Travel Trailers with a rear bed slide... Leaks? Issues?

[Zoodles95]

Hi All,

New member here and relatively new to the RV lifestyle. Our present RV (and first RV) is a 2010 Jayco 17C which is a small hybrid. It has been a good entry into this hobby but there are some limitations to this trailer which has frustrated me.
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Our driveway is where we keep the trailer from May until the end of October. It is winterized now and I am probably going to take it to its hibernation home next weekend. The driveway can keep a 24 ft trailer max. So, a hybrid made sense. Heck, we could keep a 21 ft Rockwood hybrid without an issue.

We have been discussing a larger hybrid as an option to some of the limitations of the smaller footprint of our little Jayco. I have a co worker with a 2014 Kodiac 186E hybrid which is in great shape which he wants to sell. It is tempting but I think my wife and I need to consider a more typical travel trailer. I live in Ontario, Canada and camping in May and October would be a lot more comfortable in a travel trailer instead of a hybrid.

So, a 22' to 24' solid trailer would work. I am looking at ones with a bunkhouse since it would give us a third bed for when my autistic brother in law camps with us. It also gives us a spot to put our French Bulldog's crate for when she is sleeping. The bunkhouse can also seem to work as storage space as well.

So, in my search I happened across the Starcraft Launch 19BHS and I could no get over how large it was for its size once the rear bed was out. I thought to myself that this was sort of like an extension of the advantages of a hybrid. Smaller trailer to tow and fit in my driveway; but with a nice large footprint when parked. However, unlike my hybrid the main bed would still be "solid". I have found two trailers that have floorplans I like:
-Jayco Feather X213
-Grey Wolf 19SM

I know a guy who works at an RV dealer as a tech. He cautioned me against a trailer with a rear bed slide saying that they leak excessively. I thought I would register and post here to see if this is true, was true, is only true if the slide is not properly maintained etc.

If these are indeed decently reliable then great I can keep pursuing this as a possible option.

If not reliable then I need to keep looking at smaller bunkhouse trailers. Ideally I would go tandem axle to have the higher load rating and the extra set of brakes and tires for a margin of safety. My tow vehicle is a 2013 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman with the Hemi and 392 gears. The tow rating is upwards of 10000lbs with a conventional hitch so a trailer under 5000 lbs should be fine.

My other models I have been considering are:
-Jayco 20BH
-Northern Spirit 2342BH
-Rockwood 2306
-Microlite 23LB
-Salem Cruise Lite 201BHXL
-Apex 208BHS

If there are other trailers that fit the bill I would love to hear your recommendations or suggestions.

If some are wondering what limitations have been frustrating me with our Jayco. Some of them are:

-25 gal fresh water. Our Provincial Parks only offer electrical service so I need to fill 6 Gal jugs up and refill the trailer. My coworker's Kodiac he is selling has a 52 Gal fresh tank. That would make a significant difference to my trips at Provincial Parks.



-Surge braking system is annoying and unpredictable. I have the factory brake controller in my truck so it would be nice to get a trailer with a proper electrical brake system I can control.

-Rear dinette is a pain to work with. I end up usually putting the table outside with a table cloth on it and then use one or two tv trays instead.



-The counter space is severely limited. I installed a stove cover which helps because I can put the drying rack on top of it. Even my co worker's hybrid would be so much more functional. It has counter space to the left of its sink where a coffee maker could go and it has a double sink so I could use the right sink for the drying rack and then I could have access to the stove all the time. Hmmm...

So, I could go for a larger hybrid, a travel trailer with a rear slide, or a travel trailer with bunks.

Opinions?

[shum02]

I have a rear queeen slide KZ and in the ten years I've had it camping in all weather it has not leaked. I also do not consider it cold back there but do use matress pad heaters when the temps drop below freezing.

All things equal I'd would if I did it again bypass this option and just go straight to a TT with walk around bed.

The unit has been decent but I've never been over the moon about it. When pushed back into the rig that whole area is not accessable including getting to the witerizing valve on the water heater, no access to the sofa or dinnette while on the road either which has proven to be a real PITA. I knew all this before purchasing but got it because DW was sold on the part where it fit in the driveway.

[SoundGuy]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Remember also, when retracting the bed slide in, the roof of that slide needs to be free of any derbies, like leaves, twigs, acorns, walnuts and dead bugs, anything that might fall on it. So, you'll need to carry a ladder of some sort so you can reach the top and sweep it off every time you retract. --- this is just something to think about if you've never considered it. It's not bad ... you just need to be aware of it if you are really considering a camper of any type with a slide of any type.

Our most recent travel trailer is the first we ever owned with a slide and as a shallow sofa slide rather than a large deep slide I chose to not ante up for the additional cost of a slide topper. That meant the additional annoyance of having to carry a ladder for reaching the slide top to clear it of debris and because slide toppers aren't made for rear glides one would therefore want to also carry a ladder for this same purpose.



As DutchmenSport said this isn't an insurmountable issue but it does further complicate trailer setup compared to any trailer with no slides or glides at all.

[2oldman]

Zoodles95 wrote:
-25 gal fresh water. Our Provincial Parks only offer electrical service so I need to fill 6 Gal jugs up and refill the trailer.

That's the hard way. There are many sources of tanks you can put in the bed and rig up a pump/battery to refill.

[DutchmenSport]

If you look careful at the floor plans, some of those bunk house models bunk size is only 27 inches wide. I'm a grown man, 63 years old, an my shoulder berth is 24 inches wide. I would be horribly uncomfortable in the buck and probably end up on making a pallet on the floor before morning the first time I had to sleep there.

I have heard and read those rear bed slides have a proximity to leak. But with everything RV related, everything is fixable. It's just a matter of how you want to invest your effort to make it happen.

But more important, it has been confirmed over and over on these forums, that with the bed retracted - in position, you absolutely cannot use it. They are absolutely not designed to carry weight when retracted. So, if you plan on using the space for storage when traveling, I would strongly advise against that.

Personally, I'd never own one designed like that. Conventional slides work well. They are also not near as deep. They are double and sometimes triple sealed extracted and retracted. Older campers had problems, yes. But with advances, newer ones are pretty much trouble free. It's possible the bed slide design as improved. Remember also, when retracting the bed slide in, the roof of that slide needs to be free of any derbies, like leaves, twigs, acorns, walnuts and dead bugs, anything that might fall on it. So, you'll need to carry a ladder of some sort so you can reach the top and sweep it off every time you retract. --- this is just something to think about if you've never considered it. It's not bad ... you just need to be aware of it if you are really considering a camper of any type with a slide of any type.

In my opinion, looking at your list of choices, I'd pick the Northern Spirit 2342BH. It has one slide, wide double bunks, the outside stove (which is really nice to have), the master bed walk around, the dinette which can be made into another bed. It's a LOT of camper packed into a small space.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. In the end, the decision is still yours and only you know your own camping style.

[Thom02099]

I have a 2007 Keystone Outback 25RSS. The "RSS" apparently stands for rear and side slide, since mine has both. Bunks across the front area. I bought it used in 2011 and have never had any leak issues with the trailer at all. Not from the slides or from the main trailer body. It's been through some significant rainstorms while the rear slide was open, and has also been snowed on while open. No leaks at all.

No problems with heat/cold either. When warm the fan does a good job of stirring the air, and with the windows and rear door open, there's never been a problem with heat. Likewise, with cold, there's not been a problem. I replaced the standard mattress with a memory foam mattress, which seems to block out any cold from the bottom. The side walls are thin, but there's a heat vent directly below the slide out that provides sufficient heat to the slide.

The Outback also has a 50/50/50 tank system, for fresh/grey/black water. With judicious water use, I've been able to get 4 days out of this combo, could probably go 5 if I had to (usually carry a 5 gallon container for cooking/drinking water).

The rear slide is one with the queen mattress sideways, meaning that if 2 people are in it, the one closer to the window has to crawl over the other person to get out. Some of the models after 2007 had the head of the bed at the rear window, eliminating this problem. It's not a big problem, just that it's there. If I had to do it over again, I'd buy the same trailer, but with the change of the head of the bed. The rear slide is what attracted me to this trailer, since it gives a lot of living space when open.

[SoundGuy]

Zoodles95 wrote:
Since nobody has replied yet ...

You post at 1 in the morning then complain just 90 minutes later that no one has replied to your query about rear glide trailers which these days are a rarity? Seriously? :R

I too camp here in Ontario and IMO you're way over complicating the issue - if you can fit a travel trailer on your driveway then that's your best solution for the greatest comfort in the widest range of weather conditions. No trailers with tenting, no rear glides which though it may not leak will certainly be colder than a fully enclosed travel trailer with an island bed. Rear bed glides used to be the rage back in the mid-2000s but have pretty well gone the way of the dodo bird, with the Jayco X213 being a rare exception. K-Z which used to offer several rear glide models dropped them entirely and although there may be a few other examples they're certainly not popular with most buyers. As for FW tank size it'll never be large enough anyway so I don't see the issue retrieving more at the dump station as you need it, especially when you also have to dispose of grey water at the same place anyway. I carry a set of 7 gal Aquatainers in the back of the truck and usually make a trip over to the dump station early each morning when no one else is around to get rid of the grey and resupply with fresh. Back at campsite I simply transfer the fresh to the trailer's holding tank with a pump - simple. 🙂

[colliehauler]

If I remember correctly a member had a KZ with a rear slide that he had to rebuild the back of the trailer due to a water leak. The other issue I've heard of is the slides can be hot or cold because of lack of insulation in slide. I would goggle water leak rear slide for whatever make and model your looking at. Don't have any personal experience with them. Maybe some owners will chime in with more information.

[Zoodles95]

Since nobody has replied yet I figured I would post some things I like about our trailer and my experiences so far. Knowing what I like and don't like might help you to give me better advice.

-Being only 17' long I can easily fit it into camp sites. Then being a hybrid I just find where I want it and then accommodate for where the rear bed will be. Buying my co worker's 2014 Kodiac 186E would continue that trend.

-The bathroom is great and very functional. Having a half tub is so handy. Fill it up a bit and use the water in the half tub and then a bit of showering to get clean.

-Furnace and AC works great. Even in +4 Celcius weather I have been pretty comfortable in the trailer with the furnace on and using an electric blanket in the bed.

-I have learned a lot and done some nice upgrades on the trailer. The microwave died at the end of last season so I replaced it with an identically sized Coulture microwave I got at my RV dealer. I just fixed the roof with self levelling and non self levelling Dicor. Awning tape has done a good job addressing the micro leaks I had in the tenting which were barely pin sized holes. If I could figure out how to post from my Smugmug account I would post pictures.

-I upgraded the propane to 2 30 lb tanks with the dual regulator. It has made my longer trips better and should help resale when I move on.

-I have learned a whack from the little thing but I want to move up a bit. Even something with front jacks would help with the set up. I ended up getting the little aluminium jack stands which I put under the front. The trailer only came with the rear jacks. Not having to use the seperate jacks plus fighting with the table and end dinette would make my setting up and down easier.