One-year review of our Solera 24RS

[Tranquil Jim]

Well, it was just about a year ago that we took possession of our 2013 Solera 24RS and I was reflecting about it this morning as we enjoyed a visit to the Flathead Lake area of Western Montana.

It has been a year of adjustment for the "lady of the coach" and myself. Previously, we had a 34' Montana 5th wheel and the difference in space has been noticeable, though not really a negative. We made a deliberate decision to down-size now that all the grandkids are either in college or graduating from high school this year. We used to take them along with us on our travels; however, their busy schedules have pretty much put a stop to that.

First, let me say that finding the Forest River Solera Forum has been a delight! It's great to find a bunch of folks with a similar interest and a wealth of knowledge they are willing to share. And, a special note of thanks to bclemens, the FR rep, who participates regularly here. I know he has a factory viewpoint sometimes and some of us tend to take a stronger user viewpoint; however, the fact that he is willing to come here and provide information is truly a blessing. Thanks to all of you.

OK...now a look at the ups, downs, ins and outs of our Solera experience. First, our dealer experience has been a bit up and down. Oddly, the salesman who sold us the Solera has been one of the ups. I usually don't care much for the vehicle purchase experience, but "Bill" was great...and very helpful in a positive way. The dealer's service staff has been one of the downs. Staff has changed a couple of times during the past year and "customer service" has definitely not been a strong point. I'm not a shrinking violet, nor am I a wild-eyed tyrant, but I have had to be a bit forceful in order to get things done. On a scale of 10, the dealer experience has been a 6; only that high because of "Bill."

One of the reasons we downsized was that the "lady of the coach" was not comfortable driving the Ford F-350 pulling the big Montana. Thus, all the driving duties fell to me. Moving to the Solera changed that. She is comfortable driving the 24RS; even when pulling the 2014 Honda CRV we recently added. We both feel that the Solera handles quite well. I've read about adding after-market shocks and heavier sway bars, but we have not found that to be necessary...and, yes, we have encountered windy conditions on several trips and don't feel the Solera handles much differently than when pulling the Montana. I will reserve judgement on the after-market suspension stuff for the time being.

We have had to get used to a more compact interior space and that has taken a little getting used to. Just this morning, I dropped the soap in the shower and chuckled as I went through the planning process to pick it up! It does take some planning to avoid contact with cold shower walls; I'm sure you know what I mean!

There are some pluses to the compact space, as well. Fewer areas to search for misplaced items is one. We've had to become more organized and that helps know where to look.

Since there are just the two of us on the road...and two Miniature Schnauzers named Lizzy and Ellie...we have found the galley and dinette area to be quite adequate for food preparation and eating of meals. The good-sized refrigerator/freezer is at least as large as the one we had in the Montana. Perfect for us! And, the fold-out counter extension is very useful when doing dishes. The overhead bunk area tends to be our catch-all storage area for dog beds, extra jackets, etc.

Getting used to not having a sitting area with two recliners as we had in the Montana took a little while. Once we figured out that the driver and passenger seats (while not really recliners) could double as a sitting area, we now have a great place for our morning cup of coffee or watching the sunset. Right now, in fact, I am in the driver seat typing this with a cup of coffee nearby and a view out front of clouds and rain sweeping across Flathead Lake. What could be better?

The sleeping quarters are definitely one of the ups! The rear-slide bed is magic! It was one of the major doubts I had when considering the Solera. The concept of a split mattress that stacked on top of itself was a big question mark. Could it possibly work, and could it possibly be comfortable. Absolutely YES on both accounts. It is quite comfortable! I must admit that it does take a little planning to slip in and out of bed in the middle of the night (70+ years does require that most nights), but it is definitely doable.

Looking at the exterior of the coach, one of the few downs is the fact that the rain gutter channels water directly onto the driver or passenger door if you open them. The gutter needs to extend farther forward before dropping the water stream. I am thinking about adding some stick-on plastic gutter extensions to do just that. Maybe that has been addressed in the 2014 or 2015 models. I hope so.

We love the copious amount of exterior storage and the ease of accessing it. That's one of the things that sold us on the Solera. We looked at the Navion and some other Sprinter-chassis rigs; however, the Solera had the best exterior storage of them all. Great feature!

Just a couple of nit picks. One is the poor quality of the tire valve extensions on the rear dual tires. I've had one replaced twice and it still doesn't work properly. When we get home, I'll take the rig to a local tire shop that does truck work and see what they can do to remedy the situation. The other is the loose carpet in the driving compartment. It tends to bunch up and wrinkle. I think it needs a slightly stiffer backing. Both of these items are things I can take care of in due time.

So, the bottom line is a thumbs-up for the Solera 24RS!

[bclemens]

Certainly appreciate the time you took to post this and of course the kind words. I am often asked about the split mattress and I tell everyone....don't listen to me. Hop on the forum and read for yourself.

After the first couple of years with the Solera, one of the things I had them do was add some memory foam into the mattress. With the firmer foam core we were hoping to get the best of both worlds in a very limited height.

Rain gutter took us by surprise a bit. Most other class C mfg.'s don't even use a gutter. When we change fiberglass front caps it also change the location of the gutter. We are testing some longer spouts right now. We think it looks like big ears...but seems to do the trick.

Did you have the braided valve extensions or the yellow Air-flexx? The Air-Flexx come highly recommended and I have posted the brochures on them...but I still think a few people don't like them for some reason or another. It did solve the problem of them being attached to the wheel liner.

The carpet, I'll take a look at. This is the first time we have heard that one...but I can't imagine a little velcro tab or button wouldn't do the trick.

Again, thanks for the review. Always good to hear what we're doing right...and as much as no one likes to take their medicine, we gladly take the constructive criticism because in the end it can only make us better.

[Tranquil Jim]

Thanks, Brian (right?):

My proposed solution for the rain gutter is to just extend it about a foot farther forward, allowing the water to drip down forward of the door. I think I can accomplish that with some double-back stick-on plastic gutter. Finding a compatible color will be the trick.

I do have the yellow Air-Flexx extensions and the problem I have had with them is that the center rod that depresses the stem at the wheel end is either too short and/or breaks off inside. I'm on my third one right now that I can neither check air pressure nor add air because the inner core shaft is too short. I cut about 3/16" off the outer housing on the latest one and it works, but barely. Getting the cut square to seal properly is the problem with trimming them.

I'm not sure whether the curve in the one that goes to the inside dual changes the length of the outer tube a bit and causes this problem. I'll stop in at my dealer again one of these days and discuss the options. I know someone with another brand of Sprinter-chassis RV that just had longer stems installed on the inside duals to where he could reach in with an extended chuck to check pressure or add air. I may look into that as well.

Thanks for the kinds words about the review. Overall, we are quite satisfied with the Solera.

TJ

[bclemens]

I talked to engineer who actually owns a trailer (traitor). He said you could take the screw out of the short gutter, replace with a longer spout and re-seal. Or what he did is went to camping world and bought extensions.

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim

Thanks, Brian (right?):

My proposed solution for the rain gutter is to just extend it about a foot farther forward, allowing the water to drip down forward of the door. I think I can accomplish that with some double-back stick-on plastic gutter. Finding a compatible color will be the trick.

I do have the yellow Air-Flexx extensions and the problem I have had with them is that the center rod that depresses the stem at the wheel end is either too short and/or breaks off inside. I'm on my third one right now that I can neither check air pressure nor add air because the inner core shaft is too short. I cut about 3/16" off the outer housing on the latest one and it works, but barely. Getting the cut square to seal properly is the problem with trimming them.

I'm not sure whether the curve in the one that goes to the inside dual changes the length of the outer tube a bit and causes this problem. I'll stop in at my dealer again one of these days and discuss the options. I know someone with another brand of Sprinter-chassis RV that just had longer stems installed on the inside duals to where he could reach in with an extended chuck to check pressure or add air. I may look into that as well.

Thanks for the kinds words about the review. Overall, we are quite satisfied with the Solera.

TJ

TJ,
I had the same issue with three of the four air-flexx extensions. Funny how one worked perfectly. There are others in Solera threads who encountered this same problem, so it must be a design issue with air-flexx. I found that the threaded end was to long, not allowing the center stem, when depressed, to engage the flexable portion. I used a dremel with a sanding disc, at 90 degrees, or flat to the end, and took off enough material to allow it to function. Took a utility knife to clean-up the inside. I was carefull to blow out any debris, before adding air. Enjoyed your review, and I am also pleased with the Solera as well.

[devilsquid]

TJ thanks for the overview of your first year of ownership. I wish that the R model was available when we bought 2 years ago but other than the corner bed our S is everything we wanted. I too had the yellow extensions, never had any problems with them but reading the threads with tire blow outs, leaking extensions, and hub caps ripping the extensions out I went the metal valve stem route (with the added benefit of being able to add a TPMS for safety. The rain gutter drains the rain right on the door buttons even with the longer spouts. If your idea of moving the spout further forward works let us know. What you ended up doing and pictures would be greatly appreciated.

[JLeising]

X3 on the Airflex short inner stems. On mine, both outer duals. Inners were/are fine. The outers each have an aired metal right angle extension ahead of the Airflex. Thought that might be the cause.

[m111]

Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim

The sleeping quarters are definitely one of the ups! The rear-slide bed is magic! It was one of the major doubts I had when considering the Solera. The concept of a split mattress that stacked on top of itself was a big question mark. Could it possibly work, and could it possibly be comfortable. Absolutely YES on both accounts. It is quite comfortable! I must admit that it does take a little planning to slip in and out of bed in the middle of the night (70+ years does require that most nights), but it is definitely doable.

I just looked at the Solera R and loved it but couldn't figure out how this works with the sheets and bedding. What solution do you have that you are enjoying this configuration so much?

[Mikegjax]

We like or 24R! The sheets slide in and out with the mattress. No problem at all. Getting in and out of bed is also easy, if the little lady doesn't stack a bunch of stuff on the sides of the bed.

[m111]

Originally Posted by Mikegjax

We like or 24R! The sheets slide in and out with the mattress. No problem at all. Getting in and out of bed is also easy, if the little lady doesn't stack a bunch of stuff on the sides of the bed.

Thanks! So you can leave the bed made up and it slides out ready to go?

[Tranquil Jim]

Originally Posted by m111

Thanks! So you can leave the bed made up and it slides out ready to go?

Yep! That's it. Doesn't seem like it would work, but it does...and very well too.

[m111]

Thanks again! I went to the dealer to check out the FR3 yesterday and saw one of these. I was surprised how much I liked it. I always look at (and lust after) the little ones but am put off by having to put up a table each time and the 24R with the fixed dinette was very attractive. The slide was out so I laid on the bed which was surprisingly comfortable for a split mattress. I looked at the construction because I didn't fall in the crack and saw how they did the overlapping. So then I ran the slide in to see how it collapsed and it was a mess. Snagging on the blind cords and looked like you would have to take all the bedding off every day. Good to know that isn't the case.

The only other reservation is the front seats not having two arm rests. I love that on my current RV. I guess I have to test drive it to see how much I would miss it.

Does anyone run the bed out at rest stops for lunch or in parking lots so they can lay down during a driving break? I often lay down on the bed in my current RV while my husband runs into a store or goes to a restaurant.

Also since the bed stacks and doesn't fold I'm guessing there is no way to lay on it while driving?

Sorry for so many questions. This little unit appealed to me so much I want to be sure to explore it fully just in case it could work for us.

[Tranquil Jim]

I suppose it would matter what kind of bedding was used. We use a fitted queen bottom sheet, a flat queen top sheet and a light comforter. The top sheet and comforter are not tucked in at the foot end as we prefer it that way.

The head bed-maker tells me that she puts the head of the fitted bottom sheet on the mattress when the slide is in; then, the runs the slide out and pulls the foot end over the mattress. The top sheet and comforter are put in place without tucking in the foot and the slide is brought back in, folding everything in the process.

We have found that raising the window shades prior to bringing the slide in prevents the bedding from catching on them.

[m111]

Thanks yet again. The description is very helpful. If we get really serious about this unit I will take some bedding to the dealership and give it a go just as you described.

[13larry]

why not hop on the overhead bunk for a quick nap. We find you can easily step on the back of the dinette seat to get up there.

[m111]

Originally Posted by 13larry

why not hop on the overhead bunk for a quick nap. We find you can easily step on the back of the dinette seat to get up there.

Thanks! That is a good idea and I never would have thought of it.

[Mikegjax]

Occasionally we set the dinette up as a bed and the little lady will sleep their
while going down the road, or at rest stops we can both use it.

[behindthewheel]

Does your unit have the dinette booth? Dealers in our area only seem to carry the couch with the table. My husband thinks he might prefer the booth, but I think I'd rather have the couch. The couch will double as dining but the booth can't act as a couch (for snuggling)! Any other thoughts on this?

[BadBob]

We bought the 24R with the couch and like that best. We spend more time sitting and relaxing when the weather is bad. Most of our dining is outside and couch works best for us. I do miss the nice recliner we had in our 5th wheel. Am looking for a reclining love seat that will fit in the space and swap out the couch.
Good Luck
BadBob

[Happy]

Thanks so much for all the comments, folks. We haven't taken delivery yet on our 2014 Solera 24R and look forward to seeing it in person. It is coming from IDAHO to Olive Branch , MS - it should be well broken in after it's 2 major delivery trips. (lst from Indiana to ID). It is so helpful to learn from the Forum; an invaluable resource.
Happy traveling.
David's Co-pilot