Took a short trip this week in our new Coachmen 223RBS, two days at our favorite Lake Michigan campground as a shakedown cruise. The brakes, which had to be repaired by dealer techs the day we picked it up, worked well enough to avoid (barely) the idiot in the Jeep Grand Cherokee who came off the entrance ramp and blended in nicely in front of me, without bothering to speed up. The trailer handled well in the ensuing evasive maneuver, following the truck nicely, and generally pulled easily with no sway, even in high winds on our return trip. The new Husky Centerline TS works better than the old school trunnion bar and friction sway control setup that it replaces.
There were a number of minor annoyances: When starting out I had to fire up the stove burners to get the fridge to light on propane--air in the lines, I guess, it's fine now. Found out at the campground that someone forgot to close the WH bypass valve. TV reception is mediocre. The radio/CD/DVD/MP3 player sounds good, and it has a remote, but the unit is mounted in such a way that the TV blocks the remote sensor completely. Not a big deal for me, but DW is vertically challenged and cannot reach it. Nor can she operate the bathroom ceiling vent. I'll be installing a real fan w/remote anyway, since the sliding glass windows have pathetically small openings that admit little in the way of fresh air. Found a couple of raised staples in the carpet on the slide.
The only serious issue so far is the floor in front of the oven. It feels soft, different than the rest of the floor, and makes a funny crackling sound when you step on it. You can see it move. The oven creaks. I'll be calling the dealer Monday.
On the positive side, we love the floorplan. We never had a slideout before, and the difference is amazing. The kitchen counter space is fantastic for a 23' box, with a nice deep double sink and high faucet. There's plenty of cabinet storage. Lights everywhere. The bed mattress feels like a real bed mattress. The bathroom is large enough to actually use in comfort. The Norcold fridge cooled flawlessly on both propane and shore power with temps in the upper 80s. A/C cooled the unit quickly. Trailer came with blue LEDs under the awning and the frame. Low key, dimmable, and make it easy to see the steps. I also like the convenience of the power awning.
Our overall impression is that we really like our new trailer. The design seems mostly well thought out and user friendly, and it fits how we camp perfectly. Pass through storage is adequate, but I miss the cavernous rear compartment that our bunkhouse had. I do plan to rewire the brakes. They are working well, but the P2 is maxed out. I suspect wimpy wire and Scotchlock connectors.
It's my understanding that the RV industry is setting sales records this year, and it shows--they are slapping these things together as fast as they can. Screws driven crooked, too loose or too tight abound. One of the tail lights is slightly off level. The running lights along the top are similarly misaligned. Not much, but if you look at it, it's there. I worked for one of the Detroit three for thirty years, and if we had shipped this kind of sloppy workmanship, we'd have all been court-martialed.
But most importantly, my DW loves her new camper, and as we all know, happy wife, happy life!
2006 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 2WD 6.0L 3.73 8600 GVWR
2018 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 223RBS
1991 Palomino Filly PUP
