Coachman Freedom Express 19RBS

I also have a Freedom Express 192RBS by Coachmen and I love it more each time I use it!

Great features, lots of near-luxury appointments and fantastic build quality. In fact, I am approaching my one-year mark, and still can't come up with much of anything that needs to be done before the factory warranty expires.

Light-weight and easy to tow, I use either a 2017 Toyota Tacoma V6 or a 2017 Lexus LX570, and both work fine. It is also easy to maneuver, which was important to me as I live on a sloped, mountain property with a couple tight turns in my driveway.

I can definitely understand why it is at the top of many Coachmen dealer's best-seller list. The dealer I purchased from said that haven't ever had a new one in stock for more than a month or two. Mine was on the lot there less than 15 days when I purchased it, and they were in the process of ordering several more at the time.

Feel free to message me if you have any other specific questions, and also be sure to check out the 192RBS walk-around videos on YouTube produced by Haylett RV, up in Michigan. Although they were not my selling dealer, they have several excellent and in-depth walk-around videos on the Freedom Express series and their enthusiasm for this unit in particular really shows.

No buyer's remorse or regrets for me. I can see me keeping this unit for years and years to come.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out as well as mine has for me. You can also check out my other posts for info. about saving money by purchasing through Costco RV buyer's program as well.

Have fun. be safe and Happy Camping y'all!

Last Train wrote:
Point being, despite this unit not having a sealed underbelly, with proper precautions you can survive a variety of weather conditions in this unit.

Although I haven't actually looked myself to confirm this I think the newest model year 192RBS does now have an enclosed underbelly.

jjjandrbaker wrote:
Okay... I could go on gushing about my camper. I can't help it. I like it that much.

Obviously we all really enjoy our 192RBS', and our Canadian friend and my fellow Texan have illustrated that well. I will add a couple of anecdotes to illustrate how we have successfully used this rig in extremes of weather.

(1) Last summer (2016), we spent over two weeks in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley in and around McAllen/Mission, Texas. Now, for those of you outside this part of the States, let me say that normally sane people would NOT do such a thing at the that time of the year, because it is insanely HOT! We had specific reasons to be there (to help a struggling church in the area), but it was averaging 113 F daily when we were camping. Furthermore, the prevailing winds were such that there was no way we could put out our awning. However, that Dometic A/C unit did a marvelous job of keeping us cool and comfortable. We're not talking about a lot of floor space, so that wasto our advantage, but everything worked great, and we had a wonderful time.

(2) This past winter we decided on a whim to take a few days to camp in the edge of the Texas Hill Country - in a campground in Bulverde, Texas on US 281 north of San Antonio. (Our San Antonio friend knows whereof I speak.) We knew it was going to be cold, and we planned for freezing temperatures, but Lordy, we had two nights in a row of 15 F & 16 F overnight temps. Our water hoses were wrapped with that rubbery insulation, and I left a drip on overnight. Well, those were fine, but our brass elbow at the fresh water port wasn't wrapped sufficiently and our pressure regulator likewise. So, some ice there. But . . . no problems with the internal plumbing or fittings. We opened the galley cabinet and bathroom doors and exposed them to our ceramic heater (with an occasional boos from our furnace), and despite some ice on the windows, all was great.

Point being, despite this unit not having a sealed underbelly, with proper precautions you can survive a variety of weather conditions in this unit. That doesn't count numerous thunderstorms we have successfully endured.)

jjjandrbaker wrote:
I wanted to add something about my 192RBS. The slide houses a sofa.

Yep, opens up the interior space considerably when deployed but when parked here at home I leave the slide in and still have full access to everything, not something that can be said of many other trailers.

I also want to point out the bathroom. It is small, but totally usable. I am a big guy. I can shower comfortably standing up straight. Most importantly, and this may sound silly to those who have never had this problem in a camper, I can sit on the toilet and close the door!

Yep, about as small as a bathroom with a separate toilet and shower could be but you're only in there for brief periods of time. To prevent the curtain from sticking to us while showering I devised a PVC bow that prevents this ... works like a charm. :)

The reason you can close the bathroom door when seated on the throne is said throne is angled, allowing for more leg room, a simple but smart solution. :)

This camper was an upgrade from a tiny little camper that served me well for 5 years. I knew what features I needed after that: electric water heater, big eye-level refrigerator with a big freezer, walk around bed, higher off the ground, lots of storage, and dual axles. With this one I also got things I never even thought about things like a power tongue jack, oven, speaker system, powered awning, a HUGE lighted storage bay, tons of outlets, night stands, and reading lamps, which are among my favorite luxuries.

Current models, unlike my 2014, offer a full length 80" queen bed plus a vent over the main cabin in which one could mount a powered vent fan. Interior lighting is now all LED and outside you'd not only find a black tank flush but also a prewired solar panel connector - just plug in a portable panel and you're charging. :)

I am pretty much of a neat freak when I am camping ...

Should be easy with all the storage space this model offers, both inside cabinet storage and a HUGE front pass through cargo compartment. We carry anything we need yet I have space left over, especially the cabinet over the sofa which is nearly empty. :B

To the OP ...

If the 192RBS seems too small and the 231RBDS I referred to earlier too large you might also want to take a look at a new entry to the Coachmen Freedom Express lineup, the Non-slide 204RD which is also proving to be a very popular model. :)

I wanted to add something about my 192RBS. The slide houses a sofa. It is not very deep. However, when it is out, it makes the living space seem HUGE. The good thing is that you can use the trailer with the slide in, if you want to or need to for any reason. It does not cramp the space much at all. You can't access the tank sensor buttons, and the clock is half hidden, but you still have access to everything else. If you came into the trailer with the slide in, and you did not know it had a slide, you would not even notice the missing space.

I also want to point out the bathroom. It is small, but totally usable. I am a big guy. I can shower comfortably standing up straight. Most importantly, and this may sound silly to those who have never had this problem in a camper, I can sit on the toilet and close the door!

This camper was an upgrade from a tiny little camper that served me well for 5 years. I knew what features I needed after that: electric water heater, big eye-level refrigerator with a big freezer, walk around bed, higher off the ground, lots of storage, and dual axles. With this one I also got things I never even thought about things like a power tongue jack, oven, speaker system, powered awning, a HUGE lighted storage bay, tons of outlets, night stands, and reading lamps, which are among my favorite luxuries.

I am pretty much of a neat freak when I am camping (I wish it would carry over to home). Everything has to be in its place at all times. You get this way after 5 years in a tiny trailer. When I am sitting on the sofa resting after a long hot Texas hike, I look around the interior of this camper and feel like I am in a model home. It is a very attractive living space.

Okay... I could go on gushing about my camper. I can't help it. I like it that much.

tnrv'er wrote:
jjjandrbaker, thank-you for the input. So far the 3 that own a 192RBS give it good reviews.

My understanding is that my own local dealer is by volume of sales the 2nd largest Coachmen dealer here in Canada, with the 192RBS being his most popular model. That strikes me as impressive considering his Freedom Express, Apex, and Catalina lines include models from very short to very long. No wonder - the 192RBS offers pretty well anything an adult couple could need for a comfortable camping experience yet is easy to tow and will fit on pretty well any campsite, eliminating the need to reserve ahead of time to ensure getting a site suitable for accommodating a much larger trailer. For those who feel the 192RBS is a bit tight for their tastes I'd suggest they consider a Coachmen Freedom Express 231RBDS. :B

jjjandrbaker, thank-you for the input. So far the 3 that own a 192RBS give it good reviews.

I am not a technical person by a long shot. I could not begin to tell you what my roof is made of. However, I can tell you that the doors and cabinets in my 192 RBS all seem to be well-made. I did have a problem with the bottom shelf of the main galley shelving. It was my fault. I totally overloaded and it caved in a bit. Easy fix.

This model is, as stated before, a great couples unit. It feels very roomy. I have no complaints. I have taken it on 18 two-four night trips since buying it new last October. Towing is a breeze.

tnrv'er wrote:
Last Train.., our Ridgeline is a 2006 with a factory tow package that includes a transmission cooler and factory hitch but has an after market brake control. The Ridgeline has 140000 miles on it and i average 10mpg towing the KZ. I never wieghed the TT but the dry weight sticker on the TT is listed @ 2590.

We travel with 2 small dogs that if you put them together would just about equal your dogs size, they too love camping.

Thanks again for a great and helpful post, i just re-read it.

I'm going to PM you for a couple of other thoughts so as not to bore everyone else. Meanwhile, headed off to see some ruins of ancient Roman baths. Kinda' wish we had our rig over here. Would love to tow around here on these roads and terrain. Fun stuff!

Last Train.., our Ridgeline is a 2006 with a factory tow package that includes a transmission cooler and factory hitch but has an after market brake control. The Ridgeline has 140000 miles on it and i average 10mpg towing the KZ. I never wieghed the TT but the dry weight sticker on the TT is listed @ 2590.

We travel with 2 small dogs that if you put them together would just about equal your dogs size, they too love camping.

Thanks again for a great and helpful post, i just re-read it.