Dreaming of new models

Skadi · October 2020

@DougH I think Danny already mentioned it, but the new Basecamp 20 might work for you. I’m just not sold on substituting cargo nets for real upper cabinets, and since we aren’t interested in toy haulers, it’s not worth the price for us.

Right now, our top two contenders are the Intech Sol Horizon (praise Sol!) and Tab 400.

Denny16 · October 2020

The Sol Horizon is nice, but has forced air heating. The TaB400:won for use because of the Alde heating system, giving radiant head and very quick hot water, all in one unit.
cheers

Skadi · October 2020

@Denny16 We’re wrestling with this feature, too. On the Tab, I really love:

- the heating system
- the hanging closet
- the storage in the bathroom
- the port hole windows
- the exterior aesthetic

But I think the Sol has the upper hand when it comes to:

- a bigger dinette bed with no weird table lip
- a drawer under the queen bed (I hate having to lift the mattress in the 400, which will have a topper)
- built-in outside grill pullout
- MaxxAir fan that comes standard
- deeper sink with a great faucet
- water tank is under the bed so it doesn’t freeze, and the combined gray/black is heated

I don’t know. I’ll have to give it some more thought.

Denny16 · October 2020

Yes the Sol has some nice features... but the build quality is not as great in finish details.

The TaB bunk lift up bit has a lift shock on it, so easy to open, even with a topper, but is an added step. The pull out drawer looses some storage space.
The 2021 Tab dinette has a new table that is a little shorter and much lighter than the original. The small bit that sticks out (about 4-inches) does not get in the way of using the bunk.
The Sol Horizon floor layout is about 2-feet is longer than the TaB, so has more interior room. The overall length difference is only 1-foot, but the TaB floor sets back about a foot from its mid point box length at the front and rear, where the Sol Horizon slants back at the rear. This shows what nüCamp could do with a 2 or 4-foot longer TaB 500 series...

Sol Horizon floor layout, which is the same length as overall 19-foot length overall compared to the TaB400 18-foot overall length.

cheers

Verna · October 2020

@Denny16, the T@B 400 Solo has the same footprint and same interior space as the other two variations of the 400. The exterior size of the 400 has not changed since its first 2018 model.

Sharon_is_SAM · October 2020

@Denny16 - The TaB Solo is the same dimensions as the queen bed version.

Denny16 · October 2020

Verna, yes the TaB Solo and Standard Tab are the same size, built in the same floor/frame and body unit. I was referring to the Sol Horizon, but my iPad typed Solo when I had inout Sol. Thanks for pointing out my typo, fixed my post.

Sharon, the Rear Bunk std. TaB has a 55x79 inch bunk, the Solo expands from its sort of twin size to 57x79, so is actually 2-inches wider, see the chart you posted, which is nice, thanks.
cheers

Sharon_is_SAM · October 2020

I was noting the trailer dimensions😁

ADRawli · October 2020

Skadi said:

....our top two contenders are the Intech Sol Horizon (praise Sol!) and Tab 400.

I see what you did there... another ‘Raised by Wolves’ fan? Wasn’t that a strange ending to the season though? I was so intrigued after the first couple episodes and it got weirder and weirder each week. But I’ll be there next season for sure!
Oops... so sorry to stray from OPs topic. Back to dreaming about new RVs...

DougH · October 2020

@Denny16 On a related note to the theme of this thread, I was calculating invoice prices on various Gladiator option combinations when GMC premiered the new Hummer EV YouTube video tonight.

Infinity roof similar to the Freedom Top. Only 350 mile range, but an insane amount of horsepower, 0-60mph in 3.0s for what is likely a pretty heavy truck. Fantastic off road performance.

I think I heard them say 11,000ftlbs of torque, so you could rip the coupler right off a T@B from a standing start... so there's a problem right there.

They're calling for preorders now like the Rivian truck, and with federal and state clean energy incentives the out the door price should be $15k. Or more likely $150k.

But by the time the Gladiators get long in the tooth, there should some great green options out there...

Denny16 · October 2020

Doug, that is insane amount of torque! Think imwill stick with my Jeep Truck, until an EV or HyBird version comes out for it.

Denny16 · October 2020

Sharon_is_SAM said:

I was noting the trailer dimensions😁

OK, thanks for the update, I thought you were referring to the bed size

cheers

Skadi · October 2020

ADRawli said:

Skadi said:

....our top two contenders are the Intech Sol Horizon (praise Sol!) and Tab 400.

I see what you did there... another ‘Raised by Wolves’ fan? Wasn’t that a strange ending to the season though? I was so intrigued after the first couple episodes and it got weirder and weirder each week. But I’ll be there next season for sure!
Oops... so sorry to stray from OPs topic. Back to dreaming about new RVs...

Haha, I’m glad to find another fan! I feel the same way...but I have a tendency to want shows to stick to the original premise. Like I would have been happy if Game of Thrones had continued to be about rival houses instead of dragons and zombies. I know that the Wolves twist was planned—they say they’ve planned out the plot for six seasons, I think?—but I still would have preferred it be about atheists and Mithraists trying to coexist on the planet rather than it be about the Voices and the newly introduced, uh, character in the last episode. Oh well, it’s sci-fi, so I guess I should just go with it!

DougH · October 2020

I'm still holding out for a nücamp 540 with an oversized hatch, but for $45k this one looks interesting too. The rear bunk room could act like a hatch, but there's not a garage to store 3 wheel recumbents, kayaks or that sized stuff inside. Still... pretty bamboo furnishings.

https://www.opuscamper.us/op15/

Right size, but no hatch...

https://www.blackseriescamper.com/travel-trailers/hq17.html

And finally a bit too small...

https://www.overlandtrailer.com/re-defining-the-tiny-trailer/

Skadi · October 2020

@Denny16 This is a little off topic, but have you written a post about why you chose the Jeep Gladiator as your TV? If not, could you share some of your reasoning? It looks neat, but I wonder if it’s practical for us when we aren’t the type of people to turn it into a convertible or go off roading.

Denny16 · October 2020

OK, I will give that a shot, but the quick version is I wanted a Jeep that could two the TaB400, and the Gladiator was my first choice over say the Grand Cherokee...
cheers

DougH · October 2020

... moved discussion to the Gladiator thread...

Denny16 · October 2020

Doug, first off, the Gladiator has not been out long enough (1-year) to access its reliability. Overall, any truck is going to be overall, good performance, compared to a non truck vehicle, including reliability. Jeeps are just as reliable as most vehicles, I have a 70 + year old 1948 jeep itting in my yard, that still saw active use 50 years after being built.

For more details, see my new post:
cheers

DougH · October 2020

... moved discussion to the Gladiator thread...

Denny16 · October 2020

Doug, a Ram or Chevy 1500 is a bigger truck, and both come in luxury fully kitted out version, at the cost of reduced payloads, and is an apples to oranges comparison. The bigger the vehicle, the better overall is the ride. If comfort and luxury appointments are your requirement, than a Jeep Grand Wagoner is your best bet.

The Gladiator, as is the Colorado and Ranger, are mid size trucks, and until recently, the Gladiator had the best towing capacity with its max tow package, a 7650/760 lbs, the Colorado is 7000/700 and the Ranger claims 7500/700, but I doubt it really handles that very well, being the smaller of the three.

So, in class, all else is fairly the same, with the Jeep,having the better off road capability also, but the independent suspension on the other two will give a better highway way driving experience. But, then, I do not do that much highway driving any more, mostly back roads, and country mountain “highways” which are really two lane, paved stagecoach roads, or paved over railway right a ways, that used to abound around here.
cheers

DougH · November 2020

Sigh... I just don't get it. Was just looking at a video of the new Winnebago Ekko class B+/C. Tanks all internally protected, 455W solar, huge rear garage, thicker better insulated panels, heated and insulated garage, small generator included, 12V compressor fridge, only 22' long, nice standard dual 20lb propane solution for this class finally, AWD chassis, up to 600Ah of lithium. Wow, this is a boondocking machine! Innovative dual area wet bath with a rotating wall. Hmmmm... maybe I could skip my planned 2021 Jeep Gladiator and 2023 NüCamp 540 purchases, and just get this, if priced at around $75k. Oh wait...

5 gallon cassette toilet. Huh? When you're parked for two weeks on BLM land, and the closest vault toilet is 100 miles away, what exactly are you supposed to do with that? Does it come with a shovel so you can dig a proper latrine if that's even environmentally safe or permitted?

Just as well, since MSRP is $166k, like all these factory van builds.

I'm not a cassette toilet fan in the first place, but I understand the use case for weekend campers, full timers who are frequently on the move, etc. But it sure seems out of place on this model.

MelanieAllred · November 2020

Guys, Is there a single Discussion on "the perfect 2022 T@B 540 the forum is designing" ...or... are there tidbits here and there across Discussions? Why is it so fun to daydream about campers and trailers ;-)

DougH · December 2020

@MelanieAllred

Both tidbits and this main thread... and I don't know if it's fun or frustration. There's a wide diversity of needs, and no standardized model meets everyone's expectations. And as long as we're all forced to have Dometic, Furion, etc. components that fail fairly often, there's always room for disappointment in any RV. But maybe the next gen NüCamp will have many more ala carte pathways... where instead of only adding options at the factory, NuCamp will have more upgrade modules and packages you can ask your local dealer to order and add on.

---

Alert! Just listened to the latest Princess Craft (RV Small Talk) podcast. A customer (who traded in a Nest to get a T@B 400) and PJ were both talking about the new NüCamp 500 that is coming out any day now. The pressure on the design / sales team continues to escalate.

They mentioned it should be at least a couple feet longer than the 400, and should have a non-crawl-over bed. I'll add that it should have dual articulating axles, heated tanks and valves, better insulation / thicker walls, audiophile speakers and receiver, 12V compressor fridge, 3-4 heated Battleborn batteries, >600W of solar, 2200-3000W sine wave inverter, cell antenna booster on extending mast, 35/55/40g tanks, dry weight 4000-4500lbs, and a tray in the back that's part of the frame that holds a 500lb motorcycle or several e-bikes (with a side ramp). Under $50k with 3-4 year bumper to bumper warranty.

JabGopher · December 2020

DougH said:

5 gallon cassette toilet. Huh? When you're parked for two weeks on BLM land, and the closest vault toilet is 100 miles away, what exactly are you supposed to do with that? Does it come with a shovel so you can dig a proper latrine if that's even environmentally safe or permitted?

Just as well, since MSRP is $166k, like all these factory van builds.

I'm not a cassette toilet fan in the first place, but I understand the use case for weekend campers, full timers who are frequently on the move, etc. But it sure seems out of place on this model.

Their website now shows a "24C" floorplan that has a slide, decreases the gray tank capacity in exchange for a traditional black tank.

DougH · December 2020

So all the 4000-5500lb dry weight toy haulers I've been looking at have a bed in the back by the ramp / porch. They are typically mounted on four vertical rails to raise and lower the bed. You can stow the bed at the top up against the ceiling if you have a motorcycle or snowmobile parked in the garage area. But you can lower it down with the motors / cables to a couple feet off the ground when more sleeping space is required. Usually the bed is a 350-500lb capacity system, so two big adults.

That got me to thinking. Since these things also have walk on roofs, I could make a 2-3' diameter hole in the roof, then mount the telescope on a hinge to the bed frame (without mattress). Every good seeing night just remove the sealing disc from the roof, erect the scope and latch it in place, then lift it into the skies. A bit extra elevation for near-horizon comets, and no worries of fire ant or vicious armadillo attacks during long astrophotography sessions. I need to patent this idear quick before the vast marketplace of up to a dozen campers who also enjoy astronomy gets captured by another entrepreneur!

VictoriaP · December 2020

DougH said:

Sigh... I just don't get it. Was just looking at a video of the new Winnebago Ekko class B+/C. Tanks all internally protected, 455W solar, huge rear garage, thicker better insulated panels, heated and insulated garage, small generator included, 12V compressor fridge, only 22' long, nice standard dual 20lb propane solution for this class finally, AWD chassis, up to 600Ah of lithium. Wow, this is a boondocking machine! Innovative dual area wet bath with a rotating wall. Hmmmm... maybe I could skip my planned 2021 Jeep Gladiator and 2023 NüCamp 540 purchases, and just get this, if priced at around $75k. Oh wait...

5 gallon cassette toilet. Huh? When you're parked for two weeks on BLM land, and the closest vault toilet is 100 miles away, what exactly are you supposed to do with that? Does it come with a shovel so you can dig a proper latrine if that's even environmentally safe or permitted?

Just as well, since MSRP is $166k, like all these factory van builds.

I'm not a cassette toilet fan in the first place, but I understand the use case for weekend campers, full timers who are frequently on the move, etc. But it sure seems out of place on this model.

Might be a good candidate for installing a composting toilet. Or one of those incinerating ones we discussed on another thread?

DougH · December 2020

@VictoriaP Well the web says a breatharian lifestyle is yet another option... and if it's on the web it must be trustable.

VictoriaP · December 2020

As someone who “eats to live” rather than “lives to eat”, I’m all over this idea! I’ve often regretted not being able to simply power myself off a USB. Living on just air would be even better. 😂

Alas, I am not so enlightened as all that. Bummer.

RCB · December 2020

Twin beds, twin beds, twin beds .....

DougH · March 2021

I don't like the sticks & tin exterior of this model instead of Azdel or fiberglass, but what a great new concept for folks like me who want to bring a single lightweight motorcycle along...

https://www.uwharrierv.com/New-Inventory-2021-Chinook-RV-Trailer-DH175-Dream-Hauler-uwharrierv-10250353

A half ramp in back leading to a small enclosed garage with a flip up bunk if no motorbike is loaded at the time. Sliding interior door leads into that garage as well, though again, this is a very low cost toy hauler which is reflected in some of the pictures. But the half enclosed garage is the innovative part.

So now we just need nüCamp to have that as an option on the 2023 T@B 500.

The enclosed garage (less fumes) is to the left of the jack-knife sofa. There's even a window with which to check on the bike without opening the presumably somewhat sealed door.

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