Thinking of Buying a Windjammer 3008W

[kyle2003]

New to this Forum, my wife Loreta and I will be starting our third year of camping this year and absolutely love it. We are in our mid 50's, empty nesters, and have been enjoying our used Trail Bay, R-Vision trailer and plan on getting a newer trailer maybe sooner than later. I love going to the shows and researching rv's and the Windjammer 3008W really stands out as something we would love. You Windjammer owners please give us some advise. Almost all the 3008W's have the free standing table and chairs instead of the "U" shaped dinette. We favor the "U" because of the extra storage available under it and it's an extra bed for the grandkids. Your thoughts? The wardrobe in the bedroom is another question. Most have the big wardrobe with the mirrors but it steals from all the roominess this great bedroom has. The smaller wardrobe allows for the tv above and shelf/shelves on the side. What do you think? Is the Windjammer easier to pull, aerodynamic, better gas mileage, et.? Last thoughts on the 3008W: It just seems to be the best combination of great kitchen off to the side, great large and private bedroom and beautiful large living room. Are we right? Do you love your Windjammer? How important is the diamond package to you compared to standard? Thanks for all your help.

[Old car]

Welcome Kyle! You may get more info/opinions from me than you ever thought. My wife and I are in our mid 50's as well, empty nesters but without grandkids. We have completed 3 full seasons in our 3008W and love the trailer as much as we did the day we bought it.

I use an Equalizer 10,000# weight distribution hitch and an Ecoboost F150 to pull with. We've been from sea level to over 10,000 ft. in the Rockies and the Jammer pulls easily and have never had an issue with towing. As for gas mileage--if the v nose helps I would say it has minimal impact. You will find lots of threads and opinions in the forum on that topic.

We have the atrium windows with the free standing table and chairs. We love all the light the atriums allow to flow in and most of the time it is just the two of us camping so the table serves us well. The kitchen in the nose sold us on this trailer because of how open the rest of the living space becomes. Ours is a 2012 so our wardrobe in the bedroom slide is different than what is out there now. We like the drawers to the side with the small counter top. We can put a small fan there for air movement or a humidifier if needed. Also love the "back door" so I can go outside without disturbing guests if we have them since I am an early riser.

We looked for about six months before we ever saw the Windjammers and I guess you know when you find the right one. We looked at it on a Friday while commuting up to our daughters college and by noon the next day--we owned it. We bought off the lot because this one had everything we wanted. I did get a couple of quotes from wholesale type dealers and used that info to cut $4000 out of the original quote from the dealer.

You'll love it! Keep us posted on what you decide!

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by kyle2003

New to this Forum, my wife Loreta and I will be starting our third year of camping this year and absolutely love it. We are in our mid 50's, empty nesters, and have been enjoying our used Trail Bay, R-Vision trailer and plan on getting a newer trailer maybe sooner than later. I love going to the shows and researching rv's and the Windjammer 3008W really stands out as something we would love. You Windjammer owners please give us some advise. Almost all the 3008W's have the free standing table and chairs instead of the "U" shaped dinette. We favor the "U" because of the extra storage available under it and it's an extra bed for the grandkids. Your thoughts? The wardrobe in the bedroom is another question. Most have the big wardrobe with the mirrors but it steals from all the roominess this great bedroom has. The smaller wardrobe allows for the tv above and shelf/shelves on the side. What do you think? Is the Windjammer easier to pull, aerodynamic, better gas mileage, et.? Last thoughts on the 3008W: It just seems to be the best combination of great kitchen off to the side, great large and private bedroom and beautiful large living room. Are we right? Do you love your Windjammer? How important is the diamond package to you compared to standard? Thanks for all your help.

Kyle2003, welcome to the forum.

We bought our 2014 Windjammer just about a year ago. We traded a 2012 Rockwood 2604 for it after seeing v-nose trailers (Flagstaffs) that some of our friends have. We absolutely LOVE ours, and used it about 100 nights, and put about 12,000 miles on it in 2013.

Gas mileage? We traded our half-ton Silverado for a 3/4 to pull this trailer, so we can't see any difference in fuel economy. Might have gained a little with the v-nose trailer, lost a little with the 6.0 ltr. V-8 in the bigger truck, so can't really tell. We pulled the Windjammer with our 1/2 ton the first trip, and although it would probably handle it OK, we were pretty much maxed out on towing / payload capacity, and we just felt better with a bigger truck.

Diamond package? Didn't buy it. We're more "traditionalists" and like the white exterior with graphics, compared to the brown. And although I like the frameless windows, they were more of a "nice to have" rather than a must have.

We did upgrade the A/C from 13.5K to 15K. Debated getting a second A/C unit, but we have not camped anyplace where we felt we had to have a second one. I would suggest the upgrade to the larger A/C if you are only going with one.

Table and chairs vs. dinette? We have the table and chairs. Had them in our previous tt and liked them, ordered them in this one. Granted, the dinette probably offers more room, but we like the looks of the table and chairs, think it gives the trailer more of a "residential" look.

LOVE the kitchen in the nose. Plenty of counter/storage space, and again, makes it feel like a separate room, more residential than having the kitchen right in the middle of the trailer as our old one was.

Bedroom wardrobe? Ours is the large one with the mirrored doors. Compared to our last trailer, this bedroom is huge, and the wardrobe is exactly what we wanted. I know the one you mentioned - somewhat smaller, with a chest of drawers next to it. It is what our friends have in their Flagstaffs. One couple keeps their television on top of the "dresser" part, but has to lay it on the bed when travelling. I mounted our 24" television on a swivel mount on the back wall, and it works and rides just perfectly there.

Whatever you decide, good luck, but if we had it to do over again, we would still buy the Windjammer.

[Windjammin]

We have a 3008W Windjammer that we bought about a year ago. The wife really loves the front kitchen as it provides much more counter space than the model with a front bedroom. It also has an extra grey water tank for the kitchen. Lots of storage space throughout the trailer.

I initially wanted to get the king U dinette but when I saw one in person I changed my mind. Just did not like it once we saw it. It is just the two of us so the dinette table with chairs is just fine.

The Windjammer pulls better than my previous trailer with a flat front but I cannot say whether it is because of the shape or that I now have an Equalizer 4 point hitch that is much better than my previous one. No sway now when passed by trucks on the interstate.

As far as the aerodynamics is concerned, salesmen will tell you that you will get 1-2 mpg better mileage. I think that is bunk. Engineer friends tell me that the v-front has less front drag but more side drag as the air stays closer to the trailer sides than with a flat front trailer. Regardless I get about 10 mpg pulling it with a 1500 Silverado 5.3 V8 at 55 mph on a flat road with no wind.

[2OLDDIGGERS]

kudo's to the above. like the room and lay out. have a 2014 3008W. now let the fun begin.

[youroo]

Welcome,you don't say where you live or where you may travel but if it is a HOT location you might want to rethink the Atrium slide. More windows=more heat inside. Also no cabinets in the slide. Switch out the table and sofa,for TV watching,unles you have a Rubber neck! Great unit for (2) people,like Capt Mike said (Small Condo on Wheels)! Youroo!!

[kyle2003]

Thanks for all the replies from our new camping friends. Any negatives about the Windjammer? The only thing I wish there was more of on the 3008W is outside access storage.

[kyle2003]

One more question about travel trailers if I could. My wife has seen the outside kitchens but they only seem to be included on bunkhouse trailers. Already decided we want a nice large living area and no bunkhouse. Anyway have you seen anything that offers both an outside kitchen and large living area? Thanks again.

[sheriff1]

LOVE our 3008! DW fell in love with the kitchen first, keeps me out from under foot. Ours has 2 Lazy Boy leather swivel recliners and the TV is on a swivel mount so watching TV is not a problem. We didn't like the atrium windows because of the loss of cabinets so we didn't get those. Stand alone table gives it a much more open feel. We have the 2012 with the smaller wardrobe and put the TV on the top and a small electric heater on the lower level if it is cold enough. We have the outside BBQ and side table, wine drinkers so a refer is not needed, that is enough of an outside kitchen for us.
We have done about 12K this year, just got back from 9K miles through Texas, NM, AZ and Nevada. Tows great behind my F250 with a V10 gas. All that being said, we are shopping for something I can take the Harley in when we travel. I originally planned to haul it in the truck but thats not working as well as hoped. I hope we can find something to fill our needs but it will be hard give up the 3008.

[WWTTA]

We don't have a Windjammer, we have it's sister rig, a V-Lite...30wfkss, which is the front kitchen super slide. We are in our mid 60's, and pull it with a 2011 Ram 1500 5.7 hemi with the tow haul package. I don't think we have gained much in mpg with the V front, but we do believe it is more stable and easier to handle than a same size flat front trailer. We hadn't pulled a trailer in 30 years, and this one is 10 feet longer than our first trailer. There is definitely a learning curve to pulling and backing this length of trailer! On our first trip, we pulled her through IL, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, southern through northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and back to IL. We drove through numerous mountain ranges, including the Rockies, the San Bernadinos, and Olympics, as well camping by the ocean, and pulling through desert, high desert, temperate rain forest, through the snow and up to glaciers in the Olympics, multi-lane expressways and two lane winding country roads, lots of wind, rain and fog,...and it pulled great with our 1/2 ton. The actual camping was wonderful...VERY comfortable. We don't have atrium windows and have the regular dinette, which gives us cabinet storage above the windows of the dinette and sofa as well as two large drawers under the dinette seats. It also gives us extra sleeping area (suitable only for little people) which we have used several times for grandchildren. We have the low wardrobe with low side drawers...we like this set up as we use the cabinet tops for a variety of things, and have hooks for hats above both. I LOVE the large bedroom, large enough for dressing comfortably, and the walk through bathroom...the full width of the trailer, with plenty of room for drying after a shower and dressing...and the additional closet. The front kitchen is wonderful for keeping it separate from the rest of the living area, and adding FABULOUS counter space...often there is SO little in a trailer! There are only three things I would have preferred in the trailer. 1) the leather recliners rather than the swivel rockers, 2) either the larger AC unit, or having the AC located above the living area rather than above the kitchen (majority of air over living area and more cool to the bedroom, and 3) a cover for the closed awning. Only the awning cover requires the diamond package and we prefer the white siding to reflect heat rather than the darker siding. We bought it off a dealer's lot, and so were able to get the best price we could find, before or after the purchase. Hope you find the unit that feels like home for YOU...check out all safety info...weight, TV etc....and then, .

[kyle2003]

Thanks so much Gary & Constance. Sounds like you have the setup that we would want with the exception of the chairs. We would want the leather recliners also. Thanks for the tip about the air conditioner. Any photos you can share? What is the difference between the V-lite and the Windjammer. Read someplace that it was weight but I don't see a difference in the literature.

[youroo]

The diff. between Jammer & V-Lite,(Dealer & Decals) and they have moved the A/C unit back toward the Living room. Youroo!!

[Road Home]

We also have the Windjammer "sister model"; the Flagstaff V-Lite. Ours is the 30WRLS which is the rear living style. We are in our 60's and this is our 1st camper unit. We purposedly bought it as a mobile apartment so we could visit our children and grandchildren.

Since we live in the south and they live in the cold north and we wanted to visit during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we ordered it with the standard U-dinette (more storage and space for grandchildren to sleep) and thermopane windows. What was not included was heated gate valves (the dealer never mentioned this). If you're going to be using your unit in the winter, have these installed. After a shake-down weekend last spring, we headed up north last fall for 11 weeks. Very few problems (with the exception of frozen gate valves).

We tow this unit with our new 2013 F150 EcoBoost, Max Trailering Package: We averaged 11.5 mpg during the trip. We also have the 10,000 lb. Equalizer and felt no sway. What we liked about the V-Nose style was the large closet in the front bedroom style. We also ordered the kitchen countertop extension: Kinda flimsy, but it does the trick.

Hope this helps you and good luck.

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by kyle2003

Thanks for all the replies from our new camping friends. Any negatives about the Windjammer? The only thing I wish there was more of on the 3008W is outside access storage.

Tom,

I wish there was a little more outside storage, too, but you'll be surprised at how much stuff you can get back there. We have everything we need to actually set up and use the trailer in that single storage compartment. We do carry extra camp chairs, tools, and assorted odds and ends, but all of that stuff goes in the back of the truck, and with a tonneau cover on the truck bed, it is safe and dry. The sewer hose does fit in the 4" rear bumper, so that is out of the way and not taking up space in the storage compartment.

We bought the leather recliners when we ordered our trailer, and I'm glad we did. So much better than the cloth swivel chairs we had in our last trailer.

[Capt. Mike]

One last note...we bought the vinyl floor covering that looks like wood planking, and love it. We had the one that looks like slate tile in our last trailer, and like this "wood floor" look so much better.

[buffalohunter]

Still love are 3008W. We prefer the table and chairs. Each chair has a hinged seat for storage of items in the chairs. I would have liked more outside storage too, but have adjusted to what i have. We looked at the 2014 models and were pleased that we have a 2012. Just a few changes but we really like the atrium windows and the closet in our 2012.

Enjoy, and make the best of what ever you decide to purchase.

[Capt. Mike]

One MORE last note...several of us have mentioned that the v-nose trailers may not contribute much to improving gas mileage, but they are easier to tow. Another nice feature is they are much, much easier to back into a camp site. Compared to a flat front trailer, the "V" lets you back that trailer in at a much sharper angle, if need be, without worrying too much about hitting the corner of the trailer with the bumper of the truck, and the visibility while backing this trailer up is excellent.

[WWTTA]

Tom and Loreta, As far as we've been able to tell, the differences between the Windjammer and V-Lite are the manufacturers (Rockwood and Flagstaff) both owned by Forest River, and built in the same building (we watched them finish a V-Lite and then start a Windjammer in the same building on the same line last year when attending the Goshen FROG Rally. The material patterns and hardware are slightly different. The vinyl flooring is slightly different, the outside decals are different, and they are carried by different dealers...otherwise, in all ways, they looked exactly the same. We could have waited and found a dealer carrying our exact model with the recliners (and might have, had we known how much more comfortable they are!), but we wanted to be ready for that coming spring...and we didn't want to special order as we were happy with the options on the trailer as it was. Also, the dealer closest to you, with the best deals and best reputation for taking care of any problems is also important. It looks like the 2014s and maybe some of the 2013s had the air conditioning units moved back to the center living area...that makes SO much sense! IF your dealer carries units with the 13,500 btu and 15,000 btu AC, and the difference in cost for the packages isn't too high, the 15,000 btus might be a better bet, if you are going to camp in the south in the summer. We were really happy with the amount of storage in the unit. Gary added a lightweight, 5"X5" square post cover across the back bumper for the sewer hose, and a plastic double battery cover (also very lightweight) for septic hose fittings, gloves and other supplies. With those separate from other storage areas, for sanitary purposes, there is plenty of room for all we carry (and we carry a LOT). We also have a topper on the back of the truck so we have plenty of storage space, and are still within our safety weight limits. An electric tongue jack was a great addition, and hopefully is standard now...if not, they are great. We don't have the electric stabilizers, but Gary uses a lithium battery operated impact drill to lower and raise the stabilizers...it takes him less than a minute per stabilizer...although it takes me a bit longer. You may also want to ask about axle lifts, as this style unit has had some problems with the slide side riding too low and causing damage to tires or even the underside of the coach. We haven't had any problems, but are looking at installing the lifts to be on the safe side as the street/slide side seems to ride lower than the curb side. The only real downside on the storage inside is there is no coat/jacket closet when you come in....I didn't want to use the bathroom closet for that, although that may be the intention of the designers; instead, we added a dark brown (we have the dark cherry wood finish), over the door 5 hook coat holder to the front side of the living room/bathroom door. We also added an over the door 4 or 5 hook brushed nickel holder over the shower panel next to the bathroom/bedroom sliding door. They just make the everyday living more comfortable. Please keep asking any questions you still have. There are so many knowledgeable owners on this forum. If some of us don't know the answer you're looking for, there will be others who do

[Charles Firth]

Everyone here has made my day. I just purchased a 3065w Windjammer in December. It has the bedroom on a slide in the front and the V part is a huge closet. The kitchen is mid ship and the living area is in the rear with the large flat screen above the fireplace. We have the u-shaped dinette on the slide and directly across from it a couch that has an air mattress also on a slide. The slides opens up everything real nice. I am very happy to learn that they tow nice, my tow vehicle is a f250 gasser I had some concerns, but this forum has put that to rest. I have only towed it from the dealer to the storage place, it towed fine during that short trip. Outside storage is not enormous but being new to camping I probably have way too much stuff. The sewage hose storage is a concern, I was not aware that it would fit into the bumper with the 90 degree angle on one end. I will probably use one of those
PVC fence post coverings attached to the rear bumper (how do you do that )
Looking forward to more info. Thanks Chuck in Va

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Charles Firth

Everyone here has made my day. I just purchased a 3065w Windjammer in December. It has the bedroom on a slide in the front and the V part is a huge closet. The kitchen is mid ship and the living area is in the rear with the large flat screen above the fireplace. We have the u-shaped dinette on the slide and directly across from it a couch that has an air mattress also on a slide. The slides opens up everything real nice. I am very happy to learn that they tow nice, my tow vehicle is a f250 gasser I had some concerns, but this forum has put that to rest. I have only towed it from the dealer to the storage place, it towed fine during that short trip. Outside storage is not enormous but being new to camping I probably have way too much stuff. The sewage hose storage is a concern, I was not aware that it would fit into the bumper with the 90 degree angle on one end. I will probably use one of those
PVC fence post coverings attached to the rear bumper (how do you do that )
Looking forward to more info. Thanks Chuck in Va

Chuck, congratulations on the new Windjammer. The 3-slide model open everything up and you have a great living space, but don't worry, your F250 will tow it very nicely.

The sewer hose will fit in the rear bumper, but only if you take the 90* end off.

Mike