Surveyor Sport 220

jodiliby · 06-05-2013, 05:25 PM

About to pull the trigger on a surveyor sport SP 220 and I was hoping for some feedback.. the good, bad and ugly, is what i'm after. Hoping for some honest opinions on if I am buying a quality rig. Hoping to get 9-10 years out of it.
Jodi

Dave_Monica · 06-05-2013, 08:55 PM

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully some Surveyor Sport owners will happen along and provide some feedback.

Dave

tanddc · 06-06-2013, 11:25 AM

I have responded to your other request in the sp220 review thread. In shour we love ours and think it is the perfect couples camper. Very few minor issues so far and have been camping every other week since we got it earlier in the year. If you have any questions, please ask!

Buck1032 · 06-06-2013, 11:35 AM

We do not have the 220, but last week we brought our SP260 home. While I can really comment on the 220, so far the 260 has met our expectations and we have only found a few minor issues with our Forest River product. With that said, we haven't taken our out yet so we may find other issues when we do. Right now we are waiting on the new mattresses we ordered. The ones that came with the TT were, lets just say, way too hard.

tanddc · 06-06-2013, 11:56 AM

We just added a memory foam topper to ours and it feels great now.

Buck1032 · 06-06-2013, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanddc

We just added a memory foam topper to ours and it feels great now.

We did a trial run on the toppers and felt we were better served in the long run to just replace our mattress as well as our 6 y/o's. What can I say, we like a lot of comfy sleep! LOL

tanddc · 06-06-2013, 07:28 PM

Its really amazing the difference a good night sleep can make. We actually got the top half way through the trip and it was amazing (I like my sleep too

)

pt1655 · 06-06-2013, 09:01 PM

Hi!
My wife and I just bought our 220P 3 weeks ago and are taking it up to Durango, Co. this weekend for a week on our maiden voyage. Yea! I have been impressed with the features and quality so far as I have been getting it ready for the trip. I did swap out the bathroom door for a folding door so we could access the bathroom while on the road and not put the slider out. I also put a better fan in the bathroom. Since we are not riding bikes anymore, I took the back bike rack off and mounted the spare tire to the back bumper (taking off the undercarriage tire rack and saving some weight there) . I also swapped out the heavy dual steel propane tanks for lightweight fiberglass ones. I will post after our trip how it went and what issues came up, if any. I hope you enjoy yours too! Happy camping!
Pete & Teresa

tanddc · 06-07-2013, 11:34 AM

Good luck and have fun on your first trip out. Good idea about the folding door. I will have to think about that one myself (never fails, as soon as I close the slide...). Did you do yours yourself? Was it very hard?

PS don't forget to bring back some pictures.

pt1655 · 06-07-2013, 06:46 PM

Hi,
Yes, I put the folding door in myself, a job not as easy as one would hope. I'll send pics after our trip on the install. The hardest part was that the ceiling is a very thin plywood or veneer so I glued (with silicone sealant so I could get it off later if needed) and screwed the top trap to it. I then supported both sides of the folding door with the plastic 'door jambs' provided with the folding door to give the top track as much support as possible. I then mounted the magnets on the kitchen side and it seems to work well. I also had to take 3 panels out of the folding door itself to get the width right for the opening; just a little time consuming but not bad. The folding door cost us $46.00 at Lowes; they had the best selection, colors and prices.
More later!
Pete

kencarleen · 06-11-2013, 10:28 PM

our neighbor has the same rig as ours, Surveyor 220/2013. He took off the bathroom door and installed a small window rod along with a single panel curtain as shown in pics. Total cost approximately $12.00. Door can be reinstalled. This fixes the problem of having to put out the slide.

tanddc · 06-12-2013, 11:23 AM

I don't see any pictures but I don't think the wife would go for just a curtain there. I still havn't sold her on the folding door idea.

mjones12 · 06-18-2013, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanddc

I don't see any pictures but I don't think the wife would go for just a curtain there. I still havn't sold her on the folding door idea.

We also like the idea of having bathroom access on the road, and we found on our latest trip that if we extend the slideout about a foot (about halfway), we are able to easily get into the bathroom. Individual results may vary.

We try to stop in a level spot to keep the slideout from possibly binding, and we outfitted an old potato chip bag clip with a couple strips of orange ribbon. We clip it to the edge of the partially deployed slideout to alert drivers in the area of the protruding slide. We keep the clip in the console of the truck.

As to the original poster's question, we love the Surveyor 220. We just had it out for a full 10 days with no problems at all. The few minor issues we had when we first got it have been easily resolved. This is our second Surveyor, and what we are most pleased about is that it has abundant storage space. We actually have space to spare. As someone else mentioned, it's a great camper for two people.

tanddc · 06-18-2013, 07:09 PM

I am beginning to see the need for bathroom access as well as the "half out slide" trick. On our way home Sunday I remembered that we had emptied the fresh tank but forgotten to shut off the water. Had to stop on the side of a two lane highway and squeeze into the bathroom to shut off the pump. Luckily there was enough water in the line to keep it shut off.

mjones12 · 06-20-2013, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanddc

I am beginning to see the need for bathroom access as well as the "half out slide" trick. On our way home Sunday I remembered that we had emptied the fresh tank but forgotten to shut off the water. Had to stop on the side of a two lane highway and squeeze into the bathroom to shut off the pump. Luckily there was enough water in the line to keep it shut off.

There are many reasons to want access to the bathroom, including things in the closets and medicine cabinet.

Eating with the slide in can also be a challenge. We travel with the table strapped upside down at the center of the couch. One day on the road we got lunch, and we sat on opposite ends of the couch, balancing our KFC boxes on the underside of the table and setting our drinks on the sink and stove covers.

Sometimes you just have to improvise. Semper Gumby: Always flexible.

tanddc · 06-21-2013, 11:08 AM

Maybe that is what the cup holders behind the couch are for!

mjones12 · 06-25-2013, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanddc

Maybe that is what the cup holders behind the couch are for!

You know, that never occurred to us. Who would have thought? When we're set up and camping, we use one of the cup holders to hold remote controls. Also, our dog loves to jump up on that ledge behind the couch so she can look out the big window and keep an eye on things.

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