Smaller High Quality Fifth Bunkhouse

[fordtch8]

Hello all. I would like to draw on the knowledge of the group and see if anyone has any recommendations for fifth wheels that I have not seen. For the last two years our family has owned a Crusader 298BHD bunkhouse. This is our second rig. The first was a non bunkhouse Arctic Fox travel trailer. Unfortunately during our ownership of the Crusder, I have not been impressed with the build quality. The kitchen trim quality seems to be poor and it seems like every time we go out I have to fix something. We recently saw a Grand Design 28BH and are thinking of upgrading to it. We are looking for a higher quality fifth wheel bunkhouse, shorter in overall length (30-35 feet), with a separate bunk room, a side bath (not walk through), and a separate master bedroom. Does anyone know of any other models we should look at? Thanks

Possible Grand Design Purchase

Current Crusader

[IBcarguy]

I have a new Jayco Eagle HT 30.5 MBOK. It's a mid bunkhouse with rear living room. It has a few short comings but overall we really like it.

[Shal36]

Jayco has 4 bunkhouse models in the Eagle HT line. I have the 29.5 BHDS and it seems solid. We shopped Jayco against Prime Time and we thought the Jayco was a step up in terms of features and build quality. Now, the craftsmanship on ours left a bit to be desired as there are some sloppy spots around the camper, but the engineering and materials seem solid. Grand Design has some nice plans but they were a bit heavier and pricier.

[round_a_bout]

I purchased a heartland cyclone in 2014. It’s 36’ and gvwr of 14000 pounds.
I don’t have a rear bath but ours has only two slides and they are both on the same side so we’ve fit into some tight spots

I’m very happy with the quality. But these things are hand built and need to be inspected once in awhile since they are being towed many miles

I had to check my wiring. I found some loose connectors behind the control panel and I checked all the main cables. I added an inverted and another battery shut off and some fuses and breakers so I checked all connections while working

I found a couple of loose screws and checked the water line connections. I added some silicone to seal the sinks better and replaced one plastic pex fitting on the hot water heater with a brass fitting.

I removed the two bunks in the garage. But we don’t use it for sleeping. Just living space which keeps the mud and bugs out of the main living area.

I’m very happy with the brand. They try their best to use the best supplies available I believe. And I’ve had nothing but good to say about their customer service the one time needed a part within the warranty period.

[Edd505]

Might see if you can find a Jayco Eagle 30.5BHLT, 33ft about 8K in weight. I had one a couple trouble free years.

[kohai]

TXiceman wrote:
Look at Arctic Fox. Good quality and no Lippert frames.

Ken

Frustratingly Arctic Fox and Outdoors RV (the cousin of Arctic Fox) don't really have bunkhouse models in 5th wheels.

[TXiceman]

Look at Arctic Fox. Good quality and no Lippert frames.

Ken

[Lantley]

fordtch8 wrote:

Lantley wrote:
Not really a fan of double panes windows simply because they are not cost effective. There is no energy rebate in terms of $$ savings with an RV.
The add weight and generally don't save you money simply because there is no utility bill. Electric is included in site fee.
I don't generally camp in any extreme cold weather. Mid twenties into the teens are usually the worst conditions.
My rig does pretty well in those temps with standard windows, there is very little air/thermal break in an RV dual pane window vs. a stix and brix dual pane.
I really have not encountered any loud RV parks that require sound reduction from outside noises via the windows. I don't expect total silence in an RV park.

To me it's not about the energy efficiency, it's about the overall comfort of the RV. Our current rig is noticeably colder than the Artic Fox was once the temp dips below the mid 30's. I suspect it may be because the Crusader has much larger windows than the Arctic Fox did. It may just be because the Fox was insulated better or maybe even because the Fox was wooden framed vs the Crusader's aluminum. Either way we love Fall camping and cold weather performance is important to us. Not trying to turn this into a window debate.

The Arctic Fox is a better built unit with a stellar reputation for being well insulated. The Arctic Fox is built to withstand cold weather the Crusader not so much. It's certainly more than just the windows separating the Fox from the Crusader.

[Lexx]

One other thing to watch out for with dual pane windows is your payload capacity. Glass is heavy. On some of the less robust trailers adding several hundred pounds of glass may limit what else you can load on the trailer. Always look at the difference between the unladen weight and the gross vehicle weight. That's your payload capacity. When you start installing generators, dual pane windows, water in your tanks, etc, you may quickly run up against the GVW.

[fordtch8]

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
One brand that you may want to check is K-Z.
Smaller name, 2 year warranty, and you dont hear many complaints on them. There are some small bunk units like you mentioned in their Durango lines. And they are available on the east coast.

Thank's for the recommendation. They do have several floors plans that are attractive.

[fordtch8]

Lantley wrote:
Not really a fan of double panes windows simply because they are not cost effective. There is no energy rebate in terms of $$ savings with an RV.
The add weight and generally don't save you money simply because there is no utility bill. Electric is included in site fee.
I don't generally camp in any extreme cold weather. Mid twenties into the teens are usually the worst conditions.
My rig does pretty well in those temps with standard windows, there is very little air/thermal break in an RV dual pane window vs. a stix and brix dual pane.
I really have not encountered any loud RV parks that require sound reduction from outside noises via the windows. I don't expect total silence in an RV park.

To me it's not about the energy efficiency, it's about the overall comfort of the RV. Our current rig is noticeably colder than the Artic Fox was once the temp dips below the mid 30's. I suspect it may be because the Crusader has much larger windows than the Arctic Fox did. It may just be because the Fox was insulated better or maybe even because the Fox was wooden framed vs the Crusader's aluminum. Either way we love Fall camping and cold weather performance is important to us. Not trying to turn this into a window debate.

[Lantley]

Not really a fan of double panes windows simply because they are not cost effective. There is no energy rebate in terms of $$ savings with an RV.
The add weight and generally don't save you money simply because there is no utility bill. Electric is included in site fee.
I don't generally camp in any extreme cold weather. Mid twenties into the teens are usually the worst conditions.
My rig does pretty well in those temps with standard windows, there is very little air/thermal break in an RV dual pane window vs. a stix and brix dual pane.
I really have not encountered any loud RV parks that require sound reduction from outside noises via the windows. I don't expect total silence in an RV park.

[kohai]

I have double pane windows and wouldn't go without them. They also reduce outside noise as well as help with heat and cooling retention.

[Lexx]

You don't order through Grand Design. You have to go through your dealer. In our case our local dealer is one of the largest Grand Design dealers west of the Mississippi. The pricing we got was decent but not spectacular because it's already spring. We opted not to get dual pane windows because we don't plan on using the trailer in really cold temperature. Our travels will mainly be in the summer when the kids are out of school and on weekends. I figure we can always add window film to ameliorate the heat.

Another thing is most dealers get their unit delivered by hot shotters. It's not like the automobile industry.

We also opted for the 2nd Ac unit.

[kohai]

fordtch8 wrote:
Hello all. I would like to draw on the knowledge of the group and see if anyone has any recommendations for fifth wheels that I have not seen. For the last two years our family has owned a Crusader 298BHD bunkhouse. This is our second rig. The first was a non bunkhouse Arctic Fox travel trailer. Unfortunately during our ownership of the Crusder, I have not been impressed with the build quality. The kitchen trim quality seems to be poor and it seems like every time we go out I have to fix something. We recently saw a Grand Design 28BH and are thinking of upgrading to it. We are looking for a higher quality fifth wheel bunkhouse, shorter in overall length (30-35 feet), with a separate bunk room, a side bath (not walk through), and a separate master bedroom. Does anyone know of any other models we should look at? Thanks

Possible Grand Design Purchase

Current Crusader

Thanks for sharing. I'm in a similar situation with a Crusader 296BHS. I keep looking around wanting better quality a bit shorter length. This GD is shorter by a couple feet.