20B24 2000 series Travel trailer (Bigfoot)

[dvaughan]

We purchased a 1999 Bigfoot travel trailer in 2000 and Have not seen another 24' model on the road. I think they made these models (20B24 and 20B27) for 2 years. These models are not the two piece shell but are a Fibercore wall system. I know when we bought this model from Mike Roseman in Vernon BC there was another one beside it. The salesman said a lot of their product was going down to the States. They do now make a 25' model two piece shell, but we prefer our floor plan. Just wondering if anyone has seen one in there travels or know any one who owns one. Would like to know how they like it, or what problems they have had.

 

[LeeNH]

All I know is, I would love to get one of their slide in campers! They are the best... . by far that I have seen. Not many around New England though... too far away for most dealers I guess.

Any Bigfoot owners have opinions on the Bigfoot slide ins as well?

 

[DPelletier]

DVaughan,

Friends of ours have the 24' and like it and have no problems as far as I know. They got it used recently, so I'll have to ask them how its been next time we go camping.

I have a 1996 25C9. 5 and our friends have a '97 25C9. 5 a '97 15C9. 5 and a '95 3000 series 10. 11 slide-in. We all love them.

Been all over and do a lot of boondocking and off road camping. Went down to Baja last winter and had a great time. Campers have been great with not one single leak, crack or structural problem. We've had problems, but nothing we could blame Bigfoot for; Greg backed into a pole, my son broke a window and a couple of the Dometic fridge controllers have failed. I believe the Bigfoot slide in is at the very top of the quality list. We bought ours after extensive research.

There is a Bigfoot Owners Club now according to discussions www.IRV2.com. I am sure you would get some good information there.



Happy Camping

Dave



ps. My company is doing work on Bigfoot's latest plant expansion and they are a top notch company. Facility is state-of-the-art. Staff and Management are friendly and pride in thier work is evident.

 

[LeeNH]

Glad to hear so many happy Bigfoot owners... . Its at least a year away for me to get one, afterall, you pay for quality. . I need some more pennies.

Have you ever stayed in the Bigfoot slide in in REAL cold weather?, thats mainly what I want it for, snowmobiling up north here it get to be -20 quite often in the dead of winter, I have used other slide ins at those temps, but the furnace does not stop, and the wind gets the upper bunk a little chilly.

Thanks, Lee

 

[DPelletier]

LeeNH,

We've used ours often at -5 deg celcius with absolutely no problems and we've taken it up to the ski hill a couple of times (maybe -10 , -15 deg Celcius). Worked great.

Some things to keep in mind for winter use:

- 1500 series do not have heated tanks and are therefore unsuitable for temps much below freezing

- 2500 series have R8 insulation, heated tanks, oversized furnace, and optional double pane windows and Fantastik Fan. Good for about -15 deg. Celcius. I strongly recommend the double pane windows as they're hard to add later.

- 3000 series winterwall, R12 insulation plus all of the above features, good to about minus 30- minus 40 C. (Going off memory, here!)



You will need a 1 Ton Dually for the 3000 series camper. Period.

The 2500 10. 5 should be carried on a dually. The 2500 9. 5 can be carried on a 2500 or 3500 SRW, but you'll be over GVWR on the 2500 by about 1,000 lbs. Only slightly over on the 3500 SRW, depending on what you pack. The 1500 series is OK for any 3/4 ton.



Hope this helps.



Dave



ps. I struggled with the costs of the Bigfoot as well. Ended up with a used Bigfoot rather than a new Brand X. Couldn't be happier.

 

[dresslered]

You will need a 1 Ton Dually for the 3000 series camper. Period.

That's an understatement! On our last trip out, I swung by a certified weigh station and found that ours fully loaded up (double pane windows) was about 5000-lbs. Quality is sure heavy!

 

[DPelletier]

David,

Thought you might chime in!

So all loaded up you're at about 12,000 - 12,500 GVW ? I was at 9,664 lbs with my 25C9. 5 on my '01 2500 QC 4x4 (864 lbs over), but that was before I hooked my trailer on . Now I figure I'm at 7200 truck + 2714 camper + 750 tongue = 10,664 on my GVWR of 12,000 gives me 1,336 of "wriggle room".



Opps, didn't mean to turn this into a GVWR thread!!!



What is the temp rating on your 3000? I don't have my info here at work.



Merry Christmas,

Dave

 

[dresslered]

Hey Dave! I just love these Bigfoots (Bigfeet?), but I often wonder what truck they were designed for. Mine doesn't have a slide-out, but it has all the cold weather goodies. It is rated to -40 degrees, and though I would never go out in those conditions, it does make it very efficient on heating and cooling. My last weights were as follows (note: truck had a new 350-lb front bumper/winch):



Front Axle: 4,940

Rear Axle: 7,840

Total: 12,780



Merry Christmas and safe travels.



David



P. S. I'm jelous of your 12,000-lb. GVWR over my 11,000-lb. but at least I can hear my truck idle.

 

[Mike Ellis]

I have only stayed one night in cool weather (20s) with my 2500 10. 6, the furnace had plenty of oomph to keep it warm without running more than a few minutes. There are no ducts in the bunk area though on mine (1997 model) so it was cooler there than in the rest of the camper. Would probably be a good idea to get a small fan to move air around at night and keep the bunk warmer.



On the Bigfoot owner's club website forums, they had a discussion about cold weather camping. The guys up north recommended getting a few blocks of styrofoam or eggcrate foam to poke into the Fantastic fan opening and under the utility connection doors etc, they say a few pieces of foam makes a big difference in keeping the camper warm and not having furnace run all the time.



They seem to be insulated pretty good, I can tell you that in Texas summer heat ours stays surprisingly cool and comfortable without the A/C having to stay on all the time as in other RVs I have been in here. We camped in 100+ degree heat and it would get so cool inside we had to turn AC off.



LeeNH, I tried to buy a 2500 10. 6 from a dealer in NH north of Nashua while on a business trip, couldn't even get the rascal to give me the time of day. I went up and looked at the camper, it seemed to be well equipped and in good shape, but they wouldn't meet me to let me look at interior so I decided to buy a used one instead. I drove to Colorado to get mine, had a great trip and it was worth every mile.

 

[Boomer II]

We bought a 2500 9. 6 this year, like it a lot. Bought it in Colorado Springs.

 

[LeeNH]

Mike... . I hear ya on the grumpy dealer... . I called the dealer in Mass to get some info, he was not sure what he had in stock, even though he only had 2 units! He would not give me a price unless I drove down there, and he refused to price out an models I asked about ordering..... One more place to cross off the list!

I am not in a position to buy one now, I may have been then..... but good to see so many happy Bigfooters (Bigfeets) around!.

 

[KSoares]

truck campers

if you like bigfoots check out www. northernlite.com better quality

 

[LeeNH]

You web link needs a 'dash' between the northern and lite.

I checked them out too, but I don't believe they have any models with a dry bath?

What areas are the quality differences between the two??



Lee

 

[DPelletier]

KSoares,

I would question the "better quality" , and yes I know about the "5 star customer satisfaction rating" thing. I have been in both plants (Northern Lites are built a block away from my shop). I did extensive research before purchasing my Bigfoot and I was able to find two people that complained of extensive structural failure of their Northern Lites. I couldn't find anyone who had a similar complaint with a Bigfoot camper.



Dave