I promised I would post about our first impressions of our new 2014 CampLite 21BHS.
First of all, this is our first travel trailer, so we don't know if we had unreasonable expectations. We paid about $27,600 before taxes and tags, making it a bit more than most basic 20' boxes, yet still less than half the price of a comparable Airstream.
So far, our impressions have been mixed, at best.
The delivery went well, and the people at Sunny Island RV in Rockford, IL were nothing but professional, courteous and friendly. The price was clearly stated and there were not attempts to gouge us with add-ons or hidden fees. The price was also much less than on a comparable trailer we shopped at a dealer in TN.
Several things cropped up on the PDI:
1 - The stove would not light. New striker installed.
2 - The external hose attachment would not fit. Adjusted.
3 - One wheel had missing clear coat in a patch about the size of a silver dollar. Replaced.
4 - The table in the dinette fit poorly. Stand replaced.
And that was about it. The trailer was winterized, but we did pressurize the system and everything seemed to work. The furnace also kicked on properly.
Anyway, so far, so good.
On the road I noticed two things -
1 - I went to open the outside outlet cover, and the little tongue on the inside just fell off. Snaps back on OK, but is pretty flimsy. May put a dollop of JB Weld on it, and check the other covers as well.
2 - In a suburb of Knoxville, we put the roof antenna switch on "AIR" and could only get two OTA channels, and those very poorly. And only one FM channel on the radio. As a goof, I did a channel scan on "CABLE" and about 17 channels came in on the TV and the radio got LOTS of channels.
Unless I'm totally confused, it seems as though either the switch is wired backwards or the switch plate is reversed.
Now, back home and looking at things closely, I'm a little disappointed with some of the details.
1 - Here's how the black water pipe is supported:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/13560456885_e32f438bea.jpg)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/13589288473_da4d152c24.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/13612691725_963283b134.jpg)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/13559468283_a68077bc1f.jpg)
[font size="3"][font face="arial"]Eddie,
Nice report and thanks for updating us. As a way of comparison, let me address each of your observations vs my unit:
[ol type="decimal"][li]No problem noted on my stove. Worked fine.[/li][li]No problem on hose connection noted.[/li][li]No problem on wheel coating noted but I didn't inspect to that detail.[/li][li]The single post table support is iffy at best in all trailers. I replaced it with a more expensive locking support and still not satisfied. I'm presently redesigning the table mount and will upload when finished.[/li][li]Didn't notice any problem with the outside outlet cover. However, the outside outlet and one inside outlet did stop working after a while. I traced it to a loose connection in another interior outlet box. Tightened and all is well.[/li][li]I don't have any switch labeled "air/cable". Mine is in the form of a push button that lights up when the amplifier is on. When lit the roof antenna is amplified and connected to the TV and FM radio. When unlit the TV is connected to the exterior cable connector and the radio is left without an FM antenna. Seems to work as expected. [/li][li]I have the same type of black water pipe support but it appears coated or galvanized. No problem yet.[/li][li]The spare tire is mounted with stem up like yours. Seems upside down to me too, but on second thought, maybe not so dumb. Forces you to remove the tire to check or fill but prevents some idiot from just filling without loosening the thump nut. That could be interesting! The aluminum flat stock is the same, strong but not beautiful. And I won't worry about some scratching on a spare tire wheel. Not a big deal to me.[/li][li]I ordered my unit without batteries, but the dealer installed one anyway. All connections were tight, but I replaced with two 6V golfers when I got home.[/li][li]I'm not qualified to critique welding. I had a similar reaction to the tank support straps, but they will work fine when the tanks fill and deform. I don't anticipate a problem.[/li][li]No problems with storage doors except sticking of the rubber gaskets. Tried silicone spray but didn't help much. That seems to be general problem with such seals. It will cure with time.[/li][li]One interesting problem I did have was the gray water backed up and burped through the bath and kitchen sink when the gray tank was only half full. Soapy water everywhere! I checked the roof vent and it was clear. My dealer was 6+hours away so LL agreed to have it serviced at a local CampingWorld. They replaced a "faulty" vacuum breaker under the kitchen sink. I still don't quite understand how that was the problem, but it was a vendor issue, not a LL problem. No problem with the warranty.
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[/p][p]Generally I think some of this stuff comes from the Friday afternoon, coffee break, hurry up and finish effect. They all have somethings wrong. I'm still impressed with the LL design and engineering. The implementation is better than or on par with the rest of the industry.
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Thanks for the report. I will definitely be putting these on my list of things to check for the PDI. I may have mentioned it already, but we should start collecting these in a sticky for new buyers so that common issues can be resolved BEFORE they get it home.
Here's that antenna switch that seems to be backwards:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/13632410703_da1378d9a0.jpg)Comments on Charlie's post to follow...
[font size="3"][font face="arial"]Can't really tell much from the picture except the coax connector looks terrible. I can't see the switch label, but it looks like you have a red light. I'd go by the light: on means the amp is on and should be amplifying the roof antenna and feeding TV and FM radio; off means the amp is off, the TV is connected to the external cable connector, and the FM radio has no antenna. BTW the AM radio is not fed from the external antenna. If you want AM you have to install the small rectangular AM antenna or provide an external antenna. Being aluminum the camper shields AM signals so an inside antenna will pretty much be a waste. For that reason I installed roof antennas for SiriusXM satellite and a cell phone booster.
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[quote source="/post/415/thread" timestamp="1396660964" author="@charliem"][font size="3"][font face="arial"]Being aluminum the camper shields AM signals so an inside antenna will pretty much be a waste. For that reason I installed roof antennas for SiriusXM satellite and a cell phone booster.
[/font][/font][/quote][p]I did a test at home and 40' away from my wifi router at home (in my driveway) I got no signal on the laptop.[/p][p]
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[font size="3"][font face="arial"]WiFi signals at 2.4GHz can get in through the windows so placing the laptop near a window facing the house may work. However, 40 feet outside the house can be a stretch even for open air, and that's a good thing. You don't really need neighbors or nearby drivers accessing your network. If you want to access campground WiFis you'll need to play with placement near windows or install an external antenna. That said, most campground WiFis are useless. Much better off using your cell phone as a hotspot.
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[quote source="/post/417/thread" timestamp="1396661650" author="@charliem"][font size="3"][font face="arial"]WiFi signals at 2.4GHz can get in through the windows so placing the laptop near a window facing the house may work. However, 40 feet outside the house can be a stretch even for open air, and that's a good thing. You don't really need neighbors or nearby drivers accessing your network. If you want to access campground WiFis you'll need to play with placement near windows or install an external antenna. That said, most campground WiFis are useless. Much better off using your cell phone as a hotspot.
[/font][/font][/quote][p]Meh. I don't have a neighbor within rifle shot.[/p][p]
[/p][p]I can sit with the laptop out at the firepit another 50' away streaming a baseball game, sipping whiskey, keeping a cigar going....wait - tell me again why I go camping ?
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[font size="3"]Yep. I had the same question when I lived out in the Colorado country on 20 Acres in a dense pine forest. I also had the fire pit, but no WiFi then. :)
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I have my 21bhs for a year now, did have some issues at delivery: roof was not sealed properly and leaked water inside (good thing it rained the night before), frig did not work three weeks for part, seam tape on wall board was lifting, my radio does not pick up any stations with the antenna, have the same rusty strap, heater fan motor is very loud sounds like a bad bearing. I must say my dealer did what he could to make it right as did LL.
These are great campers, quality control just has not kept up with the demand. After a year of camping no additional issues and camper has held-up well. Still highly recommend these products and if I had a vehicle that could tow the new 28 foot model I would buy it.
Steve
Mine is center position "OFF". In both "AIR" and "CABLE" the red LED comes on.
This shows it better:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/13632410703_7c20f22ea1.jpg)Again, good reception on both the TV and FM in the "CABLE" position. Poor in the "AIR" position. Still opposite to what I would expect.
[quote source="/post/423/thread" timestamp="1396706396" author="@fasteddieb"]Mine is center position "OFF". In both "AIR" and "CABLE" the red LED comes on.
This shows it better:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/13632410703_7c20f22ea1.jpg)
[font size="3"]I agree it seems the switch is either wired backwards or installed backwards. I don't know exactly why the amp would be on in the normal cable position since the cable signal does not need amplification. But, if it works..............
I caution against just loosening the nut and rotating the switch. Without removing the plate and looking at the wiring you run the risk of twisting a wire off the back of the switch. In that case you'd have to tell everyone there was a loose nut on the other end of the wrench :'(
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good information, thx!