First trip out with the 23B!

southpaw211 · 09-09-2012, 06:47 PM

I love this camper!! Husband drove it down to Watkins Glen Int'l on Friday, and though it was a bit of a bear to get up that big hill to the track, he said it pulled just fine on the whole trip. We had some nasty storms come through on Saturday afternoon, bad enough that track security was coming by to ask tenters to pack up and for others to batten down the hatches. We took 2 minutes (literally) and put in the bunk ends. The storm came howling in and went inside where I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies in the oven and a couple of cups of coffee while the wind blew and the rain poured down. What a great place to ride out a storm! Even with the bunks in, it's still plenty roomy.

Everything worked great - furnace, stove, water tanks, battery was fine with moderately conservative consumption & radio on most of the day Saturday. The dump station was a breeze, even for noobs like us. Showering in an RV is tricky business - I don't think we were level enough or something, because when the faucets in the bathtub were turned on, water wanted to run along the edge of the tub by the cabinet and down onto the floor. I just rolled up an old towel and stuck it there to suck up the water during our showers. Will have to come up with a fix for that, and probably some kind of a 3M shelf to put toiletries on. And I think some heavier weight 3M hooks are in order near the door to hang up a coat or sweatshirt.

What a fun time! I cannot WAIT until our next trip - weekend after next!

Wolverine · 09-09-2012, 07:07 PM

Glad you had a great first experience. That is a very nice unit to start out in.

Boss Wagon · 09-09-2012, 07:24 PM

Usually the first trip is when you discover the worst thing about camping....that there is never enough time to do it often enough!

Jagiven · 09-09-2012, 08:05 PM

I am glad you enjoyed your 23B. We have been in a few heavy rain storms with ours. The tent ends are noisy in a gully washer. This weekend was the first time we have camped when it has not rained.

CruizinKim · 09-09-2012, 09:02 PM

Sounds great Southpaw! I'm glad you ended up having a nice first run. Had to laugh...I thought I was the only one who baked cookies on camping trips!

RustyFairmount · 09-10-2012, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolverine

Glad you had a great first experience. That is a very nice unit to start out in.

Indeed. Everyone should be lucky enough to start out RVing in what is arguably the best hybrid available today. I've had 2 class C 's and one class A until finally upgrading to an x23b two seasons ago. Congratulations!

glsimms · 09-10-2012, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyFairmount

Indeed. Everyone should be lucky enough to start out RVing in what is arguably the best hybrid available today. I've had 2 class C 's and one class A until finally upgrading to an x23b two seasons ago. Congratulations!

Rusty, just askin'...... But what do you like about the X23B over the motor homes?

I'm asking because at my age, retirement is not far off, and I was thinkin' about a motor home of some sort and maybe trading in my X23B.

Boubou · 09-11-2012, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southpaw211

I love this camper!! Husband drove it down to Watkins Glen Int'l on Friday, and though it was a bit of a bear to get up that big hill to the track, he said it pulled just fine on the whole trip. We had some nasty storms come through on Saturday afternoon, bad enough that track security was coming by to ask tenters to pack up and for others to batten down the hatches. We took 2 minutes (literally) and put in the bunk ends. The storm came howling in and went inside where I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies in the oven and a couple of cups of coffee while the wind blew and the rain poured down. What a great place to ride out a storm! Even with the bunks in, it's still plenty roomy.

Everything worked great - furnace, stove, water tanks, battery was fine with moderately conservative consumption & radio on most of the day Saturday. The dump station was a breeze, even for noobs like us. Showering in an RV is tricky business - I don't think we were level enough or something, because when the faucets in the bathtub were turned on, water wanted to run along the edge of the tub by the cabinet and down onto the floor. I just rolled up an old towel and stuck it there to suck up the water during our showers. Will have to come up with a fix for that, and probably some kind of a 3M shelf to put toiletries on. And I think some heavier weight 3M hooks are in order near the door to hang up a coat or sweatshirt.

What a fun time! I cannot WAIT until our next trip - weekend after next!

Hey! we too were in Watkins Glen this weekend but stayed at the KOA
we were at the track's garage when the alert came through, I was worried about the dogs left at the campground but thought there was nothing we could do about it and the safest place for us to be where in that garage? hard to say. Came back to Kingston Ontario yesterday, turns out there was a tornado just west of town that flattened a garage.

southpaw211 · 09-11-2012, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyFairmount

Indeed. Everyone should be lucky enough to start out RVing in what is arguably the best hybrid available today. I've had 2 class C 's and one class A until finally upgrading to an x23b two seasons ago. Congratulations!

It's funny you say that, because though we had a pop up for 5 years, we joke that now we are RV'ers - before we were just campers! We almost went with the 26BH, but I'm so glad we chose the hybrid - it's perfect!

southpaw211 · 09-11-2012, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boubou

Hey! we too were in Watkins Glen this weekend but stayed at the KOA
we were at the track's garage when the alert came through, I was worried about the dogs left at the campground but thought there was nothing we could do about it and the safest place for us to be where in that garage? hard to say. Came back to Kingston Ontario yesterday, turns out there was a tornado just west of town that flattened a garage.

We were a little worried in the morning when track security was coming by telling tenters to pack up and handing out NWS bulletins! We were camped up by the chicane which I guess was good because we were at the top of the hill for rain, but I was a little nervous about wind and lightning. Luckily we were sandwiched in between a Class A and a 5'er so we had a little protection there. We love to go down for that weekend - my husband grew up not far from the track and loves to go. I think he and his Dad are going to camp there in June for the 6 hour race.

RustyFairmount · 09-11-2012, 07:50 PM

@glsimms: My life changed, so did my camping style. We had a 25' Coachmen Class C, followed by a 36' Bounder Diesel, then a Winnebago Access 31c, each for about 2 years. In the middle of it all we had a baby. I found that as he grew from infant to toddler to preschooler, he needed his own sleeping space - not a converted dinette or sofa. My wife and I didn't like the idea of sleeping him in the master bed, or the bed above the cab. So we needed something new.

There was also the cost of operating an RV. Combined annual registration and insurance, the Winnebago cost me an extra $1000 PER YEAR over a comparable truck/trailer combo. Add to that the need to haul a Ford Focus behind as our toad. A friend politely said to me one day: "So...you're actually still trailering, right? But instead of a truck and a camper, you're driving the camper and hauling a car!"

Maintenance is another issue for me. I like doing all my own work, but I don't have the facilities or tools to work on a 15,000lb vehicle. A travel trailer is manageable. I felt like the motor homes were crushing me to death.

Finally, what guided me to the hybrid was some new and dear friends we met while camping. I was having issues fitting the Winnebago onto our site and leveling it. These newly introduced "strangers" invited us into their Palomino 238S to cool down for a while and I was hooked. That hybrid had all the space of my Winnebago, yet it fit neatly onto a smaller site, and was perfectly leveled. There were 2 queen beds, huge living space, etc. Together we shopped for our dream camper and found that the X23B was perfect for us. Light. 2 big beds. Giant floating dinette for entertaining, or comfortably turtling (I'm 6'3"). Big galley. Low height making it easy to get into my backyard under the eaves of my house.

Bottom line: I don't regret having owned the motor homes. I just find that the X23b fits my family's lifestyle & budget perfectly. Southpaw211's post just excited me and made me remember how happy we all were after using our hybrid for the first time.

RustyFairmount · 09-11-2012, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southpaw211

It's funny you say that, because though we had a pop up for 5 years, we joke that now we are RV'ers - before we were just campers! We almost went with the 26BH, but I'm so glad we chose the hybrid - it's perfect!

Another big difference over pop-ups: Don't forget, if you itemize on your federal tax return and have financed the X23B, the loan interest is tax deductible. The fact that it's a travel trailer with full bathroom qualifies it as a "second home." Talk to your tax professional in the Spring.

jdorant · 09-11-2012, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyFairmount

Another big difference over pop-ups: Don't forget, if you itemize on your federal tax return and have financed the X23B, the loan interest is tax deductible. The fact that it's a travel trailer with full bathroom qualifies it as a "second home." Talk to your tax professional in the Spring.

What if we don't own a 1st home? Do we still qualify for a tax break?

RustyFairmount · 09-12-2012, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdorant

What if we don't own a 1st home? Do we still qualify for a tax break?

I don't know that one. Talk to a tax professional. I don't believe first or second home comes into play. I think it's all about whether you itemize or not.

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