My opinion on slideouts

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.