Sapphire vs. White and other last minute 23IKSS ?'s

[Martingale]

Greetings Roo'ers and Shamrockians,
We're very close to making a purchase on a 2015 23IKSS but had some last minute questions that we'd like to throw out there. Unfortunately there are no 23IKSS Roos within driving distance to us (San Diego) so we haven't been able to see one in person - which makes us doubly nervous...

1. Sapphire vs. White:
While we like the new Sapphire color scheme, we camp mostly in the southwest where the sun is relentless for a lot of the time. We are concerned that all the black trim (exterior trim, A/C, vents and fridge covers, etc) will get very hot in the sun and may be faster to fade and show sun damage than the older white trim. We generally are trying to keep our rig cool as possible while dry camping (we rarely use A/C and we have PUGs from our PUP that we will use on the Roo).

Is heat and fading a valid concern for the new color scheme? For this reason are we better off with the older, mostly white color scheme?


2. Kitchen Slide bump-out under awning:
We usually have our camp kitchen set up under our PUP's awning and our likely to do the same for the Roo.

How much of an issue has the loss of under awning space been to 23IKSS users?
Does the under awning space become awkward to use because of the kitchen slide intrusion?


3. New Solar connection
We have just heard of the new solar connection. Is it something more than just a quick connection to the battery circuit?
I was planning on adding a connector for our existing panels but maybe this is something more?



Background:
We have had a 2003 Coleman Niagara PUP for about 7 years now, but it is becoming a fix-it project for just abut every trip it seems. We also have a 2yo DD now and PUP setup with a toddler is not as much fun as it used to be. It will mostly be me, DW & DD, but we sometimes have tagalongs so we like the idea of the extra interior space of the 23IKSS.

We will be towing the Roo with a 2007 5.7l Tundra DC, Equal-lizer 10K, Prodigy P2.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on our questions, and thanks for all the great info here on the forums. I have read hundreds of pages and gained a lot of knowledge from the collective.

Thanks again!
Martingale

[syogerst]

The awing doesnt seem to be a problem. I have plenty of room. The grill hangs off of back bumper so it isn't in the way. Mine has brown trim they didnt offer a blue version. No one said anything about a solar connection. Where is it and how does it work. We camp without electric all the time and I now connect the panel straight to the battery. Good luck with your new Roo , mine leaves today for CW for winterizing and warranty issues.

[bikendan]

I'm a fellow Californian, who has owned a Roo 23ss for 8 years.
Since you do so much cooking outside, have you looked at the 23ss instead? That way you'll get all the space you'd want under the awning. And you still get lots of kitchen counter space with it and tons of inside storage. And you can access the bathroom without having to extend the slideout, for those enroute stops.

Who are are you buying from? Hybrid prices are super inflated out West. If you want, you can PM me for some buying suggestions.

[Marines0811]

Just bought the 2015 233s with the black trim. Hoping fading doesn't happen too fast. The solar connection is a outlet the is connected right to the battery.

[Martingale]

Thanks for the input folks.

Sounds like the awning over the slide is not a big deal nor the solar connection if is it simply a connector into the wiring harness. Again not being able to see the unit in person makes it a bit hard to judge some things.

As for Dan's question, yes we considered the 23SS - actually it is a close 2nd choice. But with prices and weights being so close between the two units, the extra space and utility of the 23IKSS is winning us over. We also like the idea of the skylight and side windows in the big slide. Coming from a PUP we want as much light as possible - its one of our concerns with moving away from a PUP.

Popping the slide open to gain access to kitchen/bathroom does not seem like a big deal (at least I hope not). I just came inside from opening up our entire PUP just to pack a few things for our Halloween trip next week and opening a slide seems minor in comparison.

We are planning on buying from a midwest dealer and having the unit shipped to us. We just don't have any good SoCal options - which I find amazing. Buying within a 90 minute drive would require us to place an order and spend an additional $2-2,500 compared to the delivered price from a midwest dealer.

It is doubtful that we would drive that 90 miles for most warranty issues (unless very major). I'm pretty handy and have a fair amount of experience from working on our PUP.

My biggest concern is choosing between the new black trimmed Sapphire package or the older white trim. That cosmetic change may lower resale on the older white units a bit (since it is an obvious change) but I'm really concerned about the additional heat and fading that might occur with the new look. Heck, the white trim models may hold up better in the end.

So while those Sapphire units sure look sharp, using black on covers whose job it is to vent and cool seems counter intuitive. And touching a piece of black metal that has been absorbing sunlight all day seems like possible burn hazard. I know I'm over-thinking things - but heck, it is what I do!

Keep the thoughts coming!
Thanks!

[bikendan]

We also decided to buy from a midwest dealer, but we chose to drive there and back to save on delivery costs. Some of the dealers, like RVW, will meet inbetween, to lower the delivery charge. RVW would've met us in Wyoming, cutting the delivery charge in half, if we had bought from them.
FR helped us find local dealers that would do the warranty work.

[kellieh04]

We are getting our 2015 Rockwood 23IKSS Roo on Wed. When you say Sapphire package are you talking about the outside or the inside? Here is pictures of ours:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127112013@N04/

I don't know if it is the Sapphire package or not. Can you tell from the pictures? We had the choice of this one or one that was Cherry Wood. I liked this one because it was lighter. We were avid pop up campers as well. We are hopefully selling our pop up tomorrow!! I'm happy for you. I think the 23IKSS is a GREAT model!!! I like all the space that is in it! We have a outdoor camp kitchen as well. I thought about selling it but have decided to keep it because I might want to cook outside when it gets hotter outside this next summer. I haven't really thought about where we will put it yet. I guess that will be something that we will have to try out when we get it!! I'm on pins and needles. It's 3 more days till we get ours and it seems like an eternity!! I wish you well with your new camper. I would love to see pictures of yours!!

[Martingale]

The way it was described to me was that the "Sapphire" package was the new tan/black exterior with the frameless windows (and a few other changes).

It looks to me like your unit is the older, mostly white color scheme (still has some black trim - around door for example).

The pics in the "2015 Roos Look Sharp" thread are example of the new tan/black exterior that our dealer said was part of the 'Sapphire" package.

It is a bit confusing as 2015 Roo came both in white and now the tan/black color scheme. Not sure if newer units will come in anything but the tan/black though.

So we're debating between the white vs tan/black color scheme as we can find both colors on 2015'w on various dealer lots. I will say that we like the new interior fabrics a bit more than some of the older ones.

Decisions, decisions...

Congrats on your new unit! We're excited as well. We can't wait to move up from our PUP. And an 23IKSS will be a big step up for us!

Originally Posted by kellieh04

We are getting our 2015 Rockwood 23IKSS Roo on Wed. When you say Sapphire package are you talking about the outside or the inside? Here is pictures of ours:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127112013@N04/

I don't know if it is the Sapphire package or not. Can you tell from the pictures? We had the choice of this one or one that was Cherry Wood. I liked this one because it was lighter. We were avid pop up campers as well. We are hopefully selling our pop up tomorrow!! I'm happy for you. I think the 23IKSS is a GREAT model!!! I like all the space that is in it! We have a outdoor camp kitchen as well. I thought about selling it but have decided to keep it because I might want to cook outside when it gets hotter outside this next summer. I haven't really thought about where we will put it yet. I guess that will be something that we will have to try out when we get it!! I'm on pins and needles. It's 3 more days till we get ours and it seems like an eternity!! I wish you well with your new camper. I would love to see pictures of yours!!

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by Martingale

1. Sapphire vs. White:


Is heat and fading a valid concern for the new color scheme? For this reason are we better off with the older, mostly white color scheme?


2. Kitchen Slide bump-out under awning:
We usually have our camp kitchen set up under our PUP's awning and our likely to do the same for the Roo.

How much of an issue has the loss of under awning space been to 23IKSS users?
Does the under awning space become awkward to use because of the kitchen slide intrusion?


3. New Solar connection
We have just heard of the new solar connection. Is it something more than just a quick connection to the battery circuit?
I was planning on adding a connector for our existing panels but maybe this is something more?

After 2 seasons and about 70 nights with our 23IKSS, here's my thoughts:

1. I doubt heat will be major issue with the black trim. As for fading - who knows. If both are 2015's, probably doesn't affect re-sale much either. I would say just pick the one you like better. I think they both look pretty good. If I was going to go with the new colors, I might lean toward the sapphire package - the frameless windows are sharp.

2. You do loose a little awning space, but we also came from a popup we had for 13 years. Still way more space under the awning than we had before. If you want to put the picnic table under the awning, it gets crowded, but for chairs, small table, grill or stove - works fine. Was so worth the extra interior space to us.

3. The solar prep is pretty basic. I snapped a picture of a 2105 that was on the dealer's lot last time I was there. I never got around to posting it on this thread http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tem-64885.html but Optipro also setup a Zamp portable solar system. The Roo comes wired to accept the Zamp portable systems. With Zamp, the charge controller is on the panel so the prep is basically just wiring, but its a really nice addition that didn't add a lot of cost. I also added a portable solar charging system to our Roo. The portable won out because we don't always use it - many of the state parks we go have electric, and the ones that don't are in the woods. Permanent solar panels are great if you can park in the sun. Otherwise, a portable system is the way to go.

The Zamp isn't the cheapest on the market, but it is super easy to use and store, so I think the addition of the plug on the trailer was a really nice feature.


If you are moving up from a popup and want a hybrid, I think you will be very happy with the Roo - we certainly are, and this floorplan is perfect for us. Too bad you can't find one to look at. Its tough to make that kind of decision without seeing one.

Good luck!