Jay Flight SLX?

bnk190 · 11-06-2015, 06:27 AM

Through all of our trailer searches, what the truck can handle, not wanting a 30 ft monster, and floor plans that we like are left with two floor plans.

At the top of the list is an SLX floor plan. This is by far our favorite floor plan. Second is a Jay Flight floor plan that I can get the elite package on.

My struggles are the SLX seems to be a stripped down trailer. Money isn't a factor in the purchase and I'm not looking for an entry level trailer but that is where the floor plan took us.

Is the SLX going to last? I'm told they are built the same as the standard Jay Flight they just don't have the bells and whistles on them.

Do I skip the SLX and get the floor plan we don't care for as much but that gets me in the Jay Flight Elite package.

RACarvalho · 11-06-2015, 07:11 AM

"last" is a word that has many meanings...
Professionals sunk the titanic and non professionals have built boats in their backyards and sailed them around the world with success...
I bet that well care TT would last the same but w/o care, nobody knows.
Between the striped down SLX (not so stripped if you compare their features with those of the other brands) and the full loaded Elite Package, the question would be:
How important those additional details are for you? Would not having a LED strip under the awning or a radio that can communicate with your phone ruin your day? Etc. The question is not so simple for some people must have somethings just for the pleasure to have it, they will never use it but if they don't have it, they'll feel miserable....

DocBrown · 11-06-2015, 08:36 AM

Stripped down does not necessarily mean lower life expectancy. How you care for the trailer is more important than the initial cost of the trailer. All we've ever owned is "entry level" trailers. A pop-up that we bought new and owned for 10 years, and a Kiwi 17a hybrid trailer also bought new and had for 10 years. Both served us well and were in excellent condition when sold or traded them. I fully expect to get 10+ years out of our X20E.

Unless you are living in it full time, most of the Elite package is fluff that won't make much difference for normal working folks on a vacation. And some of the that can easily be added yourself as mods.

LarryJ · 11-06-2015, 08:43 AM

Agree with RACarvalho. Also we are on our second SLX, first being a 154BH which was really nice and believe was well built, but proved too small for our liking. So we got the 264BHW, this trailer also is working very well to our liking, and we did 32 days of camping this year with 3000 miles of travel, it had no issues.

Larry J
2015 SLX 264BHW
2007 RAM 1500, with trailer brake and equalizer/sway setup

JayC · 11-06-2015, 05:50 PM

When we upgraded our trailer this past year we faced this exact dilemma. Ultimately we settled on the SLX 267bhsw because it was the exact floor plan we wanted. We are happy we did and love our trailer. I have no complaints at all and it tows really nice. I think the only way I would miss some of the nicer upgrades were if we did full time camping. We are kind of weekend warriors and usually do couple of two week trips a season.

bnk190 · 11-06-2015, 08:34 PM

I'm fine with no awning lights. The upgraded radio I would be nice to listen to my phone through bluetooth but I can live without that and just get a bose portable speaker. The aluminum rims would be nice as well but such is life.

My main concerns are quality. I would really like the upgraded suspension the elite package offers. An opening kitchen window above the sink and roof vent would be nice as well. The last nice to have would be the glacier package. Just to get that extra protection. Oh and the easy lube bearings on the axles.

The rest of the items like propane tank covers, power tongue jack, black tank flush I can add myself.

gocarp · 11-14-2015, 06:04 PM

I'm looking at the 26bh and 264bhw. What's really pushing me towards the 26bh is the tank sizes. They are about double. I don't know if I'll ever use them to capacity, but it's possible and not something I feel like the user can replace. I also like the idea of the thermal wrap that can be added to the 26bh.

A few other things like larger propane tanks, gas only heater, outdoor shower, ladder, etc., I feel like I can work around or just aren't deal breakers.

bnk190 · 11-15-2015, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayC

When we upgraded our trailer this past year we faced this exact dilemma. Ultimately we settled on the SLX 267bhsw because it was the exact floor plan we wanted. We are happy we did and love our trailer. I have no complaints at all and it tows really nice. I think the only way I would miss some of the nicer upgrades were if we did full time camping. We are kind of weekend warriors and usually do couple of two week trips a season.

That's how we are as well. This is a 10-12 time a year usage mainly on weekends a couple week long trips.

I'm looking for something that will last though since this will be around 8 years or so until I can upgrade to a bigger truck to get the 5th wheel I truly want.

bnk190 · 11-15-2015, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gocarp

I'm looking at the 26bh and 264bhw. What's really pushing me towards the 26bh is the tank sizes. They are about double. I don't know if I'll ever use them to capacity, but it's possible and not something I feel like the user can replace. I also like the idea of the thermal wrap that can be added to the 26bh.

A few other things like larger propane tanks, gas only heater, outdoor shower, ladder, etc., I feel like I can work around or just aren't deal breakers.

Gas only heater? I wasn't aware of that one....

JayC · 11-15-2015, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnk190

I'm looking for something that will last though since this will be around 8 years or so until I can upgrade to a bigger truck to get the 5th wheel I truly want.

With proper care and maintenance any trailer should be fine for as long as needed. I see plenty of ten years or older trailers on the road.

Honestly you will be happy with whatever trailer you choose. If having the upgrades trumps the exact floor plan you want then go for it. If having the floor plan you crave is more important then pick that one. You likely won't regret either choice.
It wasn't a quick or easy choice for us either but in the end run we chose the exact floor plan we wanted and added some small cheap upgrades like a bunk ladder, propane tanks cover, foam toppers for the mattresses. I have found the two 20lb LP tanks to be more then enough. Some of the cosmetic things I wanted like aluminum rims I find I don't care about now, as well as the led awning lights that I found too bright anyways. We don't regret our choice one bit and this last season has been one of the best camping seasons we've had.

Good luck with your shopping and have fun with it.

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