Looking at 23b

[Hchunter]

We are looking at a 23B hybrid some of the smaller bunkhouses, we plan on thanking our grand kids with us once in awhile and would like them to have their own bed, Want to make sure we make the right choice, any thoughts from anyone on if a travel trailer makes more sense, the 23B has a lot of space and my thoughts are if its just the wife and myself we could keep one end closed if we wanted, any input or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

[mwebber78]

I think you'd be pleased with the 23B it offers a lot of storage and plenty of seating area to stretch out. Two things I don't care for in the Jayco hybrids: non-ducted air and no shower surrounds. If I were buying a hybrid, it's be a Rockwood Roo 23SS, thicker roof, ducted AC, full shower surround and a true super slide. Jmho.

[Jpetrey]

Originally Posted by Hchunter

We are looking at a 23B hybrid some of the smaller bunkhouses, we plan on thanking our grand kids with us once in awhile and would like them to have their own bed, Want to make sure we make the right choice, any thoughts from anyone on if a travel trailer makes more sense, the 23B has a lot of space and my thoughts are if its just the wife and myself we could keep one end closed if we wanted, any input or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

We love our 23B, plenty of cabinet space and counter space. The ducted air and shower surround wasn't an issue for us.

[glsimms]

Get the X23B...... You won't regret it!

We have had ours for a year now and we really like it. There is only my wife and myself and occassionally our grand-son will sleep over. I can tell you the wife will really like the extra counter space the X23B offers where as the Roo has prctically none at all! This was big selling point for her........ and you know what they say! Gotta keep Momma happy!!

[Snake Plissken]

Originally Posted by mwebber78

I think you'd be pleased with the 23B it offers a lot of storage and plenty of seating area to stretch out. Two things I don't care for in the Jayco hybrids: non-ducted air and no shower surrounds. If I were buying a hybrid, it's be a Rockwood Roo 23SS, thicker roof, ducted AC, full shower surround and a true super slide. Jmho.

Um...my 19h has a surround.

[Jagiven]

We love our 23B. I do not think there is anything we truly do not like it, but we have made many improvements. We have just one kid and he absolutely loves the back bunk. He closes it off the curtain and plays and plays. When we have gone cross country we have been able to sleep on the dinette and the sofa without having to open when we stopped at a Walmart for an overnight.

My recommendation is to go to your local dealer, sit in the trailer, and ditch the salesperson. Dig through every cabinet, cargo hold, etc, and think about how you are going to use the trailer, where you are going to place your stuff. We did this to about 6 TTs and we know the 23B would fit our needs for the next 10 years.

[RedHorse1]

We've had ours for close to 2 yrs now and fully enjoy it. For us the rear bunk is the "owner's stateroom". We have had a few outings with our son, DIL and GS. They get the fore bunk and the GS gets the sofa. As noted above, an enclosed shower would be nice but it's not that big a deal. Our biggest complaint is the A/C which is just plain noisy (the rear bunk seems to block some of that tho). If you are in warmer climates get the "Popup Gizmos".

[southpaw211]

I'm going to echo the other responses - we absolutely love our 23B, which we bought a year ago. I wish the shower tub was deeper (mostly so my husband doesn't have to hunch in the shower as he's 6'2"), but really that's it. We've had no issues with the non-ducted air. We have the bunk end fan/light combos to help air circulation when needed, and the a/c does a pretty great job making the place nice and cold. We recently spent a week camping where it was 95+ every single day and our 23B was a veritable oasis. As for the bunks, we have two daughters (almost 7 and 9) and they share the back bunk with no problems. The storage space is amazing. I keep their duffle bags right in the cabinet next to their bunk, and the sleeping bags travel there when not in use. Also I second the pop up gizmos. They cut down on a LOT of heat, keep the canvas clean, keep the bunk ends darker in the am, and eliminate that drippy condensation that you can sometimes get in the morning with canvas bunkends. And the super high wind versions are so easy to put on and take off - they take my husband and I about 5 minutes.

[mitechie]

Just to add in, we just got a 23b for us and our 3yr old son. He gets the back space so that we can put him to bed, close off the bunk, and keep staying in the camper. It works great and I'd hate to have to put down a couch/bed at 8pm and find somewhere else to spend the rest of our evening.

That said, the tent ends have a couple of downsides. We spent this past weekend on a campsite near a busy road. The road noise drove my wife and I crazy. I can't speak for how it would have been different in an enclosed trailer, but it's something to be aware of.

Temp-wise, the AC works really well, especially if you close off the curtains to the bunk ends. To help get the air to the back bunk we use the bunk fans you can get. They actually do an ok job of pulling air around at the cost of extra noise.

In the end though, you can't beat the amount of bed space in that size of a trailer. Storage is amazing. My in-laws have an older 30' jayco and I'd take our trailer over it any day.

[Knickerbocker]

We have a 23b and love it. You say you have grand kids, so I am not sure how old you are, but climbing in and out of the bunk is kind of a hassle. Also, the beds are more comfortable in a BH. We added a foam topper to ours. 23B is great for us, but our next trailer will be a BH.

[glsimms]

Originally Posted by Knickerbocker

We have a 23b and love it. You say you have grand kids, so I am not sure how old you are, but climbing in and out of the bunk is kind of a hassle. Also, the beds are more comfortable in a BH. We added a foam topper to ours. 23B is great for us, but our next trailer will be a BH.

I hear ya Knick.....!!!

We took the camper out this past week-end and climbing over the wife in the middle of the night to go to the potty is a real "adventure", especially trying not to wake her up!

And I realized at age 62, I'm not nearly as limber as I used to be!!

[Hchunter]

Thanks for all the responses, we are going Togo to a couple of RV shows in Michigan and try to narrow our decision down, We sure like all the room in the 23b and that also was our thoughts that grand kids could be sleeping in one end and we could still be out on couch, has anyone camped in cooler weather and how are the bunk ends when it is cold out, does the furnace keep them warm, probably camp into October here, usually not real cold, but could dip into 39's at night

Thanks..

[Sanali]

We have the x23b and find it fits our needs for now. I agree that the bunk ends are a tad of a hassle. The couch with the seam running down the center is uncomfortable according to the kids so they never want to make it flat. They'd rather sleep on it as a regular couch. While we really like our x23b, our next one will be a bunk house as well.

We loved the storage in the kitchen of the x23b by the way.

[glsimms]

Originally Posted by Hchunter

Thanks for all the responses, we are going Togo to a couple of RV shows in Michigan and try to narrow our decision down, We sure like all the room in the 23b and that also was our thoughts that grand kids could be sleeping in one end and we could still be out on couch, has anyone camped in cooler weather and how are the bunk ends when it is cold out, does the furnace keep them warm, probably camp into October here, usually not real cold, but could dip into 39's at night

Thanks..

We went camping in ours when it was cool at night. We found that using an electric heater, kept the furnace from running too much. Between the 2 we were warm and toasty, I found myself kicking the cover off!!

[Knickerbocker]

Seven nights in a row in the 23b makes me want a Bunk House and larger tanks. Maybe in a couple years.

[Jagiven]

We have been out in 20 degree nights, with no major issues. When it is that cold we have always had an electric site so far. We have a 1500 watt electric space heater, it keeps the HTT plenty warm, and we also have electric mattress pad heaters, which I like.

The propane furnace does a great job keeping the HTT nice and warm.

We were at a KOA this summer and were placed on the main road through the CG, I have to admit it was a noisy spot. The first day or two I was awaken very early when the big class A MH left each morning.

[theoldwizard1]

We too, have been studying the X23B vs the X23F, because we have grandchildren, 2 sets of twins ! This would be an upgrade from an old hardside Palomino.

At first glance the X23F looks like the right choice with 3 beds. However the X23B has a lot more storage with 2 wardrobes ! (Can one of the wardrobe be converted to hanging storage for jackets and shirts ?). The additional counter space in the kitchen area looks very useful.

I like the movable table, but also would like a "filler" platform with cushions to convert the U-shaped dinette into another sleeping location.

As someone else said the J-steel sofa does not make a good bed. I sure wish they offered a "true" fold out coach as an option.


More feed back from owners would be nice, especially addressing my issues.

[mitechie]

Originally Posted by theoldwizard1

However the X23B has a lot more storage with 2 wardrobes ! (Can one of the wardrobe be converted to hanging storage for jackets and shirts ?).

Yes, the far end wardrobe in my 2014 has hangar bars across the top and the shelves could be removed to open it up below for hanging things to...well..hang.

Originally Posted by theoldwizard1

The additional counter space in the kitchen area looks very useful.

YES! We actually tend to use the space at the end for 'things' like hats, map of the campground, a tablet, etc. The stovetop and rest of the space tends to have cooking/dishes going on.

Originally Posted by theoldwizard1

I like the movable table, but also would like a "filler" platform with cushions to convert the U-shaped dinette into another sleeping location.

As someone else said the J-steel sofa does not make a good bed. I sure wish they offered a "true" fold out coach as an option.

So the u-dinette is setup to be converted to a bed. I've not used it yet though. I did use the sofa one night as I wasn't feeling well and my sniffles was keeping the wife up. It was 'ok' but it's not long enough for sure. When you put the table down, it's a platform that the back cushions around the dinette fill over to become the 4th bed in the camper.

Originally Posted by theoldwizard1

More feed back from owners would be nice, especially addressing my issues.

HTH

[glsimms]

We have solved the J-steel sofa problem by using a foam bed bridge like this:



The wife bought it at Bed & Bath and she says it feels alright on the sofa/bed, around $15 bucks.....

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stor...dge/1012184352

[theoldwizard1]

Originally Posted by glsimms

We have solved the J-steel sofa problem by using a foam bed bridge like this:

Looks like a good solution !

Personally, I would prefer to sleep the opposite direction (head by the wall and feet by the door), like a typical sleeper sofa, but I know it is not long enough.