My opinion on slideouts

aftermath wrote:

NanciL wrote:
After reading year after year of all the problems with slideouts, I have come to the conclusion that they are one big gamble!

Any one else think the same ?

Jack L

So, after 5 pages of posts, have you come to a conclusion about slides? What shows up in these 5 pages is not unlike discussions about tires, hitches and tow vehicles. People who have them feel a need to defend them. Those who don't have them want to be critical. Even those of us who have had both types are split on the issue of being "one big gamble".

It all comes down to this, and always will, it is a personal decision and only you can make it. What do you feel comfortable doing in the way of repair and maintenance? One poster mentioned a time when the slide did not retract. He traced it to a loose wire on the fuse block and was an easy fix for him. Well, I know people whose mechanical abilities end at the button on the wall. If it doesn't work then panic sets in. Those folks might be better served with a basic trailer, no toots, no whistles. The rest of us are somewhere up the scale and can handle small issues.

So, are they gambles? I say yes, but for many not really that big a deal. And, many have reminded us that everything is a gamble in a trailer. Get what you want, and get what you will feel comfortable with. Plain and simple. Best wishes.

I didn't need 5 pages, or a hundred pages. I stated my opinion in my OP.

For what it is worth; In 20 years of Rv'ing with trailers, my two previous ones did not have slides and we were very happy with them, and here and there we watched people having trouble with them.

last year we sold our trailer that didn't have one and bought a new 40 footer that has them. That trailer is on a permanent site and will not be hauled and we love the large extra space it gives us.
I put the slides out once, and have no intention of ever taking them in.
I also bought a tiny pop up for commuting back and forth to our spacious winter home.

My OP was for conversation, and it sure did create some !

I would have posted it on "the around the campfire forum", but it would have got deleted there, or bumped to here

Jack L

Gdetrailer wrote:

It IS all about PERCEPTION and that can be done without the need for slides..

But the RV industry makes RVs with things folks THINK they need and one of them is SLIDES.

RV is all about wants and not needs. I've lived 60 years without an RV. I didn't need one. Now I want one. And I want one with slideouts because they give me more space in the same length. I don't want to go from 35 feet long to 40 feet long because of limitations on where it can be parked and how it handles on the road. Those are real differences, not perceptions. I will probably pick a trailer with 2 or 3 slideouts. I looked at a random trailer floorplan and the slideouts were 2 to 3 feet deep; not 1 or 2 feet as you argued. The widths were 6 to 12 feet; not just the 6 in your example. And that's not a full-wall slideout like some. That's more space than just adding 5 more feet to the trailer. But if you or anyone else doesn't want slideouts, that's fine with me. I just want to point out the difference is real, not just a perception.

NanciL wrote:
After reading year after year of all the problems with slideouts, I have come to the conclusion that they are one big gamble!

Any one else think the same ?

Jack L

So, after 5 pages of posts, have you come to a conclusion about slides? What shows up in these 5 pages is not unlike discussions about tires, hitches and tow vehicles. People who have them feel a need to defend them. Those who don't have them want to be critical. Even those of us who have had both types are split on the issue of being "one big gamble".

It all comes down to this, and always will, it is a personal decision and only you can make it. What do you feel comfortable doing in the way of repair and maintenance? One poster mentioned a time when the slide did not retract. He traced it to a loose wire on the fuse block and was an easy fix for him. Well, I know people whose mechanical abilities end at the button on the wall. If it doesn't work then panic sets in. Those folks might be better served with a basic trailer, no toots, no whistles. The rest of us are somewhere up the scale and can handle small issues.

So, are they gambles? I say yes, but for many not really that big a deal. And, many have reminded us that everything is a gamble in a trailer. Get what you want, and get what you will feel comfortable with. Plain and simple. Best wishes.

NanciL wrote:
After reading year after year of all the problems with slideouts, I have come to the conclusion that they are one big gamble!

Any one else think the same ?

Jack L

Never had a problem on my 2 trailers in the last 13 years. Personally, I would not own a trailer without a slide out or slide out(s). Don't let internet stories discourage you.

I don't see them as a gamble at all. We camp almost 3 months/year, travel around 5K + miles each year. Our trailer is 8 years old. Our slides have litterally been put in and out THOUSANDS of times. Never once has it been an issue putting them in or out. And living in the pacific NW rain is pretty much a given and never has there been a rain or water issue with the slides.

Gdetrailer wrote:
captnjack writes "Again, you are getting additional space at additional weight. No different than if you went longer as that would add weight too. "

That additional "space" is NOT really "needed" it is "WANTED", you must WANT that and PLAN for it with your TV capacity.

"The additional space is very real. It is not about "feeling" bigger but about being bigger."

Whether it is "real" or "perceived" space, it IS an OPTION for camping.. Does your sticks and bricks have "slides"? Mine doesn't and sticks and bricks tend to leak less often and stay in the same spot it was planted.

"I've seen guys get flat tires. Should we do a way with the wheels?"

:R

Your sarcasm has been noted, but really, wheels are not OPTIONAL if you really must take your entire home with you..

Slides however ARE optional.

"I am not aware of an epidemic of leaking slides. Most common problem seems to be slide motor or slide mechanism. And those don't seem to be epidemic either. Most often when we read about slide problems it is from people explaining why they don't have slides as opposed tp people with slides having real problems."

You have not spent much time reading the forum.. While I must say it is not an "epidemic" like you are trying to make my post sound like, it is however REAL and it DOES happen.. And when it happens the folks who end up with a problem with a slide it CAN be costly to repair..

A leak can happen for a considerable amount of time UNDETECTED and if found too late owner and insurance may end up scrapping the trailer. It is hard enough to keep a non slide trailer from leaking, one large hole in the side is an additional entry point to deal with..

Non functioning slide can ruin your trip, imaging if you deploy the slide and the mech gets jammed to the point you cannot bring it in the day you are planning to leave.. IT HAS HAPPENED TO FOLKS.

I would rather choose a 34ft long monster over having one ft or two ft deep slides.

If you do the math, you can get the same square footage from a slightly LONGER trailer..

A six foot long two ft deep slide only adds 12 square feet of space which in the whole realm of life is peanuts..

A two foot longer trailer adds SIXTEEN square feet to your trailer..

Last time I checked 16 IS larger than 12..

In reality the slides are adding PERCEIVED space due to the WIDTH, it is a VISUAL thing, less "real".

Actually the same thing can be done with LAYOUT, most trailer manufacturers do a terrible job in the layout design phase, making the interior feel close or claustrophobic..

My TT, I fully redesigned the layout when I was rebuilding it, opening up walls, moving cabinets.. The new layout feels larger and less closed in..

It IS all about PERCEPTION and that can be done without the need for slides..

But the RV industry makes RVs with things folks THINK they need and one of them is SLIDES.

Walk in to a trailer with the slide in. Then walk in to the same trailer with the slide out. There is more floor space with it out. Period. Not perceived but very real. I agree that layout can do a lot to improve a trailer's livability and sight lines but that is an entirely different argument.
Many slideouts are deeper than two feet. Even so, adding two feet (or more) on the end of a non slide trailer does indeed add weight and cost. These facts are not really debateable.
Almost everything in a trailer these days could be considered an OPTION for camping. Focusing on the slideouts alone is disingenuous.

I've used a broom on occasion but that entails climbing all the way up onto the roof. The slide top is usually damp in the morning when we're packing up anyhow so the hose method has become my routine. It washes away even the wet leaves stuck to the top. Don't forget to give the seals an occasional spray of slide seal lube.

As already stated, if you fret over what can go wrong, then do not get a slide. If you obese over what can go wrong the you are better off getting a motel.

You pay your money, you take your chances. I would not consider a TT without a slide.

Hannibal wrote:
As long as it's a rack and pinion driven slide and not cable driven or hydraulic, I'm ok with it. Before we pull the slide in to hit the road, I hose it off while standing on the roof ladder to prevent sticks and leaves from getting caught in the seals. If our TT were available in the same floorplan without a slide, I would have preferred it without.

I never thought about that. I carry an air compressor on board. I could blow off the sticks and such. I hate to roll it in wet unless I have to. Mine runs on a gear driven rack system. It doesn't seem to be working all that hard to open and close.

dodge guy wrote:
I have read of far more issues with frames, tires, brakes and wheel bearing failures than I have of slides. Maybe I should by something without any of those!

You forgot the major one and that is the roof leaking so make sure your next RV doesn't have a roof either.:E

Larry