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Don't judge by floorplans only especially with Ameri-lite.

Mike_Up
Explorer
Explorer
We are looking at getting a Jayco Jay Flight 26BH but found that the Gulf Stream Ameri-lite campers with superslides are just as light or nearly as light as the Jayco.

So we compared the Ameri-lite 255BH and 259BH models and I couldn't even stand being in there.

I'm 6' even and the roof was scraping my hat. The brochure says 6'4" but I don't believe it, it felt more like 6'2". I have Claustrophobia and I couldn't wait to get out of this trailer. Also, even though they have a superslide, both models only offered a walkway about 1' wider. Definitely not worth the trouble of a slide.

Then we checked out the bunks. Our 19BH and the 26BH have double beds at 48" wide. These Ameri-lites bunk was much narrower maybe a twin or smaller. At areas without the slide, the width was narrower than the Jaycos. It's exterior width was only 7'6" wide where the Jayco was 8' wide.

The Ameri-lites also had no storage cabinets. They did have a shelf instead of a cabinet but that's of little use for our needs.

The Ameri-lite 259BH was 5200 lbs dry from the factory where the Jayco Jay Flight 26BH was 5050 lbs dry from the factory. Even so, the Jayco was much larger inside with a ceiling height of 6'9" and 1/2' in areas other the slide. Also had more storage cabinets and larger beds. Even the bunk mattresses on the Ameri-lite were flimsy looking to be 2" thick compared to 4" thick with the Jayco.

Also price wise, the Ameri-lite 259BH was about $1000 more expensive than the Jayco 26BH.

Now I'm not bashing the Amerilite as the size difference, other than the beds, didn't bother my step son or wife who are in the lower 5' range. And I realize this is a budget brand so they are going to cut corners so this isn't a surprise. I just wanted to point out some differences that can be overlooked when looking at a floorplan sheet.
2019 Ford F150 XLT Sport, CC, 4WD, 145" WB, 3.5L Ecoboost, 10 speed, 3.55 9.75" Locking Axle, Max Tow, 1831# Payload, 10700# Tow Rating, pulling a 2020 Rockwood Premier 2716g, with a 14' box. Previous 2012 Jayco Jay Flight 26BH.
19 REPLIES 19

surgtech56
Explorer
Explorer
We've had our Ameri-Lite going on 2 years. It was a step up from the pop-up. I agree it may not be a premium TT, but it works for the 2 of us. We bought ours based on the floor plan, size, and price.

trickyvic3
Explorer
Explorer
mister_d wrote:
At one of our dealers, we walked through at least 8 different brands of the same floorplan. Although YouTube and the Internet have made the world smaller, nothing really beats actually walking through a unit.


X-2
I fully agree. Once you have owned an RV you can tell instantly the quality of construction when doing a walk through, and know what your looking for.

mister_d
Explorer
Explorer
At one of our dealers, we walked through at least 8 different brands of the same floorplan. Although YouTube and the Internet have made the world smaller, nothing really beats actually walking through a unit.
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coolmom42
Explorer II
Explorer II
We are very happy with our Ameri-lite.

It's what we wanted--a huge step up from tent camping, not a lot of bells and whistles which are all things that can go wrong, a modest price that's appropriate for the amount of time we have to use it. It has enough storage and interior space for the 2 of us for a 2-3 week trip, especially since we have plenty of room in the tow vehicle.

I totally agree that it's not a premium brand like Jayco, but it's functional & comfortable with no problems/leaks/issues in the 2 years we've owned it.

So whatever suits your needs and budget---I'm glad there is a range of prices and amenities out there, so we have choices.
Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board

JayWalker2009
Explorer
Explorer
Mike Up wrote:
Well we looked at the Ameri-Lite 259BH because it was very similar to the much heavier super slide Jay Flight Swift 267BHS that we just didn't have the payload in our truck to pull, with our family and gear. The Ameri-Lite 259BH was only 200 lbs heavier than the none slide Jay Flight 26BH so it was very hopeful until I walked in.

And no I'm not bashing, I'm simply telling like it is. For tall people, it's cramped. With my ball cap scraping the ceiling, it just left me very uneasy and with an uncomfortable cramped feeling. My last 2 pop ups had 6'6" ceilings and I never felt cramped or had my hat even hit the Air Conditioner! I have a hard time believing the ceiling height is 6'4", it looks to be more like 6'2" like I said before. It's bunks aren't a single over a double but more like a single over a twin, which is misleading from the floorplan. This would had been a downgrade over our 19BH which has a double, 48" bunk under the single bunk. That smaller lower bunk also lowers your storage under it since it's smaller, which wouldn't fit all of our gear that we have now under the lower bunk.

Since storage was a MAIN REASON for going to another trailer, the lack of cabinets, with shelves instead, was a very important point.

For a shorter family with less storage needs, this is a very good floorplan but for us, it's extra 1' width from the wall to the super slide's wall was not worth the scacrifice in height, storage, and bed size with a premium price and heavier weight to boot!

Not bashing as I know it's a budget model just like my 2008 Jay Flight was then, when the G2 Jay Flight was available.

I've only heard good things about Ameri-Lite as far as reliability and even the saleman praised them for their reliability even though he stated Jayco was the best out of any brand.

But things didn't go well for the deal so most likely we will stick with our 19BH and get it repaired.

BTW, here's the floorplans:

Jay Flight 19BH

Jay Flight 26BH


Amerilite 259BHS

Misleading as the bottom bunk is not a full bed, but a twin bed. The walk way between slide out and gallery is much narrower than the floorplan would have you believe. It's only about 1' wider than the walk way from the 2 Jay Flight models.


With RV mattresses, they tend to run smaller than their residential counterparts. For instance, an RV queen bed, is really in between a double and a queen IMO. I think that ameri-lite is using "full bed" as a work around rather than saying twin, as an RV full size bed I do believe is a little bit bigger than a twin, and an RV double bed is closer to a residential full.

I like to look at the bed dimensions in RV's as they are never the same as their residential counterparts.

All this boils down to though is back to your point about never take the floor plan as your selling point. YOu have to physically check them out. For instance, in my Jayco, the queen bumps all the way up against the middle wall, but in the floorplan, it appears to have quite a bit of walking around room in between mattress and wall. It does not. Barely enough space to shove the comforter and sheet down in between. But I still bought the unit as it was really perfect for us in most every other way, and we liked the double door way so that neither of us had to climb over each other to get up in the middle of the night.

Mike_Up
Explorer
Explorer
Well we looked at the Ameri-Lite 259BH because it was very similar to the much heavier super slide Jay Flight Swift 267BHS that we just didn't have the payload in our truck to pull, with our family and gear. The Ameri-Lite 259BH was only 200 lbs heavier than the none slide Jay Flight 26BH so it was very hopeful until I walked in.

And no I'm not bashing, I'm simply telling like it is. For tall people, it's cramped. With my ball cap scraping the ceiling, it just left me very uneasy and with an uncomfortable cramped feeling. My last 2 pop ups had 6'6" ceilings and I never felt cramped or had my hat even hit the Air Conditioner! I have a hard time believing the ceiling height is 6'4", it looks to be more like 6'2" like I said before. It's bunks aren't a single over a double but more like a single over a twin, which is misleading from the floorplan. This would had been a downgrade over our 19BH which has a double, 48" bunk under the single bunk. That smaller lower bunk also lowers your storage under it since it's smaller, which wouldn't fit all of our gear that we have now under the lower bunk.

Since storage was a MAIN REASON for going to another trailer, the lack of cabinets, with shelves instead, was a very important point.

For a shorter family with less storage needs, this is a very good floorplan but for us, it's extra 1' width from the wall to the super slide's wall was not worth the scacrifice in height, storage, and bed size with a premium price and heavier weight to boot!

Not bashing as I know it's a budget model just like my 2008 Jay Flight was then, when the G2 Jay Flight was available.

I've only heard good things about Ameri-Lite as far as reliability and even the saleman praised them for their reliability even though he stated Jayco was the best out of any brand.

But things didn't go well for the deal so most likely we will stick with our 19BH and get it repaired.

BTW, here's the floorplans:

Jay Flight 19BH

Jay Flight 26BH


Amerilite 259BHS

Misleading as the bottom bunk is not a full bed, but a twin bed. The walk way between slide out and gallery is much narrower than the floorplan would have you believe. It's only about 1' wider than the walk way from the 2 Jay Flight models.
2019 Ford F150 XLT Sport, CC, 4WD, 145" WB, 3.5L Ecoboost, 10 speed, 3.55 9.75" Locking Axle, Max Tow, 1831# Payload, 10700# Tow Rating, pulling a 2020 Rockwood Premier 2716g, with a 14' box. Previous 2012 Jayco Jay Flight 26BH.

AJP69
Explorer
Explorer
I have a Jayco JayFlight Swift 264bh, it is the budget version of the 26bh. I looked at both on the lot when we purchased ours. The only real difference we found was a better mattress, nicer cabinet doors, and the sofa had arms in the 26bh.

We love our trailer and have camped almost 30 days this year already, we have not had an issue yet with the trailer.
2012 Jayco Jay Flight Swift 264BH
2005 Ford F-250 6.0l diesel

dontexas
Explorer
Explorer
I am 6' tall and have never hit my head in our Ameri-lite. Whatever.....they are a good bargain...
Don & Donna Myers
2012 Nomad Joey 260
2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

JayWalker2009
Explorer
Explorer
Mike Up wrote:
We are looking at getting a Jayco Jay Flight 26BH but found that the Gulf Stream Ameri-lite campers with superslides are just as light or nearly as light as the Jayco.

So we compared the Ameri-lite 255BH and 259BH models and I couldn't even stand being in there.

I'm 6' even and the roof was scraping my hat. The brochure says 6'4" but I don't believe it, it felt more like 6'2". I have Claustrophobia and I couldn't wait to get out of this trailer. Also, even though they have a superslide, both models only offered a walkway about 1' wider. Definitely not worth the trouble of a slide.

Then we checked out the bunks. Our 19BH and the 26BH have double beds at 48" wide. These Ameri-lites bunk was much narrower maybe a twin or smaller. At areas without the slide, the width was narrower than the Jaycos. It's exterior width was only 7'6" wide where the Jayco was 8' wide.

The Ameri-lites also had no storage cabinets. They did have a shelf instead of a cabinet but that's of little use for our needs.

The Ameri-lite 259BH was 5200 lbs dry from the factory where the Jayco Jay Flight 26BH was 5050 lbs dry from the factory. Even so, the Jayco was much larger inside with a ceiling height of 6'9" and 1/2' in areas other the slide. Also had more storage cabinets and larger beds. Even the bunk mattresses on the Ameri-lite were flimsy looking to be 2" thick compared to 4" thick with the Jayco.

Also price wise, the Ameri-lite 259BH was about $1000 more expensive than the Jayco 26BH.

Now I'm not bashing the Amerilite as the size difference, other than the beds, didn't bother my step son or wife who are in the lower 5' range. And I realize this is a budget brand so they are going to cut corners so this isn't a surprise. I just wanted to point out some differences that can be overlooked when looking at a floorplan sheet.


As for your subject line, I hope NO ONE has ever bought a Trailer based on just the floor plan. That would be scary indeed!

Second, Ameri-lite is a budget brand, as mentioned previously, and IMO doesn't hold a candle to Jayco. I am sure there are many happy Ameri-lite owners as it fit their needs, but I would never choose one over a Jayco. Jayco is the winner for me hands down.

I would probably buy a lower end Jayco TT that was the same size as one of Ameri-Lites higher end models.

shenandoahvalle
Explorer
Explorer
I have owned both an Amerilite and a Jayco Eagle. Obviously the Eagle is not an entry level TT and the Amerilite is, but the Eagle cost a little over twice as much. I thought the Amerilite was good for the price but the comments about the beds and floor space are very accurate. Kept the GS for four years, spent about 300 nights in it, it performed quite well, got about half the purchase price on trade. It was what it was and I was satisfied. However, there is no comparison to the Eagle.

hitchup
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for an honest opinion. We notice big differences when we go to RV Shows to see what's new. The tall men almost hit their heads on some mfgers ceilings. Floorplans don't tell the whole story.
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SooperDaddy
Explorer
Explorer
Wait Mike! Here's more differences!


Amerilite tanks are Black 27, grey 27, Fresh 30 gallons.
The Jayco is Black 32.5, Grey 32.5 and 90 gallon fresh!

The 6 GAL GAS DSI WATER HEATER is optional on the Gulfstream...but the Jayco has standard 6 gal Gas/Electric DSI water heater! The AM/FM CD Stereo is standard on Jayco...not on the Ameri-lite. Jayco has two 30 lb propane tanks vs the Ameri-lites dual 20 lb. tanks.

Jayco has a standard big double door 6 cu ft refrigerator vs the Gulfstreams small 4 cu ft single door. The Jay Flight has standard ceiling ducted A/C, the GS is non-ducted. Jayco has a Porcelain toilet vs Gulf Streams plastic. Jay Flight has a double bowl ceramic sink, GS single bowl plastic. Jay Flight has pleated shades vs the Gulf Streams "plastic mini-blinds". And outside speakers and shower.

Jayco


Ameri-lite


And Jayflight is the #1 selling travel trailer in North America for 8 years, and the 3rd biggest RV Builder too. From a 43 year old family owned business.

Good luck!
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data, and are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes, should not be constituted as related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, religious, spiritual, or practical advice. After all it's FREE! Amen. :W

bsbeedub
Explorer
Explorer
Snip
Mike Up wrote:

Now I'm not bashing the Amerilite ...
snip

Lol! Really? From your thread title all the way through your post you bashed the hell out of them!
It's not what you say it's how you say it.
Bob & Susan
Shelby the Beagle June 8, 2005 - Dec. 24, 2016
2018 Ram 3500 6.4 HEMI, long bed, 4.10โ€™s
2021 Coachman Chaparral Lite 25 RE
2011 Gulfstream Ameri-Lite 23BW - retired
2003 Dodge Ram 1500 - retired

Drbolasky
Explorer
Explorer
A TT should never be chosen ONLY on the basis of a floorplan. IMHO the floorplan is where you start, then compare the different brands offering the layout you want.

Doug, Linda, Audrey (USN) & Andrew


2008 Sequoia SR-5, 5.7 L, 2000 Coachmen Futura 2790TB Bunkhouse, Dexter E-Z Flex Suspension, Reese W.D. Hitch/Dual Cam Sway Control, Prodigy Brake Controller, McKesh Mirrors
:B