TT engineers should live in one for a month

[bodyshop_bob]

After reading about the new Jayco 338rets here and seeing pictures on the Jayco website the DW and I were anxious for some dealers locally to get some in so we could see for ourselves. We have the 308rets and we are looking for a similar design but with a larger bedroom. The 338 looked to be perfect. Finally, we were able to inspect one first-hand. Once again, the "engineers" have managed to put the satellite/cable TV jack on the right side up by the door so you have a cable running thru your site; the outside shower is cleverly placed directly under the city water hookup (about exactly where most people have the inline filter); the valve for one grey water tank is tucked directly under the bedroom slide and the other two are easily accessible; the 2 door pantry is narrow but deep insuring that you have to remove everything to get the one item in the back (slide out shelves would fix this)and interior shelves are NBA high. These issues plus 3 visible build flaws plus the unit is $13k more expensive than the 308 we bought 2 years ago equals a "no sale".

[wmoses]

These posts make me so pleased with our floorplan. 🙂

I do agree that the designers of these RVs (I doubt that they are designed by real engineers) should spend some time in RVs so that they get a clue about layout optimization. Better yet they should be RVers (not just spend time in an RV). The same should extend to salesmen and service department personnel, if I had my drothers.

[deshatt]

For the most part I like the layout of my trailer. It's small but has a couch and dinette. My only gripe is there is a window and electrical outlet right in the center of the "head" of the bed. They're both only inches above the mattress. I've never understood that. I've considered sleeping the other direction, but it just seems wrong, and I'm afraid I'd put my foot through the window in the middle of the night!

[Tequila]

Here is my layout, the TV is in the ceiling and can rotate to face the bed or the rest of the trailer. The DVD player is on the bath wall. I don't pick this up til next week, but on examining it I noticed the TV sound is not back fed to the DVD, so I only get TV sound form the built in TV speakers. The TV does have an audio output, so I am going to use an FM modulator to transmit it over to the DVD player. Unless of course they had the foresight to run the wires in a flex conduit so i can fish it. I wanted the next model up which was longer and has 2 doors so the bath is not blocked by the slide, but I am in a complex and this is the longest one I am allowed to park in here. My other issue is I use a CPAP and there is no 12v supply close by the bed I can tap into for an inverter. I spend 4 months a year in Mexico and power kicks in and out all night long in some spots. I plan to feed inverter output from the panel to that area instead.

[alexleblanc]

that's the one area where our unit really works well - the TV locations are perfect .

[WE3ZS]

bodyshop bob wrote:
After reading about the new Jayco 338rets here and seeing pictures on the Jayco website the DW and I were anxious for some dealers locally to get some in so we could see for ourselves. We have the 308rets and we are looking for a similar design but with a larger bedroom. The 338 looked to be perfect. Finally, we were able to inspect one first-hand. Once again, the "engineers" have managed to put the satellite/cable TV jack on the satellite/cable TV jack on the right side up by the door so you have a cable running thru your site; the outside shower is cleverly placed directly under the city water hookup (about exactly where most people have the inline filter); the valve for one grey water tank is tucked directly under the bedroom slide and the other two are easily accessible; the 2 door pantry is narrow but deep insuring that you have to remove everything to get the one item in the back (slide out shelves would fix this)and interior shelves are NBA high. These issues plus 3 visible build flaws plus the unit is $13k more expensive than the 308 we bought 2 years ago equals a "no sale".

Maybe you should have looked a little closer. 😉
The cable jack on the front right is an outlet to allow for a TV hookup outside under the awning. On our 338RETS the TV/Sat hookup is on the left rear corner.
We just rotate the inline water filter a little to one side to get the outside shower opened up and in service. Not a deal breaker for us.
All three of our dump valves are easily accessable, none of them are under the slide.
Yes the pantry is very deep, armpit deep. We keep an LED flashlight in there to see to the back and we haven't found that we need to remove everything to get anything out from the back, the shelves leave enough room to lift item over the rst of the supplies. I prefer NOT having slideout shelves in a TT, they kill space and need very good locks to keep from sliding while traveling.
My lovely Bride is 5' 5" and doesn't have any problems getting to the things in the back of the upper pantry, not exactly NBA territory.

And for the 90 degree TV viewing folks the TV does swing out to both sides to allow for a more direct viewing angle. Even with it sitting flat to the rear wall the picture is perfectly clear from both sofas and the dinette, not like the earlier generation LED sets that had to be viewed from head-on. My buddy and I watched the Indy 500 from opposing sofas with zero complaints.

So far we are loving our 338RETS, we did have a couple of minor trim issues but the dealer took care of them in a 2 day visit to the service dept.

[Mike_Up]

ChooChooMan74 wrote:
I love all these floorplans with a 90 degree to all seating television. Granted, you don't go camping to watch TV, but there has been those rainy days where there isn't much to do. I did find a nice Jayco HT FW with the TV across from the couch!

That's one of the reasons we loved our Jay Flight 19BH and love our new 26BH just as much. Sofa not on top of dinette, and it's across from TV, not 90 degrees!

Jay Flight 19BH



Jay Flight 26BH

[EcoBullet]

I know they are cheaply made, and sometimes poorly designed, but we consumers expect everything cheap! If you can buy sunglasses for $2 a pair, you should be able to buy a nice loaded out TT for $20K, right? If the same TT was painstakingly built, would we pay $40K? Some might, but most would take their chances. All in all, I think the manufacturers do pretty well for our dollar.

I must say the folks that designed our Premier thought things out pretty well. Big drawers under the dinette seats, adequate space under the sink for a regular sized kitchen waste basket, dark curtains in the bedroom, logical layout, shower big enough to use, double stainless steel sink... Our only complaint so far is the microwave is up so high that my wife has to use a stool to reach it.

[goducks10]

Why do they (All RV Manf) screw cover plates and plugs into just the thin luan covered interior board? Two extra turns and it's stripped out. Deep down they're all cheaply made and poorly designed.

[chr_]

edatlanta wrote:
I have said for many years that no engineer or designer should be allowed to sign off on anything for production, regardless of the product, until he/she has been directly and hands on involved in maintenance of said product for at least 5 years. A lot of things look good on CAD, but just don't work well or can't be maintained efficiently or at all in the field. This procedure could eliminate the need for so many special tools required for certain "good idea" product maintenance.

I have said that for years. As an Engineer, I spent 20+ years in the field before I started designing my products. Makes total sense. I get them right the first time.

Ir would be nice to be able to try a camper for a weekend before you buy. I may or may not have chosen mine, but as someone else said, they are always a compromise. I'd "like" the bathroom to be at the back of the trailer to make the hallway by the kitchen bigger, but then it would then be taken up by a dinette, and I couldn't have installed the big door on the rear to slide the 'yaks in.

On that comment about the fresh water fill being opposite the city hookup, I wish mine was that way, on the curb side. It would put it closer to the hose bib on my water softener in my garage.;)

[myredracer]

They should also only let female interior designers design storage spaces and the kitchen.

The majority of kitchens have almost zero counter surface area for working on and leaving appliances out. Even on expensive units. Why can't they put a 2nd shelf inside cabinets? Why is there no place to put a garbage container of any size anywhere near the kitchen?? We end up having a plastic garbage bag hanging off a knob on the stove. Grrrr.

General storage space gets little attention. Men don't seem to think about how and where you would actually place things in an RV. Why do they put blank plywood panels on cabinets when there is perfectly use-able space behind? Why don't they put another shelf inside cabinets? Where do they expect you to put your shoes near the entry door? Shoes end up all over the floor (grrr, says DW). We have an upper cabinet in our bathroom about 30" deep. There's no shelf in it and when you put a few towels in it, you CANNOT see or reach anything at the back. (Another grrrr...)

As an engineer, I have trouble falling asleep in our TT because all I can think about is all the dumb things manufacturers do and all the mods and upgrades I *need* to do to improve things. Like, why don't they install switches throughout for all lights and fans? Why don't they put in drawers on slides in the little lower cubby spaces either side the bed? Why don't they put shelves in cabinets (see above)? Why is the rear bumper so small that a sewer hose barely fits in? Why don't they install blackout blinds on bedroom windows? Why do they place the water inlet fitting so that it is right behind the spare tire? Why is the TV co-ax outlet and amplifier switch on the ceiling behind the TV so that it can barely be reached? I could go on for another page or two.... :M (I really think a TT manufacturer should hire me, lol.)

[NYCgrrl]

Am I wrong in thinking wired cable is on it's way out? Everything on my end is wireless and NYC is generally behind the trend on that level.

[coolbreeze01]

It appears RV engineers/designers didn't graduate at the top of their class.
Some of the workmanship indicates quality control doesn't exist.

[CampingN_C_]

I believe if you look a little closer that CATV jack is an (output) not an (input). At least it is on mine. It allows you to have a TV around your porch area, quite thoughtful IMO.

We don't have any of those issues with ours.

[edatlanta]

I have said for many years that no engineer or designer should be allowed to sign off on anything for production, regardless of the product, until he/she has been directly and hands on involved in maintenance of said product for at least 5 years. A lot of things look good on CAD, but just don't work well or can't be maintained efficiently or at all in the field. This procedure could eliminate the need for so many special tools required for certain "good idea" product maintenance.