Thinking about a 19h or 23b hybrid

sawdust · 12-07-2012, 12:32 PM

Hi

I currently have a jayco 14so tent trailer and am thinking about up gradeing to a hybrid trailer to reduce the amount of time and work in setting up my camp site. I have a 2010 gmc 1500 with the tow package so there shouldn't be a problem with towing a hybrid. I am considering a used 19h or 23b with the 19h being my first choice. There will be only my wife and I and my father with us until he is no longer able to travel with us. I would like to here from anyone who has the 19h or 23b as to what they like or dislike about there trailer. Also please let me know if there are any problems with these trailers.

Thank You
sawdust

RedHorse1 · 12-07-2012, 01:06 PM

Hey Sawdust,
Well, the Bride and I own a '12 X23B and have been very pleased with it during our first year. It's our first TT and we wanted to try out trailering without jumping in with too much $$$. We pull with our '03 Expedition 5.4 and it does just fine (~9-ish mpg). The plan is over the next 3-4 years to upgrade to a pickup (Ford, I'm a blue oval guy) and 5er which is suspiciously timed to my retirement.
We find it just right for the two of us and we've discovered we prefer the rear bunk. With 4 adults and a little one it can feel a bit more crowded but doable particularly if the weather is nice and we're not stuck inside. The storage for personal things is ample for two and we can make do if we are 4-5. Storage for gear, tools etc could be a bit more but we get along.
When it's the two of us we don't usually open the front bunk and we leave the table behind in favor of tv tables.
My least favorite feature is the shower, it's SMALL and the curtain tends to leak around the edges. With some clips to hold the curtain in place and some experience it's become less of an issue. My next least favorite feature is the A/C, it's plenty cool but makes quite a bit of noise. Not enough to keep me awake (nothing's that loud it seems) but makes the tele/radio hard to hear. Cool weather camping solves that issue just fine. We're full hookup campers so far so I don't have any opinion on the fresh water tank. Our black tank fills up pretty quick but then I encourage everyone to flush lots of water.
We were initially shopping for a pup and I looked at a hybrid out of curiosity and was instantly hooked. We find that it's about an hour to set up or knock down, but I tend not to rush very much.
Since you are a pup camper I'm sure you are familiar with "Pop up gizmos". I've got 'em for our TT and think they're worthwhile. I'm planning to change the single 30# propane tank to a pair of 20's this winter.
I'm sure that shortly you'll get lots of valuable opinions and experiences. I have found that I don't have to know anything about trailering since I've got about 0.5 million experts that can answer any question I post.

Doug · 12-07-2012, 03:44 PM

I just move from a PU to a TT. I prefer the hard sided. My sister has a Hybred TT and has had a lot of issues with water around the bunk ends. Her's is probably a 2010, so maybe they have gotten better. I just like the idea of not having to deal with packing up or setting up in the rain with HTT or PU's. JMHO Have you looked at say a used 23' Jay Feather? They have some pretty nice floorplans, not to heavy for your truck and seem to be compable in price.

Best regards,
Doug

mcfarmall · 12-07-2012, 04:23 PM

I love pretty much everything about my 2006 23B purchased used. Don't know about water issues as mine is stored indoors.

brockeverly · 12-07-2012, 04:54 PM

I just moved from a 2011 Coleman Santa Fe Cp tent trailer we bought new a year or so ago to a used 2007 Jay Feather 19h. To say a huge headache is gone would not be enough. I can set up in 5 min now vs an hour or so start to finish on the tent trailer. Towing it is quite different but the benefits far outweigh the negatives for us. It is quite nice to stop on a trip and my girls have a clean bathroom not to mention much easier to control temp.

glsimms · 12-07-2012, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougtoms01

I just like the idea of not having to deal with packing up or setting up in the rain with HTT or PU's.
Best regards,
Doug

Doug... the nice thing about the hybrids is you don't have to drop the bunk ends down if the weather is nasty. Set-up would be the same for a TT.

And I agree with everything that redhorse has said about the X23B. I know we really like ours and plan to use it more in 2013!

Doug · 12-07-2012, 06:33 PM

Good info Big G,
I thought the videos I had seen on them that you had to open them up because they fold into the inside.
There has been some great design come out by Jayco, so I am sure it is a nice trailer.
My sister was a campground host and had some water damage on one end of her hybrid during a 2 month stay.
Then this year, she opened it up after having it stored outside and had water again and lot of mold damage.
I think they have made lots of effort in the past few years to make sure the ends seal up nicely.
I wish my 4Runner would pull something bigger, but we settled on this 165 Sport. I am anxious to get camping again next year :-)
I think I have read ever post in this forum trying to bide my time and learning lol.

Happy camping. I am sure any of these models are going to be a nice upgrade for the OP

Best regards,
Doug

sawdust · 12-07-2012, 08:31 PM

Hi Doug

What rain? Here in the southwest it pretty much stops raining in Feb. and dosen't start again intill Dec. or Jan.

Sawdust

sawdust · 12-07-2012, 08:42 PM

Hi Redhorse

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like you are happy with your 23b. We are in the southwest and dry camp in the mountains. Great idea to leave the table behind and use tv tables. I fill my water tank at the campground so I'm not hauling the extra weight around. We do use bottled water for cooking and drinking. We only use the potty at night because it fills up to fast and use the campground showers because the potty and shower are one in the same. Best of luck with your up coming retirement and 5th wheel.

sawdust

KDandJD · 12-07-2012, 08:58 PM

2 years ago my wife and I upgraded from a Coleman pup which we loved. But I am in my late 50's and was getting tired of the work setting up and taking down the pup required so we bought a new 23B. We have been camping all our lives and thought we knew what to expect but we were blown away with how much easier camping has become. Setting up and taking down is probably only 1/5th the time of the pup and the effort is even less. This makes a huge difference on those sweltering July and August days, or when rain is threatening. It is the first time we've had our own private bathroom and I thought the wife would love it..and she does...but I was surprised how much I like it too. No more getting up at 2am and stepping outside to "water the grass". And the inside storage means basically the only things we need to pack or unload are perishable foods and clothing. And a small pleasure is having a fridge that we stand up to access...not the small floor mounted model in our pup. A man in his late 50's doesn't bend like he used to! We pull with a 5.7 hemi Ram 1500 and the truck does very well...but the gas mileage will take some getting used to, but for me it's the price of comfort and well worth the price. Long story short, we are very plaesed and would buy it again knowing what we know now. Good luck with your choice and enjoy whatever you end up buying.

**Crabman** · 12-07-2012, 09:28 PM

Good luck with whichever floorplan you choose! Gotta love those hybrids!

FLOORPLAN X19H
Weights
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs) 3,310
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs) 355
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs) 4,950
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs) 1,640
Measurements
Exterior Length 20' 8"
Exterior Width 96"
Exterior Height w/ A/C 120"
Interior Height 78"
Tank Capacities
Fresh Water Capacity (gals) includes water heater 28.5
Gray Waste Water Capacity (gals) 30.5
Black Waste Water Capacity (gals) 22.5
Other
Sleeping Capacity 6-8

FLOORPLAN X23B
Weights
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs) 3,925
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs) 410
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs) 4,950
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs) 1,025
Measurements
Exterior Length 20' 11"
Exterior Width 96"
Exterior Height w/ A/C 120"
Interior Height 78"
Tank Capacities
Fresh Water Capacity (gals) includes water heater 28.5
Gray Waste Water Capacity (gals) 29.5
Black Waste Water Capacity (gals) 22.5
Other
Sleeping Capacity 7

slabat · 12-08-2012, 08:03 AM

We were looking at a 23b as well until we saw the 23j, we are happy we bought ours. We also upgraded from a pop up. The biggest difference is the table is not in front of the front bunk and you also have more counter space. It is a little heavier because of the larger slide but worth the extra weight. We tow ours with a 1/2 ton ford with a 5.4 litre and don't have any issues.

RedHorse1 · 12-08-2012, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KDandJD

A man in his late 50's doesn't bend like he used to!

KD, just wait till you hit the 60's

Sawdust,
See what I mean about info. I love this BB!
One other thought about our 23B, the towed length is all living space (+bathroom) which makes it feel like a much larger TT to me. Even though we have 2 Q-size sleeping areas there's still ~24' of usable space. The bunks are also nice daytime storage areas.

Makjps · 12-08-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawdust

Hi

I currently have a jayco 14so tent trailer and am thinking about up gradeing to a hybrid trailer to reduce the amount of time and work in setting up my camp site. I have a 2010 gmc 1500 with the tow package so there shouldn't be a problem with towing a hybrid. I am considering a used 19h or 23b with the 19h being my first choice. There will be only my wife and I and my father with us until he is no longer able to travel with us. I would like to here from anyone who has the 19h or 23b as to what they like or dislike about there trailer. Also please let me know if there are any problems with these trailers.

Thank You
sawdust

We just upgraded this last summer from a 2010 17z to a 2012 19h. I've been in the 23b we decided it was too big for us and did not like the narrow passage to back bed with cabinets and thought the a/c would have trouble getting back there, or be too cold for us in one bed and and visa versa. We have 2 boys (6 and 7). The 19h is plenty big for us, we can fit all of our food, clothing in cabinets with dish ware and towels without having anything laying on the floor or use of suitcases for 8 nights. I believe the 19h is a perfect size without being too big and can fit in your driveway if long enough without need for storage. Tows great! Not to mention 4 feet shorter will be a lot easier to fit into tight sites and more choices of where you can set up camp.

29BHS ECO · 12-08-2012, 10:00 AM

We love our 19h, the only fault is the low drains for the black / grey tanks. I f you have to use a " blue buddy" you'll probably need to dig a hole to get it under the drains. See the "mods" section for great ideas. Larry

**Crabman** · 12-08-2012, 10:27 AM

I wonder if the Jayco specs are wrong for the 23B. Its showing exterior length as only 20'11".?

Doug · 12-08-2012, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 19H F250

We love our 19h, the only fault is the low drains for the black / grey tanks. I f you have to use a " blue buddy" you'll probably need to dig a hole to get it under the drains. See the "mods" section for great ideas. Larry

Larry,
Beyond the lift kit, are there other options?
I have a 165 Sport and the drains are very low.
Just got it before putting it in storage, but I expect to run into issues.

Best regards,
Doug

glsimms · 12-08-2012, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

KD, just wait till you hit the 60's

Sawdust,
See what I mean about info. I love this BB!
One other thought about our 23B, the towed length is all living space (+bathroom) which makes it feel like a much larger TT to me. Even though we have 2 Q-size sleeping areas there's still ~24' of usable space. The bunks are also nice daytime storage areas.

redhorse..... I'm right there with ya!!

KD, your reasons are exactly like mine when we upgraded from the Coleman pup to the X23B. And the "watering the grass" reference definately rings true!!

We had actually looked at the X23B's smaller version, the X20E. But the DW instantly wanted the extra counter space! As for me, this was my first time at pulling a TT of any size and I wasn't sure how it would go. But after a few trips out, I'm more confident now. I'm really glad we went with the larger X23B!

pm1stnau · 12-08-2012, 12:55 PM

My X19H is a 2013 and is our first TT ever. Aside from having no experience and needing to learn everything about RV's, it has been an excellent TT so far. We love everything about it, except that we can't use it as often as we'd like to. It is relatively user-friendly, has many standard features that make life convenient, and is easy to tow with our 2013 Explorer V-6. Gas milage while towing is worse than I thought it would be, but it wouldn't be an issue if gas actually cost what it should and not 4 bucks a gallon. I can't say enough positive things about our hybrid, Jayco has been outstanding so far, and this forum has been absolutely awesome if not better. If you ever have a problem, concern, question or thought, someone on the JOF will respond to you rather quickly--sometimes in just minutes! There's a wealth of experience and wisdom available here to help you out with whatever TT you decide on. Happy Camping!!

Jagiven · 12-08-2012, 06:56 PM

What lead us to the 23B was the ample amount of room. We are a family of three; our son commonly brings a cousin or a friend with us. There is always enough room.

One of the major items that lead us to the 23B was the ability for all of us to sleep in the HTT without having to open the bunks. Our thought was we can sleep on the J-Sofa and the Dinette if the weather is bad or if we are traveling cross country and want to stop to sleep in a parking lot, rest stop, etc without opening up the bunks. The other item we really enjoy is having plenty of counter space.

The AC and heat reaches the rear bunk nicely. The other nice thing about the rear bunk, is it does have a little more privacy. The kids absolutely love it back there.

My recommendation is think about how you are going to use it, where you are hoping to go, and where are you going to put your stuff. Go to a dealership or an RV show that has lots of TT, ditch the sales person and start digging through each trailer, laying in the beds, and ponder the items noted above.

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