Tell us about your rig....

[rwenzel2]

OK - this board is much, much too slow. Not enough going on. So to generate a little action - tell us about your rig. What you like about it - what you don't. And, while you're at it, tell us about your dream rig.

I'll go first.

We have a 2001 Sportsmen travel trailer. It is a model 3204PSS, with quad bunks in back, a queen up front, and a slideout with dinette and couch. We tow it with a 2000 Ford Excursion (diesel). It is the second rig we purchased by Sportsmen (KZ). The first was a 2000 of the same model, but without the slideout. One too many campouts in cold, rainy weather with too many kids underfoot, and I told my husband - "We trade it for one with a slide, or I quit camping!" So, back we went to the dealer for the second time in less than a year to order our current rig. We got to order it the way we wanted, so we added gel-coat fiberglass and changed some of the cabinetry around. I can't say enough good things about the manufacturer, KZ. They were fabulous with the modifications, and have gone above and beyond to take care of any concerns/problems we have had since - including fixing the slide motor AFTER it was out of warranty. We have towed this trailer to Florida and back, Montana and back, California and back, and all over our home state of Texas. We usually spend between 40 - 60 nights a year camping in it, although the last year was closer to 30 due to my increased work load and increased kids activities.

Someday, DH and I hope to have a fifth wheel with multiple slideouts, but we don't want to take that plunge til the kids are done travelling with us. Problem with a fifth wheel and 3 kids - all 3 have to sit in the same seat in a truck - and I don't think ANY of us could
stand that.

 

[lawnspecialties]

We just got back on the 29th from our first trip to the Fort. Best camping trip we've ever had by far.

There's four of us. Me, DW, and two DS:11 and 5. We have a 2004 Puma 30' travel trailer. It's a 30 FQSS: front queen, large single bed in back with bunk above it, and super slide. Tow vehicle is an '05 F-250 6.0L diesel crew cab. We only got about 8-9 mpg this trip to DW but we did between 70-75 mph the whole way. I'd rather spend the money and get there than take all day.

We've had our TT two years now and love it. Our dealership has been wonderful to deal with even though they are about two hours away. We just saw them at the RV show in Raleigh last week and they even remembered our names after not seeing them for over a year!

As much as we love our Puma, after visiting the Fort, I sure would love to get a fifth wheel toy-hauler and stick a golf cart in back.

 

[Live4FW]

We just brought home our new TT on Tuesday. We got a 2006 Cougar 301BHS. Has same layout as rwenzel2. It has quad bunks in back, queen up front and slide with dinette/couch. We added satellite dish and flat screens in BR and entertainment center - you can guess which loops will be requesting.

We knew we wanted a new trailer because our 13 yr old DS outgrew the triple bunks in our old trailer and it didn't have a slide so with 3 kids, DW, and our basset hound it was just too much underfoot.

Just before our last trip to the Fort, we found a soft spot in the front floor...ended up with nearly 4K of damage. We just shook our heads and said we didn't want to repair something we really didn't want so we handed the dealer our trailer, insurance check and brought home our new baby.

Tomorrow we head for our shakedown cruise.

The only down side is we will be shopping for a new truck over the next 18 months.

We will be at the the Fort for two weeks (May 27 - June 11)

 

[ugadog99]

Well...not much of a rig, but I have a 98 Coleman Bayside with a glideout dinette. I pull with my 04 Trailblazer. I figure it isn't much, but at least the girls and I get to experience the Fort and that can't be beat!!!

 

[Paul in TX]

1997 35 foot Safari Sahara DP---no slides but wide body---best of all its paid for--lol

 

[markb]

We just got our rig in July (just b-4 Katrina struck... 9 of us livied in for 8 nights in the back yard!) 33 1/2 foot(?) ultralite Rockwood 9818 (I think) with a superslide in the den/kitchen and a second slide in the bunkroom. We have a queen in the front, a queen sofabed, and the bunkroom is perfect for the kids. We also have dvd-surround sound and xm, sirius... heck, it might be better than home! We pull it with a 2000 Suburban 1500 with 5.6 ltr, 3:73 rear end, tow package, and enough room on the inside that we are able to resist the urge to smack children as we drive

We know we're more undersized on the tow vehicle than we'd like... going with a F-250 next when the olders can drive them selves... (soon!)

 

[ftwildernessguy]

2001 Jayco Kiwi 21c pulled with a 2005 Ford F150 Super Cab

See picture below.

 

[Sheetshouse]

Well...not much of a rig, but I have a 98 Coleman Bayside with a glideout dinette. I pull with my 04 Trailblazer. I figure it isn't much, but at least the girls and I get to experience the Fort and that can't be beat!!!

What do you mean not much....we have a 2002 Bayside pulling with a Suburban. Like they say - "if you can't smell canvas you're not camping"

 

[OK GRUMPY]

We just purchased a 22ft Coachman 5th Wheel with a slide out. With a Chevy 2006 Silverado as our Tow vechicle.

 

[mrsgus06]

We traded our 04 Cougar 301BHS tt in for an 05 Everest fifth wheel. Try 5 kids in a single slide travel trailer . The Everest has 3 slides, dual a/c's, washer/dryer, central vac, surround sound dvd, Direct tv and 1 1/2 baths. We pull it with a 99 Ford F350 diesel dually, crew cab, long bed. No, we don't shove all the kids in the truck. I usually drive my suburban down with the kids and utility trailer and golf cart. I love the Keystone products, and have had a few issues with it while in Ft. W for the summer last year (water line burst and underbelly/insulation fell to the ground was the only major one) but I will tell you Lazy Days will never work on it again. They kept it from Aug to Dec last year to fix everything. Oh yea, let's don't forget the tree that fell on it while at Ft. W, but they were wonderful. Counting down the days for our trip in April!!!

 

[disfanRN]

We have a Nash 22M we pull it with a 2006 2500hd Duramax/6 spd allison. Love the trailer its built like a brick house, its only 24 ft long but weighs in arond 6000lbs and has a gwr of 10,000lbs so you can load it up w/ anything. The layout works great for us and with the slide we have plenty of floorspace. spent almost a month at the fort last summer and we are going back in April.

 

[movtarget]

Hey, lawnspecialties, we did the Raleigh RV show last weekend, too. Didn't see anything that could justify me getting rid of my Kiwi until I'm ready to put out about 70K for both a bigger tow vehicle and trailer.

We've got a 23' 2000 Jayco Kiwi with the slide out and two pop-up bunk ends (hybrid style) kinda like ftwildernessguy's, just a little bigger. We tow it with a 1997 Chevy Express Conversion Van.

Our plan is to hang on to this combination another 4 years until DD4 is out of a car seat, then look at a crew cab truck and upgraded trailer. No Fiver for us yet, I plan to put a golf cart in the back of the pickup (unless of course we get a fiver that's a toy hauler... hmmm).

36 days until we are at the Fort!

Moving Target in NC

 

[cyndilou01]

we have a 28 ft Prowler with a slide... one queen bed up front, and a sleeper sofa... kitchen table is a "table and 4 chairs" which was the selling point for DH and I, the children are grown, ds has not camped with us for years, dd camps every now and then she is getting married in Nov... and then jus me and dh... so when we upgraded two years ago we looked for a camper that would give us the most room for just the two of us... , we did pull it with my E350, (15 passenger van), hubby just bought a new Dodge 1500 He got a HEMI, quad cab, we love it!! ready for the our next trip to FW.

 

[wifeofjack]

We just picked up our new 19 foot Flagstaff a few weeks ago. We have camped for years and this is our first brand new camper. We cannot wait to take her out on her maiden voyage.
It has a full size bed in the rear, table and seating in the front, stove with an oven, which I really wanted, tub and shower, and a WINDOW in the bathroom.
We had looked for almost 3 years trying to find just what we wanted and when this one came up, we did not hesitate to buy it immediately.
It is just hubby and I who will use it, so 19 feet is adequate. We did not want the added weight of a slide, even tho we have more than enough towing power with our 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500 extended cab to handle it.
Hubby thought he wanted a fifth wheel, but when we priced them, we found them to be a little out of our reach. We both really love the Flagstaff and the best part is, it is paid for, no monthly loan payment.
We are supposed to be going to Fort Wilderness in '07 with several other families, but we just might have to take our new home on wheels for a long drive this year, just to check out the place and make sure the others will really like it there, haha, like there is any doubt.........

 

[bianca]

We have a 36' Dutchman (2000) FW that has 2 bathrooms, a slide and a bunkhouse. The 2 bathrooms was what "sold" us on the unit, as we have 3 daughters and they usually bring friends. We also have a 2004 Coleman pop-up. Since we store our FW outside WDW, the pop-up allows us to take short trips closer to home. We also take it with us to FL and use it as our "overnight camp" while on the road. In addition to being quick to set up, it is very easy to tow. When we get to the storage lot, we just swap the pop-up for the FW and head off to FW. As for the truck, it is a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 5-Speed. Quite a beast, but my DH is the primary driver and loves it.

 

[ugadog99]

What do you mean not much....we have a 2002 Bayside pulling with a Suburban. Like they say - "if you can't smell canvas you're not camping"

I stand corrected! Really, I do love my Bayside. I dream about getting a highwall, though. They are really cool!

 

[minkydog]

What do you mean not much....we have a 2002 Bayside pulling with a Suburban. Like they say - "if you can't smell canvas you're not camping"

My favorite quote We have a very small "rig"--a 2001 Viking pop-up with a 10ft box. It has enough bed space for the 5 of us, plus Grandma, no toilet(like i'm going to do that in front of all the kids ), industrial-strength a/c , and is light enough for me and my son to push around. So if i can't back it up, I just unhitch and roll it into the space We pull with a GMC Safari minivan(V-8).

We love it because it's still a lot like tenting--we spend a lot of time outside because the camper is so small. I can easily handle it by myself and it's paid for. It's a breeze to pull--you don't even know it's there.

We'll be in FW for Thanksgiving

 

[jgerni]

Just came back from a wonderful trip to the Fort (2/4-2/10).

We were excited because we got to travel with our new 2005 Cougar 281EFS 5vr. Pulling this 5th wheel over our previous TT was much more enjoyable and comfortable especially at speed on the interstates. At the campground mom and dad had their own room and the kids had theirs.

Our tow rig is a 2002 Chevy K2500HD Crew Cab 8.1L Allison Transmission with 3.73 gear. We averaged 9 mpg on our 1550 trip. The worst being 8.2mpg and the best 9.8mpg. Fairly respectable for a gas truck pulling 10,000lbs. My only complaint is the way to small fuel tank at 26 gallons.

 

[cakesnkids]

We have a 2003 31ft Four Winds 5th wheel rear living, couch and dinette slide, queen in front. We pull it with a 2005 Dodge Ram, which we got the week before Katrina. It's a big ole monster, dont' know what kind it is, but tows great. We've only been camping in it once, we got it for a steal used, 13,500, a few months ago...LOVE IT!!!

 

[dreaming4disney]

We just got a Jayco hybrid 26L in the fall and tow it with a Yukon XL 4.10 . This is our first trailer and we only used it once- Christmas at FW. We had a lot of fun. We are new to rving but I think we faked it pretty well.(except for when we arrived at 7pm in the dark and had to have someone help us back it into the site. I can't wait to get back this summer.