New 2014 Camplite 21BHS

[tinkeringtechie]

It finally came! I just picked it up this afternoon and stopped for a night in Moses Lake, WA to break up the drive and test things out. I "made" myself some freeze dried lasagna and now I'm organizing all the cabinets. Unfortunately I'm writing this on a tablet, so pictures are difficult. I promise to post more later. Here's my experience so far:

The dealer:
bleh... I spent an hour waiting to sign papers and another hour waiting for a walkthrough. They were crazy busy though, so I guess that's expected.

The walkthrough:
I don't think I learned anything except that the new 2 way water heaters are automatic... NOT, I came to find out once I got to my campsite that someone dropped the ball and I ended up with just a propane version. I already sent an email to the dealer to see what could  be done about it. All of the other options were correct. But there's a bright side: it has a skylight in the shower! I didn't order that, and wasn't aware that it was standard now. Are you responsible for this Charlie? I know you said it was a custom option on yours, but mine came that way by default.

The drive:
Amazing compared to my previous experience. No WDH yet but I still plan on adding it for safety. Plenty of power, though my MPG dropped from 19 to 12. I love that the trailer and vehicle are the same width. Makes lane position less of a guessing game and visibility is perfect. I don't even see the trailer unless I look in my rear view mirror. We'll see what tomorrow is like when I go over the pass.

First setup:
No hiccups other than the discovery of the incorrect water heater. A couple minor oddities that can be easily fixed (pictures to follow).

Overall I'm very happy with the new trailer. I'll give the second day report along with pictures once I get back home.

[fasteddieb]

Congratulations!

Believe it or not, I will have to look to see if mine has a skylight in the shower - I don't believe so, but I never really noticed.

My water heater is propane only. I did not special order, so I think I just got whatever options came with th "XL Living Package".

And please, let me know what happens when you plug into a GFCI!

[charliem]

[font size="3"][font face="arial"]Nice looking rig. Gray and gray. My wife approves; she hates white campers. Interesting set of discoveries and issues you found. The WH itself should be a drop in replacement. The hardest part is running the AC wire and mounting the 120V switch. Mine has a red lighted household toggle switch mounted next to the kitchen counter and an additional circuit breaker in the power panel. As for the shower skylight, my dealer salesman and his boss were so impressed with my skylight that they decided to order all future Camplites with it. I would hope this kind of customer and dealer feedback gets to the factory. I think the same will occur on the WH. I expect only the lower end or off road models will come standard with propane only. Anyone with a micro or A/C will want the dual mode WH. Your dealer may have even been told it was being made standard. Disconnect between production and marketing in Wakarusa? I really expect the skylight, dual mode WH, dual battery holder, and beefed up bumper will become standard or listed options as the product matures. That only leaves the cold metal floor to deal with.

Glad to hear the N-G connection was correct (missing). It confirms a wiring error or faulty component on Fasteddie's unit.

Looking forward to your continuing narrative as you get acquainted with your new toy. Are you going to have to add another GB of RAM to your controller??  



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[tinkeringtechie]

Everything made it home safely yesterday, but have been swamped since then. The drive over Snoqualmie pass was a piece of cake. With our previous setup, 45MPH in second gear was the best we could do... literally, we could not go any faster if we floored it. With the new setup I could have gone 70 the whole way up if I wanted to get 5MPG. So it really ends up being a balancing act of gas mileage vs speed rather than capability. Seems like 60-65 is the sweet spot for decent time without wasting too much gas. I even went through one of those wonderful single lane construction zones. They used to give me white knuckles, but this time it was a breeze.

Now on to the oddities:

Any ideas what used to be here? Doesn't seem to match the footprint of the junction box. Do any of your have a second box there?

[attachment id="51" thumbnail="1"]

Really poor insulation job. I wouldn't recommend the spray insulation. I can still see aluminum in most areas. The thickness is not much more than some paint.

[attachment id="52" thumbnail="1"]

A couple of screws snapped of on the bottom front trim piece. Any suggestions for a replacement. Are these stainless or galvanized? Self-tappers?

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That's about it, though I'm sure more will follow. Probably won't get much chance to play around until next weekend.

[djsamuel]

We have a box there.  Never opened it, so I'm not sure what is in there.  Here's a picture:

[fasteddieb]

Here is my "as delivered" photo:






Remember, I did have hints that Sunny Island RV had relocated my propane tanks forward a bit to make room for the w/d hitch. I can take a closer look at what boxes are where next time I'm at the hangar.

I think you're having the same quality concerns that gave me a mixed reaction. These things are priced a bit higher than other, similar "boxes" with more conventional construction - I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I think I expected more attention to detail, as outlined in my ongoing thread on my 21BHS.

Then again, a 19' AirStream is roughly double what we paid for out 21BHS, and AirStream owners are likewise not thrilled with the quality of construction on their new trailers, either.

[fasteddieb]

Oh, as an aside, Karen and I are planning a month-long vacation to points west this summer, maybe beginning mid-August.

It will take us to San Francisco, then up the coast to visit a friend on Vancouver Island. So "NW Washington" could be fit into our itinerary!

So as not to hijack this thread, will start another pertaining to our plans in the near future.

Hint: If you ever invite the Benson's to stop by, don't be surprised if we do!

[charliem]

[font size="3"][font face="arial"]The extra box contains a small battery to run the break away brake. Interesting that you didn't get it, but that's probably good. It's redundant with the main trailer battery unless you disconnect it and forget to reconnect before driving. It's also another battery to maintain and replace and a real pain to check. Maybe it's sealed; I've never opened the box. Just accept your loss and relish your huge $$ savings  .

On the spray on floor insulation, I agree. I thought it would seal against air and dust infiltration, but I don't think it accomplishes that either. It certainly doesn't provide insulation, but I knew that going in. All in all I'd wouldn't recommend it to others. Another $1000 bit of education!
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[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/611/thread" timestamp="1398082318" author="@fasteddieb"]I think you're having the same quality concerns that gave me a mixed reaction. These things are priced a bit higher than other, similar "boxes" with more conventional construction - I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I think I expected more attention to detail, as outlined in my ongoing thread on my 21BHS.

Then again, a 19' AirStream is roughly double what we paid for out 21BHS, and AirStream owners are likewise not thrilled with the quality of construction on their new trailers, either.[/quote]

I think unfortunately it's just the usual pressure to produce more for less. I'm willing to "touch up" a few rough spots as long as the bones are strong. For me, the RV itself is more of a shell of starting point that I apply my finishing touches to. If I was paying airstream prices I'd be pretty pissed though.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/612/thread" timestamp="1398082660" author="@fasteddieb"]Oh, as an aside, Karen and I are planning a month-long vacation to points west this summer, maybe beginning mid-August.

It will take us to San Francisco, then up the coast to visit a friend on Vancouver Island. So "NW Washington" could be fit into our itinerary!

So as not to hijack this thread, will start another pertaining to our plans in the near future.

Hint: If you ever invite the Benson's to stop by, don't be surprised if we do!
[/quote]We have reservations in Jasper and Banff around that time, so if you're going that far inland we could have a mini "rally".

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/614/thread" timestamp="1398086367" author="@charliem"][font size="3"][font face="arial"]The extra box contains a small battery to run the break away brake. Interesting that you didn't get it, but that's probably good. It's redundant with the main trailer battery unless you disconnect it and forget to reconnect before driving. It's also another battery to maintain and replace and a real pain to check. Maybe it's sealed; I've never opened the box. Just accept your loss and relish your huge $$ savings  .

On the spray on floor insulation, I agree. I thought it would seal against air and dust infiltration, but I don't think it accomplishes that either. It certainly doesn't provide insulation, but I knew that going in. All in all I'd wouldn't recommend it to others. Another $1000 bit of education!
[/font][/font][/quote]An extra battery seems unnecessary. If that's all it does, then I'm glad it's not there... too bad they apparently changed the design while they were building mine and left the two holes.

Is your spray insulation as bad as mine? If this is the norm, then I guess I should have done some more research before purchasing it. I assumed I'd get at least a 1/8" on ALL surfaces... not a couple microns thick on the surfaces that faced the spray operator.

Any thoughts on the trim screws? I think I'll just remove one of the good ones and take it to the local hardware store (we still have one with thousands of loose bins).

[fasteddieb]

BTW, the screws take a square bit. Not sure of the size but I had one in a drill accessory kit, so I assume the bits are common.

Have not had one all the way out to determine the type, yet.

Oh, and I kind of assumed the breakaway battery was important. Maybe even required by law*. That said, mine resides in that smaller box right below the relocated main battery in the photo I just posted. A cable runs from that to be clipped onto the tow vehicle to stop the trailer if it ever did come free.

*I just Googled and a site that sells them says this: "A legal requirement in most states for towing trailers with electric brakes."

http://www.easternmarine.com/Electric-Trailer-Brake-Parts-Accessories/

[vmcmn]

[quote source="/post/621/thread" timestamp="1398094214" author="@fasteddieb"]BTW, the screws take a square bit. Not sure of the size but I had one in a drill accessory kit, so I assume the bits are common.

Have not had one all the way out to determine the type, yet.[/quote]The screws are what they call a #2 double square (8 point bit) or you can use the more common #2 square bit (4 point) found in most kits.

[charliem]

[font size="3"][font face="arial"]Most states require brakes on trailers of #1500 or so and a battery if the brakes are electric. That is A battery, not necessarily THAT battery. Plenty of trailers are sold without the separate little battery.
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[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/624/thread" timestamp="1398095991" author="@charliem"][font size="3"][font face="arial"]Most states require brakes on trailers of #1500 or so and a battery if the brakes are electric. That is A battery, not necessarily THAT battery. Plenty of trailers are sold without the separate little battery.
[/font][/font][/quote]Yeah, my understanding was that the house battery could be used just as easily. I guess a separate one covers you if you disconnect the house battery or let it get too deeply discharged, but I'm not concerned about either.