New Salem Cruise Lite 281QBXL is home

[j02kennedy]

It's finally here!!! It was actually delivered last Sunday but finally got the hitch adjusted and out on the road.

[Wiscampsin]

Congrats. Maybe it's just the camera angle but man that thing looks loooong.

[scknoll123]

Originally Posted by j02kennedy

It's finally here!!! It was actually delivered last Sunday but finally got the hitch adjusted and out on the road.

We ordered the Wildwood X-Lite model on 2/14 and should get it on Thursday. CAN'T WAIT. Did you get the one with the outside kitchen or extra bed?

[j02kennedy]

We got the outside kitchen. We actually took it out this weekend to a local campground for a shakedown run. We love it!! There are a couple of little things - The propane hose to the cooktop gets pinched when the slide is out and since we got the back back rack there is no stand for the outside grill and the supplied hose is way to short. We received lots of compliments on the outside kitchen while at the campground.

[scknoll123]

Do you have anymore any more pics?

[j02kennedy]

Let's see if this works or not.... These are the pics the dealer sent me when it arrived:

New Camper Photos by j02kennedy | Photobucket

[Ida Ratherbe Camping]

Congrats on the camper! Ordered mine on 2/13 and still waiting on the call.

[scknoll123]

Very nice. Just got called by our dealer to schedule a date to pick ours up. The only difference is mine has the outdoor grill on the back not the storage rack and I have an oven in the kitchen

[scknoll123]

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scknoll123's Library | Photobucket
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[ken in md]

Very nice...we've been looking for the right travel trailer for about a month now and only recently came across Salems at a local dealer. We love what you get for your money and aer seriously considering one. We started looking at 26TBUDs but today I found a 281qbxl and I think that is my new go-to model if we buy.

Curious to hear more about it - good and bad experiences, any quality issues. Also want to know how it tows with your vehicle in the pic - ours has a 7k weight limit and we feel we are pushing it by getting something this big (i.e. pushing 6k lbs dry)

Thanks for the info, and enjoy your new camper!

[scknoll123]

I have the Wildwood version that is about 5500 dry and I pulled it with a 2002 Explorer which is right at it towing capacity with the trailer, I only pulled it for about a hour and it had no problems starting or stopping

[clancythecamper]

Love the outdoor kitchen. Lots of counter space

[j02kennedy]

So far we have been extremely please with our 281qbxl I have a 12 and 14 year old and with all 4 of us camping it did not feel like we were cramped. I LOVE the outdoor kitchen - that was the selling point for me. Only a couple of issues to report as of now. When the slide is out it will pinch the hose to the inside stove and cut off gas flow. Until I can get it into the dealer I just bump the slide in hair and it works fine.

We ordered ours with the back pack rack to put our bikes and etc on. With that option you lose the swing arm grill mount and the camper comes with a table top grill. Unfortunately the supplied hose is too short to put the grill up on a table at a safe distance from the side so I will be making a trip to my local Suburban propane and get a new hose made up.

I had to adjust the screen door so it would not get stuck on the latch for the main door. I just removed the hinge in the middle and then drilled new holes as it went right into place once it was off.

Interior lighting and outlets throughout keep the kids happy... and I managed to mount a 29" television in the entertainment center.

My Durango pulls it just fine. It has the 4.7l engine and I believe is rated at 8600 lbs towing capacity. The equal-i-zer hitch smooths it all out. We just purchased a used 2500 Silverado so we can take the camper and boat with us (once DW is comfortable towing 19' boat )

Overall I would recommend it as we have been pleased so far. The little things don't bother me as I know my way around cars and houses and can fix a majority of items myself.

[GoDuke1]

Nice Rig!

[FamilyOf_9]

Originally Posted by j02kennedy

So far we have been extremely please with our 281qbxl I have a 12 and 14 year old and with all 4 of us camping it did not feel like we were cramped. I LOVE the outdoor kitchen - that was the selling point for me. Only a couple of issues to report as of now. When the slide is out it will pinch the hose to the inside stove and cut off gas flow. Until I can get it into the dealer I just bump the slide in hair and it works fine.

We ordered ours with the back pack rack to put our bikes and etc on. With that option you lose the swing arm grill mount and the camper comes with a table top grill. Unfortunately the supplied hose is too short to put the grill up on a table at a safe distance from the side so I will be making a trip to my local Suburban propane and get a new hose made up.

I had to adjust the screen door so it would not get stuck on the latch for the main door. I just removed the hinge in the middle and then drilled new holes as it went right into place once it was off.

Interior lighting and outlets throughout keep the kids happy... and I managed to mount a 29" television in the entertainment center.

My Durango pulls it just fine. It has the 4.7l engine and I believe is rated at 8600 lbs towing capacity. The equal-i-zer hitch smooths it all out. We just purchased a used 2500 Silverado so we can take the camper and boat with us (once DW is comfortable towing 19' boat )

Overall I would recommend it as we have been pleased so far. The little things don't bother me as I know my way around cars and houses and can fix a majority of items myself.

During PDI should I point out the pinched cooktop hose issue?

Also, are there any other issues you've come across in the last few months?

My rig is a 2014 Salem Cruise Lite 281QBXL. Outdoor kitchen.

Thank you for any help!

Thomas

[j02kennedy]

No new majore issues. We took it for a 5 day trip with the wife, 2 kids, 2 dogs and the mother in law and had fun. I have to make an appointment to get a couple of those things fixed under warranty yet. I have been waiting for after this trip to see if anything else needed attention. So far the flexible hose that connects to the sink drain came off (put back on and re-tightened) and the left side slide seal is getting chewed up by the bottam slide track. That's it.

During your PDI run the slide in and out a few times and then when it is all the way out make sure all the burners on the stove ignite. With yours being a year newer maybe they corrected the hose issue. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we do!

[FamilyOf_9]

Originally Posted by j02kennedy

No new majore issues. We took it for a 5 day trip with the wife, 2 kids, 2 dogs and the mother in law and had fun. I have to make an appointment to get a couple of those things fixed under warranty yet. I have been waiting for after this trip to see if anything else needed attention. So far the flexible hose that connects to the sink drain came off (put back on and re-tightened) and the left side slide seal is getting chewed up by the bottam slide track. That's it.

During your PDI run the slide in and out a few times and then when it is all the way out make sure all the burners on the stove ignite. With yours being a year newer maybe they corrected the hose issue. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we do!

Love the descriptive view of all the fam in-tow!

PDI tomorrow and then we'll be on the road Friday afternoon. Wife, dog, cat and 7 kids on this trip!!! If anything has issues I'm sure one of the aforementioned will find a way to break it

Thank you again
Thomas

[FamilyOf_9]

Originally Posted by scknoll123

Very nice. Just got called by our dealer to schedule a date to pick ours up. The only difference is mine has the outdoor grill on the back not the storage rack and I have an oven in the kitchen

Hi,
I see you also have a 2013-14 salem cruise lite 281bqxl with the outdoor kitchen and inside oven...we have PDI tomorrow and plan on taking her out Friday for 4 days. Do you have any major or minor insight into this beautiful rig?

Thank you for any help!
Thomas

[FamilyOf_9]

Originally Posted by scknoll123

Do you have anymore any more pics?

I know you weren't actually speaking to me, but here are a few pics of my rig which is the same year and model...

[arff2108]

did not know a Durango would pull that much. your Trailer must weigh about 7000lbs dry? I have a 27rkss Salem and it weighs 6335 empty/7000with cargo(approx.)and am towing with a 2005 ram 1500.