Ok, its time for a new FW bound RV !

[Syndrome]

Well, we have been going round and round the past year or so , trying to decide on what RV would suit our traveling needs the best . We presently have 2 RV's and we use both . One is pretty small, and one is pretty large . The small one tows stress free , but is a little small for more than overnight stays . The large one is great and roomy when we get to the "destination", but a little stressful getting it there .

Our "small" one is a NuCamp T@B 320s Teardrop ............

Our "larger" one is a Keystone Outback 260FL (32' with 2 slides) .............

We NEED one in the middle , something like Goldilocks would pick ! ........not too small and not too big , it has to be "just right" ! Large enough to be comfortable if we are doing extended stays (Like at the FORT !) , but small enough to tow stress free and easy (we are 1100 miles from the Fort) . Plus having only 1 RV would be easier to deal with than 2 , lol .
After at least 6 months of researching, touring rv's , watching countless youtube rv walkthroughs , and trying to find the perfect RV that "checked" all of our boxes - we finally found it . We decided on a Winnebago Micro Mini 2108 TB . YES , its a dual axle , for those who read about our "China Bomb" blowouts on RT95 by Jax with the Outback .

Not ours , but this is the exact model ........2108TB (Twin Bed)

It is the perfect fit for us , with all the "boxes" checked . We put a deposit on a custom order, that is due to arrive in June . Luckily our dealer already had 4 production slots for incoming 2108TB's , and was able to tweak the build sheet to include the options we wanted, for the first one in line of 4 of the dealer slots. Should be one of the first 2022's inbound , for our dealer . This model is pretty well loaded up, so the only option we could get was an upgraded 15k A/C , the new Dometic 10CF 12v compressor fridge /freezer , and we opted for 30lb propane bottles over the 20's . Its not the best time to be "haggling" on RV prices due to the "RV covid boom" especially for an ordered unit , but our dealer was actually very reasonably priced with no gouging going on. I checked with several other close by Winnebago dealers, and got prices approx $5k+ more than our deal. They offered us a very fair price for our Keystone as a trade (even though I will try to sell it privately first) . I feel very comfortable with the dealer and price (and they are our most local dealer, which is good) . They said production will be around the beginning of May, with delivery around mid June . Thats fine for us as we are not in a huge rush . We have a trip to Acadia Maine in September, and a Trip to the Fort in Jan-Feb so far reserved . We will play the rest by ear when the new RV rolls in .

We still plan on using our 01 Suburban 2500 8.1 for a tow vehicle , and it should be just an awesomely easy tow . I trust this Suburban with the 8.1 , like I have never trusted any other tow rig . Its pretty much bulletproof , so we will just have to swallow the rather dismal MPG . Its rated for just about 13K , and the new Winnebago is 4k dry . Thinking we may actually see 12mpg towing .......we will see , but wont complain about it .

Cant wait to get back to the Fort, and not worry about the towing stress, or worry about what site we might not fit in at the fort . At about 23' , we will be able to squeeze into most any site at the Fort now (or most RV sites , Crackerbarrel , boondocking, etc.) !

Ahhhhhh ......... its going to be good .

See you all at the Fort soon !

 

[Teamubr]

That looks like a great "Goldilocks" rig!

When are you going to be at the Fort in January? There will be several of us there.

j

 

[Syndrome]

That looks like a great "Goldilocks" rig!

When are you going to be at the Fort in January? There will be several of us there.

j

Thanks !

We have a month , Jan 23-Feb13 reserved . Right after the MLK week crowds go away, lol .
We may need to tweak the dates a little as we get closer , but Jan23rd will almost certainly be our check in date .
Have a Full Hook Up reserved , but thinking of changing to a Preferred (we love 300) as we have a pup, and he loves the dog park , and back woods walk .

 

[tiggerdad]

That looks like pretty good as a fit based on what you were describing. Should be some great memories in that one.

 

[Syndrome]

That looks like pretty good as a fit based on what you were describing. Should be some great memories in that one.

Thanks !

 

[friendofeeyore]

That is what I need to buy! I do love your future home away from home. I know you will have lots of fun with your Minnie. Need to have Minnie Mouse painted on it. lol

 

[Sjm9911]

Nice! Good luck with it.

 

[Paulaparm]

Very exciting! Good luck with it. We are planning on being at the Fort for our first time around then too.

 

[Syndrome]

That is what I need to buy! I do love your future home away from home. I know you will have lots of fun with your Minnie. Need to have Minnie Mouse painted on it. lol

Nice! Good luck with it.

Very exciting! Good luck with it. We are planning on being at the Fort for our first time around then too.

Thanks all !
We are very excited to make this change . It was a VERY hard decision to downsize (and upsize at the same time) to a "just right" RV size for us . We were VERY close to pulling the trigger on a Winnebago Voyage 2427RB , but it wouldn't really get us where we needed to be for stress free traveling (or as stress free as traveling can be, lol) , although we LOVED it ! Plus the slide blocked off a lot of the RV when closed , which is an important feature for us when we just pull over for a quick sleep on the road and dont want to put a slide out . Surprisingly a lot of RV (camper , not MH) , dont take this into account when engineering the floorplans.
Cant wait to get it out , and down to the Fort pretty soon .
Also, just switched our Fort reservation in January to a Preferred loop (likely, (and hopefully) - loop 300 with a dog in tow) . It really is one of our favorite loops now , so we are just going to stick with it .

 

[Syndrome]

O.K. , update time .
Our "big" camper is sold , gone . Sold by word of mouth, never listed it for sale . People who bought it , walked in it , and back out in approx. 2 minutes , and wanted it . Paid asking price on the spot .
1 down ......... 1 to go .
Sadly , we are still having a hard time letting go of our "small" camper . We dont want to get rid of it , and dont have to sell it to get the new RV , but it will just sit and not be used once we get the new RV .........and look "cute" as everyone always says , lol . Will have to list it up for sale this weekend I guess .
Update on the new RV .........not sure of a delivery date yet . Salesman says he was just informed they are running behind on production due to supply issues . I kind of knew that was coming, sadly . Not sure if we are going to want to wait "indefinitely" for when ever it arrives yet . Ironically , another local dealer just got some new stock of another brand/model that was in our "top 3" for choices . They are holding it till Monday when we can look at it . It is a 2021 Coachmen Freedom Express 192rbs . Some pros ...... and cons compared to the 2108 Winnie . Same basic size of coach . We do like the Coachmen a little better , but it lacks a few features the Winnebago has . Its a coin toss . Trying to figure out quality of the Winnebago vs Coachmen .
We also found a dealer who has the Winnie we want in stock , and matched our local dealers price on our ordered unit .........but its about 500 miles away . Ironically, located about 5 minutes from the Winnebago towable's plant where it was built in Indiana (they prob get stock pretty easy!)

Its not easy to buy a new RV right now ! Dealers inventory for "hot" models is basically mostly pre-orders with not much "stock" rolling in , or units are selling pretty much as its unhitched from the delivery truck ! . Hardly have time to look at a unit , much less "think it over" if you find one you like . If you don't buy something right then and there while its available , it wont last .
Some dealers are price gouging , but there are a few around that are still "fair" . I have gotten price quotes on the models we are looking at from several dealers , and the spread is sometimes many thousands apart for exact same units . Also, not much room for haggling on price right now ! There will be someone right behind you to give "asking" price .
We have found some "good" dealers we are sticking with , and will see on Monday, what we decide !

 

[wifeofjack]

O.K. , update time .
Our "big" camper is sold , gone . Sold by word of mouth, never listed it for sale . People who bought it , walked in it , and back out in approx. 2 minutes , and wanted it . Paid asking price on the spot .
1 down ......... 1 to go .
Sadly , we are still having a hard time letting go of our "small" camper . We dont want to get rid of it , and dont have to sell it to get the new RV , but it will just sit and not be used once we get the new RV .........and look "cute" as everyone always says , lol . Will have to list it up for sale this weekend I guess .
Update on the new RV .........not sure of a delivery date yet . Salesman says he was just informed they are running behind on production due to supply issues . I kind of knew that was coming, sadly . Not sure if we are going to want to wait "indefinitely" for when ever it arrives yet . Ironically , another local dealer just got some new stock of another brand/model that was in our "top 3" for choices . They are holding it till Monday when we can look at it . It is a 2021 Coachmen Freedom Express 192rbs . Some pros ...... and cons compared to the 2108 Winnie . Same basic size of coach . We do like the Coachmen a little better , but it lacks a few features the Winnebago has . Its a coin toss . Trying to figure out quality of the Winnebago vs Coachmen .
We also found a dealer who has the Winnie we want in stock , and matched our local dealers price on our ordered unit .........but its about 500 miles away . Ironically, located about 5 minutes from the Winnebago towable's plant where it was built in Indiana (they prob get stock pretty easy!)

Its not easy to buy a new RV right now ! Dealers inventory for "hot" models is basically mostly pre-orders with not much "stock" rolling in , or units are selling pretty much as its unhitched from the delivery truck ! . Hardly have time to look at a unit , much less "think it over" if you find one you like . If you don't buy something right then and there while its available , it wont last .
Some dealers are price gouging , but there are a few around that are still "fair" . I have gotten price quotes on the models we are looking at from several dealers , and the spread is sometimes many thousands apart for exact same units . Also, not much room for haggling on price right now ! There will be someone right behind you to give "asking" price .
We have found some "good" dealers we are sticking with , and will see on Monday, what we decide !

Is the Coachmen 192rbs the one with the storage drawers under the bed? We have been researching new campers and we really like that one. Our local dealer has 2 in stock but with sofas, not theater seating, which is what we would prefer. Hubby says he knows that if we get the one with the sofa I will take that and he will never be able to sit on it and watch t.v.. I tend to lie down when watching t.v. so guess he is right about that, lol. Anyway, all the YouTube videos that we have been watching lately make us sure that is the one we would like to get to replace our old camper. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Syndrome]

Is the Coachmen 192rbs the one with the storage drawers under the bed? We have been researching new campers and we really like that one. Our local dealer has 2 in stock but with sofas, not theater seating, which is what we would prefer. Hubby says he knows that if we get the one with the sofa I will take that and he will never be able to sit on it and watch t.v.. I tend to lie down when watching t.v. so guess he is right about that, lol. Anyway, all the YouTube videos that we have been watching lately make us sure that is the one we would like to get to replace our old camper. Good luck with your decision.

Hmmm, not sure if its the same unit , but it does have an exceptional under-bed storage with drawers . Very nicely finished, not just some plywood "box" to hold stuff.
It has a jacknife sofa couch , but has a fold down arm rest in the center with usb, lighted cup holders, so it kind of replicates a "poor mans" theater seat . It does sit across from the TV , not a side view setup . We kind of want a couch or a theater seat set -up for different scenarios , so this set-up works perfect for us .
This is a smaller RV (which is what we are aiming for) , at about 4400lbs, and 23' long .

As far as watching the Youtube videos of RV walkthroughs ........... They are a great tool to get your choices narrowed down , but does / can not replace an in person visit to the one we are interested in . Several that we thought we liked from watching videos , were not as they appeared "in person" . From size , layout , quality , etc . We walked away from many that just didn't feel the same as the videos . Highly recommend not buying anything "site unseen" !

Good luck in your search as well .

 

[Sjm9911]

There nice floor plans. I wish mine had a side slide, but it dosen't. Mine is a similer weight just older. And i got the nationwide shortage when i visted the website.

 

[Syndrome]

Update time !
O.K., so we are are own enemy , lol . We are having a hard time deciding on the "just right" RV for our needs . I want to keep it small for stress free towing ease , the wife wants just a little bigger for more space and amenities . Had a hard time finding a small RV with a defined bedroom space so ..........We compromised ......... we purchased a little bigger RV . .
Finally found our perfect layout ........we were very happy with our large Keystone , so we decided to stay with Keystone .
Had to jump up from my preferred towing size of 23'-24' , and decided on a unit in the 26' range , but still around 5k empty . (our "big" RV that just sold was 32' and about 6500K+ empty) . Our 2500 Suburban should tow the new RV with ease .

Drum roll please ..........
We decided on a brand new floorplan for 2021 , it a Keystone Passport Super Light 229RK . Picking it up in a week or two . They are trying for the 10th , but might wind up being the 17th (The RV dealer is understandably , pretty busy) .
Should be perfect for towing ease , and longer stays at the Fort , and where ever else our travels take us. Also has a GREAT floorplan that is 100% accessible with slide retracted (for quick overnight stops on the road) .
Here is the dealership link to it .......... may be gone soon though .

Keystone 229RK

Some teaser pictures , and a floorplan . Interior pictures are tough to get , lol . Sorry if this is too many pictures for everyone ........we are excited ! Last picture is with the slide fully closed showing full travel access . We love it !
















Cant wait to get down to the Fort with it ! We have Acadia Maine reserved for September , and the Fort for Jan/Feb 2022 . Going to get it broken in this summer and all set-up !
Thankfully, the search is finally over !

See you all at the Fort !

 

[Sjm9911]

Have fun with it! Looks relly nice and the slides give it a ton of room.

 

[Syndrome]

Have fun with it! Looks relly nice and the slides give it a ton of room.

Thanks ! We are looking forward to it .
Its kind of of a bigger, small camper , lol . Should be a good fit for us .

 

[4077]

Looks great! I may have missed earlier in discussion...where is it and where are you located.

 

[PaHunter]

Nice unit. Layout is nice. The same dealer we purchased our motorhome thru, they were good to work with.

 

[Syndrome]

Looks great! I may have missed earlier in discussion...where is it and where are you located.

Thanks, we call home Central PA ............ when we are not traveling ! lol

Nice unit. Layout is nice. The same dealer we purchased our motorhome thru, they were good to work with.

Thanks . Yes, the layout should work our very well for us . Couples coach , as they call it nowadays . No bunks, just the dinette for an extra bed, for the occasional grandkid stay . Mostly the dogs will sleep on it , lol . It was a tough call to go slightly larger to get the layout we really needed . Will still be a relatively easy tow though. should be just big enough for weeks+ long stays, but also small enough to tow easily with low stress . Our 2500 Burb with the 496 is rated for 12,000lbs , and this rig is right around 5k dry . Even fully loaded we will not be too much over 1/2 of our tow rating .

Yes, I saw from some of your Motorhome pictures that you purchased from Schaeffer's as well . Motorhome is gorgeous BTW !
Figured if you had a good experience with them , they were good enough for us to trust . They have been pretty good so far . Very helpful , great follow ups and just great to deal with in general so far . Our sales person Fred, has been very patient and helpful through the whole process as well . Here is hoping it all goes smooth with delivery and PDI !

 

[Syndrome]

Next update - we are currently RV-less . Finally (and reluctantly) listed our “small” RV up for sale . Within 24 hours , it has sold . First person in line bought it on the spot . Now , we wait ! Our new RV delivery is scheduled for 5/17 , but they are trying for the 10th if they can swing it .
So , we have a week or two now that we can’t go camping , even if we wanted too ! .