x23b opinions.

[bobcloughjr]

Seriously considering purchasing the Jay Feather x23b.
Who has one and how do you like it?
Complaints? Issues?

[Aztigger]

We purchased a 2008 X23B last spring. Used it 4 times last year and already once this year. Very happy. It is nice to have a large interior space that is not taken up by the beds. People on this forum suggest a mattress topper because the foam mattress for the beds are a bit stiff, but not that bad.

Good Luck

[dmh500]

We have a 2011 and love it. We have had no problems with it and it's hard to beat that much living space and storage space in a travel trailer that size and weight.

[howlin4you]

We have a 2015 X23B. My opinion is that as long as you are comfortable with the pros and cons of hybrids in general and you have the appropriate tow vehicle there is no better option. The kitchen counter top area is unrivaled in any other hybrid allowing two people to work at once and the wadrobe has plenty of space for our family of five. Some people have an issue with the u-shaped dinette and the fact you have to crawl over it but we make the kids sleep up there and they don't seem to have a problem with it. You'll also hear plenty of complaints on the matttreses, plan on buying a foam mattress topper. Overall we love ours. We looked closely at the 3 bunk models as well but with those you give up the counter space. Let us know if you have any specific questions, welcome to the forum.

[bobcloughjr]

I tried standing in the shower and it seems almost impossible for a guy my size 6'1" 240lbs to actually take a shower in that tiny space.
Is the shower completely useless or do you find ways to adjust and deal with the small space?

[RayPayne]

I'm 6'3" and 230lbs when I had an RV with the same size shower as that trailer. It's not the easiest to do but it is possible. At the time I accepted the small shower as a livable trade off since it's only for 10 minutes of the morning. Before you buy, close yourself in there. As long as you can put a hand on yourself from head to toe you can make it work. If you can't, then you know before buying it. As to putting up with the space in the shower it just depends on your tolerance after that. We wanted a small RV to do all the places we couldn't go with a big RV, and floor plan within the size limit won over shower space in my choice.

[howlin4you]

I'm 6'2" and maybe 225lbs and I have taken a couple showers in mine. It's pretty cramped in there for sure but you can make it work in a pinch. It's hard to bend over and you have to be careful with the shower curtian, I once moved it without realizing right away and got water all over the sink. It's not any worse then any other hybrid though.

[hoosierdraft]

Picked up a new 2016 X23B last fall and been out 5 times in it. After second time, realized that the mattress situation needed addressing. 4 inch mattress on a solid slab for a side sleeper did not make for a great nights sleep. Doubling up the mattress from the other bed was a huge improvement so a 4 inch foam topper is coming from Sams for $92.

Added an Anderson WDH before making a 5 hour run to Kentucky Horse Park. Previously no WD and no sway control, just straight hitch. While straight hitch wasn't undrivable, the Anderson was a huge improvement. Chain setup still needs a litte fine-tuning but glad that I went with the Anderson over a traditional bar setup.

X23B is a great hybrid setup especially with the small sofa slide. Opens up the interior. Had 6 adults and 3 grandkids inside at night for games and had plenty of room and seating. Best dedicated outside storage and a nice sized awning. Two wants on my list when picking out a hybrid.

Enjoy whatever you wind up with.

[dangerdave]

Well that was extremely aggravating. Typed nice post and site lost it.

Anyway, we started with an X23B and loved it but there were some downsides that made us eventually move up to an enclosed TT. All just opinion of course....if you are specifically looking for the hybrid experience, this is a great choice. It was our first RV and we should have "bought our second RV first" as they say.

Anyway here's was my list of cons:

Mattress topper (required!) had to be put on and taken off every time because of how the beds fold up. We rolled them up and carried them in the trailer but it was a pain. Also folding the beds up and down with the poles etc got old fast. Beautiful breezes in the tents, but also a lot of noise in case you like naps. Rain is very loud.

Shower is tough but workable. Toilet super dinky for anyone over 6 foot but usable.

We moved the table in front of the couch to eat. Dinette is pain to crawl over if table there and not really comfortable.

A/C less effective because of canvas. Bigger deal out here in AZ than elsewhere.

PROS: Light - easy to maneuver, great storage and counter space, 2 queen beds plus fold out, great air flow

[RedHorse1]

We owned ours for 2 years and put about 8000miles on it. We bought it to see how much we liked trailering knowing we'd upgrade if we liked the experience.
We loved the 23B! An HTT is a clever compromise between interior space and towed length. We could reasonably sleep 5 people in a 24' TT.
As pointed out the shower and table are inconvenient. The A/C is also noisy.
But for a TT it's size the storage is very good. Kitchen side was reasonable. We preferred the rear bunk as it felt more "cozy". You have to like the "tenting" aspect to truly enjoy an HTT.

[charles_cincy]

Originally Posted by howlin4you

Some people have an issue with the u-shaped dinette and the fact you have to crawl over it but we make the kids sleep up there and they don't seem to have a problem with it.

We have a 2011 and we love ours. We make the kids sleep in the back. That way we can have the rest of the trailer to ourselves once they go to bed.

I can see us sleeping in the back when they get older and want to stay up later than we do

[Jagiven]

As for the table issue some people have we're out of the box type people. We turn the table 90 degrees and have it in front of the sofa and the one end of the dinnette. It's out of the way at night, handy for cooking.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

As for the table issue some people have we're out of the box type people. We turn the table 90 degrees and have it in front of the sofa and the one end of the dinnette. It's out of the way at night, handy for cooking.

We started leaving ours at home and used tv tables. And it's dang heavy!

[DocBrown]

We have the X20E, the baby brother to the 23B. Same layout, no counter space, one less closet/pantry. Otherwise very much the same trailer. The X20E is no longer offered.

All that said this is our second hybrid. Our first was an '03 Jayco Kiwi 17a. Yes, we love having a hybrid. Before that it was a pop-up, before that a tent.

Our single favorite thing about this trailer is the slide out. It only goes out about a ft but it makes a huge difference in floor space.

The mattresses leave a little to be desired but we throw down an unzipped sleeping bag and that works fine. Very comfortable.

All the way back when we had a pop-up we started taking our dinette table outside. Lots more floor space inside, and we spend most of our time outdoors anyway. The second time we put the tale from the X20E outside it got soaked on a rainstorm and ruined the top. I had a friend make a new table top from cedar. 1/3 the weight, waterproof, and better looking. I also replaced the weird cantilever legs with simple old style folding legs.

On both hybrids the only real issues were minor. A few loose screws, had to readjust the door locks, a loose piece of door trim on the bathroom door. That kind of stuff.

[dave89]

We got a 2013 unit and really like it. It has what we, just my wife and I, like. We have had up to 5 people in the unit with no issues. We use air mattresses for sleeping because both my wife and I have back issues. It works out well. Haven't had any moisture issues but we also run a fan for air circulation at night. The storage is good for us. Both outside and inside. The layout is also good. As mentioned, the sofa slide out give us more than enough room to move around. A couple of things we did do is that I made a deck for the sleeping area where the table is stored. The table is somewhat flimsy for sleeping but gets real heavy when you want to move it. We went to "TV' tables for eating. With that said, we do use the camper table at times when we are out for more than a couple of evenings and the front sleeping area will be opened. More than not, we've kept the front closed and my wife has slept on the deck. I also changed out the t-stat for a digital one to control the temp a bit better. Now, one thing I'm not happy with on the newer x23b's is the bunk latches. They seem kind of weak for holding the bunk decks closed. Ours have heavy duty cargo latches. They are a bit high but we also pack a step stool so it's not an issue. I hope what ever you chose, you have as much enjoyment as we all have had with our HTT's.

[jschimm]

We bought a used 2008 3 years ago, moving up from a pop up. We were limited by our TV, and the 23B gave us the bang for our limited tow weight. Interior space is great with 2 teenage daughters and large dog. Storage space is excellent. Kitchen/ counter space is good. We bought foam mattress toppers after our first camping trip. We turn dinette table 90 degrees to make getting in front bunk better. Popup Gizmo's are worth every penny if you camp in hot/sunny or cold climates. I'm 6' 250 lb, and use our shower. Is it ideal? No, but workable. I added velco to both ends of shower curtain, so I don't accidentally pull curtain away from ends. I tried using a pool noodle and some Command hooks to make a bow to push out the center of the shower curtain, but that got in the way more than it helped. When we do upgrade someday, what ever we get will have a bigger shower and outside kitchen, but we do love our 23B.

[TannerS]

We recently upgraded from a highwall popup w/ a slide to a '17 X23B. I love tent camping and we loved our popup, except for the multiple setup/teardowns required to load and unload for a trip. The HTT provides the tent ambiance with far more structure, plus we don't need to fold down the bunkends if it's winter or we're in a spot with bears.

As others have said, the slide makes ton of difference for space and doesn't add much weight on the tow side for the benefit of space. The bathroom is about as big as I'd like. My wife and daughter can use it with no issues and I can use it in case of emergency. I'm 6'3" & 225lbs, but can use the shower to appease the better half for the purposes of staying relatively clean while "roughing it". If I really need to scrub, I'll throw on some swim trunks and use the outside shower in flip flops.

The X23B hits all the marks for my wife and I. It's small enough to get most of the backcountry boondocking spots we go and still has plenty of interior space w/ plentiful storage.

[Tunce the traveler]

We looked at the x23b and liked it but we wanted something a little wider so we bought a used super slide hybrid that Jayco stopped making in 2011. The 11' width allows to just put the full mattress on the floor at night with still room to walk around when we do overnight stops or in camp grounds where Hybrids are not allowed ( bear country). Big kitchen and on rainy days or extra guest it's one big room

[jda661]

Just bought an 08 23B and took our first trip this weekend. 4 days 2 adults and 4 teens. Plenty of room to move around . Nice sleeping arrangements and loved cooking breakfast and percolating coffee in the morning without having to build a darn fire.
Awesome. I am a Scouter and always sleep on the ground in a tent when we go out with Scouts. What a nice change.
Nice to hear "some" outside sounds at night without hearing all of camp through a tent. The canvas is nice, it deadens some of that noise while allowing us to hear the ocean in the background and the animals and birds. Great camper, I am sold.
Good luck with yours.