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Hey everyone! It looks like griffsdad and I may actually be able to go beyond the dreaming stage and buy a hybrid this year. As you can see in my sig line, we currently camp in a 2002 Coleman Sun Valley, which we love. It's just that I could really do with less set up and take down. And no, I absolutely cannot bring less " camping necessities!" ;)
 
Because we are looking at two Starcraft Travelstar models (21SB, 23SBS) and three Rockwood Roo models (233, 23SS, 23B), I am making a hybrid comparison chart. This is where you come in. I have some specific questions that I haven

Dang Lori, by the time someone can answer all those questions the 2008 models will be out !!

These sites will answer your spring question.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torsion_spring
http://www.dexteraxle.com/torflex_axles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_spring

Quote from: TheVikingDang Lori, by the time someone can answer all those questions the 2008 models will be out !!

I know, I know. :o If you think that's bad, you should see the comparison chart!! :eyecrazy:
 
But honestly, I can't help myself. Don't forget: I'm a attorney and an editor, so I thoroughly research the snot out of something before I make a decision. Dave just says I'm "AR." Umm...he could be right on this one...;)

Quote from: waveryThese sites will answer your spring question.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torsion_spring
http://www.dexteraxle.com/torflex_axles
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_spring

Thanks Wayne!  I'm off to read up on axles.  After work, of course... ;)

Quote from: griffsmomI thoroughly research the snot out of something before I make a decision. Dave just says I'm "AR." Umm...he could be right on this one...;)

Research works well in the legal profession (though, in some cases, when research did not reveal the desired results, it doesn't always stop lawyers!)...

But, it can only go so far in something that is personal.  It is like somebody asking you questions, perhaps detailed, about your size.  Then, based on where you were born, how old you were when you lost your first tooth, etc... assigning you a wardrobe :)


Seriously, I did a fair amount of research last year when we were hybrid-interested.

Ironically, the floorplan we'd eliminated due to research, was the one we ended up liking the most -- 23B.  In the end, actually sitting in the camper and moving around and pretending to use it is the most important thing.

A few random Hybrid points

• Starcraft still uses poles, not cables.  Cables are very nice.  Poles are frustrating, and I've met people who accidentally left one behind.
• Roo's are narrow - 7.5' instead of 8' boxes.  Makes for easier towing, but slightly less internal room
• Roo's have the longer bunks. 80 "inches" instead of 76 "inches".
• Roo's now have ducted AC.  Both ceilings are 6'4", and a 2" AC unit protruding down makes it quite easy for a 6'1 in shoes to hit their head.  The ducted only sticks down like 1".
• If the dinette is on the slide, then you cannot pull a 5th person up to the end (on a chair) since the slide is about 1 foot high.  Would need a barstool
• If the kitchen is on the slide, then you lose the bottom 1 foot of cabinets, and top 1 foot of "use".  This makes the microwave too low over the stove, and cabinets too low over the sink.
• Roo has option of heated tanks (keep from freezing), and heated mattresses.  
• Normally, Hybrid mattresses are in 2 parts (2/3 and 1/3) so you can "fold" it to store it.  It also means that they sometimes shift apart when sleeping and one can fall in the crack!  A heated mattress means the 2 parts are attached together (with a flap), so they cannot split apart.  Not a showstopper as we put a 2" memory foam on our mattress and you cannot tell it is in 2 parts.

Some bathrooms have a shower stall, some a small tub.  In some, however, there is very little room in front of the toilet for somebody tall to even sit comfortably.

Reason we bought Jayco:
Has a 78" (6'6" ceiling) instead of 76 of all the others we looked at.  For 6-foot-ish people, those 2 inches made a HUGE difference between feeling like a narrow cave and a home.  Jacqui (OC Camper) also readily agreed when she stepped in.

Reasons we bought the 23B floorplan.
First we wanted the 25 SS.  However, it felt "long & narrow".  Master bunk was at the back (you could pull a divider closed and make it a bit more "secluded" -- however, that meant the kid(s) would sleep in the bunk in the living room, making it hard to stay up late.

Though there are a lot of square feet of floor (in the 25SS or 23SS), it was not in one area - they are like long hallways.  Not enough room for a dog to lay or kid to play and not be underfoot.

Though we believed we did not want to climb over a dinette to get to our bunk, we bought the 23B in the end.  Reason?  With the couch that slides out right next to it, we usually move the table to in front of the sofa.  That leaves the dinette open.

When closing up, we just drag the already-made master bed onto the dinette.  No folding & storing the mattress.  This saves a lot of time since we have a memory foam, quilted pad & sheets on it.

It also gives us a LOT of floorspace in a single, usable area.

The U-shaped dinette can hold a lot of people comfortably.  5 on the benches, and 2 on chairs in front of the table (which, itself, is bigger than "normal").  During bad weather at the last campout (Feb), we packed 10 people in our camper for dinner & games - around the dinette and on the sofa... and 1-3 dogs on the floor (depending on if OC's dogs were in our camper or not).

The smaller bunk is in the back.  Our daughter went to sleep, and slept back there despite 7 of us in the front of the camper playing games.

UUUUHHHHHHHHHHH I'm sorry everyone for my wife's charts and questions. Now I know where she has been the last 3 days!!! You should she her in action when we go out to eat and the waiter asks Lori what she wants to order.