Community Forums

Finally · 05-21-2014, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoyalRV

I think the vanity in the 42RBQ is properly sized.

The shower is not huge, but I consider it to be large enough considering it is in a 42' RV and not in a large home bathroom.

I am 6' 205 lbs, btw.

42RBQ is actually 43' 1'.
I think the one inch make all the difference.

brobox · 05-21-2014, 06:57 AM

The Aspire is an LP coach. If they have an all electric, it is a mis-print, or a rare order and I would jump on one. MHSRV does copy and paste from other ads and could have done that from an Anthem would be my guess.

Finally · 05-21-2014, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

I just measured mine. Floor to skylight trim in the shower 6'5", 6'6" to ceiling. The shower is 44" deep from the center of the door to inside corner and 50" wide corner to corner.

Vanity 32" wide 22" deep at the center, it is curved with plenty of counter space. If DW likes it, it is plenty big. I get the 1/2 bath for shaving, etc.

We also like the bath and a half option in the 42RBQ.

Bama96 · 05-21-2014, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finally

We also like the bath and a half option in the 42RBQ.

I need sleeping space for small children ages 5 and 2. The wife wants the bath and a half so no compromise there. The hide a bed is nice and the jack knife on the 42RBQ.

The 44B I looked at has that large L shaped sofa and you can still watch the big 50" TV going down the road. Downside is you have one hide a bed in the L couch. With the 42RBQ you can not watch the main living area TV with the DS slide in just the overhead but gain more seating/beds.

Finally · 05-21-2014, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bama96

I need sleeping space for small children ages 5 and 2. The wife wants the bath and a half so no compromise there. The hide a bed is nice and the jack knife on the 42RBQ.

The 44B I looked at has that large L shaped sofa and you can still watch the big 50" TV going down the road. Downside is you have one hide a bed in the L couch. With the 42RBQ you can not watch the main living area TV with the DS slide in just the overhead but gain more seating/beds.

That's exactly the discussion and decisions we made when looking for the right floor plan to fit our needs. The RBQ fit our family and needs at the destination over watching the main TV during the drive.

Only you know what is best for your family.

Bama96 · 05-21-2014, 05:38 PM

The 42RBQ with the slides in. A bit tight? Anyone have a shot of a 44B with the slides in?[

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Finally · 05-21-2014, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bama96

The 42RBQ with the slides in. A bit tight? Anyone have a shot of a 44B with the slides in?[[/IMG]

It's not tight at all, the picture doesn't do it justice. It has plenty of room with the slides closed.

brobox · 05-22-2014, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bama96

The 44B I looked at has that large L shaped sofa and you can still watch the big 50" TV going down the road. Downside is you have one hide a bed in the L couch. With the 42RBQ you can not watch the main living area TV with the DS slide in just the overhead but gain more seating/beds.

Just my 2 cents for what it's worth. When I was just about your oldest son's age, my Dad took us on month long educational road trips every year to see the country. No Interstates, all scenic highways and no TV until we got to the motel. I guess that's why I am RV'ing today, I have never forgotten those trips, and I am enjoying them all over again. Thanks Dad!!!

Karen and I rarely travel even with the radio on. We chat and talk about what we are seeing, before we know it 8 hours have gone by. However if we are on an Interstate the radio is on as there is not much else to do except dodge semis all day

brobox · 05-22-2014, 04:32 AM

As for the RBQ floor plan, everyone's needs are different. At home we have the 65 inch 3D entertainment center with all the toys. When we travel TV is not our destination. We are out enjoying what we came to see. We are really enjoying the extra bath for getting ready or on the road in the morning. The versatile seating in the RBQ has really suited our needs. We enjoy the extra windows to be able to see our new surroundings more than a bigger TV. Others users are going to be different and why the different floor plans. If I was full timing, or spending the winter in one spot, it might be another floor plan, but for our travel needs we are, so far, very pleased with the choice of the RBQ.

Sky_Boss · 05-25-2015, 09:43 AM

I'm gonna resurrect this thread...

Currently a Newmar owner (SOB) but a big fan of Entegra. Perhaps one thing we see as a plus for EC is the insulation values. Newmar's aren't bad but it looks like EC's are better. Being full timers that comes into play when we pay electricity.

We are starting to look at whether another coach is in our future. I'm spoiled by my Spartan chassis and IFS so the Aspire line isn't on our list at this time. Also, I think we want to avoid the LP hydronic system and want to be all electric.

We don't want to exceed our current 43' length so the 42' Anthem is our limit. We will also be waiting for the 2012-2013 model years roll onto the used market in larger numbers because anything newer will be out of our price range.

We ruled out the other 42' floor plans because we just can't find our selves enthused with the combo toilet & shower in the same enclosure. Too bad because the DEQ living room area looks extremely interesting.

So...a few questions based on what we have only seen in the brochures. It is difficult to find these in the areas we are in for most of the summer.

1. Is the refrigerator a problem for seeing the TV, especially for a person sitting in that couch next to the TV?

2. Along those lines has anyone replaced that

3. Looking at some photos on various sites it looks like there is only one full width basement bay with a tray. I'm assuming that the one behind it is about 2/3rd wide because of the hydronic system.

What do you think about overall basement storage?
Is there any additional storage behind the axles?
What is the measurement from the basement floor up to the bottom of the chassis rails?

4. What is your favorite feature?
5. What is the thing you would change if you could or actually did change that made it a better coach.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Gary.Jones · 05-25-2015, 10:12 AM

the 44B with slides in is quite tight in my estimation. That is the coach that we own and there is enough room to walk back to the half bath, but living with slides in is not a particularly attractive idea. When traveling, we often boondock at one place or another and the "all in" state is something I try very hard to avoid. We find that it is doable if we can just get the bed slide out which lets you walk through to the back bath, so I park with the driver side on a curb if possible and open the back slide. If the place can deal with it, putting out both driver side slides is very comfortable in a 44B for short periods, but for us, the bed slide is a necessity, and that is for two people and two cats (more bodies would not be a lot of fun with slides in

Gary

Sky_Boss · 05-28-2015, 06:04 AM

We got done with service at Spartan in 1 day!

We planned 4 days just incase but getting out of there quickly freed up a few days so we opted to head south to the EC factory and with some coordination got into a 3:30 tour on Wednesday.

We were not allowed to see over half of the plant because of the 2016s but we got to see a lot of the "platform" construction to the point of some walls and flooring being installed. Impressive.

After that we were able to see some of the coaches on the delivery lot and got inside of an RBQ. That cleared up a lot of our questions on the location of the couch and refrigerator. It also allowed us to really appreciate a lot of the work inside the Anthem.

My overall impression of the Anthem was very positive. Part of the trick will be to sort out what was in the 2015 that is/isn't in a 2013 model which would be our target in a year or so if we decide to go that route. One nice thing was that the rails were nearly 21" above the basement floor compared to our current 17.5". However, and this could be an optical thing, is that the basement seemed a bit shorter than our DSDP. I didn't think about measuring the length but I have an extra pass through bay. It isn't wide, perhaps 2.5' - 3' or so but it is still functional for effective use. The off kitchen overhead cabinets are also a tad taller than our DSDP's.

All the buttons for everything seem logically placed easy to read because of the back lighting. I would be a little concerned about ALL the electronics like the motorized shades if they start developing gremlins.

All and all...a worthwhile visit. A few other thoughts based on what we want when we saw other models we saw:

Electric toilets. I'm needing to bone up on that but even in the single bath it was an electric toilet. Are they macerators even in the single bath?

DEQ - LOVED the front area. HATED the combo shower-toilet but that is a personal thing.

One 44' floor plan, I believe the 44B...had a MAJOR problem that frankly shocked us. There was no way to get into the bedroom with the back slides in.

brobox · 05-28-2015, 06:21 AM

We have the RBQ and the 1/2 bath is just an electric flush toilet. DW would also not have a toilet/shower all in one and her reason for the RBQ. A full closet was her first demand.....you should see what is laid out for our up coming trip.

A non slide out situation is something else we looked at in the RBQ. We have been stuck in that situation before. With the front TV, it is doable.
However as a full-timer your needs might be very different.

DSL417 · 05-28-2015, 06:30 AM

Don,

In our 45J, we have the same "problem" with back bedroom entry and slides in. OTOH, it has never been a problem, even in tight dry camping situations as the vanity slide only goes out 12 inches, and we've never had a problem with opening that up when stopping overnight at truck stops or rest areas (or any other slides for that matter). With the central bath, no need to access the back bath in a bath and a half model on the road. Finally, you might say, "...well, can't get back to take a nap while on the road...". JMHO, fro recent photos of accidents, anyplace other than buckled in seems ill-advised. So bottom line, this isn't a problem for us.

Changes, other than cosmetic colors and interiors, between 2013 and 2015 Anthem are not many, the biggest being individual shade controls on the electric shades and the addition in 2014 of awning lights which are really nice (but Girard does make an awning light kit that isn't too hard to install). The 2015 does get you the light natural cherry wood that Sandee is likely looking for.

As far as basement, I don't think you lose much, Anthem to DS, but you do lose some Aspire to DS (propane tank) unless the DS is a propane model (although I don't remember where they put the propane on board the DS.