What Factory Mods Would You Like on a T@b 400, (What I hate about my T@b)?

Tabulating

Hello,

For me and my wife, the size of our 2018 400 is perfect, no bigger, no smaller.  We would also not change anything with the layout of our camper.  We absolutely love our 400, for us the layout and overall space are perfect.

But there are some things we have changed in our 400 and other changes we would LOVE.  If we ever replace our camper it would be with a new 400, if some factory changes were made.

What would you add to the 400, if you couldn't change it's size or shape?

For me:

1.  I hate the shower curtain:  The 400 has the best shower in its class for sure.  It is also better than many showers I have seen in campers that are twice is big.  It is tall, wide, and has unlimited hot water.  It is our favorite feature of our camper.  Frankly, we both fit in it at the same time.  But, the shower curtain...  fiddly to unwrap; a pain to put away; if not carefully dried, it molds; and it sticks to any body part that brushes against it.  ICK!   

I pine for a shower with no or much less curtain:  I have seen multiple campers with no shower curtain in the wet bath.  The door has to have a gasket, multiple latches, and ideally a diverter to route the water into the pan and not out the door, or the inside of the door could be furred out.  Airstream in particular does this well.  I have read about the many ways people manage their shower curtains and we apply some of those, but it would be great if it wasn't required.  We would happily keep a small, short curtain to cover the nice birch cabinetry, but the rest needs to go.  Oh, and the TP holder is generally in the way and should be moved or deleted.  A simple fold-down stick on the birch cabinet would be out of the way unless a roll was hung upon it.

2.  I dislike the Jensen.   It is capable, but not really stereo except in the dinette.  Instead, I would have a soundbar for the TV and for the front area, I would just put a cubby on each side to hold a portable bluetooth speaker.  A sound bar instead of the single speaker in back would make the bed into a true home theater.  In the front, many portable speakers can now be paired for true stereo.  These would have the bonus feature of being able to be used outside.  Or there could be a four pack of capable Bluetooth speakers, two in front and two in back.  Either of these options would be a more modern approach to stereo sound.

3.  I wish NuCamp would install a keyless lock.  There are no aftermarket options for the 400 that I can find.  Once we are parked, I would like to not have to carry keys if we go for a walk around the park, swimming, or biking.  There are millions of keyless locks installed everyday.  I don't normally have to carry keys, unless I am camping.  

4.  Add heated floors:  We have hydronic heat and Alde makes parts for heated floors.  I would be willing to spare a bit of headroom to have warm floors throughout the camper.  Sooo nice!

5.  Option for a factory installed bike rack.  It really has to be in front.  Anything else would require structural changes to the frame.  I am loath to put holes in my C-channel frame to mount a rack.  A factory approved option would be sanctioned and easy.  Also, the rack could be right on the frame, IF the propane bottle was moved forward.  This would mean we would no longer have to clean and jerk our bikes onto the rack.

6. An option for a cold weather pack with heated tanks and plumbing.  In New England we really have to shut down for the season, but many can travel in and out of freezing temps for the weekend.  If I lived near the Rockies or Sierras, I would want this as an option

7.  Option for an electronic anti-sway box pre-installed.  I put one on ours.  We have never had any sway... could be the box or it could just be sound habits on loading and speed.  But, the anti-sway box is light and provides damping when it is needed most.  I know there are those that will desire mechanical damping, but pretty much every car, truck, and SUB has electronic stability control (these are essentially the same thing). It is well tested and widely implemented concept.

7 The reverse sliding drawer mod that so many have done should be standard.  What a cool selling feature for the salesperson.  It is the type of detail that lets people know you are thinking and it is really inexpensive to do.

8.  Better fans in both the bath and main area.  So many have done the upgrade; it really is the right answer for anyone who isn't hooked up all the time.

This is a long list, but we do love our 400.  If NuCamp were to make a curtain-free or curtain-minimal bath, we would trade-in to get just that feature.

What do you all think?

Bill  

xdr

What is #7 “reverse sliding drawer mod”? 

We definitely would love our Tab modified for 4 seasons. 

Xdr

p21usa

Great ideas...every one of them. But, my first thought is how many of the would add to overall weight...

Tampakayaker

p21usa said:

Great ideas...every one of them. But, my first thought is how many of the would add to overall weight...

And how much more $$$ to the cost?

WayneW

All great ideas, but I’m afraid of “upwards creep”, both in cost and weight. I think nucamp is in the upper range of a sweet spot with the 400. Still affordable and it can be towed with many mid-sized SUVs. One option would add just a few pounds and cost just a bit more. And another option would add just a few more lbs and .....   Lithium batteries would reduce weight but add $$. And so on. 
 Cargo capacity now is about 750 lbs but that would be reduced w options, so you might need a slightly larger axle, increasing gavw and tongue weight. So now you need a bigger tow vehicle ......

NorCalMike

I like the integrated bike rack idea and Lithium battery option.  I just ordered a 400 a couple weeks ago and here in California, they are already around $40K so like Wayne says, it all adds up...in dollars and pounds.

Denny16

I would add a small pressure tank on the TaB, like this mod:

The small black tank is a pressure reserve tank which reduces the times the pump,has to cycle to maintain pressure during a shower for example.  Saves battery, saves the pump and makes the water flow more consistent.  

The shower curtain can be divided into two halves, one small one for the door and the second to cover the cubby cabinets, which only needs to go down to the folded up sink, the lower part is water proof and drains into the shower pan.  The toilet area is easily wiped down, and the wood finish is fairly water resistant.  Reverse the fan to dry the area back down.

Upgrading the Fantastic fan to the higher end unit from the base unit, would not be that much difference in cost in a single trailer.  Even if it is $150-200 on a $40K trailer, it is a minimal difference, with maximum benefit of a much better user experience and ventilation system.  This change alone would even set thenTaB more apart from the middle-of-the road units that use the basic entry level appliances.
cheers

TomCanada

1) Option for second propane tank bracket
2) Better fans (I upgraded..)
3) Option to preinstall EMS, Victron BMV - no biggie and I'd probably install myself anyways if I was going to save a bit of $, but would be nice to have preinstalled too
4) Better seat cushions - omg those are cheapest foam in the universe.  High density foam costs $$ but your cushions will remain firm longer than the 5 hours it took for ours to soften (and I only weigh ~160 pounds).
5) lock on outside storage - used to be there on older models, not anymore..
6) warm white lights - not the cold blue that's everywhere.  And what's with the blue reading lights?  Blue is TERRIBLE for pre-sleep - it throws off your system - it's why phones have blue light filters now! (I know they can be flipped to yellow - but why even have the blue options?)
7) real hard cover for A/C vent
8) under-dinette and under-bed storage that can be accessed from a side hatch (without needing to lift cushions)
9) sewer hose storage - there used to be some on older models - not anymore.  I strapped a carrying tube to the tongue..

+1 for the pressure tank - that's a good idea @Denny16

Tabulating

I think many of my dreams would add little weight, except the bike rack.  Some of my thoughts would also be very cheap for the factory (the waterproof shower and drawer).  Others would add cost (the nice lock and warm floor).  Others would probably be equivalent in cost (swapping a soundbar for the Jensen).

We bought our 400, brand new in late '18.  We paid in the low $20's.  I think a few things could be added to justify a $40K price.

Denny16

You got a bargain Tabulating!  We paid $2100 for are previously owned late 2018 just before the Covid thing started last year.

Tom, on the TaB400, the under bed locker is accessible from the side door on pre 2020 models, and the pax side on later models.  I like the option of having a clean center under bunk locker (center part) that is accessible from inside.  Great place to store larger galley items and canned goods in a plastic lift out box.  I added the divider to our TaB400 to separate the outside locker (pax side of bunk) from the center part.  

Another option, would be to have a pull out drawer for part or all of the center under bunk locker.  Then you can access it quickly without lifting the bunk.  I am considering doing this, but need to relocate the inverter and bits to behind the center storage area, as is done on the newer units.
cheers

NorthIsUp

@Tabulating - I agree with 1, 2 and 3 and 8, for starters. For the record, you can get a nuCamp mod for your #6 request. Ask Austin about it. A friend is getting it done prior to uCamp21, so I'll get to see what it looks like. I'll wait a full season to see how they like it before I'll even consider it. 

ChanW

Ok, I'll bite too.

What is "the reverse sliding drawer mod that so many have done"?

I've searched to my best ability, and can't find a thing!

Tabulating

Search for "improved drawer storage".  There is a nice write-up with pictures.

Sharon_is_SAM

Utensil drawer storage mod here:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8297/improved-drawer-storage

ChanW

(ok thanks!) That's a great mod! 

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Utensil drawer storage mod here:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8297/improved-drawer-storage

JabGopher

Larger tanks!

TomCanada

Another option, would be to have a pull out drawer for part or all of the center under bunk locker.  Then you can access it quickly without lifting the bunk.  I am considering doing this, but need to relocate the inverter and bits to behind the center storage area, as is done on the newer units.

cheers

That's kind of what I had in mind - some sort of pull out drawer for the center compartment, or even just a little door so if I want to get a canned good or something I can just grab from there rather than lifting up the bed..

manyman297

This is more a cosmetic thing but I really wish they’d not use the basic black refrigerator doors. They make them in stainless steel or, better yet, they have the option to put your own cabinet door face on them so it blends in with the cabinets. Not sure this would work as it appears the fridge currently sticks out from the cabinet faces due to the depth of it. But if they could figure that out it would really elevate the look and feel. To me it’s jarring going from light birch wood to a shiny black fridge door.

Denny16

Another factory upgrade, would be the galley and washroom faucets, from the entry level Dometic plastic units used to the better quality Dometic metal ones, especially in the TaB400 galley.  That said, the ones nüCamp used are not cheap, and the aTaB400 tap is around $100-150, with the nicer metal upgrade costing $200+.  
cheers

atlasb

I added a vent in the door while I had it off to share some of the heat generated by the alde unit while I had the door off.

Tabulating

@atlasb is that container on runners?  I was looking at our and with the angle on the bathroom wall, I don't think I could use drawer runners.

Denny16

No TaBulating, you would only be able to add a short drawer, going about halfway back.  The area left behind the drawer would be a lift the bunk access area.  On the new TaB400s this space is shorter due to the battery and electrical compartment being in the rear area.

@atlasb, nice job with the door mod.  I like what you did.  You might want to add a small block support under the middle,of,the storage compartment floor, that is not longer supported by the previous front, now a door.

A sliding out bottom tray could be added to this mod to make easy access to,the tub or ?  This would only take a 1.5-inch from the bottom/height and would take less overall space than a drawer.
cheers

TNOutback

1.  Convert to cassette toilet.  That’s the biggest one for me.  Don’t want to be tied to a dump station.
2. Move the a/c duct under driver’s side bench seat to up high near smoke detector in the rear of the upper open compartment.
3.  Design the under bed space so that the Cool Cat fits there, freeing up the bench seat space for easier, larger storage.  The Elwell under the bed was the right idea, but didn’t work for the 400 very well.
4.  Put a “T@B” badge on the front of the camper.  Maybe then people will stop asking me, “what is that?”!
5.  Insulate the tanks and under floor piping. Install heat trace on the under floor pipes (I’ve done this myself).

B0atguy

Factory Mod ? 
Stretch it to make it a 500 , and position the bed so it is not "sideways" ! That we can move up from our 320 and still stay within the NuCamp family . 
That is all ......... easy peasy NuCamp ! 

Denny16

@TNOutback, no 2, move the AC duct..., you could do, without much issue.

As for your no. 3 Move the CoolCat AC nüCamp tried this, putting the Air8 under the bunk, and the available space under the bunk was just not big enough to get a large enough AC for the TaB400.  The CoolCat, is actually a window/wall mount type AC, and needs a back to front air circulation, which you can not do under the bunk.  Perhaps a new RV type AD will be developed to allow mounting under the bunk, and run of a DC Lithium system.  However, Nice idea. 

Tabulating

@B0atguy

You are part of large group looking for a bigger T@b and there are some great posts made in that regard.

I personally love the size of the 400 but would love it if NuCamp would make some upgrades.

atlasb

Tabulating, No runners, just 1x1 stock to prevent the container from migrating in transit. I left the upper bar between the sides with fasteners so that I can remove it to slide the big battery out!

Deb55

I would make the wastewater tanks bigger. I would have solar and lithium standard (solar wasn't standard on our 2018 T@B 400) and if possible, a walk around bed, although without adding a little more length, I'm not sure that could be done. Also, I'd make the dinette table with a hinged drop-down end so that it was a better couch without that little piece sticking out. 

Denny16

Deb55, the 2018 TaB400 had a factory option for solar, our 2018 TaB has the factory solar setup, works great.  Currently it is now part of the Boondock package for all TaBs, which are more likely to be used off grid.
cheers

Jay1415

We bought a 2018 with solar off the lot over a 2019 without. I pulled out the table this weekend planning to redo it. That thing feels like 40 lbs of MDF. (I understand they’ve changed the table, which was horribly heavy.) I agree about a spot for a bike rack. I’m gonna try mounting a Thule fork mount in front of the tub, no drilling. Some of the suggestions seem like they would raise the price. If we had to pay $40K for the 400 now, I really doubt we’d get one. Out of budget. One gripe is I’m too short (at 5’7”) to read the AC display. I wish that was a couple inches lower. I have to climb on the seat to read it. Love the 400 though.

Denny16

Jay, actually the table is two layers of 3/4-inch Baltic Birch plywood glued together, and it is heavy.  We ordered and got the new, much lighter 2021 TaB400 table from nüCamp (via our dealer) and the switch out was easy.  The new table,is slightly smaller, thinner and much, much lighter, like around 10 lbs or less.
cheers