Newbie 2018 Micro Lite 21DS

[dangrega33]

Hey all,

I am a newbie when it comes to trailer camping. I usually tent camp and just wanted something for a little more convenience and comfort. I also want to go camping a lot more and this will help with that. Anyways, I am looking into a 2018 Micro Lite 21DS. I am currently in Albuquerque, NM and only one dealer in an 800 mile radius has 2 of these units. They have one with the murphy bed and flat front end, and one with a stationary bed and a round front end and window. I love the idea of the murphy bed, but I love the look of the round front and window. I contacted a dealer 1,000 miles away that has a murphy bed and window for cheaper, but probably not cheaper after delivery from Illinois. My concern is the window. I already saw a 25FBRS that had a crack in the window at the dealers lot. The dealer "assured" me that it was just the tint, but I know it wasn't. Does anybody have any experience with these windows and how well they hold up? Or any rock guards that can protect it? Out of the two trailers close by, the one with the stationary bed and round front with the window is cheaper. I really hope the one in Illinois can turn out cheaper even with delivery (which I think it can as the price on RVTrader is much cheaper than these ones).
Another question in this case would be, how difficult is it to get the registration and title for it when it is bought out of state?
Any help on any questions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the book that I wrote!

Thank you in advanced ,

David

[bikendan]

We bought our Rockwood, from a dealer 2000 miles away.
We chose to do the the 4000 mile round trip, to get it ourselves.
Still saved over 4k, even after trip costs, on a $23k msrp trailer.

People buy RVs from out of state all the time, even from out of the country.

No big deal.

[wannabeowner]

Hi David. I'm also in ABQ. I think our local dealer has some very nice guys working there and their prices are decent. There are advantages to having a relationship with a good, local dealer. That said, we bought a slightly used trailer in Texas because we couldn't find what we wanted locally. Dealers in Texas sell a lot more RVs so have bigger inventories. You might want to look there.

BTW, we had our trailer delivered via a U-ship transporter at a very reasonable price. It was actually cheaper than it would have been for us to take the time off to pick it up ourselves. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info on that.

[MTSparky]

I have the 27BHWS and the big front window is awesome. Can't imagine not having it now. But there is a crack. I've put mud flaps on the truck now and figure that'll help. I've seen people retro flaps to protect the glass while driving but but it can look bad if not done with some level of care obviously.

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by dangrega33

am currently in Albuquerque, NM and only one dealer in an 800 mile radius has 2 of these units. They have one with the murphy bed and flat front end, and one with a stationary bed and a round front end and window.

Actually sounds like two different year models. If you're looking for a 2018 model, any dealer that sells that brand can order one for you from the factory with exactly what you want on it down to the interior colors. Might as well get what you want. It shouldn't cost you any more than something on the lot with the exact options (may require a little downpayment) and expect 2 - 3 months for build and delivery since they're coming out of IN.

[buxrv]

Hi from Texas . We have had our 21ds with the Murphy bed option for a few months now and I have to say that we really love it . Having a couch during the day and the ability to just lay it down for a quick nap is a blessing. You don't have to put the bed down for that. Also , it's really nice to have a fully made bed ready when you drop it down. Have fun and good luck.

[buxrv]

P.S. We actually did what the last post said and ordered ours just like we wanted. Took about 2 months.

[HangDiver]

Like bikendan I drove to Boise from southern Colorado to buy my lightly used Micro-Lite. Would do it again tomorrow. Found it on RV Trader.

[Chief Lou]

Originally Posted by buxrv

P.S. We actually did what the last post said and ordered ours just like we wanted. Took about 2 months.

We ordered ours in September from a local trusted dealer and we were promised delivery in late November. We actually got it in 5 weeks! The price for ordering it with everything we wanted was actually less than we expected based on what was on the lot. Order the Murphy bed. We spent ten days doing Mardi Gras in NOLA from NJ.
We winterized on the way back from our last campsite in VA...took about 15 minutes, only after I retrofitted the lower cabinets with three hinges to make the bypasses easier.
Love our 21 DS!

[JayArras]

David, the Flagstaff Micro Lite 21DS and the Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S are identical trailers, both made by Forrest River in the same factory. There are far fewer Flagstaff dealers than there are Rockwood, so if there are more Rockwood dealers in New Mexico, you might want to start looking at 2104S's.

I have the 21DS in a 2013 model with the stationary bed and I LOVE that setup! However, back then, they were putting covers on the front windows, so the problems you describe are not an issue with mine. I just wished the window opened, but it doesn't.

[backon4]

Originally Posted by Chief Lou

We ordered ours in September from a local trusted dealer and we were promised delivery in late November. We actually got it in 5 weeks! The price for ordering it with everything we wanted was actually less than we expected based on what was on the lot. Order the Murphy bed. We spent ten days doing Mardi Gras in NOLA from NJ.
We winterized on the way back from our last campsite in VA...took about 15 minutes, only after I retrofitted the lower cabinets with three hinges to make the bypasses easier.
Love our 21 DS!

Can you explain how you modified the cabinet hinges? I was planning on adding a catch on the inside to keep them closed and take the screws out of the hinges on one side. I don't know whether I could hide the holes well enough if I removed the hinges. I know the screws will strip eventually by taking them in and out twice a year.

[Chief Lou]

Originally Posted by backon4

Can you explain how you modified the cabinet hinges? I was planning on adding a catch on the inside to keep them closed and take the screws out of the hinges on one side. I don't know whether I could hide the holes well enough if I removed the hinges. I know the screws will strip eventually by taking them in and out twice a year.

I removed the 3rd hinge and used a Minwax putty stick to fill and hide the holes.
I added inside catches and matched the pewter pulls (all the items were standard products at The Home Depot).

Now if I could find PEX connectors that aren’t quite so sharp...

[backon4]

Thanks for the tip! I'll do that cabinet upgrade this weekend.

[Chief Lou]

Originally Posted by backon4

Thanks for the tip! I'll do that cabinet upgrade this weekend.

How did the cabinet mod go? Easy right? It really cuts down on the time for throwing the bypass valves. Have you done any other mods? I’m kinda looking for a solution for carry my full-size guitars. I kinda hate to put them in the pass through but I might have to...

[Chief T]

David, Chisolm Trail RV on Central has a 21DS on the lot.

2018 Forest River FLAGSTAFF MCRO LITE 21DS | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Chisolm Trail RV

Cheers,
David

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by backon4

Can you explain how you modified the cabinet hinges? I was planning on adding a catch on the inside to keep them closed and take the screws out of the hinges on one side. I don't know whether I could hide the holes well enough if I removed the hinges. I know the screws will strip eventually by taking them in and out twice a year.

I also modified the cabinet doors under the fridge in my 2104S, but you couldn't tell by looking. It was really easy using magnetic latches from Home Depot. I simply removed the screws from the fake hinge and screwed the magnetic catch to the frame inside. The hinge bracket even works as metal plate for the magnet to grab. Now I have easy access to my water heater, pump and filter housing.

[dangrega33]

Originally Posted by Chief Lou

We ordered ours in September from a local trusted dealer and we were promised delivery in late November. We actually got it in 5 weeks! The price for ordering it with everything we wanted was actually less than we expected based on what was on the lot. Order the Murphy bed. We spent ten days doing Mardi Gras in NOLA from NJ.
We winterized on the way back from our last campsite in VA...took about 15 minutes, only after I retrofitted the lower cabinets with three hinges to make the bypasses easier.
Love our 21 DS!

I took my 21DS out for the first time this weekend and loved it. I noticed the 3 hinges on the lower cabinets and thought, "How stupid to do that it you have to access those?". They could have easily just put a latch or something like any other cabinet. Now I figure that I just take the one hinge off and put something else in there?

I did notice that the dinette seating trim is already coming off from sliding out of the dinette.

The radio and outdoor speakers are awesome.

The battery supplied by the dealership sucks. My first night, I was very conservative with lights and such, but even using one light for about 4 hours and one in the morning for about 2 hours, the radio for about 6 hours (just indoor listening), and the heater fan at night from about 9 to 7:30 with the thermostat set at about 68. So it kicked on maybe once an hour for about 5 minutes each time and my battery was at 1/3 in the morning when I took off. I think I'm gonna have to get another battery because I dont want to be limited and feel like I can't use something because of lack of battery.

I was expecting to get hookups at the campsite. But they were all taken so I didnt have TV because it only works when hooked up to shore power or hooked up to a generator (which I didn't have with me). The USB ports didnt charge my phones at all. My phones ended up dying when plugged in.

Can you change the deadband on the thermostat because it seemed like it let the temp get really cold before kicking in and warming it until it was too hot. I wish it kinda kept things a little more steady.

Overall, I was happy, just a few things that were annoying. I'm glad with my purchase. Take some pictures of the cabinet mod if you dont mind. I'm curious too.

[dangrega33]

Sorry everybody, just saw the last posts and the cabinet mod explanation. Thanks everybody for the input. Love my 21DS and can't wait to take out some kinks to make it suit me a little more.

Does anybody dewinterize their trailer and use bleach and then do a vinegar rinse? If so, how much vinegar do you use? I've tried looking everywhere and can't find anywhere it says.

[evolrider]

Just bought my 21DS from Chisholm (ABQ) RV a few weeks ago, I spent a lot of time going to all the dealers in the area and overall I am glad I purchased from Chisholm. My experience from start to finish was a good one and feel confident I got a very competitive price. I just got done De-winterizing my trailer this weekend and was able to test all the systems and so far everything is working great. I did wash and wax it as well and the only way I could reach the top of the front cap was to lean my 8 foot ladder up against that glass. Being the glass is tempered like a front windshield I felt pretty confident climbing up there (I did wrap a towel around the top of the ladder for some cushion) overall the glass seems fairly sturdy. I think this is the same type of glass that Lance uses on their front glass as well?

[Ox Brown]

We also have a 2018 21DS. We purchased it last fall from a dealer about 70 miles away. Our walk-through was way too quick and at the end of a busy Saturday. Lucky for us we've found no major issues with the RV. However, I made some modifications like adding proper knobs and catches for the HWH and pump doors. I also realigned the bathroom door strike plate so the door latches better and I added a vent hood over the front vent. And I definitely want to replace all the lighting since the LED light is too cool and harsh.

Our shake-down cruise was last November and went well and we just camped last weekend and again no problems. We are completely satisfied with the 21DS, love the murphy bed, slide out dinette, and would highly recommend this model.