Who makes campers without slides? Saw Jayco 26BH. 25'+?

dodge guy wrote:

Danattherock wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
2 small kids and a German shepherd?! I can tell you from experience with the exact same setup, kids, shepherd 2 adults and a 26 ft TT, that a TT without slides will get old after your first couple of nights in it!

Just curious why you don't want a TT with slides?

We do fine in a Kelty 6 man tent, so I'm inclined to disagree. Many folks buy a camper to replace a home. We are buying a camper to replace a tent. It's a philosophical difference. Nothing personal.

NO SLIDES
Bunks
25-28'


Thanks for any suggestions.


Dan

No problem! I just don`t want to see you 6 months in and go "yes we should have gotten a slide out". and believe me at some point you will end up with a trailer with a slide. I`ve seen it here many times.

The only reason I responded to a no slide thread, was to help out. I know you say you don`t want one, but deep down inside you do. you may not realize it yet, but it`s in there!

Good luck!

BTW. I`ve had an 05 Cherokee 28A and now an 07 Cherokee 32B. they offer a lot for the money. I have never had any issues with either one.

Danattherock wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
2 small kids and a German shepherd?! I can tell you from experience with the exact same setup, kids, shepherd 2 adults and a 26 ft TT, that a TT without slides will get old after your first couple of nights in it!

Just curious why you don't want a TT with slides?

We do fine in a Kelty 6 man tent, so I'm inclined to disagree. Many folks buy a camper to replace a home. We are buying a camper to replace a tent. It's a philosophical difference. Nothing personal.

NO SLIDES
Bunks
25-28'


Thanks for any suggestions.


Dan

No problem! I just don`t want to see you 6 months in and go "yes we should have gotten a slide out". and believe me at some point you will end up with a trailer with a slide. I`ve seen it here many times.

The only reason I responded to a no slide thread, was to help out. I know you say you don`t want one, but deep down inside you do. you may not realize it yet, but it`s in there!

Good luck!

Do you have weight limits as well or just length? A Toy Hauler might be interesting for you. Many of the shorter ones do not have slides. The garage often have beds that go into the ceiling. Something like this Freedom Express 271 for example.

Here are a couppe more options for non-toy haulers.
KZ Sportsmen 242BHSS
Couple Keystone Hideouts
Avenger 26BH
Canyon Cat 27

Danattherock.

I think the reason folks commented on the advantages of a slide was to help not to justify their position.

Passing on your experience for the benefit of others is generally considered a good deed.

But as we often find out; no good deed goes unpunished.

StarCraft 278bh.
Similar floor plan to the Jayco you mentioned, but it has about 600 more pounds of cargo carrying capacity.

StarCraft is owned by Jayco and has the same 2 year warranty.

Thanks. Yes, there are many reasons I don't want slides. Simple is better, being main one. I'm a bit type A and some see that as persnickety, but it's really me just wanting things my way. As you all should have things yourself of course.

If buying a camper like these, I would also be replacing all four wheels/tires and spare with bigger and much higher quality Michelins or similar. Could very well get all dinette cushions replaced with high quality memory foam custom wrapped in leather to match sofa, which could be a replacement upgrade from the RV furniture market.

I will put a Sony or Vizio HD 32-40" TV on wall, whatever will fit. Set up a Bluray/DVD player and upgrade the entire audio system with Polk Audio receiver and speakers. Add King local TV channel antenna. Might upgrade sink and faucets as well. I like things a certain way. Persnickety, as I confessed. Figured you guys would get a good laugh, so there you go. Ha ha. Truth is, it would still be way under 1/3 the price of what we have our eye on.

I need to do more research about aluminum vs fiberglass. However a moot point at moment as my wife and I favor the Forest River Cherokee Greywolf over the other two 26 bunk models mentioned. There is no partition wall separating the queen bed master from the main living area with sofa and dinette.

Which means I can come in from rafting, kayaking, hiking, etc with kids and opt open a cold beverage and kick back on a queen bed with a Vornado blowing on me while wife and kids lounge on sofa or dinette. Our main use will be weekend trips to Smoky Mountains of NC and Tenn, where we spend lots of time now. We won't go up there to sit in a camper all day. But like the open area for times when we do.

We all will be in same big open area, talking, watching same TV on movie night, etc. it's a very attractive layout. $16,000. Unreal. I just got a quote for a solar system for the 30' Airstream we are looking at that cost $16k. Makes one stop and pause.

This Greywolf 26 BH has a lot going for it, with my particular taste in mind. I like the single bunk over the double, for safety in part. The Jayco I first saw had double over double, kiddo falls from top during entry/exit, they land on 5/8" plywood. The Greywolf also has no wall as mentioned between living area and master 'bedroom'. It also has a nice curved front which is aesthetically pleasing, but useful regarding wind and mpg, however small the extent. Lastly, it has an outside TV mount and hook up.

Scoffed at idea when first saw it, till I thought of college football on Saturday afternoon while I'm smoking baby back ribs in my Bradley, or monitoring the Dutch oven meal with flame retardant beverage in my hand. Safety is important, I often have flame retardant in each hand while on dutch oven duty. TV outside? Heck, I'm in. Just swaps out TV from mount inside. Clever and simple. My favorite combo.

Any insights about the Forest River Cherokee Greywolf or any other models would be most appreciated. I'm sure other manufacturers must have some competing models, but I've not found any online. We appear to be oversold on slides. Market dictates obviously, nothing wrong with that. But I am sure I'm missing something. Just not been lucky with Google.

Thanks for any additional insights you may share.


Dan

just wanted to say I completely agree with there being advantages to 'no slides'. If it were just me, I'd have opted for a no-slide option. It's a little tighter, but you add a whole other can of worms with a hole in the side of your camper the size of a room or more - or 2 or more holes. we worry about roofs with ac units, vents and fans, and leaks and damage, but think far less about slide out potential issues - because like anything else in life, we see the benefit and the cost, and many times are willing to make concessions for comfort.

Not saying it's the best thing but it happens. As it is, our needs lend us to needing more room and the hubs really likes the slide idea better (he's not as much of a worrier as I am). so we opted for the double slide bunk house. THIS time. Though, he's talking for the next trailer about getting opposing slides for a big living area. we'll see how the next few years go with this one and then re-evaluate. :D

totally respect your decision and may not know your reasons but it doesn't matter, there are valid reasons for sure to avoid them. peace of mind not being the smallest of them ;-)

Good luck in your search!!

P.S. We also opted for aluminum over fiberglass to alleviate the worry of delamination. That scares me more than some of the other issues that may arise. it's all about personal preference.

silverfz wrote:
We have a primetime avenger and real happy with it. It only been towed 4000 miles in the 1 yr but we like that brand. They do have a no slide 26 foot camper with bunk beds. If u go used u will find alot of older long camper with slides . Those obviously were from a time when slides leaked and had alot of issues.

Another option that will work is a triple bed hybrid. The dog bed can be the dinnette . Then u will have 3 queen side beds.

Having older kids aged 4 and 7 we went with the double bunks as the bunks were too small.our kids like to just hang in there bunk on rainy days .the dog is crate trained and sleeps in it .so we r okay.

Thanks man. Will look into that now.

Dan

tatest wrote:
Molded fiberglass trailers don't have slideouts. Most are quite small, but Bigfoot, Oliver and Escape have offerings 22 ft or longer.

Is it quality? What is your definition of that. Most are not fitted with interior materials commonly associated with residential luxury, but the basic construction, molded shells, is structurally superior to any box assembled by joining panels along seams, no matter how high tech or modern the materials used in assembly of the panels themselves.

Another option is the semi-monocoque aluminum construction borrowed after WW2 from the aircraft industry, where it started replacing fabric covered framing in the late 1920s. Used to be several manufacturers building this way, but since the late 20th century it has been just Airstream. Airstream does offer several grades of interior trim, starting with ultilitarian but still expensive, working up from there. Airstream has offered models with slideouts, but most don't have them, and there will be a selection of floor plans from less than 20 feet to more than 30 feet.

In conventional box construction, it will be the least expensive model lines that have no slideouts, and those will not be the highest quality. The buying public in the U.S. has bought into the slideout idea, and will pay for slideouts long before paying for improvements in quality.

Thanks Tom,

Your last line sums it up well. I'm very familiar with airstream. As for fiberglass, that's one thing interesting about the Jayflight 26 BHW. On 2015 info, but not on 2016, they list $1600 option for fiberglass siding with frameless windows. Tried calling today but Indiana company goes by EST and closed at 5 pm my time here in NC. Go figure. I was 17 minutes late today. It's an interesting option, fiberglass, no slides, 26', with bunks. Rare find apparently. Thanks for chiming in. Appreciate the insights.


Dan

dspencer wrote:
We own a Gray Wolf 26BH from Forest River. The floor plan is very similar to the Jayco 26BH. We have had it 2 seasons and use it extensively and love it. We wouldn't trade it for anything.

Saw video sales pitch and it looked like a single bunk over a double. Also, looked like bedroom with queen was wide open to living room, if curtain is left open. We love that, and it appears the Jayflight has a partial wood wall there, along back of couch, obscuring view between living area and queen bed. Fairly significant differences actually. Really appreciate you suggesting this model. Early in search, but a possible option.


Dan