Shakedown Trip for a Cabin A #3

[SheBantam]

OK I admit it, I have truly gone to the deepest end of the darkside.

Two weeks ago after a grueling weekend in the 1992 Jayco 1006 (not so)Delux (any more, if it ever was), at Watkins Glen SP at a PUX Rally, I finally proved to my husband that it had seen it's better days (actually before I bought it), and it's time had come...Roof is rotten, canvas is almost as bad, could pull the curtains and they ripped...got the picture???

The Bantam is wonderful and we are keeping it. BUT since gas has gotten so ridiculously high, and I keep camping farther and farther from home AND the Jayco is (was and has been) shot...I wanted an Aliner, quick, easy, light...then I saw the Cabin series...all the amenities of the Bantam, in some cases better, light enough to tow with the mini van, and smaller...so we bit, drove all the way to Apollo PA (right outside of Pittsburgh PA) from New Castle DE, saw it, liked it and took it home (they knew that if we liked it, we were bringing the F150 and could tow it home (the Windstar only had a 4 pin wiring and no brake controller, needed both))

My intention was to go up VERY Early in the AM and then camp over night on the way home...hubby wanted to do it the other way, leave right after work, get a  (persih the thought) motel room, and get to the dealer when they opened. Then tow it straight home...we did it his way (for a change, I have to compromise sometime).

Took the Cabin on the shakedown/comparison cruise to the Eastern Rally at Bath NY last weekend, about 6 hours with no stopping.
I over loaded the van with stuff from out of both the Jayco and the Bantam, then decided when I got there what I wanted, what I needed and what I actually had room for...

Compared to the Jayco, the Cabin is truly a Castle, the only thing I really lost from the Bantam was storage and space.

Refrigeration:
Jayco:Ice Box, doubled as toy storage chest
Bantam: 2 way fridge with teeny freezer
Cabin: 3 Cubic foot 2  way

Water heater:
Jayco: ROFLMO
Bantam: Flicked my bic A LOT
Cabin: make sure the water is hooked up, the gas is on and go inside and push a button...

Microwave:
Jayco: Bring along
Bantam: Also Bring along
Cabin: Built in as a standard item

Toilet:
Jayco: ROFLMO
Bantam: Wet bath
Cabin:wet bath

Sink:
Jayco: busted
Bantam:Too small to be practical.
Cabin: Can actually get a pan in the sink!!

Stove:
Jayco: Indoor out door...really love that feature
Bantam: Small 3 burner with a home-mage cover
Cabin: Large 3 burner with a stainless cover

Sanitation
Jayco: hey no toilet, sink used to hide my purse...sanitation???
Bantam: 6 gallon Black 20 gallon Gray
Cabin: 6 gallon black, 12 gallon gray

Fresh water:
Jayco: BYOB
Bantam:20 gallon, but never used it except for antifreeze
Cabin: 12 gallon and getting an RV antifreeze hand pump.

Beds:
Jayco: king and full bunk ends 1 dinette
Bantam: Qn & full bunk ends, single dinette and queen ushaped lounge.
Cabin: choice of 2 27" benches or 1 full sized with dinette down.

Weight:
Jayco: 1200 to 1600 lbs
Bantam: I reall don't want to know actual, 2710 dry
Cabin: fully loaded (including my gravy boat) not quite 2000

Awning:
Jayco:Bag, hard plastic hard to roll especially in cooler weather.
Bantam: Carefree WONDERFUL TT awning, with the locks on the arm
Cabin: Still wondering where to put one and how...

heater:
Jayco:ROFLMOL
Bantam: Gas Furnace, with off on on the bottom.
Cabin: Cag furnace with the off on on top

Demand pump switch:
Jayco: Hey, no water storage no WH, why need a swich??
Bantam: Low on the wall, gets hit on by moving articles while traveling.
Cabin, On side of cabinet, no bending!! away from moving stuff!!

Auxilliary batter:
Jayco: What Battery...I see some wires
Bantam: in a seperate locked compartment, easy to get to from outside
Cabin: under the seat, but does a have a "kill the battery" switch on it.

Water heater:
Jayco: Huh???
Bantam: 6 gallon have to sit and flick my bic...
Cabin: 6 gallon, turn on H2O, and gas, go in, flip a switch...

AC:
Jayco: 2 fans or more and lota of ice water
Bantam: TT AC on the roof
Cabin: Window AC in the wall

We (hubby's grandaughter and I) chose the "I Love Lucy" bed arrangement, that meant the dinette stayed folded all the time and we had to occasionally move it when we needed to get into the cabinet.

For one this is a great little trailer, for 2 it means making concessions for each other space wise.  For three, absolutely forget it...that is why we are keeping the Bantam...we have kids and grand kids, and more on the way...

Tows great behind the minivan, better behind the F150, did not even know it was there...11 foot box 15' total unless you get the expedition package, that is a front trunk, then it is 18' long. Mine has all the gizmos under the storage bench on the gally side. Same width as a popup, so that makes going through all those construction cattle shoots a lot easier.

What I am not thrilled about;
another trailer without an out door shower
all the gizmos are inside with no outside access to any of the gizmos.

Since I do most of my camping alone (with groups, but alone in the camper) this little Cabin A #3 is ideal for me...can tow with my comfortable minivan, small, light, not too wide, bed is wide enough for me, just need some memory foam.  HersheyGirl gave me an egg crate, that made it some better, but still had the backaches. I have a memory foam AND mattress heater for the Bantam.

[tlhdoc]

So I think you are saying that the Jayco is your favorite trailer. :yikes: