Evolution to the Dark Side

[GeneF]

What a voyage over the past 20 odd years of camping.

We started out with a 1969 6 foot tent camper that was as bare as a new born baby.

Moved on to the 1990 8 foot Jayco.  Had an ice box, sink, and a table.  49 days cross country.  Still have the memories.

Moved up to a 1995 10 foot Rockwood 1940.  Wow, we now had a fridge, furnace and an awning to sit under.  Took some trips with this one but was never that happy with it.

Next was the 1998 12 foot Coleman Mesa.  Took some long trips with this one including the Popuptimes rally in Tenn.  Really liked the large beds, dinette and u-couch in this one.

Ahhh, but we got tired of the cranking up and moving stuff around as we matured and retired.

So, next came the 2003 Jayco 23B hybrid.  Loved this trailer.  We camped in it for 300 days and traveled about 30,000 miles with it.  U-dinette, couch, and especially the grown up litter box were great.  The trailer allowed us to bring other people with us.  Ton's of good memories with this one.

Now it is time to move on again as our stage of maturity is again changing and we are looking more into the snowbirding.  Have reservations in St. Augustine for two months next year.

DW and I went over to our local Jayco dealer today with the intention of just getting a new hitch.  Moving from the Silverado 1500 to the 2500 made a difference.  It raised the front of the Kiwi by 3 inches which is not acceptable for towing.

The new hitch would have cost us $159 and we would be trading the Kiwi in in a couple of months.  Did I want to spend this money?

We looked over the dealers inventory and found a Jayco Jay Flight 28RLS that we both liked.  Not crazy about the interior color but it had the setup that we wanted.

Funny that the night before DW and I had sat down and figured out what our priorities would be in the next trailer.

1.  Two chairs
2.  All parts of the bathroom in one room
3.  Be able to sleep at least 4 people
4.  Be 30 feet or less (Had to compromise here, the trailer is 30 feet 2 inches.)

This one fit the bill.

Deal was a good one, in fact a few hundred less than what I was prepared to pay.

I may be paying a bit more than if I went to RVDirect, but I really like this dealership as they have treated me as though I had bought the Kiwi from them over the past year.

Salesman was great.  He had actually shown me trailers in the past, then showed trailers to DW and I together and then again today.

Service manager does a good job of trying to please his customers but I am not sure if he is on top of it all.  Service tech is great.  He knows what he is doing.

So DW and I will be picking the trailer up on Thursday, packing it up on Friday and heading to NJ for the Popup Rally on Saturday.

Admission will be $1.00 to tour the new trailer at the rally.

No, I don 't intend to leave this forum.  Been around here too long and still enjoy all of the people.

[curryp]

It was interesting to read how you evolved into your new camper. Good luck with it!

[wavery]

Nice trailer.... congrats.

You didn't supply pics so I had to go find my own. :p

Does yours have the double doors like this one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&category=50063&sspagename=STORE%3APROMOBOX%3ANEWLIST&viewitem=&item=150135559873
The storage in that thing is awsome......whataya gonna do with all that fridge? :yikes:

[GeneF]

Wavery

Thats the trailer.  Other than the color and a couple of minor things, it is the exact trailer.

The back door leads into the living area and is nice and wide.  The front door leads into the bedroom.  A bit on the narrow side but I will most likely use it to access the bathroom on the road.  Also a fire escape.  

Sorry about no pics, but I don't post pics on the net.  Never did the webshot thing.

Thanks for finding the ebay site.

Bidder didn't do too bad on it.  He paid about 14,000.  Msrp is about 26,000 on the 07's.

Dealer said 2008's are going up a couple of grand over the 07's.  In saleman language, that may mean  about 1,000.  I have heard the same thing from other salesmen.

[chasd60]

That's pretty cool Gene. After a week at Assateague and dealing with the setup and takedown of our hybrid (I know we are spoiled compared to PUTer's) we have decided on our future camping rig.
 
We will be moving very very far to the darkside. A Class A diesel pusher........and that is FAR! We will be hanging on to our present rig and TV for a couple more years but that is where we are headed.
 
Working 50 miles from home makes the truck less than desireable as a commuter car which is why I don't use the truck all winter. Having a truck parked in the driveway waiting for spring to tow the camper is not really much different than having a Class A.
 
Good luck with your new rig and tow vehicle, hope to see you soon.

[ForestCreature]

Fantastic for you and Terry!!  I can't wait to get the tour....someday. I can see you 2 being very comfortable in that rig.  I hope it's good to you.

[dthurk]

Congrats, Gene!  Just read your message to DW, we're both anxious to see you two again.

[aw738]

Admission will be $1.00 to tour the new trailer at the rally.

Wow! Kind of steep. lol. I might have to take you up on that.

[cyclone]

It looks great - congrats!!  I'll pay $5.00 for the tour if you'll just bring it on down here once the rally is finished.  :p

[CajunCamper]

I hope you enjoy your new rig. Only you can determine what type of camper best suits your needs. Have fun!

CajunCamper

[OC Campers]

Congratulations on the new trailer.  You will defiately travel in style now.

Jacqui

[campingcop]

Gene Congrats. on the new rig,I'm sure you'll enjoy it.  Would have liked to seen it but we could not make the rally this year :mad:   Maybe we'll get together some time in the future.

[tlhdoc]

Wow neighbor.  Do I have to pay for the tour?  I am your neighbor you know.  Congratulations on the new trailer and I can't wait to see it.  See you on Saturday.

[Trailman]

What a voyage over the past 20 odd years of camping.

We started out with a 1969 6 foot tent camper that was as bare as a new born baby.

Congrats on the new trailer.  
BTW I still have a 1969 6ft Tent camper  

[mowalker]

WOW! You did it, now you are an official "snowbird"!

Congrats on the purchase, I know looking for the truck was a pain for you there for a while, glad that worked out.
 
Look forward to seeing you again in the "winter".  I hope I get a discount on the tour by then .
 
I'm glad you found something you wanted and most of all staying here at PUT.
 
Now we need a name for Floridians that migrate north to cool off.  No "sand fleas" is not a good name. :p