Jayco X20E opinions?

Campfire Time wrote:
Hi and welcome!

We just bought an X20E in May. You will love it! We traded up from an '03 Jayco Kiwi 17A hybrid.

We only have a few annoyances with the X20E, the lack of counter space being one of them. Then again, our old Kiwi had almost no counter space either. Like you we do our cooking outside and have done so since our tenting days in the '80s. For the X20E we got one these: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/hardwood-stove-topper-cutting-board/8648. It works great, doesn't slide around during travel, and is easily removed if you need the stove. I really wish TTs and HTTs had a removable stove option like pop-ups do. We loved that about our PUP when we had it.

The only other negatives I can think of about this trailer is that there is no drawer to store utensils, and the power cord is really hard to stow away due to a tight space where it goes in.

We haven't had it long enough to comment on the slide other than to say we love the slide.

As I said, we had a previous Jayco hybrid. We bought it new and had it for 10 years and never once had any issues with leaking bunks. Three years ago we did have a small leak on a roof seal that easily fixed with Eternabond tape. That can happen on any travel trailer. We had originally planned on keeping that trailer for 15 years, and we would have if we didn't see the X20E. Like you we are planning on keeping the X20E for at least 10 years.

The key is maintenance. Keep the bed and slide seals treated with a quality UV protectant. Keep everything clean. And when small stuff breaks (and it will) fix it right away. Cover the wheels and A/C unit in the winter. And keep the trailer waxed to prevent fading. Our old HTT still looked like new on the inside and pretty decent on the outside. We had some fading on the bed panels and decals that shrunk over time, but otherwise it looked great. Oh, and keep up with the rust on the frame. About every 2 years I sanded the rust and sprayed it with matte black Rustoleum.

Feel free to PM me anytime if you have questions.

Thanks for the input!

I've always heard great things about Jaycos, and the fact that you were a repeat Jayco owner says a lot.

We have 3 young boys, and the X20E layout couldn't be better. Growing up our family of four camped for many years in a Starcraft popup, so I know that we could definitely pack a family of 5 in a 20' hybrid.

Thanks for the cutting board advice. I figured that with some sort of stove cover and/or sink cover, we could "add" to the counter space and slide the table over if needed to work off of.