2017(18) Dutch Star vs. Mountain Aire for Full Time

[Redbelly]

Just came back from the Seattle RV show and had a wonderful experience with the Newmar people. Literally spent 90% of the show talking with one of their reps.

My wife and I are gearing up to Full Time this time next year, toad is a 2016 Jeep Wrangler 4dr. Passengers will be just us plus two 23lb Labradoodles.

I plan on installing a large amount of solar and lithium battery bank (AM Solar) to keep us dry camping for long periods of time without the need for the generator going. 2 weeks plus at times. Plan on 80% boon docking and the rest at RV parks/ State parks.

Question is: The Newmar rep said that we really should look at the Dutch Star and pull a variety of options (flooring, trim, etc) from the higher lines simply from a "bang for your buck" comparison with the Mountain Aire. With a 120-150k difference in pricing we could spend 20K more on options in the Dutch Star and be just as happy. Comparing the 43' DS with the 45' MA.

I'm not concerned with the 450/500 (I'm in no hurry) but could be concerned with the fact that this will be a full time home and the less cargo weight limits... what might be the items that I would REALLY miss if we went the DS route?

Trust me I'm the guy that normally is "bigger/ better" but the price difference is significant...

Would appreciate thoughts from both owners.

We would be looking at ordering a 2018 but no information on that line until April I guess so just comparing 2017 model numbers/ features.

Originally we had our plans set on a used 2016 MA buying in 2018 BUT ordering a truly custom 2018 DS puts us in the same ballpark financially.

Thank you in advance!

Cheers!

[Mr_D]

We went through that in '02 when ordering the DSDP. I wanted a few features the MADP offered that the DSDP didn't, like hydronic heat. Tried to do a special on it and was refused as it would "dilute the lines" in Newmar speak. We ended up optioning out the DSDP more, even having a couple walls and pocket door removed. We did some $34,000 in specials ('02 cost) rather than getting the MADP and adding specials to it.
Worked fine for us except that the rig was overloaded on the front axle and in '04 Newmar had Spartan replace the 12,000# axle with a 14,600# unit.

[ewlee]

Originally Posted by Redbelly

Just came back from the Seattle RV show and had a wonderful experience with the Newmar people. Literally spent 90% of the show talking with one of their reps.

My wife and I are gearing up to Full Time this time next year, toad is a 2016 Jeep Wrangler 4dr. Passengers will be just us plus two 23lb Labradoodles.

I plan on installing a large amount of solar and lithium battery bank (AM Solar) to keep us dry camping for long periods of time without the need for the generator going. 2 weeks plus at times. Plan on 80% boon docking and the rest at RV parks/ State parks.

Question is: The Newmar rep said that we really should look at the Dutch Star and pull a variety of options (flooring, trim, etc) from the higher lines simply from a "bang for your buck" comparison with the Mountain Aire. With a 120-150k difference in pricing we could spend 20K more on options in the Dutch Star and be just as happy. Comparing the 43' DS with the 45' MA.

I'm not concerned with the 450/500 (I'm in no hurry) but could be concerned with the fact that this will be a full time home and the less cargo weight limits... what might be the items that I would REALLY miss if we went the DS route?

Trust me I'm the guy that normally is "bigger/ better" but the price difference is significant...

Would appreciate thoughts from both owners.

We would be looking at ordering a 2018 but no information on that line until April I guess so just comparing 2017 model numbers/ features.

Originally we had our plans set on a used 2016 MA buying in 2018 BUT ordering a truly custom 2018 DS puts us in the same ballpark financially.

Thank you in advance!

Cheers!

I will add two things for you to consider. First, the 2016 models were the first year with the more floor. This created issues with weight especially for the DSDP, not so much with the MADP. Every model, up and down the Newmar line had issues with the full wall more floor being tilted/sloped. For me it was a big issue, others not so much. Second, the MADP is a 45' coach where as the DSDP is technically a 43" coach but is actually closer to 44'. Most state parks and national parks are geared towards a much shorter coach, less than 40'. Commercial RV parks usually have no issues with the longer coaches unless you go north into Canada or the northeast.

[twogypsies]

We full-timed 8 of our 16 years in a 2004 Dutch Star. We also added many option for a higher model. It worked out well.

You can figure for 2 people full-timing you will add at least 3-4,000 lb of cargo.

You mentioned solar/lithium.... here an excellent 4-part article written recently on the subject by very active full-timer boondockers. They have an excellent blog so it's worth it to follow them. They have a big MH, are boondockers, full-timers, volunteers in parks and have many special articles on those subjects. They also have excellent campground reviews on everywhere they've been.

The Big “Beastly” Solar/Battery Upgrade Part I – Why? – Wheeling It

[Redbelly]

Thank you all and please don't stop the responses!

Wheelingit, RVgeeks, gonewiththewynns, technomadia, etc we have followed non stop for the past year and love the insights! These sites (and more) along with this forum have answered numerous questions we have had and given us A LOT of questions to ask and things to ponder.

We have looked exclusively at Enter, Tiffin, and Newmar... and wish to keep it 45' (ish) knowing the restrictions we will face at some locations. The primary reason for focusing on Newmar is both the full wall slide out and the fact that they will build a coach to order and pull from some of the other models. Biggest for us is the elevated king bed option, flooring, and euro dinette, L couch, and fireplace recliner combo. Really like the fact that the TV is a "televator" on the fireplace as well. At the Seattle Show we spent several hours talking with the Newmar Rep in the LA (similar floor plan as we have been considering basically) and found the openness of the FW slide incredibly comfortable and enjoyable.

We were curious to know the estimated weight we would add being full-time and not wanting to over load the coach and it does seem that we will have to keep an eye on it if we go with a DS.

It will be interesting to see what the 2018 models include specifically the DS.

[lucyh]

We have been full-timing in our Dutch Star for a year and a half now. We've found it very comfortable to live in and have plenty of room for our stuff. Recently had all weights done at an Escapees location and are well below weight limits.

[Algoma]

I am just wondering where you can spend 80% of your time boondocking in a 45' motorhome. Why would you even want to? Seems pretty miserable to me. And I am someone who cruised the western Atlantic in a sailboat for 6 years.

[PDR John]

I don't think you'll make 2 weeks of boondocking on the DS black tank. The tank size combined with the amount of water the toilets use, are not a great combination.


This is even using the old rules of If its brown flush it down, if it's yellow let it mellow. And being hyper conservative with the flushing.

This is something to keep in mind.

Search DS tank sizes, been discussed here several times after the new toilets were put in.

[Redbelly]

Originally Posted by Algoma

I am just wondering where you can spend 80% of your time boondocking in a 45' motorhome. Why would you even want to? Seems pretty miserable to me. And I am someone who cruised the western Atlantic in a sailboat for 6 years.

80% is probably a slightly inflated figure but just slightly. What we like to do is minimize going from RV park to RV park for a variety of different reasons.

We are pretty young, 40's/ 50's, and are seeking a lifestyle that involves hiking, exploring, getting out with our dogs and enjoying a very active lifestyle. Our youngest graduates from HS this June and we are going to take the next 5+ years to explore the country BEFORE grandkids appear and we have that desire to provide a more permanent place for family to visit.

We both work for an airline and as such it gives us a lot of flexibility to locate near the many bases we have, work from virtually anywhere in the country, allowing us to explore the local and near local flavor, and then move on to the next area...

I dable in a little poker and would like to do a few WSOP circuit events each year, see some races (F1 in Austin), concerts and festivals, etc that might often be easier to dry camp rather than look for hookups. My wife wants to look into the Harvest Hosts, wineries, etc as well. We love people and look forward to meeting a lot of new people and visit friends we haven't seen in a long time during our upcoming travels. However, we also are involved in an industry that has us craving a little (maybe a lot) solitude.

At any rate whether it be in a 43' DS or a 45' MA I doubt very much that we will be "miserable" out in the middle of a scenic nowhere.

Cheers!

[Redbelly]

Originally Posted by PDR John

I don't think you'll make 2 weeks of boondocking on the DS black tank. The tank size combined with the amount of water the toilets use, are not a great combination.


This is even using the old rules of If its brown flush it down, if it's yellow let it mellow. And being hyper conservative with the flushing.

This is something to keep in mind.

Search DS tank sizes, been discussed here several times after the new toilets were put in.

We have thought of this but thank you for bringing it up. The tank sizes for DS and MA are the same so that is not a deciding factor. We plan on replacing both toilets with composting toilets to deal with the black tank issue and thus doubling (or nearly so) our gray tank capacity.

[Stripe34]

We are two youngish adults and one dog full timing in a 40' DSDP. We have about 7,000 extra weight capacity available. We ordered it how we wanted it / nothing extra, and a few things from the upper lines.

Enjoy your new coach!

[Mr_D]

When the DW was still alive we were both working and in a hurry to get to our destination. Usually it was one or two nights Wallydocking and the third in our destination campground. That was would get us from WA to AZ. even with the 55 mph speed limit in CA. Plus we got all the way through CA without buying fuel.

[Redbelly]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

When the DW was still alive we were both working and in a hurry to get to our destination. Usually it was one or two nights Wallydocking and the third in our destination campground. That was would get us from WA to AZ. even with the 55 mph speed limit in CA. Plus we got all the way through CA without buying fuel.

While I will still be working, per say, my work does allow for a much more relaxed approach to it. While we do plan on being close to "bases" on occasion and work a normal schedule (mine happens to be 3 day trips), I can also commute to those numerous "bases" to start my trips, from any reasonably sized airport in the country so it does allow us to relax the pace and we DO NOT want to rush the destination but enjoy the journey... in fact rushing this endeavor is the last thing we want to do! Doing this now while we are very mobile and healthy is a main driving force in our decision.

[Redbelly]

Originally Posted by Stripe34

We are two youngish adults and one dog full timing in a 40' DSDP. We have about 7,000 extra weight capacity available. We ordered it how we wanted it / nothing extra, and a few things from the upper lines.

Enjoy your new coach!

It will be interesting to see how the DS will be enhance, if at all, for the 2018 model! I do think that because it will only be the two of us (plus two furry daughters) and a desire to not be in a rush, the lack of power vs the cost savings plus being able to really personalize it as you did... seems like a win win. DS did beef things up a bit for 2017 so carrying capacity should be no problem as well! All my best!