To Slide or Not

On the pros & cons of a slide, we camped for years without a slide. Pretty much one single wide walkway throughout. That was our only negative. Our new rig is about the same length, but it includes a slide adjacent to the kitchen. That extra 3' of width is huge for our indoor comfort level. We push a button to extend the slide.

Advantages: More interior room

Disadvantages: Subtract from OCCC reducing stuff you can carry, can fail, can leak water in & fluid out, cannot use while RV is in motion, can obstruct some interior cabinets/drawers unless deployed (out)

Generally, it comes down to personal preference. There are strong opinions for and against on this site. Check out floor plans to see what you like best.

Love my slide. Makes interior much larger on a smaller TT.

One note about a slide: Check to see if you can use the bathroom with the slide in.

Some rigs, like the Winnebago Fuse 23A, the slide can be in, and the whole unit can be still used. You can extend the slide for more space, but it is optional.

Other rigs, you can do almost nothing with the slides in.

Another issue with slides is leaks. If they have a top awning, this helps mitigate things, but every 5-7 years, the seals need to be replaced, for the same reason RV tires have to.

Then, there are mechanical issues. Check to see if you can get the slide in via some manual process.

In general, I like slides, as they add significantly to living space. However, each model is different, and some slides may be more of a pain than be useful.

How are the slides, when in, going down the road? Do they rattle or cause vibration? Do they upset the center of gravity? Maybe an idiotic question. But, any chance they can slide out while driving? :S

Pros and Cons as has already been mentioned. Another suggestion, if you do find a unit that you are considering with a slide, do your research on what others' experiences have been with that particular RV and it's slides. Some slide mechanism manufacturers have had a good run with their products and others on certain models have not. You cannot rely on a particular RV manufacturer producing good quality slide units year after year as they may change slide mechanism suppliers and that may change everything when it comes to reliability. Try researching Schwintek and Power Gear and you will see what I mean.

We have a slide on a small (17') trailer. Main advantage,if not the only, is added space. A jack knife sofa sits in the slide.
We can access the bathroom and fridge when the slide is in, and use the camper withn the slide in. Which is nice if your going to spend a night in a parking lot where space is limited.
Slides are more prone to leaking. Winter camping, if you get snowed on you'd have to clean it off before retracting it, if the snow becomes frozen it's gonna make matters more difficult.
If i was going to look at a non-slide unit i'd want it to be 8' wide. I personally would have no issues with a non-slide unit if the floor plan suited our needs.

I know you asked about class b's and c's but thought some of my input might be helpful.

Just another opinion here. No slides for me. Weakens the "box" too much. (Lazy Daze feels the same way as they don't have any models with slides) That confirmed if for me. Additionally, my feeling is that if you need that much room and comfort a hotel would be better.

May I offer an alternate opinion on slides...

For me slides offer lots of potential for problems and only one small benefit, that being a little extra room. The bigger the slide the bigger the possible problems. As noted they add weight that comes right off of your OCCC, tend to leak hot air or cold not to mention water. A slide failure is usually a serious problem.

Since the OP is looking at B+/C's that would tend to indicate a smaller coach. Finding a floor plan you can live with is the most important factor and will often eliminate the need for a slide. We spend about 12 hours a day outside of our 24' C and since it is 101" wide with a full 7' of headroom throughout we just don't need one but it is just my bride and I (and hopefully another doggie someday... sigh}.

The OP should consider where and how he will use the coach the most and perhaps the need will not be there. If you travel with kid(s) then the extra space, particularly in areas of frequent inclement weather, that a slide adds may be worth it. For those that have them preventive maintenance is the key to heading off problems.

IMHO: There are two types of slide owners....

Those that have had a problem and those that will.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

I specifically decided against a slide when buying my current rig. My last TT had a huge slide which was a nice addition when parked. However, I bought the "c" specifically for road trips, and since you can't use the slide while driving, it just takes up room. We had the TT parked next to the house and used it for an extra bedroom once in a while, but the slide needed to be extended to expose the heater ducts in the floor. It was also difficult to walk between the living area and the bedroom while the slide was in. One winter I had left the slide out so I could use the unit, it snowed enough that I think it tweeked the alignment of the slide as it wouldn't move in and out easily after that. Unless you have a slide cover, retracting the slide in when it's wet or dirty gets all that stuff inside the unit. Good luck finding a newer unit without a slide these days, when shopping last summer, I found it difficult to find a newer unit without one. No slide makes for a stronger box.