2018 Camplite 21BHS - just got it home!

[tbrady]

Hi All-

First, thanks to many of you for answering so many of my questions a few months ago that lead to this purchase.  We are absolutely thrilled to finally have it!

We bought the trailer from Nishna Valley Cycle in Atlantic, IA.  The folks there were absolutely great to deal with and they were extremely competitive with their pricing, better even than SIRV.  I thought we were getting a 2017 but the dealer showed me the title and it was listed as a 2018.  He said one other they received that day was also a 2018.

I drove to Iowa to pick it up on Wednesday and upon getting there they installed the Andersen WDH I brought with me and then went over everything on the trailer.  By the time I got there they had everything running and checked out and it was pretty much ready to go.  I spent some time double checking everything and couldn't find anything wrong so I took off back toward WA state. 

The first 400 miles were hell.  There was a bad storm with 30-35 constant cross winds.  It was white knuckle driving for a few hours even with the WDH.  The next morning I decided to lower the hitch 1.5in and that made a world of difference.  From there on out it felt like the trailer was a part of TV.

For our trailer we opted for the all aluminum cabinets, 3 fantastic fans, quick connect gas line and we also asked for the reinforced bumper which we were supposed to get.  What I got was not the 4x4 bumper but extra reinforcement at the end of the trailer (I will post pics tomorrow of what I am talking about ).  The dealer said he hadn't seen it reinforced like ours is...  Anyway, I still need to the 4x4 bumper mod it looks like...

One issue I found on the way home was one of the wheel wells was leaking water.  I found that the area had actually been sealed but had developed a crack in the sealant, I just filled it in with some flex seal so hopefully that will take care of it.

The overall quality seems high except for the light over the queen bed which is way off-center, looks like someone did a very bad job of eyeballing what they thought was the center.  We did have a few metal shavings but actually not that many, especially after 1800 miles of shaking.

My 2 neighbors who both have larger TTs were thoroughly impressed with it.  They were crawling underneath it checking everything out and thought it was put together very well.  It is definitely impressive looking, especially compared to your typical TT.  Today was spent installing an Arvika bike rack on the front and MaxxAir vent covers on the top and getting it loaded for our trip to Utah Wednesday.  Tomorrow I'll be putting the backup camera on it.

I will post more pics tomorrow of the bumper as I'm not sure if they have done anything different to our trailer or not.  My dealer thought it was different but I'm not totally sure...

One question I have (lots more to come!) is there seems to be a lot of dead space where the seat cushions go in the dinette.  Has anyone tried opening this space up to make it usable?  Oh, and does anyone know if spare keys can be made at a regular key making place or do they use special blanks?

Thanks again for the help!

tim

[Merlin]

Looking good

If your camper is keyed like most others, you have 2 different keys. One is for the door deadbolt and is unique to your camper. The other is for the door latch and exterior compartments and is the same for many (most?) RVs. I don't know about blank availability but keep in mind the compartment key offers little security.

[tbrady]

Ok, adding some more pictures...  also, I did the fridge mod outlined here to turn off the climate control.  http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/new-dometic-refrigerator-problem-113116-2.html

I also found another place water was getting in around the door and added some sealant there (see pic below).

I have a couple of more questions...

1. when installing the backup camera, should I mount the bracket on top of the black strip on the roof or directly next to it?

2. if you wanted to hang something on the wall in the trailer, do you just find an aluminum "stud" and put a self tapping into it?

thanks again!

[charliem]

Ok, adding some more pictures...  also, I did the fridge mod outlined here to turn off the climate control.  http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/new-dometic-refrigerator-problem-113116-2.html

I also found another place water was getting in around the door and added some sealant there (see pic below).

I have a couple of more questions...

1. when installing the backup camera, should I mount the bracket on top of the black strip on the roof or directly next to it?

2. if you wanted to hang something on the wall in the trailer, do you just find an aluminum "stud" and put a self tapping into it?

thanks again!

Install the camera bracket flush with the edge of the black trim. This allows mounting into the structural tubing. Predrill with the proper size bit for sheet metal screws, use stainless steel hardware,  and caulk afterwards per the picture. When hanging on interior walls you can use use self tapping (sheet metal) screws into the "studs", but always predrill with the proper drill for the screw size.

[tbrady]

Thanks Charlie!!  One other thing...  I also bought a Westinghouse 2400 genny which I was just testing out moments ago.  It runs our 13.5 AC plus all the lights/radio with no problem.  It will also run the microwave but you can really hear it going with the microwave running.

It started on the first pull out of the box, runs super super quiet and only weighs about 48lbs.  I have it as a backup for our 100w solar panel and seeing how our solar panel hasn't arrived yet I guess we'll be using the genny on our trip next week more than expected.

[charliem]

Thanks Charlie!!  One other thing...  I also bought a Westinghouse 2400 genny which I was just testing out moments ago.  It runs our 13.5 AC plus all the lights/radio with no problem.  It will also run the microwave but you can really hear it going with the microwave running.

It started on the first pull out of the box, runs super super quiet and only weighs about 48lbs.  I have it as a backup for our 100w solar panel and seeing how our solar panel hasn't arrived yet I guess we'll be using the genny on our trip next week more than expected.

Interesting info on the genny. The test will be this hot summer at altitude if you do such things. Interesting that it seems to wort harder on for the micro than the AC.

On the frame/bumper it does seem different. They seem to have added a member at the rear of the box between frame members. The other interesting thing is the mismatch between frame and bumper. If the bumper is still 2x4 it means the frame has become 2x5 and that's good. If the bumper has become 2x3 that's bad. Also note from my pictures the acceptable way to beef up to a 4x4 bumper.

[tbrady]

The frame is 2x5 and the bumper is 2x4.  Has the frame not always been 2x5?  And thanks for the pics, I know you have posted them before and I will definitely be referring to them when I get around to adding the reinforcement.

Do you know a good way to find the alum "studs" from inside the trailer?  I tried tapping, a stud finder, applying pressure along the wall etc but still couldn't find one with any degree of confidence.  in places like around the window where I know there is aluminum frame it felt the same several inches from it   

[charliem]

My (2014 21RBS) frame is 2x4. The toy haulers were always 2x5 but the 21s were 2x4. Looks like they've beefed up the frame and that's good but also may explain part of the weight increase. That said, mine also has portions of the frame under the box doubled so it's hard to say without detailed examination.

Sorry, no help on finding studs, Some report success with electronic stud finders - probably device dependent. I just tap, feel, drill, and hope to cover goofs with the hardware  . Camp on!

[Merlin]

Finding studs is such a comedy of errors. The wall studs are small and hard to hit; they are not like a 2X4 house wall stud. If you can avoid even trying, you're better off! In our 16TBS there is a stud on either side all the windows. There is also a great internal structure photo on-line of the 2015 16TBS, but that would not help with a 2017 21BHS. Use Command Strips