2015 x213

[Yosemite73]

Hello I'm a newby here... my wife & I are looking at possibly buying a 2015 X213. Looking for some helpful feedback on the TT... Pros and Cons would be very appreciated Thanks

[tuckerdog1]

Ours is a 2012, so not sure what changes/upgrades have been done for 2015. Also, haven't owned ours long. So the pro/con lists will both likely grow in time.

Pro: Short, light & easy to tow. Great floor plan. Has a KING bed & easily sleeps 6. More counter space than many larger units we looked at. Even has a small tub, which is great if you have small children or dogs. And seems to be better constructed than a lot of other brands we looked at. My wife was really pleased it had a 3 burner stove with an oven ( although pretty small oven ).

Con:Some storage issues. Want to bring a generator. We tow with an SUV. If we used a pick-up, could just carry in the truck bed. The X213 recommends against using the rear bumper for transport. And if you do, limit it to 100 lbs. Don't know if I can get a generator, fuel & some sort of rig to keep it attached & secure, and stay under 100 lbs. Some minor issues are: The slide with the king bed has no lighting. Quick fixed with tap lights. All the mattresses are lame. Also fixed to our satisfaction with memory foam toppers. The TV mount is lousy. Does not extend out. Just swivels side to side. And not much on the side to side. This can also be corrected. I'm a bit portly ( okay, fat ). It's a tight fit for me at the dinette. Better for me if I remove the back cushion.

We looked at a LOT of trailers before stumbling upon the X213. It is by far the best we found. HOWEVER, just in case it might fit your needs better, I came upon a thread today for the model X254. It has a similar floor plan. But it has more bunks, and a better eating arrangement for fat guys. It is a tad longer.

Enjoy the journey,
Tuckerdog1

[Yosemite73]

Thanks for the input tuckerdog 1... like my other post, a little concerned about that tongue weight.. don't think I'd be putting to much up front except a couple bikes. Would a WDH help out with the load on the hitch? I could slide a couple coolers full of beer behind the rear axle if that would help lol! What is your Suv tow rating and how is the pull?

[IAx213]

Originally Posted by Yosemite73

Thanks for the input tuckerdog 1... like my other post, a little concerned about that tongue weight.. don't think I'd be putting to much up front except a couple bikes. Would a WDH help out with the load on the hitch? I could slide a couple coolers full of beer behind the rear axle if that would help lol! What is your Suv tow rating and how is the pull?

I'd be interested what you have found (if you've found something) that will fit on the tongue of the trailer to haul the bikes.

I looked into getting a Bike Bunk for our x213 but I just don't believe there's enough room on the frame between everything that's already on there (propane tanks, battery box, spare tire winch access hole) to put anything else on the tongue.

[tuckerdog1]

My TV has a tow rating of 7,700 lbs. Tongue weight is about 720 lbs. I'd need to check manual to get the exact number. But that's pretty close. I've read some pretty complex write ups on the WDH on this forum. They've left me looking like the deer in the headlights. But the overall gist was ( at least what I could glean ) that the WDH does not change the weight on the hitch.

I once lived in San Jose. But that was soooo many years ago.

Tuckerdog1

[IAx213]

Originally Posted by tuckerdog1

My TV has a tow rating of 7,700 lbs. Tongue weight is about 720 lbs. I'd need to check manual to get the exact number. But that's pretty close. I've read some pretty complex write ups on the WDH on this forum. They've left me looking like the deer in the headlights. But the overall gist was ( at least what I could glean ) that the WDH does not change the weight on the hitch.

I once lived in San Jose. But that was soooo many years ago.

Tuckerdog1

Weight Distribution Hitch is just as it implies; it's a hitch setup that distributes the weight of the trailer across all axles on your setup (TV and TT) which does include the tongue weight. You are correct that there's no way (other than removing propane tanks, spare tire, or battery) to lower the tongue weight.

I believe if you hook up a WDH that the compression of the springs/suspension on your TV should be pretty much the same across the front and rear axles. For example, my TV without anything on the hitch measures 39 inches in the front and 37.5 inches in the back from ground to the high point of the wheel well. If I hook up my TT and WDH, the measurements are 38 inches in the front and 36.5 in the back. In other words, the compression rate is the same (the TV just sits an inch lower at both axles.

That's how the dealer set up my WDH. That's not to say that it's 100% correctly set up, but my hope is that what I paid them for the TT included professional WDH setup.

[mike837go]

Originally Posted by tuckerdog1

...snip... that the WDH does not change the weight on the hitch.

The WDH doesn't alter the tongue weight at all. It (when properly set up) redistributes the weight forward (onto the TV's front axle, for better handling) and aft (onto the trailer's axle) for a more level rig.

The price you pay for this is 1) getting to know another sub-system and 2) extra noises and stiffness (especially when backing into a campsite).

[SilverEscape]

We've got a 2015 X213.

Pros:
* can park it on our driveway
* great size so not limited to RV parking lots for camp sites
* bathroom close to entrance so kids can run in with shoes and not mess up the entire trailer
* bunks are good width for singles
* couch is comfy
* lots of room for clothing over King bed
* flip up front bunk to carry bikes or other gear

Cons:
* heavy tongue. Had to sell our SUV and buy a truck to tow it after towing it home.
* no window in upper bunk
* when you flip couch out there's a large gap in the middle so not sure how someone would sleep on it without filling gap first
* front wardrobe is useless with the single hanging bar. Needs shelving or other solution added.
* bathroom could use a medicine cabinet or towel shelves

And the above poster is correct, a WDH does not change the tongue weight. And the weight of the WDH adds to your tongue weight. We've got the Andersen which weights just under 60 pounds but most others weigh around 100 pounds.

[Yosemite73]

Just curious... what was your tongue weight SilverEscape?

[SilverEscape]

Originally Posted by Yosemite73

Just curious... what was your tongue weight SilverEscape?

About 700 loaded for travel. Without bikes in the cargo area.

[IAx213]

Originally Posted by SilverEscape

We've got a 2015 X213.

Pros:
* can park it on our driveway
* great size so not limited to RV parking lots for camp sites
* bathroom close to entrance so kids can run in with shoes and not mess up the entire trailer
* bunks are good width for singles
* couch is comfy
* lots of room for clothing over King bed
* flip up front bunk to carry bikes or other gear

Cons:
* heavy tongue. Had to sell our SUV and buy a truck to tow it after towing it home.
* no window in upper bunk
* when you flip couch out there's a large gap in the middle so not sure how someone would sleep on it without filling gap first
* front wardrobe is useless with the single hanging bar. Needs shelving or other solution added.
* bathroom could use a medicine cabinet or towel shelves

And the above poster is correct, a WDH does not change the tongue weight. And the weight of the WDH adds to your tongue weight. We've got the Andersen which weights just under 60 pounds but most others weigh around 100 pounds.

I'll add another Con to the list: No ladder for the top bunk.

I'm not sure why Jayco ships some of their bunkhouse models without a ladder to get to the top bunk.

[shillee]

We have a 2012 X213. My first camping experience so I have no comparison with other trailers.

Read the other list of pros/cons and will add a couple:
PROS:
* Love the fact that you have the drawers and closet right at the door. We keep sunscreen, mosquito stuff, BBQ lighter, etc. right there. So easy to access! Also the same for jackets when we need them.
* Love the drawers in the kitchen area for cutlery and such (I don't think the X254 has this).
* I thought the storage was minimal when we were looking at it (limited on what we could buy with our TV). However, after having used it on a 2 week vacation last year, there was totally enough space for us (family of 4).
* King size bed is GREAT! Love all the space. Our mattress is nicer (think the previous owner upgraded it perhaps). We use king sheets and a queen comforter on it.

CONS:
* The single bar in the closet isn't idea. I use storage bags to hold my towels and such in the back section. I could get DH to build a shelf if I really wanted it I suppose. It is also dark but a touch light is easy to add.
* Wish there was a medicine cabinet for extra storage in the bathroom. We use the bathtub to put our laundry bin in so it doesn't move around when we travel.
* I wish there was a place for me to store our kids clothes. I use one of those material under the bed storage bags. It just slips under the bottom bunk. Have to see how that will work this year as we need to get a ladder for the top bunk to use it now.
* TV placement is less than idea. Why didn't they do a flip mount under the cabinet and put a real cabinet in there instead? Not sure if the 2015 is the same or not for this.
* Outdoor storage is too small. Thankfully we have a pickup and DH stores things in the back of that.
* The kids mattress cushions were HORRIBLE. We pulled them out and bought 4" foam instead (twin size) and that is much better! We just used mattress protectors the seal them up.
* Counter space isn't the best but none really are. I use a cutting board over the stove top when I am prepping food.
* I wouldn't want as an adult to try and sleep on the couch (with the gap) or at the kitchen table (unless I was alone as it isn't huge). But for our family of 4 we don't need this.

Overall we are really happy with our trailer. Suits us just perfectly!

[IAx213]

Originally Posted by shillee

* TV placement is less than idea. Why didn't they do a flip mount under the cabinet and put a real cabinet in there instead? Not sure if the 2015 is the same or not for this.

There's no shelf or cabinet for the TV in the 2015's. There's just wall space and then the cabinet surround for the microwave.

[SilverEscape]

Originally Posted by IAx213

There's no shelf or cabinet for the TV in the 2015's. There's just wall space and then the cabinet surround for the microwave.

Our 2015 has a shelf under the TV and a shallow cabinet surrounding it. Ours is just like the pic Jayco has at the bottom of the 2015 X213 page http://www.jayco.com/products/travel...-feather/x213/

They changed it to not have a cabinet at some point during the 2015 production I guess.

[DJ-Camper]

We love our X213. It's the first TT for me. I never even trailered anything bigger than a 2 place Snowmobile trailer, so I liked the TT because it was very spacious for it's size. DW had a 32' trailer with her ex, she likes the space it has too.