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 i...
Forum Discussion
For us, it also came down to the same choice of these two brands and models.
I liked the the Eagle Cap's use of a peninsula in the center of the floor more than my wife, but it does make the space look smaller than the openness of the Host. Having the TV and radio so close to the sink does make me wonder if these items will die quicker due to moisture or water from the faucet - Moot point in my case, since DW prefers to dance rather than cook. I prefer Host's use of the push in knobs on their interior drawers rather the less expensive spring plastic catch, but they are not consistent with this hardware through out the interior. The exterior storage door hardware on the EC with slam latches is nicer than the simple turn locks on a Host but are more difficult to rekey. The EC is 8.5' wide and uses deeper slides than Host, while the latter maximizes the side slide lengths and uses a short one in the rear. Host even uses a narrower side door to get additional right slide length - See if this opening is comfortable for you when climbing in and out.
If individual recliners are important to you, Eagle cap has been doing this longer and even upgraded them recently with trays. Host now has the Cascade 10.5 layout (if it works for you) or you can look into the Everest (which has a larger rear slide) to fit individual recliners. You could fit one recliner in the Mammoth rear slide with a side table or full height coat closet - We like the rear reclining loveseat while watching our 40" TV or fireplace but agree it does block the doorway.
I did not like EC's placement of the batteries on the forward wall with no access when the TC is loaded on a truck. Host has a strange mix of exterior shower, generator, cable TV, exterior power outlet and gray dump in one compartment - I would rather see electrical and plumbing in different compartments. I see no need for the cable activated gray dump on the Host and it could have been simplified to a direct knife switch in the basement. Both offer great basement storage, but I like having the slide tray rather than having to reach into the deep recess for items pushed forward.
Host has better quality awnings than EC with finished edges that will not fray as quickly. I have seen too many complaints with Happijac camper jacks, so the Rieco Titan jacks on the Host was a plus for me. Eagle Cap uses the Schwintek slide mechanisms while Host uses the Power Gear. Both are manufactured by LCI of which I have a poor opinion, but the Power Gear has shown to be more reliable and has a manual mechanical backup if things fail.
Host offers additional options not offered on the Eagle Cap: Thetford flush mount stove top, Electric fireplace with heater, 1000w PSW inverter, Exterior TV. These items may not be of interest to some people or they may want to install their own equivalents rather than what the company offers, but these extras appealed to us.
Host was willing to customize more that Eagle Cap. In our case the customization was a combination of things done in the past and some things new. Ours was prepped for TV and I just had to install the mounts (which were supposed have been done) and my own televisions, we had a longer umbilical cord installed (became standard in 2018 models) so we could connect to the rear receiver plug without using an in-bed plug or an extension, the Heki skylight was replaced with a Fantastic Fan and the side window was replaced with an emergency egress model (I hear Host is reluctant to do this for others, but keep asking them if this is important to you), and the cab over layout with full wardrobe was used from the Everest model.
I honestly feel these triple slides weigh about the same based on their construction and either will be close to the limits of a Class 3 DRW if you do not plan to tow. If you are thinking about any kind of trailer with some tongue weight on a rear extension or even carrying a cargo box or motorcycle up front, you really need to be looking at Class 4 or larger trucks.
The Host is far from perfect, but suited our usage the best. There are things I would like to see changed, but it will be a long time before we change rigs unless something in our lives change. What would I like changed?
1. Move fresh water fill, city water hookup and external shower to a dedicated water compartment on the left side of camper (maybe use some of the space under the bathroom sink).
2. Deepen the LPG compartment and put the tanks on a slide tray.
3. Deepen the generator/battery compartment to allow for four easily accessible batteries.
4. Offer full camper inverter options with on demand generator start for heavier loads or low battery.
5. Offer "flat bed under-wing pods" as an option for buyers with flat trays on their trucks.
I liked the the Eagle Cap's use of a peninsula in the center of the floor more than my wife, but it does make the space look smaller than the openness of the Host. Having the TV and radio so close to the sink does make me wonder if these items will die quicker due to moisture or water from the faucet - Moot point in my case, since DW prefers to dance rather than cook. I prefer Host's use of the push in knobs on their interior drawers rather the less expensive spring plastic catch, but they are not consistent with this hardware through out the interior. The exterior storage door hardware on the EC with slam latches is nicer than the simple turn locks on a Host but are more difficult to rekey. The EC is 8.5' wide and uses deeper slides than Host, while the latter maximizes the side slide lengths and uses a short one in the rear. Host even uses a narrower side door to get additional right slide length - See if this opening is comfortable for you when climbing in and out.
If individual recliners are important to you, Eagle cap has been doing this longer and even upgraded them recently with trays. Host now has the Cascade 10.5 layout (if it works for you) or you can look into the Everest (which has a larger rear slide) to fit individual recliners. You could fit one recliner in the Mammoth rear slide with a side table or full height coat closet - We like the rear reclining loveseat while watching our 40" TV or fireplace but agree it does block the doorway.
I did not like EC's placement of the batteries on the forward wall with no access when the TC is loaded on a truck. Host has a strange mix of exterior shower, generator, cable TV, exterior power outlet and gray dump in one compartment - I would rather see electrical and plumbing in different compartments. I see no need for the cable activated gray dump on the Host and it could have been simplified to a direct knife switch in the basement. Both offer great basement storage, but I like having the slide tray rather than having to reach into the deep recess for items pushed forward.
Host has better quality awnings than EC with finished edges that will not fray as quickly. I have seen too many complaints with Happijac camper jacks, so the Rieco Titan jacks on the Host was a plus for me. Eagle Cap uses the Schwintek slide mechanisms while Host uses the Power Gear. Both are manufactured by LCI of which I have a poor opinion, but the Power Gear has shown to be more reliable and has a manual mechanical backup if things fail.
Host offers additional options not offered on the Eagle Cap: Thetford flush mount stove top, Electric fireplace with heater, 1000w PSW inverter, Exterior TV. These items may not be of interest to some people or they may want to install their own equivalents rather than what the company offers, but these extras appealed to us.
Host was willing to customize more that Eagle Cap. In our case the customization was a combination of things done in the past and some things new. Ours was prepped for TV and I just had to install the mounts (which were supposed have been done) and my own televisions, we had a longer umbilical cord installed (became standard in 2018 models) so we could connect to the rear receiver plug without using an in-bed plug or an extension, the Heki skylight was replaced with a Fantastic Fan and the side window was replaced with an emergency egress model (I hear Host is reluctant to do this for others, but keep asking them if this is important to you), and the cab over layout with full wardrobe was used from the Everest model.
I honestly feel these triple slides weigh about the same based on their construction and either will be close to the limits of a Class 3 DRW if you do not plan to tow. If you are thinking about any kind of trailer with some tongue weight on a rear extension or even carrying a cargo box or motorcycle up front, you really need to be looking at Class 4 or larger trucks.
The Host is far from perfect, but suited our usage the best. There are things I would like to see changed, but it will be a long time before we change rigs unless something in our lives change. What would I like changed?
1. Move fresh water fill, city water hookup and external shower to a dedicated water compartment on the left side of camper (maybe use some of the space under the bathroom sink).
2. Deepen the LPG compartment and put the tanks on a slide tray.
3. Deepen the generator/battery compartment to allow for four easily accessible batteries.
4. Offer full camper inverter options with on demand generator start for heavier loads or low battery.
5. Offer "flat bed under-wing pods" as an option for buyers with flat trays on their trucks.
