New member from Pittsburgh

[Sidewinder]

Hello all, new member here doing research, with the goal of buying a TT by early September.

Some background: We're doing our research for which TT to get, with the SLX 195RB very high on the list. We've had a popup (30 years ago) and a Class A, but never a TT. DW and I are well into our 60s, retired, and will be traveling with just the two of us; no kids, grandkids, or fur-kids. This fall we're planning a trip to New England for a couple of weeks, then next year a swing to the west coast which could keep us on the road for 2-3 months. We're also looking at a month or two in Florida each winter. We want to stay relatively small, light, and manageable, but enough room to comfortably sit tight when it rains for a few days in a row.

With that in mind, we started our search looking at Scamp-type trailers, then several Rpods, and then the Hummingbirds. We've gone to several dealers to check these out, and have decided that the wet-bath is not for us, so are focused on just those with dry bath. Besides, many of those are just too small for us.

The Jayco 195RB is high on the list because of the dry bath (naturally) and the walk-around queen bed, and because it feels roomy enough without needing a slide. Others we are considering are the KZ Escape and Sportsmen Classic, both of which have a floor plan that seems similar to the 195RB. There may be others that we have yet to discover, and we're planning to go see the 195RB at a dealer soon, but meanwhile, I've read all the forum threads that mention the 195RB, and here are some questions that I'm hoping those with more experience can answer:

1. The brochure says the 195RB doesn't come with black tank flush, front stabilizers, cable TV connection, the TV itself, or large entry door grab handle. Have any of you added those things?
2. The 2017 brochure says the gray and black tanks are 15 and 9 gallons respectively, but the Jayco website specifications section for the 195RB says those are 19.9 gallons each. Can someone with a 2017 model confirm which of those is correct?
3. We're looking at a Chevy Colorado (rated for 7000 pounds, but the gas engine, not the diesel engine) for the tow vehicle, and I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with that for a TT of this size.
4. What do you like or not like about the 195RB?

I welcome any feedback, positive or negative, that you want to share about the 195RB, your experience with Jayco or other competing brands, or any other info you have.

Sidewinder.

[RogerR]

We got our 195RB last summer and spent two weeks in the Rockies plus back and forth from Illinois. We like it due to knee problems getting in/out of a popup bed on the end.
It has worked well and towed easily behind our Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 with 8.6 in mountains and 14.5 on highway mileage. No overheats or problems. I can only recommend the Andersen hitch and levelers.
We had the dealer install front Stabilizers. We also had him install bed lifts.
The mattress is very so-so.

As to tanks, I never measured them but have had no problems. We try to minimize dry use of the bath. Very short showers and walked to toilets when we could. But we did use both and never ran dry or overflowed.

I bought a wand (Amazon) for the end of my hose. When I got back I used it flush the black tank. We also used some softener chemical each time after we dumped. No problems yet!

I will say that I recommend you get under it ASAP and seal up all the mouse highways no matter what you buy. I have not added a grab handle, like to know myself if it would work.

[Campers & Fishers]

Hello, Sidewinder.
We bought our 195 last Aug. Since then we've been out six times. I'm guessing, but I'm pretty sure overall mileage will top 4k. No problems and a super stable tow. We started with a Ford Escape and recently upgraded to a Nissan Pathfinder. We got an E2 WDH hitch in the deal and can recommend same without reservation, it's rock solid. Blk and grey tanks are the 19.9 variety, we're conservative users of the tanks and haven't found the tanks too small for our use. No front stabilizers, right. I got a pair of 5k scissor jacks and store them on board as opposed to perm install. Very simple and flexible to use, works great. 195 works great for us and we are very pleased. Best of luck to you.

[Sidewinder]

Thanks for the info, guys. It sounds like the 195 could be a good fit, both for us and for the TV. I've checked out adding an aftermarket black tank flush, and it looks pretty easy, especially if done before using the tank.