Well, took the new camper out this weekend on its maiden voyage from Redmond, WA to Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco, WA. 375 miles towed. My wife and I have 2 girls ages 6 and 8.
Even with the wind the camper towed great without any white-knuckle moments, I'm sure the Reese Strait Line hitch was a big part of that. Kept the needle between 55 and 60, and going down averaged 10.4 mpg, and 10.8 on the way back.
Conditions were rainy and windy the entire time with temps in the upper 50s-low 60's. One good thing about the rain was that I got to do a good check for any leaks and issues in the camper. No issues found.
Going from a small 23' with no slides to a 28' with deep slide made all the difference in the world. Since we were indoors much of the time we didn't get clausterphobic due to the slide. Awesome.
A couple notes from our side from the experience:
1) I would recommend a slide awning / topper. Although the squeegee and seals did a good job, it was still damp on the top. A good towel wipedown was necessary. Anyone recommend a brand/model?
2) Our memory foam topper was great. We learned our lesson from 3 uncomfortable trips with the first camper. Highly recommended for the front and bunks.
3) The lack of a built-in ladder was a pain. We have one of those Camping World aluminum ones, but I think we'll follow some of the others on the forum and just build a permanent wood one.
Thread:
http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...=28dsbh+ladder
4) We used a Honda EU2000i to recharge 2 x 12V batteries in the morning and before bed, and fire up the microwave at times. The little genny did great, although it couldn't handle the refrigerator (even past starting load) and microwave at the same time. I ended up running the fridge on LP the rest of the time.
5) The small 12V plug under the control panel was awesome. We charged our phones during the day and I used it for my CPAP Machine at night. The CPAP only draws about 6ah so we had plenty of power in the morning. Great feature.
6) The new front slam latch doors are nice, but quite frankly I miss the older style. You literally have to slam the doors shut. Also they give you separate keys (R001) for the front slam latch vs the CH751 keys for the hatch in the back. Would prefer 1 key for all hatches and outside shower.
7) The LED awning was a hit - great feature. I converted all interior lights with LED's as well to conserve power. Thread:
http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...ghlight=28dsbh
8) Everyone was impressed that Jayco put the 600 lb load rating for the top bunk. The kids in the group all used it as their fort/clubhouse.
Overall I am very happy with the 28DSBH and we got compliments from everyone who stopped by for a tour. Most importantly my DW and kids are very happy. Can't thank everyone enough for their contributions on this forum - made our research and decision that much easier.
Linear Mode
