Aluminum Camper Forum

For me it is 18", I measured this on flat pavement with the trailer level front to back.  My 2017 21BHS, does not have the off road option or big tires.

nhlakes, what battery box and batteries do you have?  Wondering which NOCO (or similar) battery box works with 2 golf cart batteries...

To me, it seems pretty clear that they are adding a beam for reinforcement, in the diagram.

Quote from: GrampaKilt on September 30, 2018, 06:12:18 PM
There may be some readers whose LSWs will not take kindly to spending a couple of C notes on a battery monitor like the Victron. I pushed hard but in the end had to settle for this much cheaper one  https://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=183258431923&view=all&tid=1843804184008 as pictured in my last post.

I could not get the eBay link to work, is there another link or description?

I just installed the thermostat, I would advise to make sure you don't let go of the wires when you remove them from the old thermostat, as they almost fell back in the wall while I was unboxing the new thermostat

I just connected the two wires to the two terminals that are adjacent to each other on the new thermostat. There is only one other terminal at the bottom and I did not use it.  Works as expected!

GlobeSailor, the brake controller you mention as being on the trailer (I think this would be called the actuator, not brake controller), appears to be working if you feel the brakes working.  If you are feeling them engage too strongly, as David mentions you probably need to look at and adjust your brake controller, which is the unit wired in to your truck (not on the trailer).  You might look up the operation manual for your specific brake controller to see the procedure to set it properly, or consider a newer/better controller if needed.  I really like the Prodigy 3 brake controller I bought for my truck last year.

Hello, I have posted a couple questions recently, while searching for our Camplite.  We bought our first travel trailer last Sept, a 2012 17' Casita SD, we planned to use it for our family of 5 (3 kids 9-13 y/o) for some National Park roadtrips.  We planned to use a tent to supplement for sleeping 2 kids, but it turned out that most of the RV parks we used (near Zion, Moab, Mesa Verde) didn't allow tents, and some at Yellowstone, where we plan to go in the future, don't allow sleeping in tents and require a hard sided camper and all food to be stored in a hard sided camper or vehicle.  We also found we would do outdoor activities early in the day to avoid the 100+ high temps everyday, and it was nice to retreat to AC at the height of the day. The sleeping situation ended up being 2 kids and my wife on the full size bed (dinette), my oldest on the single bed (other dinette) and me on the floor, this was really cramped and I didn't get a decent nights sleep for the two weeks we were on the trip.  On a roadtrip like that, with frequent moving, we didn't take the time to setup a nice camp outside the trailer either.

So, after all that, we decided we needed to get something a little bigger, but did not want to have to change our tow vehicle, or get something that would seriously limit the camp sites we could use (due to length).  I listed my Casita for sale and sold it to someone 3 states away within 4 hours, for just a little more than I had paid for it the year before.  Then I was on the hunt for the replacement.  I really wanted something as bulletproof as our Casita and the Camplite 21 BHS seemed to be our best option, with a (nearly) all aluminum build (we have the rubber roof), and also gave us all a place to sleep and a decent amount of storage and amenities.  They are really hard to find though and after an attempt to purchase one only 600 miles away seemed to stall out, we found one listed in CO.  I was able to have a good email exchange, and then phone conversations and come to an agreement to purchase, and then was able to drive down this last week and purchase it and bring it home. That was about a 2400 mile round trip in 4 days.  It is a 2017 21BHS with the aluminum package and most other available options.

The 21bhs is definitely much more noticeable behind the Titan than the Casita, both in heft, and in the way the wind affected it with headwinds, crosswinds and large trucks passing.  Besides the super windy stretch from SLC to Boise, it was pretty tolerable. The Titan has enough power to do whatever I needed, but you just can't be afraid to keep the RPMs up, they are meant to rev, when needed, and responds well.  With the upgraded radiator and additional transmission cooler I put on it early this past summer, the needles never budged off of normal.  I do still need to get the Andersen WDH No-Sway Hitch dialed in, but it did make a difference.

Dumbest thing about the trailer so far: storage.  They did away with any storage under or behind the dinette as well as the exterior compartment on the slideout.  And they shouldn't have made the kitchen lower cabinet doors any smaller and less useful, especially for as much space that would be available.

Overall, I love the trailer though, and very satisfied with the purchase, it has a 5/2016 build date, but I think it is called a 2017, seems to be a sort of transition build.  The previous owners never used the toilet, shower, microwave, etc. and in many ways, is like new!  Thanks to those of you willing to share info on this forum, it has been really useful!

I am in the midst of purchasing a 2017 21BHS, and have to go on a bit of a roadtrip to retrieve it.  I am planning on picking up a Andersen Hitch on my way, but am not certain of the height at the bottom of the tongue/cupler, which is the measurement Andersen says you need to make the decision on whether to get the 4" drop or 8" drop hitch that they offer.   I have not been able to find this info on the forum or a google search.  The current owner measured it at 14.5" but said it was not on level ground. Sooo...

Anybody know the height from flat ground to the bottom of the tongue/coupler on a 21 bhs (2016 or 2017 preferably ?

I am a future owner, so this is kind of theoretical at this point... but I was considering that in the future I might use something like white plastidip "removable" spray paint on the roof, as I am in the midst of purchasing a darker color Camplite.  Has anyone used anything like that?  Sorry, for getting off on a little bit of a tangent.

Quote from: Apollo on September 05, 2018, 08:43:16 PM
I found the dinette cramped, uncomfortable, and despite its size can only really fit about 3 people due to the table size and the space available for everyone's feet. In addition the table is small and wobbly and I didn't want to spend $200 or more on a quality table and mount.

The dinette also reduced floor space and when the slide is closed it blocked access to back of the camper.

I get why it is like this, the slide is over the wheels so it has to have a raised floor, the slide is shallow so they couldn't make it a booth and the camper is only 7" wide so they couldn't extend into the living space.

Since we are camping we usually eat outside anyway so found a dinette superfluous. If the weather is bad and we need to eat inside a portable table placed in front of the couch makes a great dining area, and (as mentioned) the couch is a better use of interior space. It is nice to have place to read a book or have a conversation in comfort and not have top always lay on the bed.

I find the couch a more versatile option than being trapped with a single purpose dinette. But that is just me and how I use the camper.

Thanks for the input!

Apollo, good to see that option.  Why do you consider the dinette useless?

Thanks for the response!  I will continue to be on the lookout for a 21BHS...

Hello, I am researching the Camplite travel trailers as we have just sold our 17 foot Casita, in order to get something a little larger.  I could not find this info with a search of the forum, or the web... On the 21 rbs, What is the measurement between the jacknife sofa and the kitchen cabinet with the jackknife sofa both closed? and open? (when the slide is out, of course...)
I think a used 21bhs is my preferred trailer, but they seem to be pretty hard to come by in my price range, so I am thinking about the practicality of a rbs with our family of five.  We did it with the 17 foot Casita