Slide-outs

[paulitzlee2]

We are thinking of purchasing a new trailer. My wife doesn't want slide-outs, and I don't particularly care for them either. We're CAMPING, not staying at the Hilton. Her concerns are mostly maintenance issues. Either that it's one more thing to break, and they ARE mechanical, or they would leak. Are these valid concerns? Do slide-outs sometimes break and/or leak? Are they worth having? Also, can you slide them out with only battery power, i.e. no electrical hookup?

[Peppi]

Slide-outs are great in Class A units, I don't know about trailers. Most take quit a bit of power and run on hydraulics, once again I don't know about trailers. I suggest you shop around and ask a lot of questions.

[bluepill]

I tend to think that they are trouble prone by the fact that the extended warranty that I purchased excludes them.

'Nuff said.

[hoppers4]

You're right on both accounts. They can break and they can leak. IMHO, the extra room is well worth it!

[450Donn]

IMHO if you are only weekenders then slide outs are probably no big deal. But if you are staying in your RV for more than a couple of days at a time it sure is nice to have room to walk past each other without turning sideways. We have three slides in our 2005 fiver and have never had an issue with them. I really think it is far more important to pick a floor plan you both are happy with and can live in for days/weeks at a time without it turning into a "I HATE THIS RV".

[micd]

I can't say whether they are worth having since I specifically opted to not get them.

Basically my reasoning was the same as yours, another thing to be looked after and fix when broken. Also we have cruised alot and we do fine in the cruise cabin which has similar space to our RV.

In addition when looking at models with slide outs I've noticed that they shrink and lower the windows to accommodate them. I'm tall so the lower windows really make a difference between seeing scenery or pavement. They also take up cabinet space to build the box for the slide to be in. Slides are also weighty and the very honest salesman we were dealing with indicated that the weight made Class A's drive a bit differently because of the concentration of weight in a particular area. I know your looking at a trailer but a heavier weight for you would mean less gas mileage and if one side of the unit with the slide was more weighty it might make for different towing dynamics.

We too are of the mind that we don't need more floor space. We prefer less weight, more storage, larger windows, and less mechanical items to maintain or fix. Everyone's needs are different so for some they are a must. For us they were a must not.

It would be interesting to see more replies on whether people use them without hookups. We have almost never seen them in the campgrounds we go to but then we hardly ever go to a campground with hookups.

Michelle

[Yellowreef]

Anything and everything can break. That even goes for the toilet in a trailer. The slideout is a great feature in trailers. It adds a lot of room to a small towable package. Yes, they work on battery only when dry camping. They are well worth the potential for something going wrong. I have small trailer that opens up to pretty good living space with a slideout, never had problems with it.

[faye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulitzlee2 we are thinking of purchasing a new trailer. My wife doesn't want slide-outs, and i don't particularly care for them either. We're camping, not staying at the hilton. Her concerns are mostly maintenance issues. Either that it's one more thing to break, and they are mechanical, or they would leak. Are these valid concerns? Do slide-outs sometimes break and/or leak? Are they worth having? Also, can you slide them out with only battery power, i.e. No electrical hookup?

we have had slide-outs on eveything we've owned and they make all the difference to us, we have never had one to leak and have never had one that we've had to have worked on. Almost all extended warranties cover slide-outs.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4 You're right on both accounts. They can break and they can leak. IMHO, the extra room is well worth it!

Agreed!
Our DSPD has one slide (out of three) that requires us to help push/pull it in. It's a flat floor unit and comes up about 3 inches up a fairly steep incline. I've lubed it and replaced the controller and no change. The only thing left is the motor and it's over $600. What I really should do is pull it out and take it to a rewind shop.
We are supposed to be hooked to shore power or have the engine running when moving the slides either in or out. Same for the leveling jacks.
BUT, we wouldn't have a rig without slides either.
We've never had a leak from ours in the 9 years we've owned it.

[dinahkeith]

IMHO, they are wonderful if you're full time, and they are a total waste of money, weight, loss in gas mileage, etc. if you want to go camping! We have lived in a quad slide for 7 years--we've been going camping for years in a tent, then moved up to a slide in truck camper, and now we are getting our 1979 motorhome ready for the road. Just can't get that "camping" feeling in a huge rig.

[okie-dokie]

You can't miss what you've never had or experienced.

[StStg1]

We have had both. A 25' no slide and a 30' with slide. The 30', we've had for 5 years and no problems with the slide. The extra space with the slide really makes a diference. Ours is a deep slide ,42" and almost doubles the width of our TT. I would not buy anoter TT without a slide.

[TexasPSDX]

We had a 12' long super slide in our last trailer. Had trouble getting it in a couple of times. Always had to dry it off when we pulled it in when raining. Had some problems with it leaking if the wind was blowing rain hard into that side of trailer.

The trailer we have now has no slides. To be honest, we have not missed the slide. Don't have to worry if we are parked with clearance to extend the slide or leaks, or drying it when leaving in the rain. We spent 16 days in the trailer last year at one time with our 20 yr old son along. This year our trip will be for a month with no kid.

Simple is better most of the time.

[mhs4771]

Floor Plan, Floor Plan, Floor Plan: Pick a floor plan that works for you. If you go with slides, look to higher quality units. Had a lower quality TT and had problems with it's small slide. Now have a higher quality 5er with 2 slides and now problems, but we plan to live in the 5er for the winter so we want the extra space and it's nice if one is fixing meals the other can get by to the other areas of the unit.