New Jayco owner, not new to camping ...

JayRidge · 07-23-2010, 01:14 PM

My family has been camping for many years in a variety of pop-up campers. Now the children are grown and we are quickly approaching retirement. We want to travel with a few more of the creature comforts found in travel trailers, so after months of research and many visits to countless dealerships, we opted for a Jayco Jay Feather Sport 197 and have been very pleased with our choice. Since taking delivery in March 2010 we have pulled it over 3500 miles on trips from upstate NY to FL and back (with a stop over in GA), a trip to the Cape Cod National Seashore, and a long weekend in VT. We have several more trips planned before the weather in the northeast forces us to park it for the winter.

My tow vehicle is a Honda Ridgeline and the Jay Feather Sport 197 is well within the limits of this vehicle. This camper is the perfect size for the 2 of us and our little dog.

I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of this product and was very happy to find this forum. I have cruised other RV forums but like the idea that this one focuses on Jayco products. They come in all sizes and shapes, but all have the Jayco name in common. I look forward to learning from the experiences here and hope to contribute in any small way that I can.

Here's a photo of our Jayco while we were at the KOA Savannah South in GA;

Hondopatrick · 07-23-2010, 01:26 PM

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new tt. Nice setup! (We love pics so thanks for the pic)

Boss Wagon · 07-23-2010, 02:59 PM

Welcome aboard!

Denise · 07-23-2010, 09:08 PM

Wow and very kewl. We started out with a tent then pop-up tent trailers when our now adult kids were adolescents. I'm glad you chose Jayco.. Great product and customer service. I like your non-electric awning! Nice pic. 3500 miles on the East coast... very nice... Where do you plan to travel next? and of course welcome to the Jayco Owners Forum!

JayRidge · 07-24-2010, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by healthi

Wow and very kewl. We started out with a tent then pop-up tent trailers when our now adult kids were adolescents. I'm glad you chose Jayco.. Great product and customer service. I like your non-electric awning! Nice pic. 3500 miles on the East coast... very nice... Where do you plan to travel next? and of course welcome to the Jayco Owners Forum!

Our next trip is northern Vermont with a three day stopover at Lake George NY on the way back. Our list of places to go and things to see keeps growing. Future not-yet-scheduled trips will include Colonial Williamsburg VA, the Shenandoah Valley VA and Gettysburg PA.

We have currently on the planning board for next summer a 10,000 mile trip across America with the Giant Redwoods of CA our most distant destination. I plan to visit as many National Parks as we can possibly see. We're planning a central route on the way out and a more northerly route back home, not only traveling interstates but the backroads as well.

Even though our camper is a small one, it was a significant investment for us and we didn't buy it to look at it sit in the driveway.

Happy camping and safe travels!

JPBeck · 07-24-2010, 04:46 PM

That's a real nice rig you got there! Looks fun and makes me want to head back out.
Since you guys don't have kids around anymore what do you put up on the top bunk?

Colonial Williamsburg VA sounds about my speed-- you guys have some great camping out there-- here we have to make reservations 6 months in advance then listen to drunken buffoons holler all night once we get there.

Happy trails!

JayRidge · 07-25-2010, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPBeck

Since you guys don't have kids around anymore what do you put up on the top bunk?

We basically use the top bunk for another storage shelf. We put the dinette table outside to give us more room inside and take TV trays to eat on. When the trays are not in use we fold them up and store them on the top bunk. Its also a great place for my camera bag, the DW's purse, etc. Helps keep the clutter to a minimum.

kcconawa · 07-25-2010, 08:11 PM

Good luck on your Jayco. Compared to many RV's, they are definately a better quality unit than most on the road.

A suggestion for your next summer trip. Go to Indenpendence, MO, see all of the Harry Truman stuff. That also is the general starting place of the California, Oregon, Mormon & Pony Express Trails. Follow the California Trail to Salt Lake City, then go east into California and yes, the Redwoods are a must. A nice forest service campground is located just outside WIllow Creek, CA which we used as a 4 day base camp to see the northern redwoods, the real "Big Foot" and other stuff. Go north to Crater Lake OR also a must. Then go on up to NW Oregon,see the Lewis & Clark stuff and follow the Oregon Trail & Lewis & Clark stuff backwards east. Make sure hit Yellowstone, the Bad Lands etc along the way.

You can hit a lot of National Parks along this general route. Lots of stuff to see not mentioned here, more than you can possibly do in one summer. You just have to pick and choose but the history along the way is very interesting and this general route gets you into a lot of "off the beaten path" opportunities!

JayRidge · 07-25-2010, 09:42 PM

I really appreciate your input kcconawa. This sounds like a great foundation to begin building our trip around. Thanks for the suggestions.

Gone Camping · 07-30-2010, 11:33 AM

Welcome to the forum.

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