What Does Approved for Full Time Use Really Mean?

[F350guy]

I had a pop up from Haylett RV advertising the new 2021 Jayco Eagle. He said the entire Eagle line is now approved for full time use. The North Point and Pinnacle already were so now they have added the Eagles, which he said includes the travel trailers.

Our last fifth wheel was approved for full time use as is our Pinnacle. I wonder what special things are done to make them full time livable. Even the ones not approved advertise how great and how well insulated they are. Is it just a matter of insulating the tanks to keep them from freezing? I doubt there is an industry standard that gives any guidance.

[Joan617]

math and marketing I suppose.


When we bought our rig in December 2018 it was a month before they announced the new full-time warranty policy for Pinnacles and North Points. We pressed the dealer about the print in the manual which stated that full time use of the RV would void the warranty. They consulted Jayco about it and came back with an explanation that it was a defense against the "old mother-Hubbard with 20 kids..." or something like that that would have exceeded the design parameters of the vehicle. They further assured us that Jayco would still honor any reasonable warranty claims in any normal usage, full time or not.


According to a recent article in RV Life, sales of RV's this year have risen 175%, assumed mostly due to the socio-economic effects of the pandemic. Joan and I have encountered several folks in either new or rented RV's who were wishing or needing to travel with their families and either could not or would not fly.


So it appears the RV industry is playing to a new demographic and has done the math on warranty repair cost and rate of return (?).

[harryjr]

I bought a database of RV ratings years ago that rated each unit with its appropriate use. From memory only, it was along the lines of amenities and quality of construction are appropriate for:
Weekending. Suitable for several days
Vacationing. Suitable for several weeks
Snowbirding. Suitable for several months
Fulltime. Suitable for year round use

For example. Plastic or china toilet? Solid wood cabinet doors or particle board? Two or three hinges on each door? Size of hot water heaters and fridge? Washer/dryer hookups? Full residential mattress or 3" foam rubber? I could to about 3 nights on the foam rubber mattress in the old popup. Our current fifth wheel, I can do a couple of weeks. If we ever snowbird or full time, the mattress will be a mandatory replacement.

You get the idea.

[F350guy]

The mattress in our new Pinnacle lasted for one 8 day trip. It may be approved for full time use but not full time sleeping.

[Mikayles]

Originally Posted by F350guy

The mattress in our new Pinnacle lasted for one 8 day trip. It may be approved for full time use but not full time sleeping.

So true...same in our eagle.

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by F350guy

The mattress in our new Pinnacle lasted for one 8 day trip. It may be approved for full time use but not full time sleeping.

It was the very first upgrade I did when I bought my current camper. Stock mattress lasted 1 weekend trip! We have a relatively short RV season in NY March - October and we try to camp as many extended weekends as possible and there was no way I was sleeping on the mattress that came with my camper...

[wylan9021]

We did not even sleep on the mattress with our new 5th wheel, we just replaced it within a week. I think we ordered it before we even picked up our rig.

[Camperdude]

Good God... what y'all doin in bed when you camp? ��

We have no issues with our mattress and we're on camping trip number 10... granted we only go a few days at a time. Is there something we need to be looking for? What's the primary reason you're changing your mattress?

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by Camperdude

Good God... what y'all doin in bed when you camp? ��

We have no issues with our mattress and we're on camping trip number 10... granted we only go a few days at a time.

We actually sleep as well, or even better, in our RV, with the mattress it came with..when compared to the one in our house. We have no intention of replacing it. Guess we got lucky.

[Flashdman11]

Our mattress was firmer than we liked so we added a 4" memory foam on top that works out well and we are full timers. This will be our first winter so we will find out how well their claim to Eagles being approved for full time and what that really means

[Camperdude]

Originally Posted by Route 66 Traveler

We actually sleep as well, or even better, in our RV, with the mattress it came with..when compared to the one in our house. We have no intention of replacing it. Guess we got lucky.

Same with us. We might be the fortunate ones.

[MrSaxy]

I guess they figure they can make the full time coverage claim since once you file a warranty claim the dealer will book an appointment 3 months out and once you drop it off your RV will be sitting at the dealer for weeks waiting on parts.