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Mike_Up's avatar
Mike_Up
Explorer
Nov 07, 2015

Dropped off camper at dealer today and looked at new TTs

I dropped off the trailer for some routine PMs. I am having them do the Seal Tech leak test, caulk what's found to be leaking, cleaning roof, and repacking wheel bearings/adjusting breaks.

While there I looked at new units as it was an open house I guess with all units unlocked.

I was actually disappointed with sever Jay Flight model floorplans. While being built great, their floorplans were not as good as they look on the website.

The Jay Flight 26BHS/267BHS had a front bedroom that I thought would be different. The wall being right on the foot of the bed not only limited leg space for overhanging, but changing room as well. It also was claustrophobic to me. I couldn't deal with that. The new 27BHS looks to be a welcome replacement though I couldn't see that.

Also, with most superslide Jay Flight plans, they have the aweful U dinette. I tried it out and was shocked just how useless it really was! I'm not an obese guy but larger at 6' and 235#s. I couldn't fit in the dinette on the long side. The table was squeezing me in between it and the back cushion. Completely un-usable!! I tried 4 models with it and all were alike. Perhaps they can't mount the table further away because of the reinforcements in the slide?? No Jay Flight U-Dinette for me! Plus the short sides are so short, it fits only me, then my legs extend out so the next person would have to sit in the middle. If another person my size was sitting across from me, only 3 people could fit on this U-dinette. With my standard, 4 people can fit. I would never buy a Jayco with a U-dinette. Hopefully they redesign it with longer short side ends, and push the table away from the back wall.

Another thing with superslide models, they have the 60" short sofa right next to the TV. Even with the TV swiveled towards the sofa, it can't be seen by the person sitting next to the side wall of the slide. Pretty useless IMO. The idea of having room is so that you can live inside the camper during bad weather. Makes no sense if you can't even watch the TV from the sofa.

The Superslide models offer alot of room but it's none functional room IMO. The dinettes can't be used and the sofa can't be used to watch TV. Very VERY disappointing.

The model I actually liked the best was the 28BHBE but it wasn't functional with the sofa placement and the cramped Udinette.

It's a shame, if anything happens to the 26BH, I may have to go to another maker other than Jayco just because of some major oversights that could had been rectified by having a TV on an extension arm and using a standard dinette.

Also was amazed by the weights of the 28BHBE. With a 13% hitch weight, after being loaded, it would exceed my F150's 1050# hitch receiver rating! Meaning I'd need to go to a F250 for at least 1200 lbs of hitch receiver rating.

Then what was the best amusement of all, was a guy in an older standard 1500 Tahoe SUV pulling a monster Jay Flight 32BHDS!! Thank god I wasn't sharing the road coming in, with this clown. That monster demands a class 5 hitch and the payload to accomidate that hitch weight, family, and gear as well. I'd being looking at a Diesel F250 or F350 for sure for that and this guy had a less capable tow vehicle than my little F150!!!

The more I see everyday, the more I get amazed.:E

On a good note, I found the 5th wheel I want to live in when I retire, the Winnebago 37FL.

BTW, using my newly free downloaded Windows 10 from previous Windows 7 with newer computer (Hate 8 and 8.1). Windows 10 looks like a winner.

9 Replies

  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    Nov 09, 2015
    Ye it is difficult to get just what you want in a new RV. Then try to buy a used one! Even less choices in floorplans!

    I need something that I can get a 450 pound electric wheelchair into it, and was thinking that toyhaulers where the only option. I recently saw one design with a forward room with two fold up bunk beds, and a side ramp that folds down, allowing 'Bicycle storage' as they put it on the website. I want to take a look at one, they have one at nearby Curtiss RV in Portland OR. If it works for getting the wheelchair up the ramp (is not to steep) it might be a good plan.

    Yes there is a 'problem'. The wall separating the forward room and living room only has a 24" wide door, and that is not wide enough for a 28" wide electric wheelchair, but we could manage with a manual one, and transfer her into that , probably would need it to get into the shower anyway. If only the entertainment center was smaller, and the door wider!

    And it is 36 feet long, kinda a problem with my 23' long E-450 bus to tow it. Overall we would be at 58 feet, so turning around on a culd-a-sac would be somewhat of a challenge. It is only 9,800 pounds, so the bus is 9,900, and total GCVWR is 22,000 so I am OK there.

    My current 30' Bounder has no slides, so yes it would be a huge improvement from my 97 model! But parking would be a bit more difficult. . .

    Good luck on your RV repairs, and with any luck, the RV designers might take one of their floorplans out for a weekend of camping, and figure out how un-desirable the floorplans work for a family. Perhaps in the next 4-5 years they will work better.

    Fred.
  • Mike_Up's avatar
    Mike_Up
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    The new 27BHS looks promising but a new TV mount support would need to be built so that an extendable arm TV mount could be used. That would allow the TV to be seen from the sofa.

    The new 26BH model isn't appealing to me since they changed it. They reduced the height of the rear lower bunk so that a limited use, little fridge could fit underneath the bottom bunk. Making it even more claustrophobic and coffin like, since they added the new double size upper bunk.

    That double size upper bunk now eliminated the small ward that went beside the upper bunk. We use that ward all the time as there's no where else to put the back bedroom clothes. We got away from the duffle shuffle with the pop ups, now with the new double bunks with no ward, you are right back where you left off with pop ups.

    Besides the lack of in floor heat vents and the above, the model has lost it's appeal with me now.
  • Mike_Up's avatar
    Mike_Up
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    gypsmjim wrote:


    Actually, having used Windows since its inception, I find that 8.1 has the best functionality of the lot. Its even better than XP. It IS "different", and that's what confounds most people. I found an APP for $2.99 that makes it start up and function like XP. Problem solved. All my technogeeks at work say to avoid 10 like the plague. I guess if it was so good they wouldn't give it away for free. Of course, they always need guinny pigs to work out the bugs.....LOL.



    I work in the technology department being a tech. 8 and 8.1 are so poor, none of the various control software packages at the plant are even compatible. Everything is 2000 professional, Xp or Windows 7 compatible.

    Windows 10 is yet to be proven, but within the limited time using it, it's an extension to Windows 7 and not a problem prone OS with little support and little functionality as 8.0 and 8.1 have proven to be.

    But each to their own, as everyone is entitled to opinions.

    Jayco is still my #1 brand to choose, just disappointed in their floorplans oversight and lack of functionality. Hopefully they will come to their senses and go back to good floorplans that work for everyone.
  • gypsmjim's avatar
    gypsmjim
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    Mike Up wrote:

    BTW, using my newly free downloaded Windows 10 from previous Windows 7 with newer computer (Hate 8 and 8.1). Windows 10 looks like a winner.


    Actually, having used Windows since its inception, I find that 8.1 has the best functionality of the lot. Its even better than XP. It IS "different", and that's what confounds most people. I found an APP for $2.99 that makes it start up and function like XP. Problem solved. All my technogeeks at work say to avoid 10 like the plague. I guess if it was so good they wouldn't give it away for free. Of course, they always need guinny pigs to work out the bugs.....LOL.

    But to your main topic.......we have been RVers since 1987, and just upgraded to our 2015 JayFlight last year. Since that time we have been to a couple open houses and RV shows and have looked at other brands and floor plans. We're quite happy with what we have and have yet to see one we like better.

    Now, on another subject I could say the same thing about my boat. We have a one owner mint condition 1984 model and have yet to find a new one we like better.

    My towcar is a 1980 land yacht as well, but that's a topic for another thread....
  • bfourman's avatar
    bfourman
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    We almost bought a 2015 Jayco in the spring of this year. On a whim we decided to look at a used 2009 Sunset Creek a friend of ours was selling. The Sunset Creek was built better and had a better floorplan than the 2015, so we bought it instead.

    I was dead set on a u-dinette until I actually sat in one. We are a family of 5 (soon to be 6) so we don't really fit at a standard dinette. The u-dinette sat us all, but the table was smaller.
  • willi4nd's avatar
    willi4nd
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    With my puny little TT, every model is nicer lol. One of these days....

    But we still love it and are looking forward to our first spring and summer in it
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    Mike Up wrote:
    ...
    Hopefully we'll have our 26BH for a long time but unforeseen things do happen.


    Usually one of two things happens when someone takes their camper in for a repair or maintenance at the dealership when snooping around at the new campers on the lot.

    1) Fall in love with a new model and realize how much nicer it is than your existing camper. Take the plunge and end up getting a new one.

    2) Realize how inferior (floor plan or construction) new campers are compared to your current camper and have no regrets keeping your current camper.

    Looks like you took path #2! Well done! Temptation did not "get you!"
  • Mike_Up's avatar
    Mike_Up
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    Nice layout. Really liked what you did. Makes it much more home like. You can always use TV trays with the sofas and likely get more comfortable eating room to boot!

    Hopefully we'll have our 26BH for a long time but unforeseen things do happen.
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Nov 07, 2015
    For ALL the items you pointed out, is exactly the reason why we chose the camper we did 2 years ago, the Outback 298RE (Travel Trailer). Ours did not come with the dinette. It came with a stand alone kitchen table and 4 chairs. Since purchase, we removed the original 2 rocking chairs and the 4 kitchen chairs and kitchen table and replaced with a household reclining 3 seater couch. Plenty of leg room and the TV is visible everywhere. I put castors on the couch so it can roll. We turn it in front of the television, cross ways, or parallel to the back window, pop the feet out, recline and fall asleep! Bed room has a queen walk around bed, and the foot of the bed has about 2 and 1/2 feet space to the wall.



    Original set up:





    After removing rocker chairs, moving small 2 seater couch to the other slide, removing the table, and replacing with the household couch. Oh, do we love this layout now. Who needs a kitchen table. They just collect stuff and never get used.



    FYI, the Outback 298RE floor plan has not changed for 2016. But they are now putting stainless steel appliance in it!

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