Just Purchased a Roo 19

[tothebeach]

My wife and I are now empty nesters, have not camped in some years but are very excited about getting back into it. We just purchased a Roo 19 hybrid which we will be picking up in about 2 weeks. At one time we had a popup so this will be a step up for us.

Any Roo 19 owners out there, if so would love to hear any comments, suggestions or cautions you can offer. Excited and also a little nervous until I get the hang of the whole thing. I'm no spring chicken LOL.

Lastly, I looked at several makes and models, the Rockwood seemed to offer a lot for the money compared to some others. Seemed to have a lot of upgrades etc.

Look forward to hearing from some of you experts out there. Hope to learn lots on here before making our first outing in April.

Thanks All.

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin and congrats on your Roo 19. Here's a link to another forum that might interest you: Hybrid Explorer. I spent alot of time there when we had our hybrid and like this forum people there are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

[MuddauberE]

welcome to the club. love the name (tothebeach)
I have the 233s and love it. we were popup ers before the roo as well and love the upgrade. I think you will too. Enjoy your new nest, but dont forget to visit

[rockfordroo]

Congrats on you Roo 19. Our story is similar. Had a popup for 20 yrs. When the kids went to college, we didn't camp for about 6 yrs. Then bought the Roo 19. Most mods I've done are standard ones that most folks do, or would apply to most trailers:

- 5x5 fence post mod for holding the sewer hose
- Lexan sheet against the shower side of the bathroom cabinet
- Shower guard on the open side of the shower
- Put a lexan window in the gas bottle cover so I can see when the regulator swaps over
- Shelf in the corner cabinet (the pic is another guys, I don't have a pic of mine)
- Replaced thermostat with a Honeywell RTH111 digital version (no pic)

[Button]

we just bought a 183, have been searching this forum for ideas, wait till you get it and then walk through and get the feel of it. We also have come back up from a pop up it is a Rockwood also, love the quality of work in them, love the room in the hybrid. after looking at a camper show also agree that Rockwood is the best for the buck. can wait to take it out and have room for the grandkids. Happy Camping.

[Archicamper]

Congratulation! We have a Roo 19 and love it. We are like you and are empty nesters that moved up from s popup. We looked at a 233 but decided that the 19 was best for us.


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[rubio90660]

That's funny how most of us who came from pop-ups moved up to the roo 19 as in my case also. We really love the option of front and rear fold out beds, not to mention letting the sounds of wind, rivers or birds wake us in the morning. There is usually just the two of us, so one bdrm is great to store items out of the way. Ours is a 2011 and we just discovered during heavy rain the front fold out leaks at the top while in a closed position. You'll discover many of us have that problem. I'm still improvising remedies but other than that we really love our Roo. PS, much less work than our old pop-up! Oh, buy a small battery refrigerator fan. They are cheap and work great to circulate the cold air in the fridge. ENJOY!!!

[brianroo19]

My wife and I will take delivery of our new Roo19 in late April due to Chicago area weather. We are both recently retired and have been tent campers until now. Not really looking forward to learning back up proceedure but I'm sure we will get the hang of it.

We'll add some comments after we hit the road in late April. Good luck to you guys.

[ernieandtammy]

3rd year Roo owner. The only real issue with these is the bunks leaking. I am told the design has been changed and it's not a problem anymore. But I would keep and eye on it.
In our experience we would open the bunk ends and find the bottom of the mattress wet and the wood on the door wet. We thought it was condensation. Apparently it was going on for a while because I then noticed the outside of the bunk door had 'bubbled', for lack of a better term. What we eventually figured out was that when it rained while we camp (which for us is most of the time ;-) ) water would sit in the grooved area where the canvas tucks into the door and seep up under the mattress and soak the wood. There was almost no caulk if there ever was any. After caulking the crap out out of it and a few trials to make sure this was the problem (it was) we were able to get the dealer to replace the doors free of charge. Of course the labor wasn't included since the warranty was up.
Please don't let this scare you off. This is a well built product. The wife and I love this trailer. The kids are grown and it's mostly just the 2 of us so its perfect in size. I never use the shower as it's a bit to small for my liking but everything else is great. Just keep an eye open on this issue and you will avoid a potential problems.

[rockfordroo]

Ernie and Tammy
3rd year Roo owner. The only real issue with these is the bunks leaking. I am told the design has been changed and it's not a problem anymore. But I would keep and eye on it.

tothebeach:

Like Ernie and Tammy, I'm a 3rd year owner. I have had NO leakage problems. If you are concerned, or you do find you're having some problems, the link below relates to a mod a number of folks have done to install a slotted piece of PVC pipe (or hose) over the gutter above the bunks.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ase-74901.html

Also, don't forget that you need to "season" the bunk tents. You do this by opening them up and hosing them down good. The threads used to sew the tents will swell up when they get wet and seal the needle holes. The dealer SHOULD explain this to you, but we've found on this forum that many dealers fail to do so. As a prior popup owner, you probably already know this, but some used popup purchasers don't because it was done by the prior owner.

[jmcl528]

Congrats! We have a 2012 and love it. Shower splash mod a must in any camper with shower curtain. A set of tandem chocks to lock the axles really help and are easy to make with 4x4s and ratcheting tie down. So for we've escaped the leaks. Good luck!

[Glindz233s]

Congrats on the camper. We looked at the 19 but ended up with the 233s last year since we have two 11 year olds. Never had a popup but did rent a 20-something footer in 2009 and had been wanting our own ever since. Only two problems so far. 1) Heater quit working on our 1st cold campout. 2) one of the valve stems kept leaking. Both were replaced under warranty.

[tothebeach]

Thanks All
Lots of valuable information.
Can't wait until our first outing this spring.
Rich

[thestrangebrew]

We went from tents to our 233s. We love it, and it's such an incredible upgrade! There's so much info in this forum and everyone here is really helpful so just ask away! I haven't had any issues with bunks leaking (crosses fingers) but we've only had her for about 6 months and we're in CA in a drought so rain is pretty much non-existent right now. Take a look at all the different mods these folks do. Once you start you can't stop unless your wallet is getting empty. I've got so many mods on my list it's crazy. Congrats & have fun!

[rooster19]

Congrats! Most of the time my husband and I are empty nesters in our Roo19. We love it. This will be out third summer with it. He tends to head out the day before me and gets it all set up. It's easy for one person to do. I am just waiting semi patiently for winter to leave so we can get back out enjoying it! We haven't done much to it except the plexiglass on the side of the bathroom cupboard.
Snow hurry up and leave!


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[Mark J]

Hi Rockford Roo, where did you get the shower guard from, we are having trouble finding one


thanks!

[bikendan]

Mark, every Lowe's and HD I've ever been to, has had them.

[rockfordroo]

What bikendan said - Home Depot. Look in the bath section. Sometimes they're on the end of the aisle.

I found the "rivets" they used to attach the shower stall wall to the trailer wall were in the way, so I got some fender connectors at the local auto parts store. I had to cut the tops off, but they look almost like the originals. I sliced the old ones off with a razor blade, drilled some new holes about 3/8" to the right and installed the new ones, then installed the shower guard. I found the long side would come apart from the wall while bouncing down the road with just the double side tape they give you. I used some silicon caulk on it and it's been fine ever since.

[hdmtnrider]

Rockfordroo, Nice mods! I would like to know what you used for the slide inside your sewer hose storage tube and how long did you make it? Looks Great. Thank you for your time, Happy RVing!

[1beachbum]

Tothebeach, congrats on the new camper. You have the right attitude with a name like that. We also are empty nesters but skipped the pop-up stage. We used a tent for a long time but after an 8 year break for some medical issues we wanted a bathroom in a camper. The hybrid layout reminds me of a popup and the tent ends feel like "camping". We love the convenience of having a TT. Lots of good advice on the forum. We are starting our second season and have not had any leaks.