What's Your 2014 Wish for RV Design

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Quit using China bomb tires. Real wood cabinets that don't fall apart when you just look at them. Real frames that last the life of the trailer. Doors and windows that really fit and open and close without super human effort.

I have a fairly lengthy list... hope I don't bore people, as I've mentioned a few of these before:

1: One piece aluminum roof, formed down the sides, then a two part epoxy spray applied after the A/C, skylights, vents, fans, etc. are placed. That way, there are no cracks for water to get in, a scrape or a puncture isn't an immediate leak, and maintaining the roof consists of looking up top for any holes. A metal roof and sides are standard with most cargo trailers, should be the same for travel trailers.

2: Get Truma to start selling their products in the US. Truma is a German company that offers some truly innovative heaters, fuel cells, and other products.

3: Once #2 is done, use a propane fuel cell. This way, there would be no need for an absorption fridge, since the fuel cell would be able to to keep a compressor fridge running, with extra capacity (especially combined with a solar cell) to keep the house batteries charged.

4: Twin pane windows (the real type with an inert gas in the middle so they do not have condensation between the panes) standard.

5: A built in EMS so if someone plugs into 240 by accident, the magic smoke won't escape throughout the rig. Same if the CG power is dangerously low, so compressors do not fry.

6: Better locks and door handles. The locks should have at least the same security as a laser cut (technically cut with a vertical milling head) car key. A RV needs the same security as both a car and a house. It would be nice to see multi-point locks and stronger frames so a thief has to work at getting in. No CH751 junk.

7: Inside meters for the battery voltage, incoming charging amperage, and so on.

8: A decent solar array on top. Even solar panels on the sides can be useful.

9: Built in Wi-Fi and cellular amplifiers. Since most RVs act like Faraday cages, it would be nice to have a built in repeater to be able to fetch signal easily.

10: Wall-mounted washers like a Daewoo Mini Drum. They don't take up much space, and provide a very useful thing, especially for the space. Of course, you can't toss a blanket in it, but for soiled clothes, it does a decent job.

26 Foot hybrid bunkhouse . Hybrid 15" tires, couch dinette super slide 7500Lb gvw.

What I'd pay for...

Nice 30-31 foot, extra wide, no slide, interior height sufficient NOT to need a skylight in the shower just so I can stand up. Similar layout and interior/exterior storage as a 1988 Winnebago Super Chief. One piece metal roof, with holes for bare essentials only(AC/Plumbing/fridge/Antenna)

NO Oven, No Stove top, No built in dinette, No Sleeper sofa. Waste tanks on driver side for ease of maintenance/dumping.

A 20 year warranty against delamination.

Just my thoughts

X2 on a better roof material. Semi-trailer roofs take a lot of abuse before they leak and weight is an issue there as well. Would like to see more about the rhino roof systems and metal roof systems for RV's.

ScottG wrote:
I'd just like to see them get away from the dark wood cabinets and stick with lighter tones throughout. It's dark enough here in the PNW!

X2! Can't count the number of rigs we looked at, but went on by due to dark woods and coverings that were more appropriate for an old English library. One of the reasons we like the RV style is to enjoy the outdoors, so we favor lots of windows and lots of light. There are some manufacturers who provide lighter interiors with Open Range being one that pops to mind, and the Jayco Designer in my sig has a very open feel. But it is the exception and not the rule from our experience.

I'd just like to see them get away from the dark wood cabinets and stick with lighter tones throughout. It's dark enough here in the PNW!

1st off, I think the RV industry has improved leaps and bounds from just 5 years ago.
BUT, why can't we at least have the option of a metal roof?
I have a cargo trailer I've been using for racing for about 20 years and has never leaked a drop and I've never even thought about going on the roof.
We bought a toyhauler a few years ago and am constantly on the roof doing maintenance and cleaning.
I caught the factory caulking cracking at the front cap joint and avoided roof rot, but only because I got up there to install a solar charger.
I have spent a couple hundred $$$ and invested a couple Saturdays on eternabond, but it is still a pain in the butt.

Thanks :-)