Slides

[mrioux]

Hello, new to the forum but not new to truck campers. I'm currently looking to upgrade to a newer used camper and can see in todays market lots of campers in the 9'6" range have slide-outs.

Never had one of these before and wondering if they make a significant difference in comfort versus the add'l weight (my 3500 Silverado will handle the weight) and maintenance that comes with them.

This will be a camper that I will be spending winters in full time while in Mexico (3-4 months) so again wondering if it would make life more pleasant.

Thanks

[Bedlam]

When we wanted the maximum space on a short bed SRW, we bought a 9' with a single slide. When we wanted more room, we went to a triple slide 11.5' model.

Our last three RV's have had slides with no problems, so reliability is not an issue for us. They are less efficient in extreme cold, but many can be fully or partially retracted with usable space inside.

If I was driving my truck on frame racking terrain, I would be looking a looking a lower profile non-slide model. I have toys to take through those conditions at faster speeds and more comfortable ride, so I don't worry about twisting my camper apart.

[Grit_dog]

^That is a great rationalization. And the reason they make both kinds of campers!

[manwithoutopti1]

Let me just tell you straight up that the Lance 975 and the Arctic fox 992's bathroom and bed is not accessible when the slide is in. I went to see them personally on dealer's lot just for this reason. If you want a midship bathroom TC that has functional TC when the slide is in, you are probably out of luck. A rear bathroom one (AF990 for example) is functional with the slide in, but that is assuming you are not fat.

I went with a non-slide TC (AF865) at the end. Yeah, slides out feels nice. But to be honest I will be either laying on the bed or sitting on the dinette most of the time. I don't see the point of slides if it interfere with accessibility. I mean, TC are not exactly known for spaciousness anyways. It just isn't its strong point among the various RV choices. I chose to enhance its strength rather than improve its weakness.

[jaycocreek]

In "my opinion" it has to do with how you use your truck camper.

Exactly.Are the slides nice and roomy compared to the non-slides-Of course they are but they come with a burden to some.For me the basement models ad height that I do not want for my type of camping.They also ad weight which I also do not want, even though I have a dually.I would also lose one of my favorite features,wheel well storage..

So yes,slides are nice but there not for all truck campers.

[joerg68]

Buy the rig that fits your style of RV'ing

+1

It is the same with wet bath / dry bath / no bath. TV or not. Cooking inside the camper or not. You do you, and if one or three slideouts fit your style of camping - go for it!

As has been said before, some slideout floorplans require one or more slides to be extended in order to even enter the camper or use the bathroom.

Climb through as many campers as you can and imagine how you would spend your time on a rainy day.

[Buzzcut1]

I do a lot of cold weather camping, rain, snow and a fair amount of great weather camping with trips of up to 14 days. We have a non slide Lance 1055 and in the ten years of camping with in I have never wished that we had a model with slides, even when traveling with our 4 Australian Shepherds. I like to keep things simple and low maintenance.

[Grit_dog]

For long term camping, I wouldn't even consider no slide.
I don't have experience with any slides other than the 2 old AF campers we had/have and they haven't had any slide issues at all.
Adding a couple/few hundred lbs doesn't automatically kick you into a diesel Dooley. That's the weight cops talking.
Insulation is poor and when we camped in sub freezing temps, we left the slide out 1 night and the furnace never shut off (until it killed the old batteries) and subsequent nights just pulled the slide in at night when heat was more valuable than floor space.

[Crazy_Creek]

There is no one size fits all.

In "my opinion" it has to do with how you use your truck camper.

We have a "run n' gun" approach. Never stay in the same place for more than 1 or 2 nights. We are constantly in and out of the camper as we travel. Lots of nights spent for lack of a better term "stealth camping".

If we were to stay in one place for more than a few nights, I would certainly enjoy the extra room and would probably buy one.

Truth be known if we ever stayed in one place for a period of time we'd probably buy a TT or 5th wheel. But for now we enjoy the benefits of a 4WD truck and the relatively remote places it can take us.

The way we use a truck camper we've never said we wish we had a slide. This is our 5th truck camper.

For those that say don't buy a slide because it will break...heck everything on an RV and vehicle for that matter is subject to breaking. Best advice if someone is concerned about something breaking while RV'ing is to stay "very close" to home.

Buy the rig that fits your style of RV'ing

[Kayteg1]

Down side- poor manufacturing, but you will find it in other parts of camper as well.
I hope manufacturers improved slides framing.
On 2 of my 2002 models - I had to repair factory flaws.
1 had aluminium frame, but the welds in corners broke.
Lance uses 1/2x 1.5" wood "beam" to hold slide with potential for 1000 lb load. Not only the wood beam sag like 2" but the corner gave up as well.

[jimh406]

Not all slides are equal. There are people who break anything including slides.

If you plan to overload or max the weight in the slide compartments, are large people, open when not mostly level, you will put more stress on the slide wall. Keep in mind the slide wall on a TC is quite small compared to almost any other TC. That being said, my TC is 12 years old with zero slide issues for either one. Other people with the same brand/model have destroyed theirs. I only can guess why.

The only way to see the difference in space is to go into one. For us, two slides is much better than one, ymmv. Either way, compared to a normal size TT, a TC is very small. If you want significantly more size, you probably want a different type of RV.

[JimK-NY]

Yes, they can break. They can become a source of leaks and body rot. They add to the weight of the camper. Campers are already poorly insulated. Slides add to the surface area and heating/cooling issue. Slides often made it difficult or impossible to use the camper without extending the slides. Slides cannot be used in parking areas, on the street or in small camp sites.

One of the biggest issues is the truck needed to carry all that weight. As the weight grows the cost of the truck needed also jumps. With the weight the minimum truck is a 1 ton usually a dually and with anything but flatland use, you will need a diesel. A suitable new truck will cost around $70,000. Bigger truck campers with multiple slides can easily mean a truck beyond the 1 ton rating and another jump in cost. All that weight also limits the user to paved or well maintained gravel/dirt roads.

[billyray50]

It makes a huge difference. Will never go back to a non slide TC.

[HadEnough]

Slides are a must. They vastly increase the feeling of the interior of the TC.

I really miss my slide. It no longer works, I can't fix it while traveling and no RV place can fix it either without me stopping to stay in their area for a couple months to wait.

So there is the downside. Once it breaks, you'll miss it.

[SugarHillCTD]

CAJW wrote:
If you’re leaning toward a non slide TC, don’t let the wife see one with a slide(s). No going back to look at non-slide models after mine saw the AF 996. Admittedly, I think the slides add a lot to the open feeling and does indeed increase the usable floorspace. No more “excuse me, I need to get by you to get to the bathroom” conversations. We’re not big people, but if we were, I couldn’t imagne trying to move around in there without slides.

Especially for the OP who is going full time for a few months.

I was not in favor of a slide out and had 3 different non-slide TCs. Then we started to spend more time on vacations. We walked into our first one with a slide out and I was impressed by the space it created. DW was instantly sold on it.

This argument sounds in some way similar to the pro vs. con that folks had a few decades ago about automatic transmissions being too complicated and prone to failure. We see how that faded, eh?