Slide Outs?

[JWhitcomb]

OK, got a basic decision to make here. I am going to purchase a slide in camper and the first thing to decide is with or with out a slide out extension. What I am looking for is actual experiance with one, could be a camper, 5'er, or trailer. It sure seems to me they can leak under the right conditions and to a lesser extent get stuck for whatever reason. In a camper they make a large difference in interior space and on that basis only would be worth while. I haven't been able to talk to anyone that has gone thru a winter with one and the winters here can be very wet, a few years ago we had 105 days of measurable rain in a row. Brand names are not the game here but if you have a comment on one specific please pass it on. Thanks

 

[RJOL]

Slideouts

I've owned a Alpenlite 5th wheel dual slideout for several years. I keep it in Western Washington, uncovered, and it tend to be a little wet here in the fall, winter, and spring. I've never had a leak in this system.



Things to look for:



1. Make sure it has a darn good seal around the slideout.

2. My slideouts actually have a small metal frame around them, so when retracted, they aren't just flush with the side, but have a protective edge around them.

3. Make sure the slide out room has a slightly slanted roofline so the water runs away from the trailer/camper/5th wheel, when parked and LEVEL!

4. Go to one of the rv sites and see if you can get feedback about the particular model your looking at.

 

[Dieselnerd]

I have a HitchHiker 5th wheel with 3 slideouts which is great because we live in it full time for 4 months every winter in Arizona. Slideouts have been around long enough that they are almost problem free. (At least on 5th wheels) Mine operate flawlessly and have never leaked. I also have a slide in camper that we use for fishing and hunting. I would never get a slideout in a pickup camper because of the extra weight and the fact that in most of them I've seen you can't use the camper without extending the slideout. This would get a little annoying stopping for lunch at rest stops. My 5th wheel is perfectly useable with the slideouts in although it feels cramped but it's fine for rest area lunch breaks. If the slide in is going to be your only RV I guess it depends on how much time you are going to spend inside and how much that extra room really means to you.

 

[JWhitcomb]

Added Question

Ok, added question about something DN brought up. Why would you not extend a slide out at a lunch stop? While I have not actually done it, it seems like it would be a very short time to extend and there are no other things to do in order to be operational.

 

[dresslered]

another added question

Hi Jim!



Now I have an added question. What if you are camping in the rain. Would one be concerned with retracting the slight-out while wet. Would you need to air this out later or are there breathing/drainage provisions?

 

[Okie-Go]

I am on my 2nd trailer. This one has 2 slides,the tag a long had one. No problem with either. Remember to remove the bars on the inside before pushing the button. Dealer said it helps to keep the slide in place on the bouncy roads. I think there is a rubber squeegy type thing on top to keep water out side. No problems at all, Wifey put slide in last week in the rain.

 

[Dieselnerd]

When you retract them wet, they come in wet. They do seem to dry off as you drive and if it's really wet we try to get the worst of it off with towels. Why wouldn't you put the slideout out on a pickup camper in a rest stop? I understand from reading articles in "Trailer Life" that you must also put your jacks down to stabilize the truck and camper for the weight of the slide going out. Whether or not extending without the jacks being down might twist or stress anything in the camper, I don't know. My owners manual for the 5th wheel does advise you to have the stabilizers down before you put out the slides but they are huge compared to the slide in a pickup camper.

 

[JWhitcomb]

More

Ok, how do you all slide owners feel about the little awning type covers that go over the top of the slide. Seems like they would be a help in keeping rain and leaves of the top of the slide. About pulling in wet, unless it was really raining in Biblical amounts I don't think you would get too much inside when retracting. The awning like cover on top should help a lot. most likely you could dry out next day if you did get damp. Keep in mind I am just thinking out loud since I know nothing about this. Droping the jacks, not to much time to do???????

 

[SnoKing]

Once you have a slide there is no going back!!! Regarding the awning on slides, I think they are OK except in high wind area. Unlike a normal awning you do not have an option on whether you put them out. Snow King

 

[SStokes]

I have the small awning that rolls out with the room. It catches water during a hard rain, but when the room is brought in it all falls outside. It keeps the top of the room a lot cleaner. Its not perfect, but works pretty good. I read in Trailer Life about something somebody made out of pvc pipe to stick underneath the awning so it sheds water. All in all its worth the price.



Sam Stokes

 

[dmurdock]

xfiles

slide out covers are real nice... . push a beach ball up there (with a rope on it so you can pull it out) to give it a nice crown and keep water from puddling (if you have that problem). My trailer doesn't have a cover, and I've brought the slide in with rain and snow on it... only problem I ever had was with ice, the squeeqe which is built in wouldn't scrape it off (obviously), but we just threw some towels up there and they absorbed all the water.

 

[paccool]

I asked the same question about slides a few months back. Most said they had no problems with leaks. A few weeks ago we were looking at new trailers and I asked the salesman about leaks. He said the new trailers don't have problems anymore. Told him I found that a little odd for as we talked, I saw carpet showing at the bottom of the slide and that it would be a guaranteed leak as far as I was concerened.



We still have not decided or found a trailer we like. Also not sure if we want a slide. Will keep the old one for a while longer, one of these days something will turn up we like.

 

[NVR FNSH]

How's the install?

Recently purchased a Patio Hauler 351 5th wheel w/living room slide out. We came down the Oregon coast at the end of August and got dumped on for two days. No leaks but pulling the SO in sucked in that we had a bunch of water on top... .



So how difficult is the installation of a SO awning/cover?



Brian

 

[JSchooley]

The reason not to extend the slide at the rest stop is mostly courtesy. If you have the room or the rest stop is not busy there should be no problem with most designs. Sometimes we open ours just long enough to snag something out of a cupboard even in a crowded rest area.



Since we spend a lot of time on the road a major criteria in our selection of trailers was the ability to make lunch etc. without opening the slide.



Regarding the awing, it works pretty good at keeping the water and gunk out of the trailer, but you have an awning to clean.

 

[hotel6]

We recently came back from the NW where one of our spins was around the Olympic Penn. in Wash. I have not been in rain like that since the Monsoons in RVN. I am happy to report that the Artic Fox performed great. Its slideout has a slanted roof which aided greatly in the movement of water. When we would pull the slide in, to move to another equally rainy area the squeege/seals worked great. Of course once the slide is retracted it is damp but not enough water remained on it to worry about. I also thought about putting on a roller awning over the slideout as a means of keeping debris off the slideout roof. I didn't go that route as what do you do with lateral winds that push debris onto the roof making it more difficult to remove I think. Seems easier to climb onto the roof and sweep the slideout if need be. We also had some strong winds. While driving I saw two trailers that had lost their awnings in transit through an area we all had just driven through. Make sure those puppies are secured before going down the road!

 

[dewdo]

I own both a fifth wheel trailer and a 11. 5 ft. camper and both have slideouts. I have never had any problems with either one concerning water and debris. I do not have a cover on either but when I have been in one spot for any length of time I will climb the ladder and wash off any debris that has collected.



As for the camper with the slide, in I still have full access to all the cabinets, refrigerator, dinette etc. except for the long storage box on the floor under the slide. We enjoy tha camper so much with the slide that we are considering taking it on an around the country trip this winter and spring. Yes it is heavy. Weighed it recently with 3/4 tank of water, full fuel tanks, and it came to 12,960 lbs.



With the dualie, Firestone airbags, and Rancho 9000 shocks it handles very well. I do take curves with a posted safe speed limit at the posted speed rather than the +10 mph's I normally take them at. I did remove the so called "Happijacks" the camper dealer installed and said I would be happy with and installed the Torklift frame mount system. Now I am a happy camper!



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[wedodgediesel]

I own an Lance 1061 slide in with bump out. I have had no problems with rain or other out door matter getting into the camper by means of the bump out. I have extended the bump out without extending the jacks with no problems... but... the manufacturer does suggest you do. I have ordered an full size awning(7 x 10 ft) for the slide out that will cover the bump out when extended. Just keep the seal around the bump out clean and plyable and you'll have years of good service.