First week of camping in 2020 21DS. Thoughts, and a few questions

[Qwkynuf]

Wife and I just got back from our first weeklong camp in our new trailer. Overall, we love it. Around 300 miles roundtrip to the campground in Pacific City, OR - it towed like a dream behind my aging F150.

A couple of observations (in no particular order):

• The mounting rail for the griddle is too high. I'm about 5'9 and the griddle hits me about mid-chest. I will probably try to find a folding table to set it on instead of hanging it on the trailer.
• We have the triangular "corner shower" with the curved glass doors. It came with a drain plug - why? When would you ever want it to not drain?
• The foam cushions in the dinette and the couch are too soft. I'm around 200lbs and felt like I was sitting on the plywood the whole time. Is there an easy source for denser foam?
• The trailer is sealed very well. With the bathroom fan running on medium, it would hold the external compartment covers closed.
• I have a love/hate relationship with the rigid stairs. I'm not sure there is any way around it.
• With X-Jacks installed and the stabilizers down, the trailer is really solid. Would there be any benefit to using jacks under the slide, also? Or would that just be extra weight to carry around?
• There is a spot in the floor that "gives" a little bit, and creaks/squeaks when you step on it. Is that normal for this kind of trailer, or should I have it checked under warranty? It's in a pretty heavy traffic area - right at the end of the peninsula.
• Is the Murphy bed mattress a standard queen size? It wasn't *terrible* to sleep on, but an upgrade would be an improvement. Also - any way to tell what the maximum thickness would be?
• I need to think of some way to improve the space utilization in the "closets" on either side of the bed. Very inefficient use of space.
• The window shade in the door seems really poorly thought out as it relates to the screen door. To open or close the shade you have to go outside and partially close the screen door to access the handle on the shade. Or am I missing something?
• I wish that the tank level sensors had better resolution - E, 1/3, 2/3, F - doesn't really give me enough information.
• I'm not as much of a fan of the couch with dual footrests as I thought I would be. It seems like the back is set at an awkward angle, and it doesn't move when the footrests come up. Has anyone replaced it with something more comfortable?
• Has anyone found a way to better insulate the pass-thru area below/behind the couch? It seemed like we had a lot of cooler air drifting out of that area.

All in, we are still pretty happy with our choice!

[Coevers]

Watching the squeaky floor bullet. I have that right in front of the oven.

[trailerdude]

I have the Rockwood version of your trailer. Really loving it so far. Made a lot of mods, some might interest you:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ar-195659.html

[drburns]

Good video on insulating under the Murphy bed,

https://youtu.be/kntEkwb8Qdo

Thanks...David

[Qwkynuf]

Just remembered one other thing - when I pulled my drain hose out of the rear bumper, it had quite a bit of surface rust on it, presumably from the inside of the bumper.

Cause for concern?

We've only had the trailer for roughly 6 weeks

[tom3205]

Flush out that bumper . The rust particles can reek havoc onnyourcsewer hose. Pin holes just get bigger. Then you have a mess...

[Bob2019]

My first TT (used) had lots of rust in the bumper and ruined flush hoses. I placed and cut a 4" thin sewer pipe in the center with a circular saw and inserted into the 3" bumper. Went 16 years until traded off and never again ruined a hose. I tried this summer to do the same with my latest rig and can't find that sewer pipe anywhere. So I bought a strip of heavy plastic shower base liner for the back bumper. Not as nice, but it works and you can pull of some of the liner to get the hose out if necessary. If you do this, you will keep the same hose for a long time and no more messy pin hole black leaks.

[Maxwell D Pratt]

I learned a long time ago not to store sewer hose in rear bumper. I keep mine in a box and keep it in back of truck.

[Adrian Gordon]

Originally Posted by tom3205

Flush out that bumper . The rust particles can reek havoc onnyourcsewer hose. Pin holes just get bigger. Then you have a mess...

Can you explain the mechanics or chemistry of this phenomonon? I've never heard this before and don't understand why it would happen.

Also, what do you flush out the bumper with. Water would only make the rust problem worse, wouldn't it? What do you use?

[Adrian Gordon]

Originally Posted by Maxwell D Pratt

I learned a long time ago not to store sewer hose in rear bumper. I keep mine in a box and keep it in back of truck.

Why?

[Maxwell D Pratt]

Because I don’t like them in bumper. The plugs have a way of coming out while on the road. A lot less trouble that way. When I get home I clean with fresh water and bleach , let dry than put back in camper. Not bumper. I also have wye and other things .

[Tundra 2014]

1. If trailer is stable, I would not suggest adding slide jacks. Many discussions on these in the past, but you can damage your slides if not careful. EX-bringing slides in while they are still there.
2. There are always opportunities to make it your own.
3. 3M hooks, great for additional organization. Just do not put anything over the thermostat.
4. Adding a sheet of 1' foam insulation under bed in outside storage was a big improvement for us. Our bed is on one of the slides, w/ outside storage door under the bed.

[bikendan]

Using slide jacks will void the warranty, since RV manufacturers warn against it.

[reevesfamily]

Get that floor fixed while your warranty is fresh. They may have to drop the belly pan if you have one and put a missing brace up there.

[5picker]

I guess I don't understand all the concern about carrying a sewer hose in the bumper?

I've been carrying a hose (hoses) in our bumpers as long as we've owned R/Vs with bumpers and never had pin holes from rust, never lost an end cap or had a hose dragging down the road behind me.

Guess I must be lucky but mine will ride in the bumper where it always has.

[Adrian Gordon]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I guess I don't understand all the concern about carrying a sewer hose in the bumper?

I've been carrying a hose (hoses) in our bumpers as long as we've owned R/Vs with bumpers and never had pin holes from rust, never lost an end cap or had a hose dragging down the road behind me.

Guess I must be lucky but mine will ride in the bumper where it always has.

+1

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I guess I don't understand all the concern about carrying a sewer hose in the bumper?

I've been carrying a hose (hoses) in our bumpers as long as we've owned R/Vs with bumpers and never had pin holes from rust, never lost an end cap or had a hose dragging down the road behind me.

Guess I must be lucky but mine will ride in the bumper where it always has.

x2! And if your end caps fall out, there are easy mods to prevent this or many aftermarket caps that allow for air movement and lock into the bumper.

[JayArras]

Here's what we use for the closets on either side of the bed. It's something called a "Closet Maid". You trim it to whatever length you need.

[Oaklevel]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I guess I don't understand all the concern about carrying a sewer hose in the bumper?

I've been carrying a hose (hoses) in our bumpers as long as we've owned R/Vs with bumpers and never had pin holes from rust, never lost an end cap or had a hose dragging down the road behind me.

Guess I must be lucky but mine will ride in the bumper where it always has.

X3 Always left sewer hose in the bumper without issue. The sewer hoses lasted as long as the camper did. Not saying it is a bad idea but never washed out the bumper either. Our first camper with a sewer hose stored in the bumper was a 1973.

[grport]

Your post caught my eye, as we have the same TT which is a bit more than a year old. Couple of comments:


* Mattress had to go. Got a Travel Happy 8" Short Queen, perfect replacement. So far, we love it. Craig listed the old mattress. Gone in a day.


* Replaced the jack knife couch with one less wide, giving better access to the closets and making the bed. Craig listed old couch, gone in a day.


* Insulated the 'hatches' with 1" ridged insulation, reduced draft significantly.



* Added drawers and shelves to the closets.


* Replaced the cushion foam with high density foam inserts..


* Installed new door window.



* Installed dimmer switches and far better thermostat.


Happy Trails!


Here's some pics (sorry about the horizontal format).