Pleasanton RV show

My wife and I also were at the show this past weekend.

The Cirrus was the most interesting slide-in we saw there, we both liked it a lot save for the fact that they don't make a version for a pickup with an 8-foot bed. The front window in the cabover was the coolest thing I've ever seen. She would like at least a 9 1/2 foot version with more storage, I would like a longer version with both more freshwater tank capacity and one more bottle of propane. They fix those nits and we will be hard pressed to say no.

The camper I wanted to like more than any other was the new Ford-branded camper; the joint venture between Ford and Iforgetwhatmidwesterncompanythatbuildsthem. First, no 10 foot version, they only had the short ones. Second - odd layout. In one they have some sort of shallow outside storage compartment that prevents the bathroom from being a bit larger. Second - she did not prefer the liberal use of exposed piano hinges everywhere inside. The other thing she caught was their printed brochure had the photos and descriptions of two of the models transposed - a real basic mistake. Her most telling comment after going through the campers and the accompanying trailer they had, "I can't believe that Ford would associate their name with products like this." Ouch.

Other surprise for me was seeing 2016 E-450 van chassis' with honest to goodness 6.8L V-10 engines. I had thought that Ford stopped making the E-Series. Those Dodge Sprinter / Mercedes euro-diesel rigs are going for $150K, and I was afraid Ford was going that route with the replacement full size van.

-Gator

Hi Mike,

I met you in the Eagle Cap 1200 ... nice to meet you and get your welcomed inputs on camper vs. other RV's!

I really liked the EC 1200. Fit and finish was higher than all but one of the other campers I've looked at recently . Just a few little things that would need fixing before buying.

Tacos at $8 weren't really that bad,they were a pleasant surprise over what was expected!

Funny thing is that after looking at RV's for some months it sure is easy to enter a unit and tell immediately if you feel good in it or not!

I still wish Eagle Cap would upgrade a few things ... the plastic overhead non-recessed light fixtures, the plastic bathroom faucets/shower, stainless instead of black galley, 1970's looking thermostat, bug screen for skylight, rain/temp sensing fantastic fan ...

Overall, The EC is still very nice though. I thought because of interior styling I might like a Leisure travel Unity motorhome instead, but the Eagle Cap looked plenty good, the new interior colors are better matched IMO.

The Cirrus TC was also at the show, has a number of interesting design elements. Oh, fit finish wise, didn't spot a single flaw in this camper.

Well if you buy a new camper they might comp your hot dogs!

mpoulsen wrote:
one word of advice don't go to the show hungry!!!

For my sons eating those $7 hot-dogs and sipping $5 sodas is the biggest part of the fun.

Surprised to see that the show runs through next weekend. If I don't have a side job this weekend, I might make a trip over from Sac to see the new shiny units.