My new RV, a "Vintage" by Gulfstream

vito

When I said farewell two weeks ago, and sold my T@b, some forum members asked that I let everyone know what I decided to do regarding an RV for the future. Well, I bought another travel trailer (pick it up as soon as I pick up my new tow vehicle) and it is a Vintage from Gulf Stream. Essentially it is the Vista by Gulfstream, but in a "vintage" package. We chose the Vintage because unlike the ugly brown, or other shades of brown interior of the Vista, the Vintage has a bright crimson and white interior. Here is a link to see the Vintage: http://gulfstreamrvtrailers.com/emerald_bay_sport/overview.php.

The build quality of my new trailer is not at the level of the T@b, that is clear. But it seems reasonably well made and is just enough bigger that it solves a lot of the issues that I had with the T@b. Its considered a 19 foot camper, and has a real queen size bed with side access on both sides, and a totally separate dinette. The shower is substantially larger than what the T@b has and it is a real dry bathroom, with toilet and sink separate from the shower. Storage space is not comparable to the T@b. There is so much storage space that I doubt that I will keep much of anything in my tow vehicle. The refrigerator is much larger, 6 cu. feet and there is a real, and separate freezer. But it is not a 3-way refrigerator like I had in the T@b, it only works on shore power or gas (I was told that because it is so much larger than the one in the T@b the draw on the battery system would be too great to use it on a battery setting while driving). The galley has a built in microwave, and we chose to pass on the optional oven (we will take our Breville toaster oven with us in the camper instead). The Vintage has a traditional furnace and hot water heater, which I doubt is anywhere as good as the Alde system is, but it should meet our needs. The main thing this new trailer gives us, which the T@b didn't is just more living space in a not much longer towable package. A small but nice feature is the stabilizer jacks which are much more accessible than those on the T@b. This camper weighs 3,325 pounds, so I no longer can use my Subaru Outback as a tow vehicle. We just signed for a new Dodge Durango, which has a 6,000 pound towing capacity, so I am sure I will not have any towing issues including going over the Rockies sometime soon. Ironically, this trailer was significantly lower in cost than the T@b, costing me $17,400 brand new. 

The T@b will always have a soft spot in my heart, and I am grateful for the experiences we had with it as we began our RV lifestyle adventure. I am hoping that this new Vintage really gives us the space and amenities to let us truly enjoy RV'ing well into the future.

Send me a personal message if you have any questions about my new RV that I might be able to answer for you, understanding that I have yet to spend a single night in this camper yet. 

Cyclonic

Congratulations.  I am happy that you found something that will work well for you.

DurangoTaB

It'll be interesting to hear your towing experience "in the Rockies"...we have a Tacoma Off-Road TRD 4.0L V6, with the tow package...rated to tow 6500lbs.  Towing on the flats is a piece of cake, but going over 10,000ft passes I REALLY slow down, often to 2nd gear (of a 6sp manual).