Ordered a Columbus 295RL - Page 3

ByronCR · 01-05-2013, 09:33 PM

I can understand where the island might pose a slight interference with the bottom of the TV due to a person's height. I am 6'1 and my wife is 5'8 so for those that are shorter, I could see where your coming from.

A couple of things I did notice on our trailer that was different from the one at the show is that ours has a screen door and the window does not open on the door since they now are using a screen door. I kinda wish I still had the window that opened on the door just so you can have small amount of ventilation without opening the door.

The slideout with the TV and table has a window on the side of the slideout which was not on the one we saw at the show. Both my wife and I are glad that there is one.

There was a slide out shelf that was below the TV that let you set a laptop or something on there and that is not on ours. I was a bit bummed about that, but I am sure I can figure something out later.

Another thing was they installed 2 batteries instead of 1......I was thankful for that (One less cost out of my wallet).

Also our Service guy gave us a helpful tip when it comes to the Fantastik Fan. If there are high powered power lines close by / overhead it will interfere with the remote on the fan. Our service guy showed me the power lines overhead and then went in the trailer and showed that the remote wouldn't work until we got it right close to the fan unit. He said that if he were to take it to the back part of the parking lot, it works fine like a normal remote and not having to be really close.

While our service guy was very knowledgeable and did a very good job on the PDI, he did comment that "Columbus models keep changing things up so he sometimes has to correct information he is giving because they changed / fixed something". He also commented that Forest River seems to be very willing to listen to Customers & Dealers and make changes accordingly.

goduc · 01-06-2013, 05:29 PM

Both the wife and I are 5'6" so that makes sense on the faucet thing.

gtb75 · 01-07-2013, 09:54 AM

Thanks for the feedback on the TV viewing everybody! ByronCR - thanks for the feedback about the window on the back of the door side slideout. I was noticing that some of the 295's for sale on RVT.com had them, some didn't. Sounds like an unannounced mid-year change was made (seems pretty common in this industry) to add it, and I think it helps open up the floorplan.

I think I'm still leaning more towards the Silverback 29RE over the Columbus 295RL... The main reason is the 300+ lbs difference in pin weight, but I also really like the cathedral slides. The max GVW for my 2007.5 Silverado 2500 HD D/A is 9200 lbs, so the 295RL would put me just over that - the 29RE would be just under. I don't want to derail this thread, so if anybody compared the Columbus / Silverback and has feedback they'd like to share, please feel free to PM me.

Again, thanks for the TV viewing feedback

Jon_Celia · 01-07-2013, 12:38 PM

My wife and I looked very hard at both the two trailers you mentioned. In the end we felt the Columbus was much better build plus we really liked the darker wood look. The bath room in the Columbus is in our opinion hands down above the Silverback.

Hope this helps.

Thanks.

Jon

Sporoo · 01-07-2013, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ByronCR

It was close to "The Best Day Ever". Was not able to bring it home which is part of the joy.

Also the dealer and I almost were not able to come to an agreement which I almost called off the whole deal.
All I can say is that I am very happy that we own it now. I am just exhausted since I have spent all day there and am exhausted. I am sure my excitement will kick in next Saturday when it comes home

Byron,
I feel your pain with everything you are going through. I have been waiting almost four months since we originally made our deal at the Hershey RV show. I am getting very nervous that my dealer (which now has new ownership) will try to get out of the deal. They say that they will still honor the original deal, but it has not been done yet. I am hoping this does not get messy!!

As far as being exhausted, it does take a lot out of you doing the PDI, but the nice part for you is that you now can anticipate picking it up without wondering if it is in good condition. This should be a great weekend. Have fun!!

ByronCR · 01-07-2013, 04:37 PM

Sporoo,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm sorry yours is taking so long. I thought the 2 months I waited for mine was a long time. I sure hope all goes well with yours.

My problem with the dealer was that the salesman apparently didn't write up the trade completely so they overlooked I had a trade. Then they didn't want to give me the agreed price on my trade. After about an hour and showing signed documents on a work up sheet, things got resolved.

Hopefully your dealer doesn't try to do any extra haggling

**huntr70** · 01-07-2013, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporoo

Byron,
I feel your pain with everything you are going through. I have been waiting almost four months since we originally made our deal at the Hershey RV show. I am getting very nervous that my dealer (which now has new ownership) will try to get out of the deal. They say that they will still honor the original deal, but it has not been done yet. I am hoping this does not get messy!!

As far as being exhausted, it does take a lot out of you doing the PDI, but the nice part for you is that you now can anticipate picking it up without wondering if it is in good condition. This should be a great weekend. Have fun!!

If you ordered it from Salem RV, here in PA, you may want to double check your order.

We've been getting several customers that ordered from them, and they are no longer getting new units in. I ordered 2 Columbus in the last 2 weeks that had deals with Salem from the Hershey Show....

ByronCR · 01-15-2013, 01:03 AM

Sorry it took me so long to get back to everyone, but I finally was able to take delivery of my 295RL. I brought it home Saturday afternoon and spent the rest of the day tinkering around with it and getting used to where things are and how things work. My wife also decided that she wanted to move all the items from the old TT into the 295RL so I put the boxes in the trailer and told her have fun

It was 25-27 degrees out pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday and I noticed that once I got the trailer up to the temp I wanted, the electric heater/fireplace did a pretty nice job at keeping the temperature at a somewhat comfortable spot (I had it set for 62 degrees). After playing around with things some more I found some small things (cosmetics) that I will have the dealer take care of after I get some use under my belt with the 5'er. Also the surround sound was not setup correctly. So I will be buying the fiber optic cable to hook up the TV to the receiver to solve that problem.

Several of my neighbors decided to take and ask for a peak inside since a lot of them own RV's as well. The comments were all good and many of them couldn't believe how nice it was and the quality of materials for the price. Even my dad who is not easily impressed was impressed and made the comment "You are right, you would have been stupid not to buy this trailer."

Now that its finally home, I have the "Best Day Ever" type of feeling.

A couple of things I want to comment on are the Auto Level System and the location of the Control Center.

1) Auto Level System - OHHHHHH how I love it. I will never own another RV without it. It's easy to use, and saves me time running around the RV trying to level it out and never feeling like it is really level. For anyone who is on the fence or wondering about what add-ons to use. This is a must.

2) I have several friends that have RV's and their biggest complaint is that a light switch inside the entry door seems to be overlooked. When it is completely dark outside and you go to get into your RV and no lights are on, the light switches are never in a spot close to the door. Well on our columbus its nice to just open the door and there is the control center.....even if your feeling around for a switch your bound to hit one of the 8 light switches (including the ceiling fan light).

I know a lot of people will leave a light on and just use the battery disconnect switch and then all the lights will come on in the trailer, but I am one of those that likes to make sure everything is turned off and then kill the power. I like to avoid power surges through as many things as possible.

I am excited to take it out on our first trip this coming weekend.

joelek · 01-16-2013, 08:08 PM

Try turning on the lights switches that are under the upper kitchen cabinets as you walk in the entry door. Super easy to find once you get used to it. Put your arm out and there they are.

Flashlight app on the new cell phone works wonders also. Another toy for you to try out.

ByronCR · 01-16-2013, 10:41 PM

Joelek,

Good call on the Cell phone app for the flashlight, that is actually what I used, but figured out pretty much where all the switches are in the control panel and also the ones you said under the cabinets. The more I walk around and check out my 295RL the more little things I never noticed before.

SYE · 01-21-2013, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ByronCR

My wife and I have been looking at 5th wheels for about a year now. We purchased a 28ft TT a little over 2 years ago to get her acquainted with how RV life is. After about a year we started figuring out what we really wanted in an RV and our likes and dislikes. With our 2 90lb labs we figured out we needed more room. We thought we had our minds made up on the Wildcat Sterling until we saw the Columbus models at a RV show. We both really liked them and the layouts and everything and then I saw the MSRP and told her no way. After bargaining with the dealer we ended up ordering a Columbus 295RL. I have lurking on here for a few weeks now since I placed my order and noticed everyone has gone with the 320 which was a bit longer than I wanted to deal with. I haven't really seen anyone comment on the 295RL model but so far the reviews and comments have been positive and have given me some insight on things to look for from the 320 owners..

We hopefully will get ours before the Jan 1, 2013 but maybe after. Either way I am anxious to start using it. We ordered it with the 4way auto leveling system, the bike rack, upgraded mattress, fantastic bedroom fan and the kitchen one as well. Also had the slide out toppers ordered with it.

Congrats, you'll love it. We bought ours, Columbus 295, back in September and used it until the end of hunting seacon, DEC 1st, we love it and rerally didnt realize how nice that it was until we wnet to the camper show and realized that we made the right decision. Our first one was a 29ft Cardinal and we loved it as well, but it was a 2000 starteds getting old and we looked at about 200 of them and finally picked the Columbus.

Viking · 01-22-2013, 05:13 PM

did either of you go with the King Bed? Just wondering if the King would make it to hard for the wife and I to move around the bedroom making the bed etc.

ByronCR · 01-22-2013, 05:17 PM

We actually went with the queen, but there would still be enough room to walk around the bed with a king. The only thing it might do is make it a slight bit narrower between the closet and the bed.

If your trying to cross paths in the bedroom, its not really going to work even with the queen.

Viking · 01-22-2013, 05:26 PM

Thanks and congrats on the new rig. I'm very much interested in the 295RL also. I like the 320 layout but I don't like the length. Hoping to see a 295 at the MPLS RV show in a couple of weeks. Just the wife and I and perhaps a couple of young grand kids, hoping the 295 would be enough room. May spend up to 3 months in the RV next yr down in AZ for the winter.

ByronCR · 01-22-2013, 05:42 PM

Well either model you pick I am sure you will be happy and I don't see where you could go wrong.

The 295 for us was the pick due to length, and the fact that everyone from all angles could see the TV, including the kitchen. The 45 degree angle of the TV was a selling point for us. I also was very apprehensive with the idea of a moving island. I like the idea, but it scares me for transport reasons, but I can say I have not heard any bad things about it from all the people who own a 320.

Again, good luck trying to pick between the 295 and 320

Viking · 01-22-2013, 06:04 PM

Primary issue for me is the length. don't think I could fit the 320 along side my garage so 295 would be a better fit. I'm curious after reading so many of the posts the last couple of days, did U get a decent radio in the storage area. read many problems they were having with the first generation radio the installed in these rigs.

SYE · 01-22-2013, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viking

did either of you go with the King Bed? Just wondering if the King would make it to hard for the wife and I to move around the bedroom making the bed etc.

No we didn't my wife and I are good with the queen. We also put 3 inch memory foam on it so it is like sleeping on a cloud. Better sleep than in my king at home. We love it.

Viking · 01-22-2013, 06:28 PM

Are U happy with the way your truck performs with the 295? I will be pulling with a similar f250 Diesel if I purchase a 295.

SYE · 01-22-2013, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viking

Are U happy with the way your truck performs with the 295? I will be pulling with a similar f250 Diesel if I purchase a 295.

Yes I am very happy for an older truck. If I had to buy a new one I would probably get a F250 without that ecoboost crap.

ByronCR · 01-22-2013, 07:14 PM

The radio in the basement seems to work fine for me. I have not tried it out too much besides test it with some radio stations and a CD. It has a detachable face to it also (like a car stereo).

As far as towing goes, My 2006 F350 Powerstroke diesel pulls it no problem. Its slower on the take off but once I am up to speed it is almost like its not back there. Its a pretty smooth tow and I don't get the bouncing around or sway like a travel trailer gives.

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