Looking for Feedback on Jay Feather 7 23RD

[johnandmayshu]

Hello,

If you have a Jay Feather 7 | 23Rd or other Jay Feather model are you happy with it?
Pro's / Con's based on your experience with it?

Thanks in advance,

JD.

[Tunce the traveler]

Yes, I have a Jay Feather " 2010 " and have been very pleased with it and would I buy another one well the answer is "yes". It's been on the road over 30,000 miles and the only thing I really have to do yearly is just snug down the 4 A/C bolts but then again every unit needs that adjustment.

[sennister]

We have a Jay Feather 25BH which is the larger 8' wide versions.

Overall thoughts. We really have no major complaints. In comparison to our old 22' Dutchmen it is a lot bigger. We didn't have a slide in that old camper and they must have measured them different. The 22' model was 23' overall. The 25' Jayco is a touch over 30' overall. So a good 7' bigger.

One thing I didn't notice before with our old camper is that I can see where they are shaving weight. We really liked the bunk house floor plans like what the 25BH had and had been looking at them for a couple years. The problem was that we couldn't pull them with our 1/2 ton Yukon as many had a dry weight of 7000 lbs or more before putting anything in it. We then found the Jayco which we were interested in the 25BH and the 23MBH. We went with the slightly larger 25BH because they were the same price, pretty close in weight and gave us more space. Floor plan will come down to personal and family needs.

Getting back to the shaving weight thing. I would say the biggest thing I have noticed is that our old camper must have had thick plywood floors. They could afford that in the weight category without a slide and the much smaller size. This uses from what I have read a Luan (very thin plywood) backed or sandwiched between some foam. Because it isn't solid plywood it has a bit of a give to it. I never noticed it at the RV Show because I had shoes on. I kind of wonder in the longer term how well this foam will hold up. It isn't like I am standing a lot in the camper but on a positive note, if I was it would help prevent fatigue. I am a bit concerned around the bunks as to the long term wear. With the kids jumping down (they don't have a permanent ladder) so they tend to jump down. That is another thing I wish it had is a ladder. We end up having to keep a folding chair in the camper for our oldest to climb up.

I don't know if it is just because it is bigger, higher off the ground or what. But the camper seems to move more than our old one. We are using X-Chocks and whatnot. I just think the stabilizer jacks in the old one were a different design and seemed more sturdy than the style on this camper. Not a big deal.

It is nice that they have an outdoor TV mount but why are the mounts different? We haven't used the TV outside enough to justify a dedicated TV for out there besides we would have to store it somewhere. We have taken the TV outside but then I have to swap the mounts which means I am less likely to do it. Not that we watch TV a lot but trying to find any little thing that bugs me.

I wish the openings on the front pass through storage were bigger. It can be tough getting folding chairs in there. The storage area is much taller than the opening. The Jay Flight has bigger doors why not the Jay Feather?

Bumper mount grill isn't worth the money. It was included in the camper because it was added at the factory. I guess it works OK but we really don't use it.

I really wish it had one of those folding racks cargo/bike racks that some campers have over the bumper area. That would be so much more usable than the dumb BBQ Grill.

Enough picking on little things. We love the weight of the rig because it gave us the floor plan and space we wanted in a package that didn't require us to step up to a 3/4 ton. We love the outdoor kitchen. I get why the fridge is 110V only but it would be really cool if it worked on 12V off propane as we dry camp quite a bit. Love the outdoor shower. We use that a lot more than I thought we would. We camp at a river location quite a bit and it is great for rinsing off the kids when they come back. For the most part appliances are going to be the same from RV to RV so that is a wash. We love having the outside ladder as I can clean off the slide or get up there to check things without getting a step ladder out.

Haven't had any major issues. So overall I am happy. You will see how things are built thin and maybe not that strong. That is the trade off for weight savings also things need to flex going down the road so they are all like that. Stuff will break and have to be fixed. That is the RV life. If they built them like a brick house you would need a semi to pull them.