Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-14-2019, 02:05 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 143
178BHS or 179DBK?

My wife and I are looking at these two units and are soliciting input from owners of either one as to their likes and dislikes. We have a nine year old son and will be mostly weekend warriors. Right now, the price of the 178 is running about $1600 higher than the 179. I'm assuming this is due mainly to the slideout. In everyone's opinion is this worth the extra cost?

Storage and other areas appear to be basically a wash unless I'm missing something. Do you see any other red flags on either unit that warrant one of them being a better choice for our small family?
FrankH35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2019, 04:44 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Kalamazoo
Posts: 2,139
Not familiar with those units but as a general thought would say "but your second trailer first" a whole lot of folks buy their first unit and trade a short time later when they realize its not going to work for them. Think for the future.
Kimber45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2019, 05:30 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
fonzie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 4,167
So members can give you feedback, I have add links to both trailer: Wildwood FSX

Wildwood FSX 178BHS | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes

Wildwood FSX 179DBK | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes
__________________
Fonzie
2011 Rockwood 8319SS with ProPride 3P hitch/GoodYear Marathons/TST TPMS 507
2019 F350 Ruby Red 6.7l diesel 3.31 axle electronic locker
Yamaha 3000iseb generator:Progressive Ind. EMS-HW30C : Eastern Ontario
Nights Camped: 2014 (18) 2015 (18) 2016 (36) 2017 (32) 2018 (42) 2019 (28) 2020 (35)
fonzie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2019, 07:52 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 143
I totally get the "buy your second camper first" idea, but in our case there are a couple of things at work here. First, I've never towed before--anything. So I want something small. The second reason for wanting something small and relatively inexpensive is because we aren't for sure if we're even going to like this much. We've rented a couple times and enjoyed it, but the rental place came and brought/set up the camper.

I just think a smaller single axle is a good starter for our family.
FrankH35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2019, 10:14 AM   #5
Member
 
wvyankee2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 34
I would encourage looking at this model. I have the smaller one (171RBXL) and love this camper. Quality for price is awesome. (I paid new $14,900) Biggest plus is the 11 Cu Ft fridge/freezer in this model. It is a 12Volt only Fridge, which means that towing down the road requres no propane to use. It has built in fans in the fridge & freezer that cool this down in 2 hours. Holds tons of food. Can't say enough about this Fridge. Also, Tandem axles for safety and easier towing.



Note: You have to get the "Best in Class Value Package" to get that Fridge, and much more.




X-Lite 201BHXL | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes
__________________
2019 Forest River Wildwood X-Lite 171RBXL
2018 GMC Sierra SLT 6.2


wvyankee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2019, 10:34 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 143
I have looked at that model, but I think I would really miss the wider bunks the 178 and 179 provide.
FrankH35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2019, 10:47 AM   #7
Member
 
wvyankee2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankH35 View Post
I have looked at that model, but I think I would really miss the wider bunks the 178 and 179 provide.

In that case I would stay away from the slide out. The little extra space provided would not be worth the potential for breaking and leaking. Just my opinion. I would never buy an inexpensive camper with slides. Guaranteed future problems.
__________________
2019 Forest River Wildwood X-Lite 171RBXL
2018 GMC Sierra SLT 6.2


wvyankee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2019, 09:48 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Hills of Northwestern PA
Posts: 2,281
I went without the slide out for a couple reasons when I bought my small TT. No slide to mess with or get in the way if over nighting in a parking lot or just stopping for lunch in the TT. Usually a good weight savings, between 4-500# in my case of choices. That said, with a child of that age and growing, people have to be seated for anyone to transit front to back inside without a slide. You should take the family and all get into the trailers to get a feel for the room and lack thereof at the dealer.
Strongly consider checking out similar dual axle units. With a dual axle, there is a better CCC. On my single axle, as with many, the GTWR counts in the axle weight rating AND the tongue weight. MY single axle is only rated at 3500#, GTWR is 3885#. When I first weighed my TT on a CAT Scale, the axle read 3600# without the WDH. With the WDH, that levered another 80# onto that axle. After that trip, I ran my trailer through Jenny Craig
Adding up the dry delivery weight and CCC of your two choices, they both come in about 4870# GTWR. Plan on you maxing out your load with smaller trailers for towing. Also those trailers are 90" wide, you will likely need towing mirrors. Mine is only 85" wide, still needed add on mirrors with the 2008 Explorer, don't need them with the F150. You need to be able to look straight down the side of the trailer with your mirrors.
One other thing. Master bed orientation. With the slide, the Murphy bed gives you a couch and with the bed down, should allow you to get out of bed without one crawling over the other. The non-slide bed orientation is at right angles and one will have to crawl over the other for night time BR visits ;( Something my wife dislikes about ours, but we wanted the master bed stationary, always there vice a Murphy.
__________________
2019 Cherokee Wolf Pup 16BHS flipped axle, 5K springs, 400AH LiFePO4, 3K inverter, 200W CIGS solar
2019 Ford F-150 S-Crew 5.5 bed V8 w/tow package, ITBC, Tow Mirrors, 3.55, SumoSprings, 7000# GVWR, 1990#CC
Husky Centerline TS WDH 400-600# spring bars
Boomerweps is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2019, 09:58 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 116
We bought our TT with slide out but with the slideout in we can still excess the kitchen area and the bathroom and back bunk beds. Some TT with slide in you can't excess those areas.
__________________
TV: 2017 F150 4X4 SC SPORT XLT 3.5 EB 6 cyclinder w/10 speed transmission w/tow pkg

TT: Purchased @2/1/19 Wildwood X Lite 230BHXL
Irobutterfly59 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2019, 10:18 AM   #10
RV There Yet?
 
IsleDog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Winona, MN
Posts: 1,139
both are great looking trailers that should fit your needs nicely. the main questions to ask yourself are:

are you ok with making the front bed each night or would you prefer to not have to?

do you want/need the extra room for the slideout?

something to think about as well: slides can (but not always) cause some issues with sealing, not extending/retracting. its an extra leak and failure point. we bought our small camper, a 17RP toyhauler with no slides to avoid these issues. plus we dont need the room. it fits me, my wife, a 110 lbs dog, and our newborn daughter just fine. decide how much time you will spend inside vs outside, that helps with the slide out issue.
__________________
2018 17RP
2009 Crew Cab King Ranch F150 "Goose"
IsleDog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-31-2019, 05:09 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 143
I have a half ton Silverado rated to tow 9100 pounds. Perhaps a similar dual axle floor plan would be a better choice. Just not sure I'll be comfortable towing and backing something five or six feet longer.
FrankH35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2019, 03:29 PM   #12
Junior Member
 
jwbryant's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 4
I bought the 200rk with the slide. With the sway bars towing is easy and simple. I was wary of the single axle, one blowout and you’re done was my thinking. But it hasn’t proved true.
The slide opens the already small space up and doesn’t feel as cramped for such a small space. But as I read earlier, what are your needs and wants? Remember, you’ll mostly be sleeping in it, so just try to think about what you’re comfortable with.
jwbryant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2019, 10:18 AM   #13
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: rutland
Posts: 16
179dbk first post

So I have been camping with a TT on and off for 10yrs with a cabin and tent camping in between. Wants and needs is most important in a small TT. My experience is with a 33' springdale TT with a large slide and tons of space. The good is the space but the slide caused easy access for rodents, in the winter, and water leaks if not leveled correctly. Plus the size of the TT caused some white knuckled driving. We just put a deposit on the 179dbk because we spend most of our time outside even in rain. We have a screen canopy over the picnic table and use the camper as a big tent. I'm an engineer by trade so my method is KISS (keep it simple stupid). I just joined the forum today and will update when I receive the camper in 4 to 5 weeks.
casper9545 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2019, 11:23 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 607
OK, I am approaching this as a mother of two who has camped and had 5 different RVs. You state that you want a single axle. Do some research....a double axle handles much better than the single axle trailers, easier to back up, etc.

If you aren't sure you will like this lifestyle, DON'T BUY NEW! You will just end up loosing lots of $$ as soon as you drive it off the lot. Get a well-kept used one so someone else has taken the large depreciation hit with the first year of use.

When slides were first introduced, they had lots of leaking issues, etc. The manufacturers have made great strides with them and they seldom leak if they have been cared for at all. Yes, you have the possibility, but there is also a possibility that the roof will develop a leak, but you have to have one of those! Again, routine maintenance will take care of most problems before they become REAL problems.

A slide will give you so much more maneuvering room inside the TT. Yes, it will be slid in when you are traveling, but you can still use the dinette, but it will be 3-4 inches higher than the rest of the floor. You don't HAVE to have it slid out to access the bathroom, nor the kitchen. You can get into the bunks with the slides undeployed.

Do you sit around watching TV while you are camping or are you outside enjoying the great outdoors? If you don't, the real bed will be much handier for you so you aren't required to deploy the bed each and every night before sliding in. You can always lay on the bed to watch tv, if that's what you want to do. It might be easier for 3 to curl up on the bed to watch a movie if it's a rainy day.

The slide will make it much more enjoyable and easier to maneuver around when that rainy day arrives. There will be one, no matter how well you plan your camping around the weather.

Does you son like to play with cars, blocks, legos? He will have NO room to play inside the camper unless you have the slide. You will be stepping over each other without it.

Just my thoughts on it, since you asked.
merrykalia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2019, 01:54 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 143
I have checked out some used, but have not been impressed with the pricing difference on them. Often times I'm finding the difference between new and used is no more than a few thousand dollars when you're dealing with new campers that run in the 15K range in the first place. I think I'd prefer the warranty and better financing rates that come with buying new. I've also decided to look at the 19dbxl in addition to these two models. It seems as there are just as many slide skeptics as there are slide fans out there.

We do plan to spend the majority of our time outside rather than in. But at night and early in the morning space would be nice to have. We are like 99% of the population out there in desiring as much storage as possible. It seems pretty minimal on all these. But that's the trade off for going short and light.

Top priorities are double bunks, ease of towing/backing and storage.
FrankH35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2019, 03:21 PM   #16
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: rutland
Posts: 16
To be fair my old 33’ was a used 2008 and have not kept up with slide technology. Used is a good alternative if you get the right price. From reading your posts you already know you can haggle with used but like my wife and I the warranty is what brought us to the buying new. The dealer brought us to a used but there was a stain on the wall they obviously cleaned. Looked like a roof leak so buyer beware on used.
casper9545 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2019, 06:03 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 143
Purchased the 19DBXL today. Excited to go on our first trip, but nervous about towing and backing it up. Gonna have to find a place to practice.
FrankH35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:53 AM.