Community Forums

Aroadracer · 06-20-2016, 06:32 AM

I'm new to the forum and am looking for my first motor home. I really like the older Country Coaches (2000-2002 models) but they seem to be mostly one or no slides. How important is it for comfort and practicality to have at least two slides?
Jim in Fort Worth

Pepper2 · 06-20-2016, 07:02 AM

I wish we had two. Generally it seems there is more closet and drawer storage with a bedroom slide. Our living room slide was a huge improvement over our previous no slide MH.

oldmattb · 06-20-2016, 07:08 AM

No slides for us. I have seen so many people having problems with the slides on older RVs. In the price range we were shopping, slides doubled the selling price.

Matt B

HD4Mark · 06-20-2016, 07:14 AM

We have three slides. Wish we had four. Did have to put a couple thousand dollars into the biggest one to keep it from ripping the carpet when retracting it. The more bells and whistles, the more things to go wrong.

I would suggest you walk through coaches with and without slides. Especially with opposing ones there is a tremendous more amount of room when they are out.

JohnBoyToo · 06-20-2016, 07:23 AM

Slides for OUR coach or yours?
Either way, our opinion is almost irrelevant

Get the FLOOR plan that will work for you,
there's knowledge in the statement "Buy your third rv first"

and you can't know what that is until you critically look at a LOT of floor plans.

In our case, we only have 3 slides, but the driver is a full wall slide,
and sometimes it's still not enough room for certain parties.

good luck on your decision

jelag · 06-20-2016, 08:17 AM

how much are you going to use this RV.... our first 5er had no slides... and we used it before we retired... at retirements we upgraded to a unit with 2 slides and spent more time... now today we're looking at a Diesel Pusher... we now spend 4 months a year traveling.... now we're looking at 36-38 ft.. 3 slides... and room to spread out and relax... our use has driven our needs...

so I guess I'd say our lifestyle has driven our needs...

nothermark · 06-20-2016, 08:30 AM

Whatever you pick try it with the slides in and out. A lot of functionality goes away when one has to run the slide out to get back to the kitchen or bathroom.

Skip426 · 06-20-2016, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothermark

Whatever you pick try it with the slides in and out. A lot of functionality goes away when one has to run the slide out to get back to the kitchen or bathroom.

X2.
Nothing wrong with most coaches that have one or no slides . Personal choice ; for me doing my own work , I'm glad my coach doesn't have a bedroom slide, engine access is about as good as it gets in a coach . Our single slide gives us 32 sq.ft. of extra floor space, when out; and only one cupboard isn't accessible with the slide in. DW and I spend 5 1/2 months a year in our coach and do just fine.

TMan59 · 06-20-2016, 08:56 AM

The room slides provide is very nice.
We have just 2 slides but it is a nice balance between having more room, and a functional coach with the slides in.
Our next coach will have 4.

Steve Ownby · 06-20-2016, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aroadracer

I'm new to the forum and am looking for my first motor home. I really like the older Country Coaches (2000-2002 models) but they seem to be mostly one or no slides. How important is it for comfort and practicality to have at least two slides?

Jim in Fort Worth

It's a completely personal decision. As full timers, we are very happy with our 3 slides. If you are an infrequent user or you drive lots with over night dry camping and there is just two of you then no slides or one slide might be attractive to you. The "on the road" access with no slide is wonderful. Not so much when Parked for a week or two.

smlranger · 06-20-2016, 09:28 AM

As noted, personal preference. I would suggest you consider the following (within the constraints of your budget of course):

1. How will you use the coach, full time, part time? Will you spend more time inside or outside? Will you want to entertain and have folks inside to eat, visit?

2. Do you like to have a lot of patio space to sit outside under the awning? If so, don't get one with the passenger side front slide.

3. Do you do your own mechanical service work? If yes, top of engine access is usually better/easier with a north-south bed. Some coaches with only one bedroom slide can have the n-s bed.

Our perfect coach would have 3 slides, two in the bedroom and one on driver's side up front. Our current coach has four slides but we love the coach anyway.

It is true that slides can be troublesome but I am of the opinion that if you get a well built coach and maintain it well, they are generally not an issue. We are on our second coach with slides (first one had 2, this one has 4) and we've not had serious or expensive issues with the slides.

Finally, good choice on Country Coach. Well built rigs with good bones. As you have likely noted, even the older ones have classic good looks and function if they have been maintained properly.

SpaceNorman · 06-20-2016, 09:34 AM

Hard to argue that not having slides eliminates the risk of significant $$ and headaches if/when they have a problem. Conversely, can't argue that NOT having slides doesn't impose a limitation on living space.

Our coach has 3 slides (a full wall slide on the roadside, a bedroom slide that takes the bed out on a slide and a living room slide that takes the couch and dining area out). When extended - my "napkin top" calculations say It adds about 120 square feet of living area - bring the total living area in the coach up to about 420 square feet. That's a significant increase.

There's no debating that the additional room is both useful and welcome. Knowing how tight things get when the slides are in - I can only imagine what the interior design would be like if we had no slides - and it ain't pretty!

So far, we haven't had any mechanical problems. We'll simply have to deal with those if/when they come. Now having had a taste of the extra space that having slides adds - I can't image ever going to a coach that didn't have 'em!

OLYLEN · 06-20-2016, 09:53 AM

So much depends on how much room YOU need. Entertain or spend much time in living room kitchen area, slide. Need four season clothing, or storage, slide. We had a two slide DP and used the extra space, were out up to 7 months a year, longest single trip 4 months with all 4 season weather. We downsized to a 31' C with one slide in the living room ,nice but had to make choices on storage. If I were to go to another coach it would have two slides more for storage and bedroom access. In the end its up to you and your use, plus one can get the room of a larger RV in a shorter one with slides if State and national park are a priority.

LEN

Sweetbriar · 06-20-2016, 03:40 PM

My coach has two forward or sometimes call shoulder slides with a mid entry door. Each slide is 24" deep so when open the living area get's four feet wider. It works for us and helps keep cabin fever at bay when the weather won't support outside activities. 10 year old coach that we've had 5 years now and not a problem with the slides mechanical or otherwise.