Newbies buying a new Jayco. Help us decide!

[n3vhr]

My wife and I are looking at buying a small travel trailer. Small, due to the fact that I have a 2007 Dodge Dakota 3.7 L V6 2wd that we will be using to tow with. We are looking at a 2019 Hummingbird 17rk and a 2019 Jay Flight SLX 7 184BS. We are empty-nesters with 2 Granddaughters (2 year old and 3 month old). Any personal experiences that would help us decide would be appreciated. Thanks! Hope you all have a Great Day!!!!

[oldmanAZ]

Welcome to the forum and happy trailer shopping.

[wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin. We really like our Hummingbird 17RK, but it's just the 2 of us and the dog. With 4, even 2 young ones, it might be tight. Personally I'd go for the Jay Flight SLX 7 184BS. I think you'll appreciate the bunks and the dinette over just the dinette in the 17RK that you'd have to make into a bed every night when the granddaughters are along. Good luck with your decision.

[RogerR]

Buy the one that fits you best as adults. The kids will fit anywhere you can give them a bed to sleep in. An Adventure for them.

I don't own either but did take my son and grandson in a 195RB. Son slept on an air mattress on the floor some nights and they both tented a few times.

The majority of the time it is just the two of us.

[Tunce the traveler]

You didn’t say if you were retired or not so is this just for weekends or weeks at a time. The Bird has a wet bath and we’re not fans of water all over and having to dry it all up after a shower. The 184 dinette is a step up and not favored by some. The bunks give you more storage space ( there’s never enough) when there’s just the 2of you. My wife likes to read in bed but I prefer a sofa with my feet up ( or the larger dinette area) ( especially on rainy days)

[O'Man]

My tow vehicle is also a 6 cyl. I liked the hummingbird more than the 184BS in some respects. Namely, it has a bathroom sink, some nicely located nets to hold stuff and it seems a bit more upscale, but we went with the 184BS. Number 1 reason was I did not want to deal with changing the dinette over to a bed every night for my son. So the bunks are great. It also has more storage. The large dinette is nice. I've been busy personalizing it by adding hooks & shelves.

[Jagiven]

I am not familiar with ether unit. I would recommend finding a dealer that has them. Ditch the salesperson, dig through every nook and cranny, find the hidden cubbies. Determine where you will be putting your stuff, and then hang out inside the unit for 30+ minutes, just like you might on a rainy day. Does each unit fit your needs? Does it have a place for all your stuff?

Just remember when the kids come, and as they grow, they bring more and more with them, which adds weight and space. Also remember to calculate your Dakota's payload, it will include the TT's tongue weight, plus passengers (minus full tank of fuel and 150 pounds for the driver), plus all your "Stuff" in back. To be safe, figure your tongue weight as 15% of the fully loaded GVW, so if your TT weighs in at 4000 pounds your tongue weight should not exceed 600 pounds. Don't forget your hitch has weight too.

Good Luck and happy adventures.

[Siamese]

I'm not familiar with those units or the towing and payload capacity of your tow vehicle. My advice would be to start with making sure the listed PAYLOAD of your tow vehicle is capable of handling the tongue weight of the trailer, while factoring in the weight of people and gear in the tow vehicle. Make no decision regarding this based on the the dealer says, as they notoriously, and frequently lie about towing ability.

[n3vhr]

Thanks to All!! We really appreciate your opinions, experiences, and expertise. There sure is a lot to think about. There are pros and cons for both trailers. We are not retired. I am a high school Biology teacher and my wife is an educational para-professional in our elementary school. So we have some time in the summer and a couple of weekends the rest of the year to get out and camp. I have been doing my homework on tow capacities, weights, and storage and I think we're good to go, but I will continue to look at that to make sure we are good. Our dealer has allowed us to spend as much time in any of the trailers on his lot without him following us around. We really appreciate that too! Thanks again for your help! We really appreciate it!

[Debdon Journeys]

I just purchased a Jayco 145 rb this year. I researched this to death before deciding on my 145. A few points to ponder. 1. bathroom size I looked at wet vs dry,for me the dry bath even though it is small 145 I can sit in privacy I can take a shower and dry off with the door closed. 2. Tin and stick vs composite. Tin and stick, it easier to fix if something would happen. Plus it has a the bonus of being able recycle most of the trailer when its life span is over, composite goes in the landfill. I would look at the 195rb The dinette can sleep the kids plus you get a north south bed vs climbing over the spouse. That is the one thing we are looking at on our next one. I would get the SLX over the Hummingbird. More head room, cheaper to start out with, bigger bathroom. Get the 13,500 btu AC you will never regret having too much AC like you will never regret having a bigger bathroom I would also consider Wireless brake controller and a WDH. If you still need to compare try watching Josh the RV Nerd on YouTube he does a great job describing any RV he post.

[jd99336]

I have a few RV shopping criteria.

1) Make sure momma is happy with the kitchen and bathroom
2) Make sure pappa is happy with the outside storage compartments. Size matters when storing stuff for camping.
3) Make sure if you buy a unit with slide-outs, that you can still function with the slides in. Makes life easier if you stop for an emergency bathroom break and can reach the bathroom.


The rest is just fluff and minor preference adjustments. Of course it has to tow with the tow vehicle you are using, but keep the big three in mind.

[Thomson]

Whatever you buy check everything. Stove top works, fridge, etc. Most important is fill all the gray and black water tanks into the sink, toilet, etc. where you can see the level. then come back the next morning to see if they are at the same level. If not, you got a leak. See that everything works, and do not take their word. Check, check, check. It's your investment and you want to use it, rather than have it sit for weeks at the dealer's lot waiting for repairs.

[RogerR]

Check to make sure the house battery is new. If it has been aboard for awhile it has probably died completely and will be near worthless or at best very short lived.