Mammoth ordered! And now in production!
Host Mammoth and Eagle Cap 1165.
Ever since our AF slide broke again we have been thinking about a new camper. A new triple slide camper. :C
We will be ordering something here very soon. This is a tough choice because both have strong appeal, and it is obvious that a lot of thought and care went into both units.
Both units look to be able to add large solar panels system and large lithium iron phosphate bank in the basement as well and associated inverter/converter equipment.
So doing as much research as a I can on the road and finally visiting a dealership today near Portland Oregon that has both brands we are trying to sort through the pros and cons.
Knowing that there is no shortage of advice and experience here I thought I would sound off my thoughts and let folks with experience chime in.
Here we go:
HOST:
Pros:
Lighter weight than EC (exactly how much, not sure. 500-800 lbs?)
Solid company with happy customers here on this board.
Huge pantry
Massive basement.
Terrific light from rear side window.
Cons:
Small wardrobe space outside of cab-over (awkward for me to use while DW is in bed)
Rear slide is shallow and seating blocks door if reclined. Probably not able to put a decent stand alone chair in this space if we delete the rear seating.
Casework drawers were not as solid compared to EC.
Dinette area would be a pain to repurpose due to forced air furnace and black tank utilizing space above floor in slide.
Weird dumping valves/having holding tank in the slide.
Eagle Cap:
Pros:
Lots of usable counter space in kitchen on island.
Great wardrobe space in bathroom area where one would change after a shower
Nice wardrobe space just inside entry door for coats, shoes, or even pantry.
Deep rear slide could support a slim stand alone recliner.
Dinette and slide not encumbered by HVAC or plumbing and could be used for whatever we want to build /customize down the road
Cons:
Shorter shower. A bit of ducking needed but good width.
Higher weight.
Wife cannot access bed from her side through kitchen
Dinette seats too short from backrest. Not as comfortable as HOST.
One other con for the HOST which I am not sure if I should even mention until we (hopefully visit the factory on Monday with possible explanations) is the Delam we saw on both units at Apache RV today. This was only on the slide sidewalls. The salesperson there was actually a service tech for many years in the industry and didn't try to BS me. He called it delimitation and offered as an explanation the small wall systems are probably built differently by hand compared to large exterior wall sections where adhesion methods could produce a better bond. He said he would contact HOST. BTW he repeatedly said HOST were great guys who stand behind their products. Just seemed weird to have two new units with visible delimitation on a lot.
In any case... Fire away. We figure we will have to order either way and time frame isn't critical. It would be nice to take it on a test drive in Jan down south to New Mexico.
Ever since our AF slide broke again we have been thinking about a new camper. A new triple slide camper. :C
We will be ordering something here very soon. This is a tough choice because both have strong appeal, and it is obvious that a lot of thought and care went into both units.
Both units look to be able to add large solar panels system and large lithium iron phosphate bank in the basement as well and associated inverter/converter equipment.
So doing as much research as a I can on the road and finally visiting a dealership today near Portland Oregon that has both brands we are trying to sort through the pros and cons.
Knowing that there is no shortage of advice and experience here I thought I would sound off my thoughts and let folks with experience chime in.
Here we go:
HOST:
Pros:
Lighter weight than EC (exactly how much, not sure. 500-800 lbs?)
Solid company with happy customers here on this board.
Huge pantry
Massive basement.
Terrific light from rear side window.
Cons:
Small wardrobe space outside of cab-over (awkward for me to use while DW is in bed)
Rear slide is shallow and seating blocks door if reclined. Probably not able to put a decent stand alone chair in this space if we delete the rear seating.
Casework drawers were not as solid compared to EC.
Dinette area would be a pain to repurpose due to forced air furnace and black tank utilizing space above floor in slide.
Weird dumping valves/having holding tank in the slide.
Eagle Cap:
Pros:
Lots of usable counter space in kitchen on island.
Great wardrobe space in bathroom area where one would change after a shower
Nice wardrobe space just inside entry door for coats, shoes, or even pantry.
Deep rear slide could support a slim stand alone recliner.
Dinette and slide not encumbered by HVAC or plumbing and could be used for whatever we want to build /customize down the road
Cons:
Shorter shower. A bit of ducking needed but good width.
Higher weight.
Wife cannot access bed from her side through kitchen
Dinette seats too short from backrest. Not as comfortable as HOST.
One other con for the HOST which I am not sure if I should even mention until we (hopefully visit the factory on Monday with possible explanations) is the Delam we saw on both units at Apache RV today. This was only on the slide sidewalls. The salesperson there was actually a service tech for many years in the industry and didn't try to BS me. He called it delimitation and offered as an explanation the small wall systems are probably built differently by hand compared to large exterior wall sections where adhesion methods could produce a better bond. He said he would contact HOST. BTW he repeatedly said HOST were great guys who stand behind their products. Just seemed weird to have two new units with visible delimitation on a lot.
In any case... Fire away. We figure we will have to order either way and time frame isn't critical. It would be nice to take it on a test drive in Jan down south to New Mexico.
