Carefree Add A Room

Lil'Darlin1972 · 10-11-2007, 10:22 AM

Well, we decided to take the plunge and order one of the rooms. It will be in and installed on October 24th, just in time for our very last weekend of camping this season. I'm sure it will take awhile to put up the first time, but I've heard it gets easier over time

There aren't as many snaps going on the motorhome as we thought and the "4th" wall of fabric goes under the storage compartments along the motorhome...you won't even see the clips unless you look under the MH. We took the MH to the dealer with us because we wanted to talk to the installer before we ordered it. We also got the optional screen door so we don't have to worry about zipping and unzipping all the time.

I am really hoping it all works out as well as it does in my mind, lol. I'm sure we won't put it up for 1 or 2 night stays...but we do quite a few longer weekends and weeks here and there in the summer where the extra space will be great. I'll take pictures that weekend and post a review about it.

David K · 10-11-2007, 04:38 PM

Look forward to seeing the pics Shannon.

Doula · 10-13-2007, 05:38 PM

Hey, Shannone!

We just got ours a few weeks ago! The design has been changed somewhat since we bought our older one 9 years ago, and it's a little more complicated to learn at first, but they look very nice when put up! I just love sitting in it while the mosquitos are outside the screen just wishing they could come in!

I will forewarn you that the first couple of times DO take a while and was a bit frustrating for us, but each time gets simpler and faster. I would advise you all to put it up and take it down at home BEFORE you go camping when you don't feel rushed. It seems to take longer to put up than the older model, which only took us 10 minutes (we're down to 20 min now, but the first couple of times did take longer than that), but it is a much tighter fit which is good. We LOVE the screen door when it is up. We have found that we need to take it half way apart for storage, though, which was a disappointment for us (an extra step with which we're not accustomed). My husband made a case for it out of soft outdoor carpet remnants, and it fits in the storage bin that way just fine.

I don't think we'll put ours up for just a couple of nights, but for 3 nights or longer, it is wonderful to have. We are very happy with our purchase and don't regret it at all, but I just wanted you to know that it does take some getting used to before you end up with a system that makes it all go faster. If everyone pitches in and developes a "job", it will benefit you. Please don't judge it by the first 2 or 3 times while you're learning; it gets much easier and faster after that. If your installer goes over the set-up with you, however, you might even learn it faster than we did!

Take care! I hope you like it as much as we do! I'll post pics of ours, too, once I look to figure out how to do it.

~Lori

ETA: Sorry that I misspelled your name, Shannone. I fixed it.

Lil'Darlin1972 · 10-14-2007, 11:53 AM

Hi Lori,

I was hoping to hear from you again. I'm glad you like your new room. Even if it is a little different if it looks better and has a tighter fit it is worth it.

majfrizz · 10-14-2007, 04:28 PM

we have had one of these on several 5th wheels, and would nto be without it. we did nto want snaps on the unti so we orderdd the snapless models. One big hint, you have a choice of the screens on the inside or the outside, put the screens on the inside, in case of rain and the outer rollup will keep the rain out.

good luck

Doula · 10-19-2007, 04:09 PM

I hope this works. Here's our Add-a-Room on our first camping trip using it in Sept. This might not look like the best campsite, but it was! We had an unobstructed, beautiful lake view right across the road from both the side and front of us. It was perfect for sitting in the Add-a-Room to enjoy the view without the bugs. Gotta love it!

Doula · 10-19-2007, 04:15 PM

Oops! I'm new at this. I'm sorry if my photo is way too big.

Jeeperrmartin · 10-19-2007, 04:31 PM

Photo fit fine on our computer.

Looks good, Any worry about windy days?

We have a Jeep, and have gone to 4 Jeep Jamborees, have you ever done any?

Lil'Darlin1972 · 10-19-2007, 06:47 PM

Quote:

I hope this works. Here's our Add-a-Room on our first camping trip using it in Sept. This might not look like the best campsite, but it was! We had an unobstructed, beautiful lake view right across the road from both the side and front of us. It was perfect for sitting in the Add-a-Room to enjoy the view without the bugs. Gotta love it!

Very nice.

We get ours on Wednesday and hopefully will be putting it up next weekend for our final weekend of camping this year, lol.

aux_man · 10-20-2007, 03:22 AM

Doula,

Where do you keep all that stuff? I have a 32T which I know is small but with the I/O carpet and the add-a-room, I cant imagine where it would all go along with all the other "stuff"...

John

Doula · 10-20-2007, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeeperrmartin:
Photo fit fine on our computer.

Looks good, Any worry about windy days?

We have a Jeep, and have gone to 4 Jeep Jamborees, have you ever done any?

Jeeperrmartin...

Windy days: We usually don't have a big problem with the wind, although it is still something that one should keep mindful of. The Add-a-Room actually makes the awning more stable and secure in the wind. We've been using an Add-a-Room (we had an older model prior) for over 9 years. Only about twice have we had winds so strong that we had to lower the awning rails to collapse the room some. Once we did that, it faired very well. Once the wind threat was gone, it is easy enough to raise the rails back up, and the room is back to normal.

Jeep: No, this is our first Jeep, which we purchased new last Feb. We've never been to a Jeep Jamboree yet! So, what does one do at a Jeep rally besides drive around and look at everyone else's Jeeps? lol Maybe we will try it sometime. We sure are enjoying our 4 door Unlimited!

Doula · 10-20-2007, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by aux_man:
Doula,

Where do you keep all that stuff? I have a 32T which I know is small but with the I/O carpet and the add-a-room, I cant imagine where it would all go along with all the other "stuff"...

John

Great question, aux_man! Honestly, the I/O carpet is the biggest issue for us, because ours is HUGE! We use a dolly for now and roll/fold it up (will probably go 4 down for next spring/summer). It fits nicely strapped onto the dolly, just under the front of the Jeep; the Jeep's clearance makes this possible. Once we go 4 down, we may need to put it in the back of the Jeep or on the Hitch Haul (my guess is Hitch Haul since the carpet can get wet and/or dirty at times).

Add-a-Room: All the panels fold up and fit easily in one of two storage bags that come with it. The bags are probably (guestimating here-- 2 1/2 x 2 ft. We store them in the large bin behind the mid-entry door on the passenger side, along with our chairs (your bins may vary in size since your coach is a different size). For the door, we did find that we had to take it halfway apart, so it is half as tall. It fits in its homemade bag (made out of I/O rug remnant). We store it along with the room panels in the same bin. All poles fit in an included storage bag. It's very narrow, so they easily slide straight into the bin beside something else as well. If ever need be, we can store any or all of these componants in the toad instead of the bin, but we haven't had to yet. I can see how some folks might have storage issues with the room, but I'm under the impression that we tend to travel a little lighter than some people. We're not full-timers, so we take what we need, but not usually many extras.

Doula · 10-20-2007, 09:40 AM

Shannone,

I didn't mean to highjack your thread, but I'm just answering questions. LOL I hope to see a photo of yours when you get it up. Just remember, that first time or two can be frustrating while you're still learning. Good luck!

Lil'Darlin1972 · 10-21-2007, 03:36 PM

No worries- I've been enjoying all the info

As to storage....We have a patio rug and that is what we plan on using for the room. We already store it in one of the storage compartments. We do use our toad to carry some things depending on how long we will be camping. If we are camping for a week, we take an extra collapable picnic table and 2 benches. We put our picnic table under the awning for seating (seats more and is cleaner usually) and the campground picnic table back farther on the site and put our BBQ grill/supplies on it. We also bring a tent for the kids to sleep in on those longer trips. Kids bikes and toys. With 5 of us, we bring a lot of stuff for a whole week !!

If going just for a weekend, we don't bother with the extra table and chairs, or tent.

So in other words...two more storage bags and a door won't be a big deal..we will just put them in the toad with the other stuff.

majfrizz · 10-21-2007, 11:57 PM

i have had one these attached to my 5th wheel on a seasonal site, and it stays on all summer. no problems at all, i just have added the extra tie doen straps...emjoy

i like the solid door they have now

Retired and Happy · 10-22-2007, 06:48 AM

With the solid door, do you have a choice as to whether it mounts at the front or rear of the Add-a-Room? My zipper door can be mounted either place, but we always put it at the front for straight-in convenience. We often have inflatable mattresses near the rear taking up much of the space.

Doula · 10-22-2007, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by retired and happy:
With the solid door, do you have a choice as to whether it mounts at the front or rear of the Add-a-Room? My zipper door can be mounted either place, but we always put it at the front for straight-in convenience...

We asked about this before ordering. No, the solid door has to be attached to the front panel (front of the room), but it can go on either the far left or far right of the front. With this current model, the side panels aren't designed to accomodate the solid door (maybe future models?). One can still order zippered doors for the side panels if they want (extra cost), but no solid doors for the sides at this time.

The typical zippered door for the front panel still automatically comes with the room when you order the solid door; you just don't use the front zippered door if you choose to use the solid door instead. So, if one orders the solid door, he/she has the option of whether or not to use it each time. HTHs!

Lil'Darlin1972 · 10-28-2007, 05:07 PM

So we have our room now and I can say it really saved the weekend. It rained most of Friday and Saturday and the room allowed us to have extra room for carving pumpkins, storing coats and shoes, and having dinners. My pictures aren't the greatest because the awning was tilted because we need to let the rain run off of it. I will take another picture tomorrow before we take it down. But for now...here are a few...

FrontRangeRVer · 10-29-2007, 10:14 AM

Good pics Shannone (as usual). This is ANOTHER good reason why the manual awnings are better than the electric ones (like we have).

Doula · 10-31-2007, 07:56 PM

Great job, Shannone! I'm glad that you had it when you needed it. Looks nice! You'll love being able to eat out there next summer without all the bugs buggin' you!