B+ motorhomes

[Daniel_C_]

I just bought a Trail Lite B+ 211s with 8.1 Chevy
engine. This is my fifth motorhome (others range
from an old 20' Vagabond, and three Winnegagos, from 19 to 32'. This vehicle is fantastic. I am
using it as a mobile office (and sneaking in a fun
journey from time to time). It gets about 9.5mpg
and I believe I could pull a bus behind it if I wanted! I paid low $40's which is about what I had expected to pay for a five or six year old Chinook with a nicer interior, but fewer features
(slide). I am delighted thus far.

[cheeze1]

I pay about $90/month, uncovered also.

[doctort]

We pay $80 a month for uncovered parking.

[Liz_and_Bryan]

We just bought a 2002 Chevrolet chassis Trail Lite 251. We have the choice of paying $40/month to park it without covering under an awning, or doubling that to park under an awning. (1) Can anyone recommend an RV cover (i.e., like a car cover) for a 2002-era 251? (2) Would you spend the extra forty months for covered parking and not deal with the RV cover?

[erip]

Monaco owns holiday rambler, and monoco bought the trail lite factory.
I just picked up a new augusta sport. Its exactly the same as the safari damara sport and the trail lite town and country sport. The only difference is fabric and decals. (Although trail lite offers a range top cover and the other two don't). For me, it all came down to finding a dealer offering the best price.

[rcwaz]

cheeze1 wrote:
So does Trail Lite still exist or are they all Monaco's?

Well, they're all Monacos I guess. I'm not familiar with the history, but I saw the A and B+ Trail Lites also badged as Holiday Ramblers and Safaris. The class As had minor changes in the end caps but I could not see a difference in the B+ models. I was told there is a difference in the price. The models built there are all designed and engineered by the R Vision staff in another building on site. The Trail Lite got first choice of the paint schemes for the 293TS B+ I was told. The factory rep I met and have been talking to indicated that Trail Lite has two reps for the US while Holiday Rambler has something like three to 8 times as many (my memory is good it's just short). I don't know if they distinguish between motorized and non-motorized reps, but I suspect they must.
RCWaz

[cheeze1]

So does Trail Lite still exist or are they all Monaco's?

[rcwaz]

Gene in NE
I was hoping you would come up with a good, logical reason to buy the $1900 unit. Oh well!

Oh, by the way, I went to the R Vision factory Friday and missed my Trail Lite 293TS coming off the line by hours. It's going to the paint shop for a makeover that will take a week or so and then it's returned to the factory for final detailing. I'm considering picking it up in two weeks to save the approximately $600 delivery fee. First planned trip is to the Tulip Festival in Holand Michigan.

[Gene_in_NE]

rcwaz - Thanks for your response. And.....if I would have gone to the Camping World website before I wrote my comments, I would not have made such a &^%$ mistake. Tried to think of situations where that $1,900 unit would be beneficial. You would bring a local WiFi signal to any campground you visited - I could make friends easier. If you had more than one laptop or desktop computer in your RV, all could access the cell tower internet. I found it a little difficult to justify the expense - just like you.

[rcwaz]

Gene in NE
I knew I should have been clearer, the wireless/WiFi router that I spoke of is really a cellular wireless modem/router that offers 4 wireless connection ports in your RV. I believe it has a 3 watt output through an external antenna so it can reach distant cell towers. It is available through camping world and has both the EVO and CDMA capability. Although it sounds neat, the $1900 is the deal breaker

[Gene_in_NE]

rcwaz - There are so many experts writing articles that I hesitate agreeing or disagreeing with them. As I understand the Verizon Wi-Max card it will greatly exceed the speed of a modem when in the range of a special EV-DO (evolution-data only) Verizon tower. Transmission speeds are expected to be in the 1.5 mbps (1-1/2 million bytes per second). A common modem typically will have speeds in the 45-56 kbps (45 to 56 thousand bytes per second). When the Wi-Max card is in the range of a Verizon CDMA tower, the speed drops to a speed of 60 to 80 kbps. Either way, it should beat the modem. But....(a big but) is that this is theory and not always reality.

Not sure what Camping World is selling for $1,900, but a typical wireless/WiFi router costs around $60 to $80 at Best Buy. This router, or access point, will usually have 5 ethernet hardwire connections plus the antennae to broadcast the WiFi signal.

[cheeze1]

fyi, the speed of my Verizon Broadband card is still not as fast as a good hardwired connection, but it's faster than most regular wi-fi connections I have used at campsites.

[rcwaz]

Gene in NE wrote:
Wi-Max technology is operating wireless measured in maybe 20-30 miles.

Gene in NE
I had read recently that using the cell phone as a modem for my lap top with a 3 watt power booster would be preferred to using the Verizon Wireless PC card. I assumed the article was talking about the fact that the PC card signal would not be "boosted" as the phone can be. Is that your understanding? I have not seen any numbers and I was wondering how high the output of the Verizon wireless card is or can be.
That wireless/WiFi router that is now being offered sounds interesting. It has 4 ports available for your neighbors and has 3 watts of output through the external antenna. Camping World is selling it for $1900. I like the fact that is portable and could possibly replace the DSL router in the house. It's still a big chunk of change even before the $60 per month and I'm affraid I might miss the DSL speed.

[cheeze1]

Thanks Gene,
I guess it would be good as an 'only' if there were no other choice. It is nice to be riding in a bus, or in a different state and still get a normal connection. I think Verizon is your service provider so that would be the only bill?

[Gene_in_NE]

cheeze1 - Your Verizon broadband plug in card operates using Wi-Max technology. It is just another way of describing the same thing. I look at it this way - Blue Tooth technology is operating wireless measured in feet. Common uses of blue tooth are wireless mice and keyboards. Wi-Fi technology (often called hot spots) is operating wireless measured in maybe 200-400 feet. Common uses are coffee shops, in the home, at rest stops, in truck stops etc. Wi-Max technology is operating wireless measured in maybe 20-30 miles. For some easy to read material try How Stuff Works. Although $59 or $69 a month is expensive, many pay that for DSL or Cable at home and do not have the portability.

[cheeze1]

NIce report Burl. I still think I'm going the 'replace the 24 incher' route once I get to it, especially since I like to have the laptop on the table when watching tv as well. (and, the laptop belongs to my company)
Gene, I'm not sure what you mean by a 'wi-max' card. I have the Verizon Broadband card (plugs in) on my laptop, but my boss encouraged me to get it and expense it, so the $60 per month is not on my tab. It works great, but it is a steep monthly bill.
I occasionally have black tank smell come in, tho' it's usually a combination of bonehead moves, like flushing and having the exhaust fan going at the same time. My jury is still out on that one. Sure is nice seeing everyone get active again.