Exactly how important is a slide?

[sillynikki]

I said I'd never get a camper without a slide, but we've found a hybrid that looks really roomy and doesn't have a slide. It's a 2007 Roo 233. The price is right and it appears to be in good condition. We're going to look at it in person tomorrow (it's 2 hrs away from us). I'm just wondering how many of you gripe about NOT having a slide in your hybrid. Does it really make THAT big of a difference in the hybrids?

[dadmomh]

Our ROO 23SS that just went to its new home had a slide with both the kitchen area and sofa on it. When we first started looking, DH was adamant NO SLIDE!! But one thing and another....Even with just the two of us most of the time, we were much more comfortable. Add an 80# dog to maneuver around or a couple of guests and those walls get closer together by the minute. Have heard that a slide is important for resale....true or not?? With 4 children - and they WILL grow - I think you'd be much happier with more move-around room. OTOH, if you are only planning to keep this HTT for a couple of years, it may work fine for you. Good luck.

[PenMan]

We recently upgraded from a Roo 23B that had a slide. It would have been tight with just 2 of us without the slide. But in the end, only you can decide.

[bikendan]

JM6479 wrote:
i have a new Shamrock 233 (same model as the Rockwood you are looking at), and ours has the slide (not sure when they added the slide). We camp with me, wife, 3 little boys, sometimes the dog. We spend some time inside when the kids need to rest or get out of the sun, or when it's raining. We like the slide, it works for us...

you have a 233S, not a 233. the 233S is a 233 with a sofa slide.
the 233 has been around for almost 10 years, while the 233S has only been around for about 2-3 years. but it's the hottest selling hybrid right now.
as far as needing a slideout, our slideout is 12' long on a 24' HTT, which really makes a difference.
we love our slideout and with a slide topper, issues of debris on top aren't a concern and our slideout has been trouble-free.
we would never consider any RV without one now that we've had ours.

[sillynikki]

Thank you all! We don't spend much time INSIDE the camper unless it's raining. With the hybrid we are going to see, it has 3 pop out beds, so I can't think of any reason as to why we would ever set the couch down. We usually have 4 kids with us and they always sleep together on a bed.

I'm just going to have to see it in person I guess. I'll let you know what we decide. 🙂

[epeters]

We have what I call a baby slide in our HTT. It moves the couch out about a foot. The difference in moving thru the trailer is amazing! Can it be done with it in? Yes, but with DW, DD, DS and two pugs, things get real tight real fast. Even if time is spent outdoors most of the time as was mentioned before, there is still the bed time and morning time routines where people are up and moving but have not made it outdoors yet.

We camp year round and there are times when it rains all day long. So we enjoy being away from the craziness of home and play games etc. Again, the slide just makes it a bit more comfortable to move around.

We have had our trailer for 6 years now, over 10,000 miles traveled and not one issue with the slide. However, I don't disagree, that the risk of issues is greater when one cuts a hole in the side of a rig. However, if done right (engineering and quality control during manufacturing), it shouldn't be a problem.

Just my two cents.

[JM6479]

i have a new Shamrock 233 (same model as the Rockwood you are looking at), and ours has the slide (not sure when they added the slide). We camp with me, wife, 3 little boys, sometimes the dog. We spend some time inside when the kids need to rest or get out of the sun, or when it's raining. We like the slide, it works for us...

[Bumpyroad]

midnightsadie wrote:
DR QUICK said it all. with all the complaints on this site about slide troubles. I don,t need one.

If one were to eliminate all RVs that had stuff that has been complained about, everybody would be in tents.
one thing that is important to me, the RV must be useable with the slide in, bath accessible, etc.
and a lot depends on the manufacturer of the RV and the slide mechanism. you buy some cheap outfit with a slapped together mechanism, problems can develop. buy right and they don't. I had my motorhome with 2 slides for 14 years with no slide issues.
bumpy

[midnightsadie]

DR QUICK said it all. with all the complaints on this site about slide troubles. I don,t need one.

[rockhillmanor]

IMHO a camper is to get you there and let you sleep out of the elements. Camping is all about getting 'outside' and enjoying nature.

I guess if the RV'er spends all their time just sitting inside the camper maybe more room with a slide is necessary, but otherwise I just don't see the need.

I have friends with an RV that I call "Slides-R-Us". 4 honkin slides on their MH. Personally I don't see the need. AND when the slides are brought in they have O, NADA, space to walk thru their RV.

How much room does a slide take up in a Hybrid?
Can you use all of the RV with the slide in?
I want to be able to use 'all' of my RV when I stop at a rest area, etc without having to deploy the slides just to get to the bathroom. :B

[GENECOP]

Only you can answer that.

[WyoTraveler]

In our last TT we didn't have a slide. I think it was warmer in cold weather than RV with slide. Sometimes it is not the slide but the floor plan. We couldn't walk around both sides of the bed. That was a pita. We had a 2001 5ver with slides. Too cold for winter RVing. Our MH has a full slide. It is fine in the winter. If I liked the floor plan & could walk on both sides of the bed slides wouldn't matter.

[galexander]

Slide or not to slide, that's been our question for many years. Yes, a slide does give you some extra room, not much, but some. We also thought that having a slide with the grandkids would be great. After two years of camping with the grandkids, there interests have moved on beyond camping and DW and I are once again alone in camping. Therefore, we have bought a new HHT without a slide that saved us about a thousand dollars. We like the camper without a slide and feel it gives us the room we need. If you like the camper you are looking at, go for it. When it comes down to it, we all make do with what we have.
Good Luck in your decision and Happy Camping.

[Dr_Quick]

I do not care for a slide in a RV. Why, it is hard to believe that you can cut an opening in the side of an RV, some big enough to drive a car through, and expect it not to be a problem. Then keep it water and air tight. With the condition of the roads with all the jarring that happens, I think it is mission impossible.
My neighbor has one, and it has been problems for day one. Broken seal, unit will not go out straight, it wants to lean out when closed, the support over the wheel is failing, the siding at the sides is cracking, it leans to the rear of the trailer.
What do you do if you park under trees and all sorts of junk falls on the slide? I have see a closed slide with leaves sticking out around the top seal. And when it isclosed a lot of this junk on top is brought inside your RV.
No thank you.

[2edgesword]

As others have said, it depends. If it's just me and wife we don't extend it. If we have a couple of the grandkids with us will extend it to use the sofabed for the kids.

[WI_Bowhunter]

I had a Jayco 23B Hybrid with a slide. I think that it only went out about a foot. In my opinion, it wasn't a huge amount of space that was created. It was nice once in a while when we used the couch for sleeping because it then kept the isle clear.