New Jayco 22fb

[IL Camper]

Been lurking for a short time since we are picking up a new Jay Flight 22FB next weekend. Wife and I decided to get into camping this summer(July) and bought a Starcraft AR-One 15rb since we weren't sure how we would like camping and we had a small SUV we wanted to tow it behind. Since July however we were able to purchase a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 L Hemi and we absolutely love camping. Well fast forward to last weekend when I took the AR-One in to the dealer to winterize and we just happened to see this 2011 Jay Flight 22FB on the lot and decided to go inside. Not a good idea...but also a good idea. We had been talking about upgrading since getting the truck(we can tow more) and the salesman said when we got the AR-One in July "see you next year when you get a larger camper". Why wait until next year? HaHa The Jayco is exactly what we need right now(4 years until retirement)and can't wait to pick it up. Even though we will have to wait a while to use it, we are already planning a Spring Break trip to Navarre, FL. Heard so many good things about Jayco and very happy so far with what we have seen with the one we are getting. Looking forward to continuing my education.

 

[2edgesword]

Kudos IL Camper. Enjoy!

 

[clutch-FRF]

Hey welcome to the Jayco Owners Forum. Congratulations on the new camper.

 

[David472]

Congrats on the new 22FB. I think you will enjoy camping with it as much as the DW and I have with ours. Many good times ahead.

 

[hammerdown-JAY]

Welcome to the forum. We have a 22FB as well, check out this thread.http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?p=31970&highlight=22FB#post31970

 

[Terry-JAY]

Welcome to the forum! Yep - got to watch out for those dealer lots

 

[IL Camper]

Thank you all for the welcome. Very nice mods Hammerdown. Great ideas.

 

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome to the forum IL Camper and congrats on your upgrade.

 

[SecretCoveDave-JAY]

My first welcome, enjoy. We have had a 22/6 for one summer and are going back for another couple of feet in the spring.

I thought this only happened with boats?

 

[Murphie]

Welcome to the forum. It is a great place for info and the members here are very supportive. With your new truck you could go larger and hold off the two footitis for a few more years. We love our new Jayco and can't wait to start camping again in the spring.

 

[Crabman]

Welcome to JOF!

 

[IL Camper]

Thanks again for the replies of welcome. I agree with you Murphie, with the new truck we could go bigger but decided to wait until the retirement(4 more years)to get the one we would like to pull around the country when we have more time. Looking forward to Spring Break. We made our reservation at Emerald Beach RV Park in Navarre, FL.

 

[JPBeck]

That's a nice floor plan. Welcome!

 

[2edgesword]

My wife and I have considered the 22FB. One of the questions we have is how much space is there between the sofa and the sink? Is there enough room for three people to actually seat comfortable on the sofa, with one of them sitting next to the wall, or is it pretty much space for two to seat and the sofa area near the wall used the sofa is set-up for sleeping?

 

[Bob Landry]

My wife and I have considered the 22FB. One of the questions we have is how much space is there between the sofa and the sink? Is there enough room for three people to actually seat comfortable on the sofa, with one of them sitting next to the wall, or is it pretty much space for two to seat and the sofa area near the wall used the sofa is set-up for sleeping?

The seating arrangement is why I traded ours. Jayco did what they could with the available space. That being said.. The sofa will seat one easily, two if you sit close. There is not enough room between the sofa and the galley cabinet for a person to sit comfortably. The dinette cushion are not made with memory foam and seemed to break down rather quickly and before long, you were sitting on a piec of plywood, or at least that's what it felt like to me, as I was the one who usually got the dinette. There just wasn't a place for two people to sit comfortably for very long. The other thing we didn't care for was the fabric shower curtain as opposed to a shower enclosure. it seemed that we spent as much time wiping water off the floor as it took to shower. Individually, these items would not have been deal breakers, but it did help us compile a list of things that we looked for and were adamant about when we traded for the Outback.

All in all, the 22FB was a good value for the money and is a good entry level trailer, especially if you want to see if you are really going to enjoy the camping lifestyle. If it turns out you don't and a lot of folks do decide that, it won't break the bank to get rid of it, or in our case, to trade up.

 

[IL Camper]

Good comments Bob. I haven't been able to actually use it yet so I will be finding out soon enough about the shower, couch and dinette. We do love camping so that is not an issue. We just thought this would be a good upgrade from the Starcraft AR-One 15rb we just traded in. Hope to have a maiden voyage in the early spring before we travel to FL for Spring Break. Will cross those bridges when I come to them. I would be interested in hearing from others that might have experience with the 22FB.

 

[David472]

I have to agree about the seating space of the couch. What I like to do is sit with my back to the outside wall (with pillow), and my legs towards the middle of the couch. That leaves only a small bit of space left on the other end of the couch. The wife and I take turns between that and the dinette for lesure seating. We've only had 26 nights of camping so far in our 22FB, but even so, I can see there will come a day when the dinette cushions will start to break down and maybe need to be replaced. We have yet to actually shower in the bath tub. So far we have opted to use the CG showers as they provide more elbow room. The wife prefers to camp in woodsy type CG's and with many of those we just barely fit the 22FB on-site, so a larger trailer may not be in the cards for us. It's big enough for some creature comforts, yet not too big.

 

[Terry-JAY]

We have a 26BH and the sofa arrangement is very similar. We find 2 adults can sit on it very comfortably - but not 3. I often sit there with pillows and lay across it - which works just fine. But quite honestly - 3 on any sofa that size in any camper would be a little crowed in my opinion unless I had a kid on there with me.

 

[IL Camper]

Thank you for the additional comments on the 22FB seating. So far I would have to say that we don't spend that much time IN the camper other than a meal or two and sleeping. I prefer to sit by a campfire at night, take a hike(my wifes words to me haha) or meet other campers. I am sure there will be some gradual breakdown of the furniture but I think I would be able to either replace the cushions or re-stuff them. Certainly things to consider and after using the camper a while I may come to the realization that we need to make a change. I hope by then I am looking at retirement and a TT that will allow for more full time use.

 

[MisterUg]

Our first year RV'ing in our 22fb

Good comments Bob. I haven't been able to actually use it yet so I will be finding out soon enough about the shower, couch and dinette. We do love camping so that is not an issue. We just thought this would be a good upgrade from the Starcraft AR-One 15rb we just traded in. Hope to have a maiden voyage in the early spring before we travel to FL for Spring Break. Will cross those bridges when I come to them. I would be interested in hearing from others that might have experience with the 22FB.

A lot of similar findings to what's already been said. The 22fb is a great RV for couples, who like enjoying the outdoors.

Our couch has been taken over by our Dogs. I don't think my Wife and I sat together on it at all this past summer. One of us would sit, if raining, while the other worked in the kitchen. The two of us could sit comfortably on it if we wanted to, with both dogs with us even.

As for the dinette, I find it too low. Our next Rv will definitely have table and chairs. We did have a liitle warp in the table, but our dealer had one to us in less than a week after looking at it.

As for the shower, I had no problems using it and I'm 6'4, 250+ lbs. You do need to make sure the shower curtain is positioned right, or you will be drying the floor. We did use Cg showers in some spots if they were up to standard, but if we had sewer hookup, we were using our own.

Bottomline, the 22fb fits us perfect for our first camper. It gives us ecerythin we need (warm place to sleep (we put the memory foam on the bad), kitchen, eating & bathroom) while we enjoy all the outdoor aspects of camping. We may have watched Tv for 10 hrs this summer (we spent 40 nights in it).
It's also a nice size for getting a better selection of campsites.

For all the above reasons the 22fb was a great choice for us. Now if your rv'ing is more of enjoying the RV and spending more time in it, then the 22fb is too small.

One option that I would have liked to have is a power Jack. But we'll probably pick one up this year. We will be also putting in an foldup counter addition this year. Will use a piece of the warped table for it ;-)