How’s sleeping over the AC - 2020 T@B 400?

rbtx

New to the Community - no T@B yet, but we’ve been focusing on the 400.  We like some of the changes to the 2020’s, in lieu of buying a remaining 2019 which are also quite nice, and we’ve read about moving the AC to below the bed and the cooling issues with the location of the vents.  But we were curious how owners of the 2020 400 find the experience of sleeping over the AC - is it noisy, do you get a free massage, etc.  Thanks for any insight.

By the way, I had a very brief walkthrough of the new nuCamp Avia today.  Wow!  Different animal from the T@B, but quite impressive on the surface. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@rbtx, can’t comment on the AC, but where did you see the Avia?

rbtx

At Princess Craft RV in Round Rock, TX just north of Austin.  

PamandJohnUpNorth2

@Sharon_is_SAM Here are locations with the Avia (per NuCamp's web site)

Sharon_is_SAM

I see they added it to the website.  I heard at uCamp that they had almost 70 orders from dealers.  Off to a good start!

Cbusguy

While not a 400,  we have a 2020 320 and it doesn't vibrate excessively.   We have a 3 inch memory foam on top of the stock factory cushions.  It is loud with the air being pushed through the duct work and such.   Not sure if it is louder than the previous ac or not.  

Does it keep me up or wake me in the middle of the night,   Initially it did but after a couple of trips I am used to it.

Caschetta

Hi rbtx,

We have a 2020 400 Boondock Lite purchased in June. We took a trip from CA-AZ-UT-ID-MT-Alberta. Temps from CA-UT were between 105-95 for about a week and keeping in mind we have had to deal with the (now) known A/C issues concerning venting/inability to cool in the 2020 model. We're actually picking it up from the dealer today after "repairs." Hopefully the cooling issues are resolved. So, it should be known I am commenting on your question having experience with a faulty A/C system.

Volume: When the A/C was running at night, it is noisy. We like a fan noise as white noise anyway for sleeping, even at home. The TAB unit was louder than we're used to but we'll get used to it. The loud-ish A/C was exacerbated by the fact that since it was not functioning properly, it cycled on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off all night when on auto mode. THAT was annoying because it still didn't cool the trailer. When we just left the A/C on, it was at least consistently loud-ish, but still didn't cool the trailer down much and sometimes just crapped out and stopped altogether. As far as vibrating, not too bad for us. As Cbusguy said, initially it's pretty loud but we also got used to it.

What we haven't gotten used to (yet) is paying over 30,000 for a luxury teardrop with an untested A/C unit or at least an untested venting design that turned out to render the A/C useless in temperatures over 85. I would suggest having your dealer turn the A/C on and experience the volume for yourself and make sure it has the factory fix already in place. 

Don't get me wrong, we love the trailer. We don't love taking one trip and having it back in the shop. I'd hate to think NuCamp, with all it's accolades and good reviews (and we did months of research before we went with the Tab 400), skipped design testing just to get this out and start making a profit and now we're making payments on a trailer that has been in the shop for 3 weeks after having for 3 weeks only. Now it's a matter of learning if the factory fix (posted at the top of this forum) is sufficient.

I'm not trying to steer you away from a TAB. Like I said, it's one of the coolest trailers out there. Just make sure the A/C works first, THEN determine if the under-bed unit works for you. We are okay with it, as long as it does it's job and cools the trailer!

We're going for our second trip next week, in the SW heat. We'll see.

rbtx

Thanks for the detailed response.  I imagine the noise will take some time to adjust to. Your advice to give a listen at the dealer makes good sense.  I’m sorry you had to experience the cooling issue.  We spent many, many months looking at different brands in person and reviewing feedback online.  Without a doubt there is a lot of poor RV products out there.  I have been amazed at the workmanship issues a person readily sees with many units as they sit on the lot - I’d be embarrassed as a dealer not to fix the obvious for walkthroughs and the salespeople act so indifferent about it.  The nuCamp products definitely seem to be a huge step above most. You can readily see the quality. That part has been very refreshing. But I will admit, the wind was taken out of my sails a bit when hearing of the questions associated with the new AC design and placement in the 400. How something that significant with a major component gets overlooked is bothersome, especially when they seemed to have great attention to design details in the past and were building on a much more solid reputation than most companies.  Being in Texas and with most of our planned travels in Southern climates, the AC plays a huge part in our future happiness with our purchase.  We’re quite tolerant of heat and keep temps at home higher than most, but there’s a threshold easily reached if cooling isn’t happening. As you said, $30,000 is a lot to pay to have that experience on a new 400.  Hopefully the fix works.  If you get the opportunity for an update afterwards, we’d appreciate it.

BigShowSkipper

The AC noise in my 2020 400 is less than my previous T@G. No rumblings or shaking felt in my bed. My dealer put a diverter over the exhaust vent and it ran for 48 hours without incident. My 10 hour test was listed on another thread.   The venting is nice in the bed area. The previous Cool Cat versions would stay hot in bed area. Keep in mind I live in Az and experience temps above 110. 

In short. We love ours and the AC provides white noise the same as a fan would. 

rbtx

Great feedback!  Thanks.  You’ve tested in the kind of heat I needed to hear about.  We would definitely expect to see days over 100 when we’d be using the T@B.  We’ve been hitting 105 a few days here in Austin this week.  

Caschetta

Well, we picked up our TAB from the dealer yesterday and the fix wasn't complete. Warranty parts from Nucamp apparently took over two weeks to arrive at our dealer. Who knows who's dropping the ball on this. It starts at the top as far as I'm concerned. 2.5 weeks our TAB sat at the dealer and still no fix. We took our TAB anyway because we have a week vacation planned. It will go back to the dealer after our next trip. A real pain in the.... Anybody considering a 2020 400, make sure the one youre purchasing has the AC issue taken care of BEFORE it leaves Nucamp

Cbusguy

The fix must be different than the one in the service bulletin.    I would think most dealer should have that stuff on the shelf.   Caulk hardware cloth and some metallic duct tape to finish the edges. 

I am a bit perplexed.

N7SHG_Ham

Just to put things in perspective, if you cruise around on other fourms, NuCamp is in the top tier even with a few hiccups, I have read stories of months for major major issues (edit to add) with all other brands.

Sharon_is_SAM

I am suspect.  Most members commend nuCamp for their speedy delivery.  

N7SHG_Ham

@Sharon_is_SAM I clarified what i meant. I still think NuCamp is way better than most! Every brand will have some things not perfect, it is how they respond that separates them from others

Sharon_is_SAM

I mean, I can’t imagine them taking that long to send parts.  I wonder when the parts were actually ordered.  Not to mention that it looks like a speedy fix for a dealer.  Hmmmm.

TNOutback

I got the opportunity to experience the air conditioner today in our new T@B 400 that we did not bring home from the dealer (see separate topic “Rejected Delivery”).  The A/C was pretty loud, but I’m not sure it was any different from every other roof mounted A/C I’ve ever heard.  I never heard the Coolcat A/C in the earlier models so I can’t compare.  It seemed most of the sound was coming out of the vent below the bed, closest to the unit.  I did notice though, upon opening the compartment under the bed, the ductwork was laden with condensation.  It was extremely hot and humid outside, so it didn’t really surprise me to see that, but makes me wonder if insulated duct should be used?

rbtx

Thanks for the info.  That’s a good comparison to make with the noise of roof mounted type units - it is something I was curious about.  Really sorry to read about the issues with your new 400 ‘rejected delivery’ under that topic.  Those types of things drive me crazy.  I would expect nuCamp to find these issues before releasing units to dealers and then I would hope dealers would carefully look over trailers upon receipt before the customer arrives to find the items first. Maybe they’ve been spoiled by nuCamp in the past and just expect things will be right without checking. Or maybe that’s just not how they do things. To be sure, nuCamp has definitely had great build quality in the past based on things read in these forums and the look and feel one gets just seeing them in person.  But lately the high level of quality seems to be drifting off target and I’m starting to read about quality issues that sound way too familiar with other brands - not as many issues, yet, but they’re starting to add up. <sigh>

TNOutback

I will say that I liked the old rooftop Coleman air conditioner in our old travel trailer.  While it was loud, it was a nice white noise to block out outside noises, kids snickering in bed on the other end, my snoring . . . .

DanManz

I will only add that our 2019 which we picked up in April has been almost unexpectedly flawless. The only issue we've had was one screw that pulled out of a window frame and required a 2 min fix at home.  The AC cools nicely although in VT, I haven't had it on with the temps above about 85.  The noise isn't too bad and certainly not any worse in bed.  After reading all the hoopla about the 2020 AC changes, if I was buying one today, I would be looking for a leftover 2019 model.  So far mostly short trips for us but we've been out six times and spent 25 nights in Pe@rl.  We absolutely love it.

PJ123

 Hafter agree with DanManz on this one.  Our 2019 400 Boondock Lite Coolcat is at the other  end of the trailer from the bed and the noise seems no louder than a regular window unit.  We're having no problems keeping the bed area cool however.

  I don't believe that I'd pull the trigger on a 2020 400 until NuCamp gets a handle on the cooler in the newer ones.  It's a pity tho.  Till now if you mentioned NuCamp folks just knew you were talking quality.  All it will take is a few shortcuts by NuCamp on quality and their market base is gone, gone.

  So far (knocking on wood here) at almost a year we've been lucky glitch wise. 

   See you guys around the campfire..           Pete

k4man

So, we have an interesting story. Last month, we purchased a 2020 T@b 400 BDL. After registering the trailer with NuCamp, I immediately received a Warranty Issue Bulletin for the A/C venting. I called our dealer right away. Long story short, after actually speaking with a Customer Service guy at NuCamp and looking at the last 6 digits of our VIN (000026), we figured out that the initial run of the 2020 T@b 400 BDLs (he guesstimated 30-40 trailers) had SOME of the new modifications, but NOT the Air8 A/C under the bed, or the new square (and better draining) bathroom sink. Soooo, whilst we have a 2020 model, we didn't get the Air8 under-the-bed A/C; we have the 2019 Cool-Cat, under-the-driver-side A/C. 

We also have the significantly higher tongue weight of the 2019...

N7SHG_Ham

@k4man I have read conflicting info on the 2019 vs 2020 tongue weights. Paul the Air Force Guy did a video where he had something like 460 pounds on a 2020, that doesn't seem significantly different than the 2019? Either way is going to require something with a minimum hitch weight rating of 500+ pounds. Dometic published a weight on the Cool Cat of around 70 pounds, you do move whatever the weight was of the AC to behind the axle, but then add in the storage under the driver side bench and the platform up front would seem to totally offset any savings in hitch weight. I think NuCamp just shuffled stuff around to have a theoretically lighter tongue weight to publish when camper is empty, BUT in practice going to be just as heavy or more so depending on how much stuff is on the platform.

I am not buying the you can tow a 2020 with a lesser tow vehicle than the 2019 and previous years on the 400.

jameskuzman

Our new 2019 400 was ordered at the end of May so I’m guessing it was built in June or July of this year, and as expected, it has the Cool Cat and the round (old style) bathroom sink. 

That said, it seems to have a lot of the upgrades and additions from the 2020 model year (assuming I have an accurate list of the changes anyway), including the blue light over the step, the amber door lights (instead of the white), the new style door keys, the kitchen sink drain without the P-trap, and the Alde 3020 with the extra tank. If my understanding that any of those were standard on all 2019 400’s, I apologize. 

Anyway, my point was that if you are wanting the Cool Cat over the Air8, there may be some 2019’s still out there that may offer some of the other goodies of the 2019 *and* the Cool Cat. 

Verna

jameskuzman said:

That said, it seems to have a lot of the upgrades and additions from the 2020 model year (assuming I have an accurate list of the changes anyway), including the blue light over the step, the amber door lights (instead of the white), the new style door keys, the kitchen sink drain without the P-trap, and the Alde 3020 with the extra tank. If my understanding that any of those were standard on all 2019 400’s, I apologize. 

@jameskuzman, all of these items are on my
2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite manufactured in May/June of 2018, except the new style of p-trap (but @Dalehelman was gracious enough to install one for me at üCamp18 last year). 

jameskuzman

@Verna - I think we scored the best of all worlds! 

Verna

@jameskuzman, I love mine!

N7SHG_Ham

I agree that the later 2019's might have been the best yet on the 400's. I have everything I want except maybe the square sink and the platform on my 2019 BD, and best part is I could swap those pretty easy, hard to swap the new AC out without major re-work. There must be some reason NuCamp went to the Air8, since it is now across the line the factory AC, but don't know if that has been disclosed. I am happy withe the Cool Cat and it has one feature the Air8 doesn't, namely the heat pump function which I do use from time to time.

Not purchasing a new old stock 2019 because of supposed heavy tongue weight vs the 2020 would be a easy decision for me, get the 2019.

k4man

N7SHG_Ham said:

@k4man I have read conflicting info on the 2019 vs 2020 tongue weights. Paul the Air Force Guy did a video where he had something like 460 pounds on a 2020, that doesn't seem significantly different than the 2019? Either way is going to require something with a minimum hitch weight rating of 500+ pounds. Dometic published a weight on the Cool Cat of around 70 pounds, you do move whatever the weight was of the AC to behind the axle, but then add in the storage under the driver side bench and the platform up front would seem to totally offset any savings in hitch weight. I think NuCamp just shuffled stuff around to have a theoretically lighter tongue weight to publish when camper is empty, BUT in practice going to be just as heavy or more so depending on how much stuff is on the platform.

I am not buying the you can tow a 2020 with a lesser tow vehicle than the 2019 and previous years on the 400.

I'm pretty sure Paul mis-weighed the trailer because he did it under the jack and not the tongue. I couldn't agree with you more about having >5,000lb towing capacity. I can tell you that in the last week, I have gone thru the entire exercise of weighing my TV and T@b mostly empty, and then did the whole thing again today fully loaded. Tongue weight on a mostly empty trailer was 400#. Tongue weight today with a full fresh H2O and 80% propane, (otherwise we don't schlep a lot of stuff and it's just myself and my child this trip-no mountain bikes, fairly minimalist) was 500#! And this was full fresh water tank, which is supposed to counterbalance some of the tongue weight. I honestly don't know how some people tow these things with smaller cars. Seems a crash waiting to happen. 

rbtx

Revisited the 2019 and 2020 400 models.  I’m inclined to go with a 2019 at this point but still not fully committed - I’m not crazy about sleeping on top of the AC with the 2020 plus the other issues associated with that location that may have since been resolved.  Tongue weight isn’t an issue for us.  Briefly spoke with a salesperson about the new location of the 2020 AC and he personally doesn’t like it because of the noise right underneath you, but he also pointed out you’re only a short distance away for the 2019 location, but it is enough of a difference to him.  We’re not in a hurry to purchase, so I’m reading these forums daily to gather all I can for processing into a decision.  What a great group of people!  

TNOutback

I personally really like the storage that has opened up in the compartment by moving the a/c to the back.  To me, that under bench storage up front is much easier to access, is taller, and has the potential to hold more of your gear.  Like you, tongue weight isn’t an issue for us, but I know it is for some folks and therefore front storage in the 2020 isn’t as useful to them.  The move, plus the new sink in the bathroom tilted us toward a 2020 model.