over-head cabinets, to exterior compartments.
- If having a dinette in a slide out, head room can be an issue if the ceiling is lower like we have.
- There is the maintenance factor required to keep a slide out working well.
- Finally, there is the driving experience. Driving our a house without a massive box inside, it simply feels better.
We looked at the negatives that just one slide out can introduce, especially with age. Here are the things I think about.
- One slide out adds roughly 500 extra pounds to what is typically a heavy rig to begin with.
- One slide out would have costed us an extra $4000.
- There is a massive hole in the wall, weakening the over-all structure. The wider the slide out, the greater the risk of the roof sagging in the middle of the hole, especially if the heavy a/c unit is in the right spot.
- The rig is especially sensitive to being level to work the slide out with care.
- Wind driven rain can puddle on top of the box. When you retract, in comes the water. You won't know it's there until you brake real hard.
- Then there is the water on the two sides. In comes wet dirty walls.
- The same goes for bugs. They too come in for the ride.
- Slide outs leak in cold when it's cold, and heat when it's hot.
- There is more volume of air to heat and cool efficiently, a common complaint in the RV industry when conditions get "testy".
- Slide outs are not as well insulated as the main wall
- A slide out reduces the size of the window in that position.
- A slide out reduces wall space by roughly 8" that would otherwise make a roomier dinette or wider couch.
- Slide outs like to rattle when the rig is being driven.
- You get significantly less storage with a slide out, from smaller over-head cabinets, to exterior compartments.
- If having a dinette in a slide out, head room can be an issue if the ceiling is lower like we have.
- There is the maintenance factor required to keep a slide out working well.
- Finally, there is the driving experience. Driving our a house without a massive box inside, it simply feels better.
