Rockwood Roo 233S

[Buttercup]

We are looking to purchase a new trailer- and have never owned one before. Talk me out of a Rockwood Roo 233S.

[karrun]

You're coming to the wrong place if you want negative feedbacks about the 23ss and Roos in general. Let's see. If you dislike the sounds of nature while you camp and don't want to wake up as the sky lightens through your tent end canvas, don't get a hybrid. If you don't like traveling light and not needing a monster truck to pull a heavy rig, don't get a Roo. Finally, if you don't like cozy luxury and need yards and yards of living space, don't get a Roo.

[BumpyCamper]

We're moving from a high wall pop-up after 7 yrs of camping with 3 kids to a Roo 233s. As the previous response indicated, the relatively light weight for the space and amenities you get was a big selling point for us. We really enjoyed pop-up camping but we'll be on a multi-stop 6-week camping trip this summer and just couldn't see going through all the set-up/tear down associated with pop-up camping, especially with a few one night stops. We found pop-ups are great as long as each stop is at least 3-4 nights. Sooooo...we're not going to talk you out of a 233s as long as you really need 3 bunkends, as other HTT have fewer beds if that meets your needs.

[Buttercup]

Great response- great info!! We can't figure any good reason NOT to get one. We love everything about them, we think. We are towing with a Toyota Sequioa and make regular trips from TX to CO, so need easy set up and light towing...... just can't help but wonder what the downfalls are. What aren't we thinking of?

Thank you for responding!

[karrun]

Well we are pretty new to hybrids ourselves, so maybe I haven't figured out all the negatives. I have heard that the tent ends can get pretty cold on some nights, and warm in the heat of summer. But there's ways to mitigate that (PUPS, reflectix, etc).
What's the towing capacity of a Sequioa?

[Glindz233s]

Don't do it. Just go with one of the hard shell campers. It'll be a much better camping experience.... like being in a tin can. And don't get the slide out. You don't need that extra floor space. It'll be more fun to squeeze by someone else to get around in the camper.


Seriously, we love our 233s. We had been looking at hybrids for a few years before we finally got ours last year. Haven't regretted anything about it except not having enough camping trips on the calendar. They are a good balance between tent camping - which I still like - and having the comfort that a camper provides.


Likes - slide out provides lots of open space inside, three beds provide plenty of room for all of us plus more if needed, kids have their own bed, shower, potty. lights, light weight, easy to tow.


Likes less (not dislike) - it can get cold when the temps drop but we manage it with the furnace plus and extra electric heater and warm bedding. A/C struggles in the hot summer (still working on ideas for that like pugs or closing up the ends during the day). Water heater has a small capacity but we manage that by limiting shower time or using the campground showers if we need to. Some of the older campers have water leakage problems around the bunk ends but I have not experienced any of that.


I tow mine with a Tacoma. I think the Sequioa would do better. 8 cylinder? Should have enough towing capacity. Better to have more than you need. I'll probably upgrade to a Tundra or Silverado soon.


Good luck with your decision.

[deartruc]

what's your camping prior experiences? How any people are "we"?

[Jimandchris]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

We are looking to purchase a new trailer- and have never owned one before. Talk me out of a Rockwood Roo 233S.

Have you owned a popup? Most hybrid owners have previously owned a popup and enjoy the camping experiences that are associated with the tent ends on a hybrid. It's obviously not as secure, more susceptible to hearing noises at night, and you may at some point have to close it up wet. I think you need to be more diligent with maintenance since you have three big openings in the sides of the trailer. These aren't dealbreakers, just things to consider.

We purchased a 2014 23ss (just two of us) and we love it! It's such a huge step up from a popup. Just having the abilty to stop for the day, open the door and turtle for an overnight stop is huge!

[Buttercup]

We are a family of 4, kids are 11 and 14. We tent camp. And love it! Sick of set up and loading... Packing the back of the sequoia has evolved into an intricate puzzle. One wrong move and we are unloading, to reorganize, repack, and reload. Coolers, bedding, dog crates, and luggage... You know the drill.

We originally considered a popup but realized that won't solve much.

Towing cap. for a sequoia is max of 7400#

PS- your responses are REALLY fun to read! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

[MuddauberE]

Originally Posted by BumpyCamper

We're moving from a high wall pop-up after 7 yrs of camping with 3 kids to a Roo 233s.

It's nice finding others like us who upgraded from a HW. Three kids, myself and my wife had a HW 276 prior to moving to a Roo 233s. One of the best camping decisions we've made. 7 years in the HW, Now we are on our 3rd season in the Roo.

Only one issues I have run into with the 233s model. Counter space. I wish I had more of it. There is plenty of room and I love the larger size appliances. But not having enough counter-space has always been an issue, but only in the 233s to my knowledge. Not enough to steer us to another Roo model though. We are still looking for more ways to add table tops.

Besides that, I love my Roo. Spacious, Light weight, full bath and fridge, oh a full fridge is great! The of course plenty of room to walk around even when closed. A large plus over a pup.

[Buttercup]

A few quick questions:
What is a pup? Or PUPS?
Do y'all use generators? If so, manu. recommendation?
Do y'all use hand brakes?
Did you need to add side rear view mirror extensions?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

A few quick questions:
What is a pup? Or PUPS?
Do y'all use generators? If so, manu. recommendation?
Do y'all use hand brakes?
Did you need to add side rear view mirror extensions?

Pup is short for Popup trailer

Yes, Honda 2000. But it's not as simple as manuf. recommendations. More complicated than that. Do you want to run the a/c, will you be using in a campground or for boondocking, do want cheap or quiet(can't have both)?

What do you mean by hand brakes?:what:

Yes unless your vehicle already has factory tow mirrors.

[BumpyCamper]

You asked about PUPS, which I think comes from a previous response regarding heat reflection/retention for bunkends. In this context, I think the poster meant PUGs, which is the acronym for Pop Up Gizmos. Do a search on Pop Up Gizmos for more info on these very useful devices.

[jfawcett999]

My recommendation on a generator is the Honda eu3000i. I just bought a Roo 21ssl with the optional 15000btu a/c and it works perfectly and soooo quiet. THEY RETAIL FOR $1999. which isn't cheap but at 54dbs its like a conversation instead of a screaming match. Some might recommend a pair of eu2000i's but I opted for one machine to maintain rather than two. Either way.... buy a Honda.


You will need an electric brake controller installed in your truck as well as a weight distribution hitch....IMO.


Also, I chose to upgrade my stock mirrors with new towing mirrors rather than adding on the extensions. I like the quality, lack of vibration/visibility issues, and full power options that my OEM equipment offered. Got mine from A1 auto parts on the web, $225.00 full power with heat option


BTW... this is our first ROO and we love it. Raining like hell here in Colorado and not a drop has found its way inside.