Fancypants2001
Est. Contributor
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- Diaper Lover
***Last weekend I purchased my 2nd in 3 years camper. RV. Travel Trailer to be absolutely clear. Why - you ask?***
That was some good input so far. Sorry for the lack of "Boats" to the poll.
A common storyline for new camper owners is that they make a first purchase based on impulse and limited by their budget.
After having this Flagstaff Microlite for 2 whole camping seasons it became apparent to us that despite this being an incredibly nice RV, it did lack a few of the creature comforts that we overlooked and mentally dismissed as not important. I think we were just so eager to jump into the ownership at the amazing price that Camping World was offering it for. To their credit, they did honor a price match of $19,995. on a suggested MSRP $31,995. I actually had to get this ordered from the factory and the build sheet came out to that MSRP.
Over the course of those 2 seasons, we went on 9 trips within a 3hrs drive. The places we stayed were state Parks in S. Wisconsin. Wisconsin does a phenomenal job with their states. Their online portals typically also have a street view so you can get a better gauge of whether you can literally maneuver your RV into the site.
The thing we had to develop with RV floorplan was an outside living space as well. I literally mean a screened-in tent to put the table and chairs because the inside didn't have that. The bugs are always an issue no matter where you go. We don't "Yard Guard" or try to kill off nature for our comfort either, so the screened tent was season 2 life saver..
The refrigerator was a huge pain in the ass. It's a gas/electric. The propane cannot run it while going down the road, so food always warmed up. We had to use freezer packs and carry a cooler for beer. Just a straight irritation. Thankfully the industry is going to the 12VDC fridges as a standard.
Separation between the bed and the rest of the camper also became a thing. My girl likes to wake up and do yoga and make her coffee. I like to lounge a big longer and maybe watch the morning news. This one only has a drape. That isn't much for the physical separation.
Again, like I said. A booth to sit down and rest your elbows. A table to play cards at. Stare intimately into one another's eyes while eating a helping of pork and beans. lol.. Yeah, I was adamant about the table. Not to mention, if there is inclement weather. You are still resigned to the couch and tv trays. That gets old real fast. It gets old having to set up all the time instead of being there ready to slide into and use.
I spent a lot of time in 2022 watching Youtube trying to figure out just what was out there that might be a better fit for us. I was taking into consideration the towing capacity of my half-ton and the need / desire to get a 3/4Ton. I finally settled on this beauty. A Grand Design Imagine XLS 23LDE. Thankfully my local amping World didn't carry this model line! I found a 2022 model at a dealer not too far down the road from us. It was the last one offered. We decided to make a road trip so that we could actually stand in it to see whether it was in fact all the things I thought it was going to be. The instant you show interest in anything vehicle related online you will be inundated with salepeople. Just an FYI. Tread lightly!! I was set up with an appointment with a saleperson who would be able to show us this unit. We walked in and immediately realized this was the floorplan for our future needs!! It has a booth. It has recliners across from the booth. The recliner is big enough for a smaller human to crash on as a couch. The table drops down to convert to a bed for the shortest of humans. It has a separated bedroom. It has the rectangle shower. The coolest thing is that the kitchen is the whole back end. Best of all it has a 12VDC refrigerator and a 165W roof solar for maintaining the battery mostly for the fridge. No more stress for travel and spoiled food!!
This MSRP was $46, 000. The dealer dropped the price to 40k. They gave me 21k trade in for mine sight unseen ( it is in storage until mid-April ) based on my "word". They would store the camper on their lot until I get mine out and we make the hand-off. Hell, they even bought our lunch at the brewery next door and tripled the cost. They really did an amazing job of making everything happen. This is a dealer called General RV. They have numerous locations across the Midwest.
So, yeah, we did a thing. Signed over title, out the door, I was back up to a $26k loan. Yes - loan. 2x the camper. The GVWR on this one is 5695#. My truck is.. well, idk at this point!! haha. I have the door plate that shows 7k pounds. Idk. So, here we have the newest RV. The rig has everything I would consider sustainable for inside or outside living.
*These are stock Google Pics.
This is the dude I really put stock into his videos. "Josh the RV Nerd" We almost went with Bish's RV, but they were 90mi away in Iowa. Next closest was Michigan. we really would have road tripped. Thankfully General RV was close to us.
That was some good input so far. Sorry for the lack of "Boats" to the poll.
A common storyline for new camper owners is that they make a first purchase based on impulse and limited by their budget.
After having this Flagstaff Microlite for 2 whole camping seasons it became apparent to us that despite this being an incredibly nice RV, it did lack a few of the creature comforts that we overlooked and mentally dismissed as not important. I think we were just so eager to jump into the ownership at the amazing price that Camping World was offering it for. To their credit, they did honor a price match of $19,995. on a suggested MSRP $31,995. I actually had to get this ordered from the factory and the build sheet came out to that MSRP.
Over the course of those 2 seasons, we went on 9 trips within a 3hrs drive. The places we stayed were state Parks in S. Wisconsin. Wisconsin does a phenomenal job with their states. Their online portals typically also have a street view so you can get a better gauge of whether you can literally maneuver your RV into the site.
The thing we had to develop with RV floorplan was an outside living space as well. I literally mean a screened-in tent to put the table and chairs because the inside didn't have that. The bugs are always an issue no matter where you go. We don't "Yard Guard" or try to kill off nature for our comfort either, so the screened tent was season 2 life saver..
The refrigerator was a huge pain in the ass. It's a gas/electric. The propane cannot run it while going down the road, so food always warmed up. We had to use freezer packs and carry a cooler for beer. Just a straight irritation. Thankfully the industry is going to the 12VDC fridges as a standard.
Separation between the bed and the rest of the camper also became a thing. My girl likes to wake up and do yoga and make her coffee. I like to lounge a big longer and maybe watch the morning news. This one only has a drape. That isn't much for the physical separation.
Again, like I said. A booth to sit down and rest your elbows. A table to play cards at. Stare intimately into one another's eyes while eating a helping of pork and beans. lol.. Yeah, I was adamant about the table. Not to mention, if there is inclement weather. You are still resigned to the couch and tv trays. That gets old real fast. It gets old having to set up all the time instead of being there ready to slide into and use.
I spent a lot of time in 2022 watching Youtube trying to figure out just what was out there that might be a better fit for us. I was taking into consideration the towing capacity of my half-ton and the need / desire to get a 3/4Ton. I finally settled on this beauty. A Grand Design Imagine XLS 23LDE. Thankfully my local amping World didn't carry this model line! I found a 2022 model at a dealer not too far down the road from us. It was the last one offered. We decided to make a road trip so that we could actually stand in it to see whether it was in fact all the things I thought it was going to be. The instant you show interest in anything vehicle related online you will be inundated with salepeople. Just an FYI. Tread lightly!! I was set up with an appointment with a saleperson who would be able to show us this unit. We walked in and immediately realized this was the floorplan for our future needs!! It has a booth. It has recliners across from the booth. The recliner is big enough for a smaller human to crash on as a couch. The table drops down to convert to a bed for the shortest of humans. It has a separated bedroom. It has the rectangle shower. The coolest thing is that the kitchen is the whole back end. Best of all it has a 12VDC refrigerator and a 165W roof solar for maintaining the battery mostly for the fridge. No more stress for travel and spoiled food!!
This MSRP was $46, 000. The dealer dropped the price to 40k. They gave me 21k trade in for mine sight unseen ( it is in storage until mid-April ) based on my "word". They would store the camper on their lot until I get mine out and we make the hand-off. Hell, they even bought our lunch at the brewery next door and tripled the cost. They really did an amazing job of making everything happen. This is a dealer called General RV. They have numerous locations across the Midwest.
So, yeah, we did a thing. Signed over title, out the door, I was back up to a $26k loan. Yes - loan. 2x the camper. The GVWR on this one is 5695#. My truck is.. well, idk at this point!! haha. I have the door plate that shows 7k pounds. Idk. So, here we have the newest RV. The rig has everything I would consider sustainable for inside or outside living.
*These are stock Google Pics.
This is the dude I really put stock into his videos. "Josh the RV Nerd" We almost went with Bish's RV, but they were 90mi away in Iowa. Next closest was Michigan. we really would have road tripped. Thankfully General RV was close to us.
