First Trip in Camplite 21RBS - R-pod Owners Forum

Author

Share Topic

Topic Search

Topic Options

bhamster

Senior Member

Joined: 19 May 2011
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 165

Topic: First Trip in Camplite 21RBS
Posted: 28 Jan 2014 at 1:46pm

The little campers price plus $4k for delivery ends up being about the same as a dealer in Idaho (which I could drive to in a day). I'm still trying to decide which route to go.

There's something comforting about being able to look at it at the dealer before cutting the check vs being stuck with whatever is delivered. If something went wrong, the guy who delivers it can't help me at all and I've already given them the money.

CharlieM

Senior Member

Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1797

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 at 2:16pm

So, if your "local" dealer can meet the price I guess I would go that way. You're right about the comfort factor. And you get the dealer's walk-through when you pick it up so he can see any problems you discover. When we picked up our unit, during the walk-through, the awning mechanism failed. A tech had checked it the night before and it worked fine, but a little piece of metal had worked its way loose. They jumped on it, disassembled the roller, and had it fixed in two hours. Could not have done that at the back of a delivery truck.

Charlie

Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

bhamster

Senior Member

Joined: 19 May 2011
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 165

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 at 2:51pm

My thoughts exactly. I'm not expecting anything to go wrong with it, but you never know.

bhamster

Senior Member

Joined: 19 May 2011
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 165

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 at 6:20pm

I ended up ordering the 21BHS from Blue Dog RV in Idaho. Their price was a bit less than Little Campers and I'll still get the comfort of checking everything out before paying. I'm gearing up to go get it (still months away), but one of the items I'll need is a new ball mount. I have no idea what the camplite coupler height is. Do you know (or could you easily measure) what your's is? I suspect our trailers will be identical in height since they use the same frame and both have the off road package. I guess I could always just buy one from the dealer, but I'm a "plan ahead" kind of guy. Thanks in advance.

CharlieM

Senior Member

Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1797

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 at 9:11pm

Way to go on ordering the 21BHS. I know you're excited. And you'll be glad you went local.

On the ball height, give me a few days to get my trailer back. It's out of town right now. Should be back this week and I'll measure it for you. I take it you did go for the off road package?? What are you towing with and are you getting a WDH?

Charlie

Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

bhamster

Senior Member

Joined: 19 May 2011
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 165

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 at 10:14pm

So excited that I'm already having dreams about it. I still have lots of time to plan out all the accessories.

Yes, we did go for the off road package (better safe than sorry). Here's the full options list:

XL LIVING PACKAGE

Roof Mounted Low Profile 13.5BTU Penguin A/C

High Powered Fan/Vent

OffRoad Pkg. w/14" All-Terrain Tires

Spray On Insulation Under Floor

2-way (electric and LP) water heater

Exterior Color: Charcoal

Cabinetry Color: Dark Cherry w/Black Trim

Notice the lack of TV or Microwave. We camp to get away from it all, so TV's are not allowed. We also often don't have hookups, so we hate having the microwave taking up space and weight. We bring a small oven that fits in the cabinet when we have a trip where we will need it.

We sold our old Subaru Outback (which towed our 171) and upgraded to a new 2013 Toyota Sequoia. It's got the 5.7L V8, so it probably won't even notice the Camplite behind us. I'm going to do the first trip without a WDH to see how it goes. If it gets bouncy I might add it. I'm hoping it won't be necessary. The Sequoia also has trailer sway control built into the traction control system, which will hopefully help if that ever came up. I've seen mixed opinions online about using WDH with camplites because of the aluminum frames. How about you? How does the Tacoma handle it?

One more question for you while you're out with the tape measure: What's the gap between the two wheels?

I'm thinking about getting one of these, but they come in two sizes depending on the space between the wheels:

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-44622-Wheel-Stop-Large/dp/B000BUU5Y0/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1391483598&sr=1-5&keywords=camco+wheel+chock

Thanks again for your help.

CharlieM

Senior Member

Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1797

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 at 9:44am

Travis,

Great news. Looks like you did it right. When do you expect it?

I understand on the micro and TV. We ordered the micro and found our own 19" TV because we do stay at equipped campsites and the TV's nice when it's been raining all day. However, for off grid sites and quick overnight stops I did go with dual 6 volt batteries and dual 20 gallon propane tanks. This adds significant tongue weight, but it'll come in handy. Also, my off road Tacoma came with t 400 watt inverter that I can use to recharge the batteries. Much better than hauling gas and a generator and quieter too. I don't know if the Sequoia can accommodate that, but you might look at it.

Funny you went with the charcoal exterior. So did we, plus the "black out" package which added black exterior trim. My wife said every other camper was white so she wanted something different. Looks good with the gray Tacoma.

Re the Sequoia: That will be great with the Camplite. I really wanted that engine, but it's not available in the Tacoma so I went with the supercharger on the 4.0L V6. The jury is still out on that. On the WDH, I'm an extreme advocate for them. Some preach mattress replacement; I preach WDH. Big smile

As Doug will say, you may not need one, but you'll want one. I have the E2 6000/600 we used with the Pilot and 172. Really helps with the new rig. Even with the Tacoma there was significant rear end sag and porpoising on the 6 hour initial trip home. Didn't take long for me to hook it up afterwards. I'm wondering how the Sequoia will do without WDH since I believe it is built on a passenger car chassis. Is it a unibody chassis like the Pilot? As far as WDH on the aluminum frame, I see no issues. Just use the compression clamps, don't over-tighten to the extent of crushing the frame, and don't drill holes. The LL chief engineer concurred when I talked with him. So far, no problems. And I just splurged on an Atwood power tongue jack! What a difference, but I guess I'm getting old and lazy.

I'll measure the wheel spacing for you. I carry four yellow chocks for that job. Easy and fast, but your solution should be fine. Keep us informed on you progress end experience.

Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

bhamster

Senior Member

Joined: 19 May 2011
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 165

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 at 10:36am

Originally posted by CharlieM

When do you expect it?

Sometime in the end of March, but they said 6-8 weeks.

Originally posted by CharlieM

Also, my off road Tacoma came with t 400 watt inverter that I can use to recharge the batteries. Much better than hauling gas and a generator and quieter too.

The Sequoia has 120V outlets, but I don't think I would use them for that purpose. It would use way too much gas and it has quite a loud growl even when idle.

Originally posted by CharlieM

Funny you went with the charcoal exterior. So did we, plus the "black out" package which added black exterior trim. My wife said every other camper was white so she wanted something different. Looks good with the gray Tacoma.

I agree, yours looks awesome. We didn't go for the "blackout" package just because I couldn't justify paying the extra money. Our Sequoia is the "Magnetic Gray Metallic" which should be very close to the charcoal. I never thought I'd be one of "those people" with the matching rig, but if you're ordering it custom, then why not?

Originally posted by CharlieM

I'm wondering how the Sequoia will do without WDH since I believe it is built on a passenger car chassis. Is it a unibody chassis like the Pilot?

It's actually the fully boxed truck frame from the Tundra. The engine is from the Tundra too. It's basically a 4-door Tundra with a third row seat instead of a bed. The manual says up to 740 lbs on the hitch, but I won't know how it feels with the ~300lbs of camplite on there until I try it.

Originally posted by CharlieM

As far as WDH on the aluminum frame, I see no issues. Just use the compression clamps, don't over-tighten to the extent of crushing the frame, and don't drill holes. The LL chief engineer concurred when I talked with him. So far, no problems.

That's the best reference I've heard so far. So you actually talked to an engineer at LivinLite and he said it would be fine?

Originally posted by CharlieM

And I just splurged on an Atwood power tongue jack! What a difference, but I guess I'm getting old and lazy.

I just convert my jack so I can use my drill. Then everything is "powered", because I always have my drill with me.

Originally posted by CharlieM

I'll measure the wheel spacing for you. I carry four yellow chocks for that job. Easy and fast, but your solution should be fine.

I normally use chocks, but the whole dual axle thing has made me look for alternatives to buying a bunch of blocks (we often have uneven sites). Here's what I'm planning on using with that lock:

It looks like a really easy approach, but I want to add some additional security to it, since the levelers aren't very tall on the ends.

CharlieM

Senior Member

Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1797

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 at 2:30pm

Originally posted by bhamster

Sometime in the end of March, but they said 6-8 weeks.

That's about the same lead time they quoted me and they actually beat it.

The Sequoia has 120V outlets, but I don't think I would use them for that purpose. It would use way too much gas and it has quite a loud growl even when idle.

According to my ScanGauge the Tacoma burns about 0.5 GPH at idle with no A/C. We'll see. It's still a lot quieter than a genny. Of course, you may burn more gas with that huge V8.

That's the best reference I've heard so far. So you actually talked to an engineer at LivinLite and he said it would be fine?

Yes. His name was Gary Peter. I did sense some reluctance to recommend the WDH, but I think it was more because they didn't think it was necessary than that it would damage the trailer.

I just convert my jack so I can use my drill. Then everything is "powered", because I always have my drill with me.

I also carry a battery powered impact wrench for the stabilizers, but the attraction of the power jack was too strong. Again: old and lazy!

I normally use chocks, but the whole dual axle thing has made me look for alternatives to buying a bunch of blocks (we often have uneven sites). Here's what I'm planning on using with that lock:

It looks like a really easy approach, but I want to add some additional security to it, since the levelers aren't very tall on the ends.

Interesting product. Not sure if it really saves time and effort and I didn't like the jolt when driving off. I'll be waiting for your report.

Charlie

Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

techntrek

Admin Group - pHp

Joined: 29 Jul 2009
Location: MD
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9059

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 at 8:00pm

I recommend the TV-as-charger but only with jumper cables and only for occasional use. If you'll be spending a week off-grid and don't have a generator, it will work, just not efficiently. Hook up the jumper cables every other day for an hour. Not every day. The battery needs to be fully topped off after a week so if you'll be out more than a week you may need to find an outlet (like in a bathroom) and take a battery charger.

Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual