1st trip in our new 2012 Swift SLX 184BH

[bender031177]

I am 5 says in to my first trip with my new trailer. There are some things I love and other things I am noticing I wish I had.

First I am glad to report it seems Jayco has addressed the A/C leaking issue. I have used it steady with no indication of water coming in. They to get a bone head award for the placement of the unit, as it is impossible to remove the A/C filter for cleaning.

It has rained for the last 48 hours and we are very comfortable in the trailer. The layout is perfect for our needs.

A couple of dislikes...

First, the black and grey water tanks are very small. I have to empty the black water every 2 days and the grey water is nearly full after my wife and I have our showers. I have started leaving the grey water valve open. I am very lucky both the camp grounds we visited on our vacation have 3 way sites. Otherwise we would have to tow the trailer to a dumping station or buy one of those black water caddies which just doesn't seem very appealing.

Second is the various build quality issues. One of the mounts for the L/P stove isn't attached so I can lift it right out, the radio isn't fastened securely and the dinette has a bow in the middle. These are relatively minor and compared to some issues others have had I should consider myself lucky.

Some things I would like to see made standard...
-Front stabilizer jacks. We had them installed for $150 and we tried it with them up (to make sure we didn't waste our money) and it rocked like a boat in water. It might not be so bad on the smaller SLX's but it is terrible on the 184BH.
-Vent fan in the bathroom. I didn't know it wasn't there until i picked the trailer up. I didn't realize trailers didn't always have one. It takes a long time to get the steam off the mirror.
-Reduce the size of the fresh water tank and increase the black and grey water tanks.
-A 120V plug behind the bench seat. When the bed is made that turns into a make shift night stand.
-There is lots of storage but not enough doors. There is also a big storage area under the bottom bunk but it is hard to access because you have to lift the one piece mattress up in a confined space.
-Add a cable TV hook up. It has a TV antenna but no hook up for Cable or Satellite TV. That isn't a big deal yet (we don't have a TV in the TT) but DW is expecting and I figure we will need one soon.

All that being said I wouldn't trade this purchase for any other TT, I still think it was our best choice and an excellent price. I hope this will help others know what they are getting if they are considering a Swift SLX.

[Crabman]

The tanks are small in the Swift SLX series because it is a liteweight trailer with a small CCC to keep the weights down so more tow vehicles can be used. I would recommend getting a blue tote tank to empty your tanks into when camping without sewer hookups. The Jayflight 19BH for comparison on the other hand has much larger tanks and a larger CCC because it is not a "liteweight" TT, and things like stabilizers, cable hookup and vent fan are standard. But they are heavier and more pricey then the Swift series.

[etothepii]

The tanks are the same on my 154bh. I have a 15 gallon blue tote and have used it a few times. Not my favorite thing, but it works.

Last weekend when the grey was almost full, I just opted to take Saturday night's shower in the shower house instead of the camper, since I was leaving and thus emptying the tanks in the morning. It didn't make sense to me to have to tote the water away for one shower.

I agree on the front stabilizers. They came on my last two pop ups, why not on a small tt?

Vent in bathroom a must too. Fortunately, it's an easy upgrade.

I'd like a 120 outlet in each bunk, instead of just the lower, and I'd like another 12v auto outlet on the kitchenette too.

Wouldn't want a smaller fresh tank, since we ran out of fresh water on our last outing. (Hand toted more to my site).

I don't feel your pain on cable/sat TV either. Strict rule against television on our camping trips!


But I'm a lot like you ... I see some shortcomings, but still LOVE the rv. It's a perfect fit for my family

[Rustic Eagle]

Bender,

I would e-mail Jayco a copy of your post, let them know what an actual camper's experience is with their product.

Bob

[Terry]

I have a 32 gallon blue tote and generally do gray, but have also done black -- it really is not that bad...sure beats packing up and going to the dump station.

On the fan - even the Jayflights have a bad fan. I replaced mine with a nice Maxx Air fan and it made a huge difference!

[dorayme]

Congratulations on your new unit bender031177 , what a wonderful investment for your growing family!

After reading your comments, a few things could be changed/added to hopefully increase the pleasure of your stay.

There are low flow shower heads that put in air pressure to give you the feel and sensation of a full blast, but save significantly on water usage. They also make kitchen and bath sink inserts to do the same thing. These may help the running out of water scenario as well as the prematurely filling tank scenario for your grey.

As for the toilet, in our TT, with 5 people, even a larger tank fills quickly so we save on flushes by checking to see if anybody else has to use the facility before we flush. This conserves the water used to flush, I also just ask the kids to not flush at all. The TT is small enough, I know when they go, I can conservatively flush whereas for them it's fascinating to hold down the pedal and see what happens. I just come behind them, ask their siblings if they need to go and do one flush.

I agree with the comment to put in a maxair fan in the bathroom. We love ours, it's so powerful and useful, we are looking to change the bedroom vents into maxair fans for non ac air flow.

Best of luck, and it sounds like maybe you can get your hands wet with doing some mods to your new TT to personalize it and make it work perfectly for how you intend to use it!

[chopshop]

Bow in the table, our's was the same way when we purchased the unit last spring. When I took the trailer in for some warranty work I had them replace the table. With that said, the new table also had a bow in it (yes, it's a differnt table, I marked the old one). When I stow the table away, I have it "resting" upside down to try and take the bow out of it to no avail.

[bender031177]

I just booked my trailer ion for it's warranty work. I can't get it in until late September. I expected a wait because I bought my TT in the US to save several thousand $$ and don't expect priority service. I am happy they are willing to service me at all.

Thanks for the suggestions for my trailer to make it better for me. I asked my local dealer about installing a ceiling an in the bathroom and he said it is a major job if there isn't already wiring for a fan, and he doesn't think there is.

Like I said though, it was the best deal for what we needed and and I don't regret it a bit.

[BTCohosh]

Hey Bender! Glad your experience was a positive one. We just got done with a long first trip in our 154bh and loved it as well.

Regarding the A/C filter issue: I was of the same opinion as you, but discovered that if you're careful, you can finesse the filter out by pulling and bending. It's pretty flexible.

Cheers!

[gapeachy]

we also purchased a jayco 184bh we already camped twice once at st joseph peninsula which was great. tanks were ok. but wished they had put a small sink in bathroom but dont know where it would have fit. also the tv has to sit on the only counter space. the 154bh had a place for your tv. we always camp in state parks the antenna on the camper was great for us we picked up some local stations.. other wise happy

[MikeeDee1]

I/we purchased our 184BH in 2013. We love it. It is me, my wife, and two teenage daughters that use it. The girls use the bunks and we use the fold down table.
1. We have had 1 of the shades cords rip, and Jayco replaced the whole shade. We have learned it is not to hard to replace the cord if one rips again.
2. The tanks are small for a continuous use as a family. Especially if we shower. So we are picky at our camp sites.
3. THE CAMPER PULLS AWESOME WITH MY KIA SEDONA V6 3.5 LITTER. Typically 19/20 mpg hwy, with camper 10/12 mpg. You know, i heard it's the same with bigger v8s with bigger camper. so the proportion is good because i dont drive a gas hauler v8 all year round.
4. We installed a tv bracket on the bunk wall and mounted a 14" TV with a swing out bracket. The bracket mounted to the TV can lift out of the wall mount. During travels we dismount the TV. I used a strong back on the bunk side for support because the wall is hollow and OEM material is weak.
5. We ran a cable from the coaxial connection by the door through the cabinets, across the roof, down through the cabinets on the bunk side and out the bottom through the radio cavity. When we dismount the tv we push the cable up the hole.
6.The windows fog up a lot and we are looking at alternatives, where the bathroom vent fan will be an awesome addition, not only for regular bath odors, but,
7. A hot summer day last year (2013) the 5000 btu was definitely inadequate. We used fans to try to blow the air to the bunks, but in Aransas like other states it is humid. A bathroom exhuast fan may help vent out high heat, but the 5000 btu unit air really does not circulate adequately. We bought vent pillows and will try them too.
8. I bent a stabilizer a couple of weekends ago and can't find a part number. I called the dealer which is kind of far from my home and he guestimates he has one for $30. It does rock a lot. Can I buy one?
9. One day we were sitting inside because it rained and the CO2 detector/LP Detector cut the propane off. I was not educated too well on the function, but our stove wouldn't lite nor our hot water heater. I took my tank and everyone said it was full. That's when I started reading the manual and indadvertantly pulled the fuse for the LP Gas Detector which cutsoff the propane. I realize that this their to prevent a camper from filling up with propane and igniting when a door is open. Something like that.

The camper pulls great because our dealer really took care of us. THey provided the levelizing system along with the anti-sway bar. I am fixing to to go to Georgia and I use Google Earth incline profile to give me an idea of the hills to look out for.

[MikeeDee1]

What is the average cost for the upgrade of the 5000btu to the 8000btu? Has anyone invested in the upgrade?

[Threebutchers]

Bender;

Your comments are spot-on to what we experienced in our similar TT (154BH).... and most of them I have addressed in modifications over the past 2 years. My signature has links to the projects I have taken on to make the TT "our own".

The 5,000 BTU unit is sufficient for our smaller trailer - but numerous 184BH owners have complained of deficiency. To clean the filter....buy a right angle screwdriver and take out the (2) screws on the bottom of the AC unit, pop off the control knobs and the AC front cover and filter come off for east cleaning (you can bend / curl out the plastic framed filter like a another poster said.....but it's near impossible to get it back in)

The Swift line is light weight and no frills......I was happy with the value in a TT of that weight / floorplan. Being new to camping (and somewhat ignorant to what we would want to "settle" into)... I have enjoyed doing the mods that we felt were a priority.

We have gotten used to the small black / gray tanks.... it takes disciplines which the fairer sex in my family have trouble getting (her) head around... I wont go into detail....

Glad you had a positive experience in general.... Best Wishes

[xkuzme1]

I found a .5 gallon per minute water facet and a 1.25 gallon per minute shower head. Those two things should help with the water in our 184.