Valencia 35MB

[rheil]

Originally Posted by M. Liner

rheil,

...loss of the rear wardrobe, a 6" narrower bed, and slightly smaller kitchen counter with no pull out pantry is worth the shorter overall length.

For what its worth...My wife and I looked over the 35' plans and came to the same observations - you found the differences. One additional change is the extra ~6" space/ledge in the door entrance where we now hang jackets. It will be interesting to see. On the outside, generally speaking, shorter is better, no doubt, though we're having little issue getting our 38' in and out where we want. I'm not sure the smaller 3' feet makes much difference on the outside when balanced against the tightening up on the inside in the bed, pantry, entry and storage. But I'm very glad to see the option! Me, I'd probably stay with the rear wardrobe.... aka what we have.

I'll note too that we really like the recliners. We didnt get to see them, glad you saw ours :-) much prefered over the coach (but you do lose a bed, whihc we do not need).

[Mmontheroad]

rheil- Thanks for the detailed info!

Interesting observations with battery capacity and spot on in my opinion. I already have an investment in lithium batteries for my current class C and would absolutely move them over/expand them if I were to get a 35MB.

I see they have an option for propane fridge- assume that would have to be a special order instead of stock but is a must for me. We almost never have hookups and I just can't see using my battery capacity to power a residential fridge.

I wonder how customizable a Valencia would be if ordered as opposed to dealer stock- Larger gauge wiring for solar prep, accomodations for different electrical outfitting, etc...

[rheil]

With Renegade the Valencia/Verona models are minimally customizable... only what's offered from factory.. to keep costs down. The options are on the brochures.

Your dealer can add on top of that some things, for example, IWS added for us an air ride release, air jack for inflation, TPMS, full length mud flap, & better mattress (all great adds btw, would do again.).

We really appreciate the Res fridge; colder, bigger, etc. The only issue is you need 200-300aH of battery to run it and everything else for a day then use the excellent Onan to quickly recharge once a day (usually for us at dinner time when we then run air, cook, recharge, etc). Obviously any additional solar then reduces, potentially eliminates, gen time. You will be unhappy with only the stock single lead acid 8D - simply not enough capacity.

On the other spectrum you can heavily customize the bigger models from Renegade and go full blown design your own with Showhauler.

[M. Liner]

Mmontheroad,
My thoughts about propane vs. residential fridge were at first similar to yours. As someone who dry camps 80/90% of the time and has been satisfied with my dometic fridge for 11 years I thought the $1,533 addition for a propane fridge (2019 price sheet) would be well worth it. Now I am having second thoughts. Virtually everyone who has switched from propane to residential loves the better size and performance, not to mention the repair/replace cost differential between the two. Perhaps using that money to put into the $3-4K cost for 3/4 lithium batteries (plus solar panels) makes more sense in the long run, while still being able to boondock with minimal generator run time.
I believe rheil is correct that Renegade does not do any individual customization for Verona and Valencia other than what is on their option list. This year they began offering 2 170 watt solar panels but don't know anything about the gauge wiring and solar controller.

[M. Liner]

rheil,
You echo my sentiments exactly about length. My current rig of 11 years is a 24' Class C, no slides, so anything larger will feel downright palatial. Frankly, that 38' RW seemed like a behemoth to me. Plus my camping style runs more towards national parks, national forests, state parks, not so much the commercial places with 60' pull thru sites. And it is only me, the wife and dog. My inclination is that 35' is about as large as I want/need to go, but it would be better to physically stand in both and even test drive each (the 35MB has a shorter wheelbase) before making a decision.
P.S. Thanks for the recommendations on IWS upgrades. After visiting them I felt it is an honest outfit that will take care of its customers after the sale. Worth it to me even if you might not get the lowest price.

[Mmontheroad]

M. Liner- You sound like my twin! My current Class C is 24', no slides. Almost all our camping is also National Parks, forests, etc so smaller size is paramount to me. I've been paying attention this summer and 35' is the max at many National Park campgrounds I've stayed at- and even then it significantly limits available sites.

With careful usage my 200AH of lithium batteries can last my current class C 4 days with minimal solar. With good solar exposure they can go indefinitely. I absolutely love that and I guess that's why I get hung up over a residential fridge.

[stanlow1]

Originally Posted by rheil

With Renegade the Valencia/Verona models are minimally customizable... only what's offered from factory.. to keep costs down. The options are on the brochures.

Your dealer can add on top of that some things, for example, IWS added for us an air ride release, air jack for inflation, TPMS, full length mud flap, & better mattress (all great adds btw, would do again.).

We really appreciate the Res fridge; colder, bigger, etc. The only issue is you need 200-300aH of battery to run it and everything else for a day then use the excellent Onan to quickly recharge once a day (usually for us at dinner time when we then run air, cook, recharge, etc). Obviously any additional solar then reduces, potentially eliminates, gen time. You will be unhappy with only the stock single lead acid 8D - simply not enough capacity.

On the other spectrum you can heavily customize the bigger models from Renegade and go full blown design your own with Showhauler.

RHeil,

I have 2020 Valencia with res fridge and have a few questions. I installed 3 100ah BattleBorn Lithium batteries and I have 510 watts of solar panels. From your experience can you help with a few questions with your single 8D battery:

How many hours were you able to run the fridge on the batteries?

The Valencia comes with a 260ah 8D battery (technically only 130ah useable) was it enough to power the fridge overnight?

Any other hints or help with running the res fridge on batteries would be appreciated.

TIA

[rheil]

TIA,

The best we got on the 8D battery was a few hours early on, but one issue we ran into immediately is we drained it several times, thus damaging it, and limiting its storage capacity (forgot to turn on auto gen start)... so we got used to running the generator frequently. [One great benefit of the new batteries is the BMS protects them automatically].

Once we switched to 3 - 100aH LiPo Battleborn's we can run the fridge along with microwave, etc (not the air conditioners) all day and overnight and still have about 60-70% left on the batteries. Typically we would run the generator at dinner time with the air conditioners to cool the rig down while making dinner. This topped off the batteries each day with only 45-90 mins of gen time.

One issue I'm still working out is dissipating the heat generated from charging from shore or gen (aka 50 amp service)... the batteries can take 50aH of charge per battery or 150 for the three batteries. The Magnum I believe can put out 100aH charging. However at 100% the charger will overheat (turning itself off automatically until it cools down). The storage box it is in gets really hot since it has no ventilation. Worse it looks like the Magnum is installed on top of the (nice) carpet in the storage, further insulating/reducing cooling. For now I've scaled down the charge rate to 20% do its doesn't overheat... but takes longer then to charge. I haven't yet figured out the sweet spot since the outside temps we've had have been highly variable. Somehow we need to figure out how to significantly increasing cooling... either adding a fan and possibly reinstalling with more metal to metal contact for heat transfer to the box and hopefully frame (heatsink). I've built a number of water cooled gaming PC's over the years and am pondering adding a cooling loop of some sort but really don't want the bother in a rather tough environment (bouncing, etc.) Eager to hear any suggestions. Definitely a spring project. That said with a solar charger (we haven't added solar yet, another spring project...) we won't have the overheating problem from the Magnum as often, if ever... However make sure the solar chargers have good ventilation.

With the solar you have I suspect you may be able to almost run indefinitely without running the gen or at worst very infrequently. Also charging is more spread out so less heat generated (as opposed to using the gen/shore for charging).

Hope that helps!

[M. Liner]

The first views of the Valencia 35MB can be seen on a Trailers of the East Coast you tube video, posted today 10/17.

[Mmontheroad]

Thanks for posting that! I checked their website and they also have a detailed photo album for that unit. There are some obvious compromises in space to get to the 35’ length but overall I like it a lot.

That particular unit has the theater seating upgrade- looks nice but a couch would work out much better for me traveling as a family.

[M. Liner]

A couple of first impressions looking at the pictures: I personally like the clean, simple look of the rig, including the paint job. They aren't flashy like the Veronas but that is a whole other price stratosphere. I liked that they did not sacrifice on kitchen counter space (for someone who mostly prepares meals as opposed to eating out). It seems the front passenger seat on a swivel is sort of useless, appearing to be mostly blocked by the placement of the fridge.

Now that they are being delivered to dealerships my next step is to physically visit the 35MB along with the 38RW to see 1) the difference in living space and storage, and 2) how much of a difference the exterior size really is (35'7" vs. 38'2"). For me the jump up to either size now feels intimidating, but I wonder after getting used to driving them would the 2 1/2 feet be a big deal (or much of a deal breaker at campgrounds).

Except for wheelbase, all the other specs seem identical, even price surprisingly is about the same (I think?). I would like to learn the difference in weight (and if significant could it make a difference in performance?).

[lslblues]

I like it, but my 38BB is 2' feet 5" longer and I wouldn't give up the flexible bunk space nor what has to be reduced outside storage. I also don't like the 30" shorter wheelbase. People with Dynamax Force/DX3's complain about tail dragging with 268" wheelbase and 36' 8" length. This is 35' 7" on a 249" wheelbase without the sloping rear like Dynamax. Tail swing will also be something to watch for.

[M. Liner]

Islblues,
You bring up a couple of great points. The shorter wheelbase is particularly disconcerting. I don't know if that is a dealbreaker, but any comparison with the well known issues regarding the Dynamax tail swing is making me have second thoughts. Thanks for your insight!

[M. Liner]

Now that Renegade is shipping the new Valencia 35MB to dealers I had an opportunity to see it and compare it to its slightly bigger brother, the Valencia 38RW. Here are some of the differences I saw: The MSRP is approximately $3,000 less for the 35MB. Cargo Carrying Capacity I believe is 6,953 lbs. as opposed to 5,893 lbs. for the 38RW, so the shorter one is about 1,050 pounds lighter. The tail overhang on both vehicles measures 10' 5". The RW has one additional storage bay on the passenger side, as the end bay on the 35MB holds the propane tank. One other additional interesting fact is the counter space is actually more on the 35MB, measuring 31 1/2", vs. 24 1/2" on the 38RW, measuring the space from the sink to the stove (the 38BB has by far the smallest counter space at only about 15"). And from the diagrams anyone can see the bed is 6" narrower in the 35MB.
Now for my impressions and opinions: While the 35MB is 2'7" shorter, up next to each other, being the same width and height it seemed to me the difference was negligible. I got a chance to test drive the 38RW and would imagine going down the road there would be no difference driving either one. Turning might matter just a bit, and admittedly, this is a skill I have yet to master on these longer rigs with longer overhangs. As for fitting into smaller campsites I am not sure how many times having the 2 1/2' shorter one would matter. A number of people have commented that in many of the smaller, older campgrounds the problem is tree overhang more than pad length. Finally, as it has been pointed out by Islblues, the loss of 2 1/2' living space inside is substantial and I agree. The bedroom in particular feels more spacious with more room around the back end of the bed, plus the large wardrobe closet and 4 deep cabinets above. In the kitchen the 38RW has a very large pullout pantry and additional deep drawer underneath.
Of course everyone's camping style is different as well as priorities as to what is most important to them. But I am thinking for longer trips the 38RW is a more livable RV than the MB.
One last thought: I personally did not like the placement of the refrigerator in the 35MB, just behind the passenger seat. When you swivel the seat one is partially blocked off from the living room of the coach. Someone on facebook had mentioned she thought it was a safety hazard if there ever was an accident.
Don't know if the 35MB will be a big seller for Renegade, but it is no longer my first choice.