To slide out or not to slide out

[Shadrach]

I thought I would share some thoughts about slide outs. Some people like them some don't. Last summer we bought a newer TT. We went from an older 24' model to a newer 28' with a 13' x 40" slide out.



First the "faults": In my case the trailer is not only longer but heavier. Second the trailer now requires a wider camping spot. You have to watch out for trees and over hang of big branches. Since I don't have a ladder ( yet ) on the back of the trailer I now have to carry a step ladder to make sure there are no leaves, branches etc on the roof of the slide before I bring it in. I know a slide out awning would help in this matter but we have a skylight over the table and my wife doesn't want to cover it up. At one site this summer I had to back in far enough to "fit'' the slide between 2 trees only to discover the awning on the other side wouldn't go out because of trees. I seldom camp in open fields.



If it rains I have to make sure the majority of the water if off the slide roof before I bring it in for travelling other wise I can, and have, brought in water. There is more maintenance required. A lot of trailers have a floor plan designed in such a way that with the slide in the trailer is almost useless. Example My brother can't access his fridge with the slide in. This may seems irrelevant to some but when you are loading the TT and it is parked on the street in front of your house you can't extent the slide out into traffic. Or if you stop for a snack or a coffee while travelling it can be a pain.



Now for the good news. With a slide out, or 2 or 3, you now a lot more room inside your unit. You could possible make do with a shorter trailer or coach as it is now wider. A lot of trailer now have them available.



If you are on a budget and can't afford a high rated unit and you still want a slide buy a good quality used model. DO NOT buy a cheap brand with a slide. I have seen the walls crack from the corners of the slide opening upwards. The extra leverage the slide puts on the unit can cause flexing and twisting of things that you don't want to flex or twist.



Shad

 

[Hummin Cummins]

My thoughts... ... after spending a rainy weekend with the wife and two kids in our old travel trailer w/o a slide, I wont go without one. Yes there is more attention needed with a slide but if you ever get cooped up where its too miserable to be outside they are well worth the extra weight and maintenance. We went from a 28' tt with no slide to a 34' single super slide and now a triple slide toy hauler 5er. Its so much nicer to be able to move around cooking or just relaxing without climbing overtop each other to get by. Buying one from a quality manufacturer means alot also. We passed on many new 5ers and purchased a 2007 Carriage. Way better quality than whats being produced now for the same money. Our fleetwood that we traded has been trouble free with minimal maintenance. Silicone spray on the gaskets to keep them soft and spray lube on the tracks gave us no issues at all. Biggest thing I make sure is that the slide does not get put out until the unit is level and the stabilizer jacks are down to keep everything from getting in a bind. And as far as the extra weight of a slide out?... ... . this is a Dodge, oops... . Ram Diesel Forum... ... . I dont think they notice the extra weight. :-laf

 

[EricBu12]

Shad. . there is a thing that covers the roof of a slide out when extended. . like an awning but it hooks from roof to top of the slide... . it is automatic and when you roll the slide in, the water, if any, runs off the end keeping the inside dry. . I have a 12' slide and a bedroom slide and it has never failed.

 

[Shadrach]

Don't get me wrong I do like the extra room. I was just making comments of all the thing I discovered after buying a TT with a slide. My slide has a skylight above the table so an awning above that won't work for us. Shad

 

[BIGNASTY]

Interesting never seen a slide with a skylight above it. Like above we had the slide awning we just blew up a kiddie beach ball and put it under the awning water would run off. As far as knowing how far to be away from objects to make sure the slide will open and be far enough away from trees I put a CB antenna mount on the side of the frame on the slide out side and just put an antenna in it and cut it to the same distance the slide goes out. Then when you park your trailer get out quick and install the antenna and back in if the antenna clears things so will your slide. Dry Lube on the slide tracks and seal spray to keep it good to go.

 

[AH64ID]

We also made the transition to a camper with a slide this year. Our old TT was a 22' non-slide, and it did us well but got cramped with 3 kids. The biggest issue was cooking, the dinette/bed, was adjasent to the stove so I had no room to cook when the kids were trying to get dressed, so I had to setup an outside kitchen. The outside kitchen was fine, just a lot of setup/takedown time. We camp from March-September, so we encounter all kinds of weather, and on cold/rainy day's it was miserable. The couch was never able to be used as a couch, just a horizontal closet for kids crap.

So this spring we started looking at new TT's, originally some 25' units with a slide. At the local RV dealership we found the model we bought, it's 29' and has a 12' x 3' slide. It's amazing what it has done for camping. The mornings and evenings are much less stressful when there is room to move and get kids in bed. The dinette doesn't have to be folded down for a bed, so we can have kids sleeping and kids eating at the same time!! The kitchen has 3x the counter space and no obstructions so I can cook without kids underfoot. Other than morning/evening we spend very little time inside, but the time that is inside is great.

Surprisingly we haven't found any of our usual campsites (not campgrounds) to have space limitations based on the longer, taller, wider camper. It does sit about 5" higher, so we didn't loose the break-over angle the older camper had. (I have to use a 5" lift setting on my 4wd ram with the WD hitch!). We spent about 30-31 nights in it this year and are quite happy with our purchase.

I too was very skeptical of the slide at first, but looking at the build quality I don't think it will be an issue. Our TT also came with a standard 2 year warranty, vs the normal 1 year of most mfgrs, which tells me they have good faith in it. Outdoors RV builds their units for the NW, and designs them around plenty of dirt roads, and abusive towing.

BIG, great idea on the CB antenna!

I want to look into a slide awning, but it's not top of the list right now.

 

[Shadrach]

I agree with your comments AH. I was just surprised of how many little things that are now different and wanted to make people aware of them. I like the Outdoors brand as they are part of the Northwoods family who make the Arctic Fox and Nash. If I remember correctly they are built in the old Fleetwood plant in La Grande OR. Shad

 

[AH64ID]

You do remember correctly. Which is brings up a funny point, our previous TT was a Pioneer Spirit built in the same plant in 07 before Fleetwood sold it to the Nash Family in the 09 timeframe. Outdoors still sells a lot of the same floorplans, but they are now much heavier duty and our 18CK was a well built trailer and took plenty of backwoods abuse.

Yeah all the little things make the slide so much better. One thing I was surprised with was how much easier the new TT tows, despite being 7' longer, 6" taller, and 2500lbs heavier. I think a lot has to do with the enclosed underbelly and laminate siding. Mileage took about a . 5mpg hit in the mountains, but on flat ground its nearly the same.