Jayco Hybrids vs. the Competition

[raising4daughters]

Hello, we're a Jayco PUP family that's growing weary of some of the often-discussed downsides of PUPs (storage space, small refrig, storage space, and storage space). We're leaning toward an X17, 18, 19, or 20 hybrid as a replacement.

I'd appreciate hearing from other hybrid owners if they comparison-shopped before buying a Jayco hybrid and what you saw as some of the pro's/con's of Jayco's and the competition (Rockwood, Starcraft, etc.).

Thanks!

[29BHS ECO]

raising4daughters--In the past 25 yrs we bought 2 Jayco pups from the same dealer, they were great units, no problems with the pup's or the dealer so just went with what got us to thus point ANOTHER JAYCO. We have noticed the latches that hold the beds closed are not as rugged as the Jayco. We also noticed that the some have the beds held up the same way as a pup, from under neath, which I did not like when setting up.Larry

[el.jefe]

We just upgraded from a pup this summer to the X18D. The biggest reason was sleeping space, we have 5 kids and needed the 3rd bunk. We narrowed it down to either Jayco or Rockwood. Honestly, I liked the Rockwood 233s better, because it had a lot more space with a couch and a slideout, but the dry weight was about 800 lbs more than the X18D and was pushing it too close for my Safari. It was more about floorplans and weights for us.
I believe that Jayco does (or will) have a model with a similar floorplan to the Rockwood that we liked, but it is almost as heavy.
We just got back from our 2nd trip in the X18D and we are VERY happy with it. Plenty of room for the kids, can even set up a pack n play and still walk through and get in/out of the fridge and bathroom, much lighter to pull. It's not fancy or extravagant or anything, but it meets our needs quite well.

[KDandJD]

My wife and I also just upgraded from a Coleman PUP to a Jayco 23B Hybrid. We looked at so many brands of hybrids that I won't try to list them all but just kept coming back to the Jaycos. It was floor plan for the biggest part that sold us, the jayco's use of space was much better. The storage space we have is almost more than we need...the bathroom is great to have and my wife loves the fact that she doesn't have to practically get down on all fours just to get something from the fridge. We are very happy and as a result have camped a lot more!

[jbwjbw]

Brand / warranty plus floor layout were some of the major things fire us. We wanted the U shaped dining at one end, I don't think I found that from other rv makers.

[raising4daughters]

Yes, the warranty is enticing. Also, we do like the layout/floorplan for the Jayco's.

After doing some more research, we've concluded that we cannot (for personal political reasons) buy any Forest River product, and that eliminates a lot of brands. So it appears our choices have been quickly limited to Jayco, Starcraft, KZ (Sportsman or Coyote), or Dutchmen/Aerolite. Since we've been pleased with our Jayco PUP, it's hard to find a reason not to go with another Jayco.

[Crabman]

I think you will be happy with the Jayco.

[RustyFairmount]

Palomino has some pretty nice floorplans in the 23' range that were appealing. But there are some small things to not overlook. For example, Palomino uses a really lousy material for their mattresses, making the beds terribly uncomfortable. IMHO, worthless. By comparison, Jayco beds are super comfortable with a great supportive foam. Also, I particularly liked the Jayco X23B control switch location. NONE of the switches are in the reach of my pre-schooler.

Also, not particular to Jayco: Watch for airflow. The X23B does not do well for airflow to the back bunk. That can be a problem for hot summer days, when the AC won't effectively cool that bed. Use your imagination on how the air will move. Nobody wants to be uncomfortable at bedtime.

[Snake Plissken]

We used a Jayco pop-up for years and got tired and loading and unloading everything. We now have a 19h and just love it. It's light enough for my SportTrac and large enough to fit everyone and everything we need. Full refrigerator, large freezer, lots of space. It does lack storage space though but we've learned to be creative in our storage.

[2012x19h]

Originally Posted by Snake Plissken

We used a Jayco pop-up for years and got tired and loading and unloading everything. We now have a 19h and just love it. It's light enough for my SportTrac and large enough to fit everyone and everything we need. Full refrigerator, large freezer, lots of space. It does lack storage space though but we've learned to be creative in our storage.

Plissken: how do you manage to stay under the payload rating of the sport trac with a 19H attached?

[mtkeg15]

Starcraft is under the Jayco name- so I don't like to think of mine as competition- lol....but the Jayco has a one year longer warranty (j-2yrs and s-1 yr) which is actually huge. We absolutely love our Starcraft and Satrcraft support- is unbelievable! I called in ref to a small pin size light color as opposed to the cream interior color of the interior tent ends and the response was- the jayco dealer near you will come over, pull both off and send them and we will replace them. They told me it is logged in the computer and I can continue to camp till winter and then they will do it even though it will be a month and a half out of warranty. I was floored. The Jayco dealer called Starcraft to confirm and they called me back and confirmed how easy and helpful the company was. Long story short- I think the floor plans and "looks" of the Starcraft and Jayco lines are nicer then the competition. I am a believer that Jayco is the way to go- we went with Starcraft for love at first sight....and not many twins of our out there. Jayco is a sound choice as is Starcraft.

[29BHS ECO]

Snake-- check out themods section for more storage space or pm me and I'll send you the info. Larry

[29BHS ECO]

When we bought our first new pup, 1986, I told my DW that we were only going to go to 3 places to look anymore than that and a person could go nuts,Thats what we did and we did ok.

[sjones6335]

Our first camper was a 2010 Rockwood Roo 19 which we had for 2009 & 2010 seasons. I nothing but problems from day one. I had to replace the regulator, radio, & furnace control board. The cabinets & drawers needed to be fixed constantly because the wood was so soft the screws kept coming out. Towing in the rain we would get a leak thru the front. The last straw was the front bunk delaminating.

This season we bought a 2011 Jayco Select X23B. Everything on the Jayco is just built better & seems to be of much higher quality. I will never recommend a Forest River Product to anyone.

[Phar0e]

We checked out Passport hybrids by keystone when we started looking. But decided on a Jayco for several reasons. but we wondered why the keystone passport is not mentioned anywhere in these posts

[tlhdoc]

I had a Coleman PU and a Coleman/Fleetwood PU for 14 years. I was looking at hybrids for several years before I found my 2010 Z. I am lucky to live close enough to the Hershey RV show, to attend it most years. It gave me the ability to compare many brands/floor plans at one time. I liked the Jaycos. The mattress was much nicer than any other brand (I don't consider Star Craft a different brand). The detail and finish were better. One thing no one else has mentioned is that having a good dealer is very important. I had a tire blow out on my trailer. All 3 of the tires were dry rotted. I keep the tires covered. Pressure is at 65 psi. I was going on vacation and needed the trailer back soon. Jayco could not ship 3 new tires in time for my vacation, so they authorized the dealer to buy 3 new tires from a local tire store. The tires were also an upgrade to radials. It allowed us to go on vacation as planned and have new tires to tow safely. Jayco and my dealer, Rhones Travel Trailers in Cogan Station, PA are both great to deal with.

[Denise]

Originally Posted by Phar0e

We checked out Passport hybrids by keystone when we started looking. But decided on a Jayco for several reasons. but we wondered why the keystone passport is not mentioned anywhere in these posts

We did consider a hybrid briefly but weren't pleased on how the manual slide was difficult to pull out as well as it pulling out catty-wompas (sp). Although deciding not to buy a hybrid, Keystone was on our short list when we researched bh tt's. There were quite a few 'hits' on google for negative comments/experiences for Keystone (in 2009 mind you, but more of the complaints had to do with roof leaks and poor customer service from Keystone) of which I couldn't find much at all on the Jayco. As you can see, we chose the Jayco.

[4dimnzn]

Bought an X18D in August 2010, one of the first off of the assembly line. We looked and compared with no prejudice towards any brand. Two adults with a 15 year old girl and 9 year old boy drove us to a three bunk option (privacy). I was not so concerned about having a mobile cottage - rather I wanted a mobile cabin (if that makes any sense). With a bunch of trips under our belt inculding 105 degree days, 28 degree nights and camping on a beach during a full gale - I am delighted with our decision. I could of gone bigger - towing was not an issue - but this is just the right size for our campstyle (which means unless the weather is awful or we are sleeping everybody is supposed to be outdoors).

[c cross]

Well like everybody else my wife and I started with a pop up 10 ft rockwood first, we liked it just not enough room, our 2nd one was a 1406 jayco, we loved it the porta potti made all tne difference for the girls, I just wanted to make camping a lot easier for me, we looked at just about every different kind of hybrid there is we both like sleeping in the tent ends with the screens open, we liked the 23b jayco better than any other. We pick up our used but like new to us 2010 23b in 2 weeks, cant wait our tow vehicle is our 2002 yukon xl we should be in pretty good shape. Come on spring.

[Crabman]

Welcome to the forum, c cross. We have a new members forum where you can do an intro if you like. Enjoy your new hybrid!