Frankly its unbelievable that NuCamp builds a quality camper but just doesn't make it work better...

Denny16

Yes, nüCamp was providing a thumb drive backup of the the printed manual,on 2018/2019 TaBs, we got one with our late 2018 TaB400, along with all,the manuals Marceline referred to. Which we keep in a large binder in the TaB400. 

Nice to have all the documents in one place.  We also have a digital copy of some of the paperwork, and downloaded the thumb drive to our cloud account, along with third party info/warranties.  When we needed some warranty work done, on third party parts (front window), nüCamp stepped in and got a replacement window for us from the supplier.  

Cheers 

Sharon_is_SAM

I’ll just chime in here to add that the current manual is a vast improvement to the manual during the Little Guy distribution.  Yes, there is always room for improvement.  Not sure if they are still distributing the thumb drive manual, but the current and last model manuals are available on their website.  AND we have lots of manuals here on the forum😁

Dutch061

I believe that part of the confusion (my word) about an owner's manual is the simple fact that NuCamp does use some things (IE Alde) that most people (including me) have never seen or used before. I believe this is further compounded by the number of people who have never owned a camper previously (welcome to the NuCamp family).

Although I agree with @Marceline regarding the duplication of information that you already have (plus the need to update that every time the supplier changes product or models), it would be nice if the "delivering dealer" understood things well enough to properly train the new owners. Not only would this make for a lot fewer "new owner operation issues", but it would also boost the overall satisfaction of those new owners

However, the reality is that is not the case in most situations. The dealership has many brands and models (typically) to choose from and the time and effort is always put towards the higher profit margin products. In addition, NuCamp may be a low sales volume for them and thy simply don't know that they don't know. Granted, this by no means removes their responsibility to the buyer.

My suggestion is for NuCamp to develop additional YouTube videos that are available for viewing. This would be quicker and easier to modify as things are changed.

Brad

Marceline

Dutch061 said:

Although I agree with @Marceline regarding the duplication of information that you already have (plus the need to update that every time the supplier changes product or models), it would be nice if the "delivering dealer" understood things well enough to properly train the new owners. Not only would this make for a lot fewer "new owner operation issues", but it would also boost the overall satisfaction of those new owners

I think that it's not unreasonable to expect a dealer to have a brand new trailer properly prepped and take a new owner on a walk-through. But I do think that some people have unreasonable expectations.  I don't go buy a shiny brand-new car and expect the dealer to teach me how to drive. "Properly train" is a big ask. What does that mean exactly? 

Denny16

I agree, a good walk through is just an overview of the trailer and can be overwhelming to a newbie.  I didn’t find the Alde difficult to lean how to use,  inch simpler than the current Nautilus setup.  The Alde does have a leaning curve, but it is just a modern version of an old radiator system, I grew up using as a youth.  Instead of heating water to make steam, it heats the glycol (like an automotive cooling system in reverse), to transfer heat to the radiators to heat the air around them.  Not exactly brain surgery, and the control panel is well laid out.  A quick read of the manual, will answer  ost questions.  

Cheers 

Slackers

We purchased our 320 from a premier NuCamp dealer and the walk-through was thorough.  As a newbie RV'er it was overwhelming but as I read the manuals and learned the systems I recalled parts of the demonstration and tips the dealer provided.  Yes, the Ah-ha moments.  There were a couple things the salesman got wrong and handed over a couple parts mfg's manuals that applied to the 320 S and not our CSS. All-in-all they did a great job.

Dutch061

@Marceline, I agree wholeheartedly, and I didn't do a very good job of defining "properly train". So, let me try to better define what I would view, and this would change depending on the new owners RV experience.

For those with previous experience, a coverage of the things that are different. Again, mainly the Alde but as @Denny16 said, it is not rocket science. An overview and then put the manual in the customers hands and page through it with them to show them where the information is located. Making sure to mention that it is advisable to turn the Alde off before connecting to or disconnecting from shore power. 

For the first timers, they should plan to get a better walk through, and then be handed the manuals. They shouldn't leave until they have at least looked at the manuals, again the Alde is the 1 item that is the biggest difference from other RV systems.


I guess if you add the Nautilus on the newer units, there are 2 things that are really different that both previous RV owners and first-time owners need to understand. 

If these items were covered, or if new owners were to get on this website and look at the manuals that are here, they would be at least prepared before they get to the dealership.

The dealer I purchased from, wanted to walk through everything, but I had owned several other RV's and 1 2017 320-S previous to our 400 BDL. So, I literally paid and hooked up and left after verifying that things worked (of course) 

And yes, sometimes expectations are way above what they should be. These are a very well designed and built (my opinion) RV, they are not a $2.5 Million dollar motorcoach. Again, at the risk of repetition, I have looked at several other brands in recent weeks. We will be in our 400 6 months plus this year and to be honest just a bit more room would be nice. With that said, I have only found 1 RV that checks most of my boxes with the exception of using a waterless "dry flush" toilet. They use a bag that is sealed each time it is flushed and only lasts about 15 flushes. It is a costly item to purchase, not only the replacement toilet liners but the entre RV itself. 

It is nearly impossible to find a 25-foot (or shorter) RV without slides, that is a 4-season unit, that doesn't have an absorption refrigerator. As mentioned, I have found only 1 so far. Forest River may have something, but they are again rated as the worst travel trailer for 2022. Winnebago even made the list this year at #5. 

Brad