Looking at 2015 Coachmen RV Chaparral 360IBL

[scootingranny]

We are going to look at this 5th wheel for the second time today. We will be full timing as of April or May and were wondering about whether or not this would be a good 5th wheel for full timers. The floor plan is what we want but know that some aren't "rated" for full time living. Any info would be appreciated as I couldn't find anything online about this. If it matters, I weigh 190# and DH is 210#...no lightweights here.

[DaveandSue]

I may be wrong,but I don't think any MFG's rate their campers as"full time".If you like it get it.If it suits you and your DH,get it.We have a 2015 Chappy lite 29 RKS.Don't full time,but are out a lot.Roughly 90 days since we picked it up in April last year.Close to 8,000 miles or so.We have had little problems and the ones we have had I've fixed.Good luck and welcome to the forum.Dave

[jerry226]

We use ours 2 weeks a month all summer. That's not full time but wouldn't be afraid to use it full time. Just control the humidity and all will be good.

[mr dually]

A true "fulltime" rig is going to cost you 3-4 times what the chapparal will cost you. I wouldn't let that stop me from buying it if that's what worked for me and my wife. The insulation won't be as good and things will be gear more for vacations but doesn't mean you can't live in it. Especially if you stay out of freezing weather.

Also you may have to trade in/up more often as they are not made for years of fulltiming.

[JohnandPandra]

The' wife & I seen one yesterday at the rv show in K.C. We're looking at the different mid bunk layouts of the different trailers, including Sandpiper/Heritage Glen/& a few others. Wife is leaning toward the Coachman as we are preparing to take our grandkids with us the next few years and the TT is getting too small. The Coachman sales person if I remember correctly said the upper bunk holds up to 225-250lbs. and lower 300lbs. I would double check if you have a lot of company going with you. Don't want to push the limits and be asking for trouble. Model at the Mid America RV Show said $39,995.00(show pricing), but if you look at Specialtyrvsales.com, theirs are in the $37,980(but in Ohio). Good luck with your decision!

[chuckw5kav]

I believe in how well you maintain your trailer, I don't see
any problem full timing in a 5th wheel as long as you do
the upkeep like anything else....

If you read the fine print in most of these 5th wheels you
will see it states that they are not meant for full timing.
I would not state such when sending in the warranty
paper work.....

Also I would not pay the full sticker price, they want to
sell you that 5th wheel, they will come down you can
take that to the bank.

If you do buy the trailer do a complete two or three
hour PDI, sit in the trailer for while, go thought the
day to day activity you might do.

Have the sale's person or whom ever is doing the
PDI or walk thought show you everything twice and
even three times to make sure you know how to work
all the equipment and operation of the trailer you buy.

Ask about service, one of the biggest things I see on
this an other sites is lack of service from a dealer. The
other thing is TOW Vehicle (TV), make sure you have
a TV that can pull safely what you buy. Some dealers
will tell you that you can pull anything with a 1/2 ton
pickup, don't be fooled, look at the weight of that
trailer and then make sure your TV can handle what
you are buying.

Above all have fun and enjoy meeting new people
where ever you go.......

[gashog]

DaveandSue, does your 2015 Chappy lite 29 RKS have the Furrion Backup camera housing on it?

[scootingranny]

Thanks everybody for your responses. When we first decided to start full timing, our son who is also a full timer and does workkamping, told us to not put all our money into our rv, regardless of what kind we got. That way if we don't like it, we can trade up or down or out without being soaked. He advised us to look at all different kinds, all different brands, all different prices and decide on a good brand and a moderate price. So although we are hoping this will be our only rv, we realize it might not be. But we did want one that was worth the hard earned $$ we would be spending. We have seen some dream rv floorplans and builds but we just can't get way up there in price without delving into 401k which we refuse to do at this time.

We are getting a 350 diesel which might be overkill for this rv but we want to err on the overkill side for towing ability and safety, rather than be underpowered.

Thanks for all the tips on what to do if we go this route and what to do if buying any rv. DH will be discussing the price with the dealer tomorrow and if we can come to an agreement, we'll probably get it this week. We don't think anybody will be traveling with us but if they do, they get the couch. I am an avid scrapbooker and card/craft maker so we will be taking the bunks out and making that my crafting room. We'll put the bunks in our storage locker so that we can put them back if we sell it.

[DaveandSue]

DaveandSue, does your 2015 Chappy lite 29 RKS have the Furrion Backup camera housing on it?

No it doesn't.I'm putting one of the GE baby monitors on.Already have it and will put it on as soon as we get some warm weather.

[farmncamp]

We purchased our 360IBL back in July of 2014. We fell in love with the floor plan and size of the camper very quickly. A 1 ton truck (350) would be the correct sized truck to handle this camper. My 250 does just fine, but weight needs to be monitored very closely. I've done a bunch of upgrades, which I listed here: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post698448
I consider the addition of the JT strong arms and the anderson levelers a must. I'd suggest getting the 2nd AC unit or installing aftermarket - the front bunk is about 5-8 degrees hotter than the back with just 1 AC. Double pane windows will help with condensation in the cold.

We've spent a max of 8 consecutive days on the camper, which is hardly full timing. It's very comfortable. I'd full time tomorrow if I was wealthy enough to do it. Heading down to Florida for 3 weeks this summer and I'm sure we'll be very comfortable living in it.

The 360IBL is a great camper. Its BIG, but well balanced and trailers very well. When towing you've got to treat it like a semi box trailer and everything will be ok.

Good luck & have fun!

[blwnsmoke]

Originally Posted by farmncamp

We purchased our 360IBL back in July of 2014. We fell in love with the floor plan and size of the camper very quickly. A 1 ton truck (350) would be the correct sized truck to handle this camper. My 250 does just fine, but weight needs to be monitored very closely. I've done a bunch of upgrades, which I listed here: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post698448
I consider the addition of the JT strong arms and the anderson levelers a must. I'd suggest getting the 2nd AC unit or installing aftermarket - the front bunk is about 5-8 degrees hotter than the back with just 1 AC. Double pane windows will help with condensation in the cold.

We've spent a max of 8 consecutive days on the camper, which is hardly full timing. It's very comfortable. I'd full time tomorrow if I was wealthy enough to do it. Heading down to Florida for 3 weeks this summer and I'm sure we'll be very comfortable living in it.

The 360IBL is a great camper. Its BIG, but well balanced and trailers very well. When towing you've got to treat it like a semi box trailer and everything will be ok.

Good luck & have fun!

-------

If you are pulling this camper with a F250, you are over weight. You need an f350 to pull his camper legally.


--------

To the OP, We love our 360 as well. We've used it twice so far last year and we have the latest options being we had one of the first update models for 2015 built.

The biggest complaint we have is the bunk beds. Although a fantastic design, they are not meant for adults. The thin pad is very uncomfortable for an overnight stay but it if it just for light weight kids, they are just fine. IF you ever plan on putting adults on them, I'd get some foam pads to lay on the mattress pad.

I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the auto leveling system. It is just AWESOME to push a button and let the camper do all the leveling on it's own. It is also AWESOME to just push a button and have the camper return to the proper height for hooking back up if you ever need to.

We got every option on ours except the dual pane windows and comfort fans and paid about $39k for it

I'd highly recommend NOT getting the ceiling fan. We got it because we figured it would help circulate air.. unfortunately it is so high up to the ceiling that it can't pull air up around to push it down. I can stand right under the fan and I don't feel a thing... Complete waste of $85.

You can use this site to see invoice cost on the unit. There was a price increase of a few hundred dollars for the 2015 changeover this past fall but gives you a good idea of what to shoot for. My pricing was at invoice with no other fees except an admin fee. No prep fees, no delivery fees etc etc.

Chaparral 360IBL Mid Profile Fifth Wheel 2014 | Chaparral Mid Profile Fifth Wheel by Coachmen RV | See Dealer Cost

[Luckydog]

The Chaparral 390 is a cool floorplan too which has either a queen bed and bunk or hide a bed sofa and bunk in the secondary room. It also has an available king bed and outside kitchen which isnt available on the 360.

[scootingranny]

Well we went back to the rv dealership for the 3rd time this weekend, trying to make sure we were making the right choice. In the meantime, the price went up $2000...dealer said the lower price was due to a manufacturer's rebate because of local rv show which has now expired. Even tho our first salesman said the manager would probably agree to the lower price, the manager says no (at that point we were dealing with 2nd salesman because first one was too busy to be at the dealership on a Saturday). We left without buying, DH decided that night to go ahead and pay the higher price. He did the online paperwork, the 2nd salesperson called us to acknowledge receipt of the information and that manager had said because of misunderstanding, they would move it for us for free. (We don't have the truck yet and they were originally going to charge us $200 to move it 75 miles to a storage facility which we felt was reasonable). Salesperson said he would email further forms which we should receive on Monday. No forms received on Monday so DH called 2nd salesperson who apologized and said he forgot to do it. If we don't get paperwork by tomorrow, we will probably just look elsewhere. Too bad because I really liked this floorplan and no other dealers in our area carry it. I just wish the dealership wanted to sell it as much as we want to buy it.

So I started looking at other floor plans from other dealers today. What a PITA.

[Luckydog]

In what area are you trying to locate a 360?

[scootingranny]

Luckydog, we are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We will be going back to the dealership on Friday to hopefully do a walk-thru, sign all the papers and have it delivered. I'm not going to consider it a done deal until then.

I decided a few days ago to search for another make/model but haven't found one that has a floorplan quite like this one. SO, if this doesn't work out, we'll probably be looking for something totally different.

[Luckydog]

Good luck!

[chap327]

2015 Coachmen Chaparral 360IBL Stock: | Clarks RV Center

[TheRowlands]

Originally Posted by scootingranny

Luckydog, we are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We will be going back to the dealership on Friday to hopefully do a walk-thru, sign all the papers and have it delivered. I'm not going to consider it a done deal until then.

I decided a few days ago to search for another make/model but haven't found one that has a floorplan quite like this one. SO, if this doesn't work out, we'll probably be looking for something totally different.

How did this end up working out for you? My family is planning to buy an rv in the coming months and begin our full time adventure within the year. The 2 at the top of our list are the 360IBL and the 390QSMB. We are leaning toward the 390 because of the king bed, larger bunkhouse, and outdoor kitchen, but the 42' length is an important downside.

I have been hearing that these are not great for full time use, and that it may even void the warranty. Are you full timing in yours yet? Any advice?

[VizJedi]

Originally Posted by TheRowlands

I have been hearing that these are not great for full time use, and that it may even void the warranty.

I'm the one that mentioned FR stating full time use may void the warranty.

In the Coachmen Owner's Manual that came with my trailer and that is on line HERE, it says this:

"NOTE:
Use your new recreational vehicle responsibly. Your camper was not designed to be used as a permanent dwelling, but for short-term and recreational use. If you intend to use your RV as permanent housing, it could cause premature wear on your appliances, furnace, water systems, carpet, drapes, upholstery, bedding and interior surfaces. This premature wear caused by permanent residency may be considered abnormal or abusive use and could reduce or in some cases void your warranty coverage."

Now remember, the warranty is only for 1 year and they have to be able to state that your "very frequent occasional use" directly contributed to the failure. My old 5er was 13 years old and saw average seasonal use. Nothing ever needed fixing, much less failed from over use, in 13 years.

If you intend to full time in your Chaparral, go for it, but just be aware that some things will likely wear out sooner than in my trailer that might see 60-80 nights a year camping.

j

[Curt and Michele]

Hope everything works out well for you. We picked up our 2015 336TSIK last year and love it. We have duel ACs on it as my parents live in Las Vegas and we regularly head out there. Between the insulation and ACs it stays very comfortable. The auto level system is fantastic, came with a larger fridge and water heater too. The only complaint, if you could call it that, is it has the king bed in it which makes it tight on the sides of the bed.
It sounds like to me that you may have a dealership that has multiple interest in this unit all of a sudden . There will be more out there, when we started our search for a 5th wheel we were very interested in a Coachmen but no one around us carried them. Ended up traveling about 400 miles to purchase it and was one of the best decisions we made.