We seldom spend more that two weeks at a time in our coach. 36' with no slide works well for our purposes. The time I would like to have a slide is when the grandchildren spend the night in the coach. Finding room to stash our two heavy dining chairs and deploy two Aero beds is challenging. We hope to travel a bit with both grandchildren, but logistics will be challenging compared to traveling with just two of us (plus a 65# dog). A slide in the "living room" might provide a bit more space.
We have a 36" canvas crate in place of the big recliner. The crate is the dog's territory.
I have no experience with FT slides, so I cannot speak to them. I will say I have seen a lot of angry people trying to get a slide to work shortly before checkout time.
I tend to be happy with whatever I have. Our no-slide FT has been a delight.
Matt B
My experience with slides and Foretravel are this . No problems of any kind . I have heard of people and problems of all sorts with slides , not one myself . Have a friend with a [new ] Newmar 45 ft ,4 slides and he has loads of " can't get it out and the thing won't come in "etc . My last three Foretravels have slides . Things change with wear etc. Brad Metzger
Ah ha! Why we moved up to a slide. About the chairs. We bough two Sampsonite folding bridge chairs and stow them in the forward (my) end of the closet secured to the bulkhead with heavy duty Velcro.
This is a never-ending topic. Jo Ann and I have discussed it at length. Of our top three brands (Airstream, Foretravel, Wanderlodge) few, if any, in our price range will have slides. If we move to the second tier (DRV, Newmar, Tiffin) we are more likely to find one slide. One of the reasons I wanted to visit PPL this summer was to look more carefully at the slides in those brands. However, it was just too hot for this old man. We generally have a half-day teacher workshop not very far from the Camping World, so maybe after the workshop is out I can go over there and see what I can see.
At this point, though, a Foretravel is our first choice, and that means no slide.
We just finished travelling with two grandsons for a week. One on the sofa and the other on the floor next to the sofa. They alternated sleeping locations every day.
Not a really big problem, but not our normal routine, of course.
Grandsons alternated riding shotgun while we traveled (with shoulder & lap belts on what must not be the original passenger seat).
Kathleen and the other grandson rode on the sofa with the stock lap belts (as did the driver).
We traveled Upper Michigan:
Great Lake Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point
Tahquamenon Falls State Park (Upper and Lower Falls)
Ferry out of Sault Saint Marie thru the Locks to Canadian waters and back
For the above 3 trips we stayed at Bay Mills Casino
Ferry out of St Ignace to Mackinac Island
For the above trip we stayed at Kewadin Shores RV Park/Casino just North of St Ignace, MI $10/night for 50 amp plus water
Fayette Historic State Park
We had a grand time. Fayette is not to be missed. Our third trip there. And we'll go again.
We got our 40 footer into a site in Fayette State Park but it wasn't easy. They call a few sites pull-thru but they don't understand Foretravel needs. Simply unhook your tow before going to your site.
best, paul
I'll always go with a slide. Our first moho we had for 10 years had one LR slide, large windows in the bedroom and was 32'. Our FT is basically the same layout but 36' with a walk through bathroom. Did not want a bedroom slide because we would have to give up a large window. The large windows in the FT was just one of the many things we like about them. Never had a problem with a slide to date with the FT or the SOB. Some like more (slides) some less. There is something for everyone.
Our first 2 Foretravels ('93 U225 & '95 U320) did not have slides ... and we did not think we wanted one. It seemed like just one more thing that could be a problem. What I DID want, however, were a tile floor, ducted AC and a screen door (the '95 does not have one). The cost of adding those things to the '95 got us looking at a different unit. This '02 U320 had all the items on my wish list PLUS a slide in the living room AND an Aquahot ... one other thing we were on the fence about after having the problem free propane heat & hot water in our other coaches. But, we went for all the fancy stuff and after a year we LOVE the slide and can't imagine being without it. We live in our coach full time, and it turns the coach into our home. The Aquahot requires that you pay attention, as does the slide, but that is not a burden. We are happy with both.
We've seen the cost to maintain the slide and the AquaHot. They are not for us. Simplicity is the foundation of our budget and life style. We have plenty of room without a slide, even with Trip our Traveling Puppy with us.
But, everyone needs to do what fits their desires. That's why there are so many models and brands to choose from.
Having had an SOB with 4 slides and now a GV with no slides i was surprised that not having slides does not bother us. The only time it has been an issue is when I zig and one of our Border Collies zag and that is mostly because I am clumsy. :o
We had an issue on a departure from TX to AZ with the SOB. We were bringing in the largest slide and it sheared a bolt. That caused a 3 hour delay. It would have been a day delay if Jerry wasn't savvy with nuts & bolts and a shipyard with heavy parts nearby.
I am not saying we will never purchase a FT with a slide but we are happy as can be without them.
We are very interested in this post....
The DW is quite adamant that a slide would not be as conducive for traveling given the 'squashed' look and feel of the living quarters when the slide is in (as well as the small lip on the older units). As traveling will be our priority for the first few years, we are leaning towards non slide units. Perhaps those who have slides can comment on this.
We have also found that very few slide units for sale ever show the interior w/ the slide in travel mode.
18 inches loss of space per slide inside is what I remember being quoted.
The sellers of our 40' bought a 38 double slide beautiful unicoach and Betty mentioned the space loss was noticeable. More than just the two feet of body.
We had a slide on our 5er and while it did enhance the "condo" feel of the coach, we wanted simplicity and minimum weight for the living space. We prefer the 96" wide coach over the 102" (not easy to find nowadays) because one of our main goals is to spend more time on the Baja. Of course a wide coach can travel the Baja but it's a lot easier on your nerves with a 96-er; especially when you meet a bus coming north at 80mph on a narrow curve!
We also like the cross ventilation in our coach's bedroom (we liked it on the 5er as it had no bedroom slide) along with the view through those big windows. So if we did go for a slide it would likely be only salon.
At some point finding any coach without a slide is going to become very difficult...
Craig
When I purchased my 2001 Foretravel, I was not real happy about the slide, however after owning it for 4 years, I only had to have a new electric motor installed, hydraulic wise, no leaks or screw ups, nor any issue with the seal. Just remember to hold the extend or retrack button until the light goes out, so far been fine.
Have seen and heard of many nightmares with the SOB units, mostly out, not able to get back in, going in sideways, get bound up, fall off track, break cable, chain or what ever system used, gets all messed up.
I am now OK with the slide Foretravel / HWH has. I do not always extend it like at a truckstop, Wally World or rest stop. Do not need to in my lil 36'.
FWIW
Dave M
Slide or no slide is really a personal choice and a function of use. We had two Laze Daze no sildes. They were great for touring, but for me a little tight for sitting for a long time in one place. Our first Foretravel had four slides. The front living room area was too big. felt lilke you were too far apart from the people across from you. Plus I bumped my head on the slide header when washing dishes. Our present coach has three slide and this is just about perfect. The space with the slides in is acceptable and usable for a lunch stop. If we are Wal Marting we try to part next to a curb and put out one bedroom slide on the curb side. If I were touring only, I think I would be happy with no slides, if I am sitting in the mountains for two months in the summer, I think I would want the slides. So, I guess the answer is to have two coaches one with and one without.
Roy
There is no denying that slide model motorhomes have much larger clear floor areas then non-slide models when the slides are out, however when I was searching for a Foretravel I Knew I did not want a slide model because:
Increased cost: new slide models cost circa $40k more than non-slide and 10 year old slide models also cost circa $40k more than non-slide. Non-slide used motorhomes are priced lower and are difficult to sell because most folks want a slide model.
Increased maintenance: Anything mechanical and/or hydraulic will require maintenance at some time in it's life. Foretravel slides are more reliable then SOBs, however, there are notes on this site from folks who have had problems with their Foretravel slide models.
Increased weight: The basic motorhome chassis with large holes in the sides for slides is heavier without the slides installed than the same motorhome chassis without holes in the sides. Compare the tare weights of slide model Foretravel motorhomes with non-slide models. The higher the weight, the greater the fuel consumption.
Increased setup time: It requires time to extend and retract slides and requires extra care when parking. I watch from a distance as a slide pressed against a tree and the tree won.
Reduced storage space: On slide models, the overhead cabinets are small, basement storage is awkward to access and some basement storage space is used by slide parts.
My non-slide 40 foot Foretravel is very good for me, not perfect because it needs a lot of room to turn and only fits in the larger camp spots.
I have 98 ft without slides and love the ease of set up and the open space any where you stop. Have had three slide rigs and got tired of trying to access basement storage, much happier w/out slides
We just returned from our first extended trip in our '96 U295 36' (no slide). Worked well for all four of us. One boy on the sofa, one on a memory foam topper under the dining table (we left the chairs at home and carried only the upholstered folding chairs with us and didn't even use those much). I love no slides when traveling, and we didn't stay anywhere for more than 3 days so for us it was fine.
Well we are in the "we love the slide" clan. Our first class c had a single slide and our last one was a 2 slide coach. Never had a hiccup with either one and we knew that any coach we bought would have a slide.
Our U270 with the single slide and no Aquahot is perfect for us. Being from the Northeast we thought the Aquahot would be one more thing to winterize and service so we wanted the simplicity of the propane hot water and heat.
The slide allows us to walk passed each other without doing "the dance" that we have had to do in tighter quarters.
D&D
Jim, I sure hope you mistyped. "I have 98 ft without slides and love the ease of set up and the open space any where you stop." I would imagine that you would have plenty of space! Parking might be "interesting" though.
Welcome to the forum. All of us get teased about our fat finger disease sooner or later.
So what coach do you have? You might want to add a signature line one of these days.
He has a 98 FT without slides.
I always thought "the dance" was a big plus ;o)
best, paul
We have an '02 40' with 1 living room slide. We have comfortably lived in the coach for 3-4 days at a time when it was not an option to extend the slide (waiting for service at a repair facility in Colorado when we first got this coach), overnights in Walmarts, in a friend's driveway, the street in front of our son's house (6 days!!) ..... and I can tell you that these coaches are totally livable with the slide IN. If I have decent internet service here in Montana, I will try and post a photo showing that.
Bill, have you not seen the IH98 that Foretravel makes??
Dave M needs that one to carry all his generators around!!!!
John H
It's 2012 and it amazes me we're still having this discussion. Of course slide-outs are superior. The market place has spoken. Slides are a de facto standard in motorhomes. There's no going back. Modern day coaches have gotten it down pretty good. They don't add weight, they're reliable, they seal, and they don't steal basement storage. A single slide in the salon with the slide retracted has the same interior space as a slide-less coach. When the slide is extended floor width increases 100% and room width increases 25%. Slides are the single greatest innovation in motorhomes in the past 15 years.
David
My complaint is the dining table is on the wrong side for the living room slides I have seen and sold. We always liked looking out at our campsite while dining. I sold the first CC 40' slide made in Minot and remember the dining table in the slide room.
Just used to the galley on the street side. Did FT make a galley slide? Ate 100's of meals at the drop leaf table or better yet sitting on the couch and using the post tables from the closets.
Of course I am a real dinosaur as I realiy like our mid entry unicoach.
I agree.
But what do you do with the extra space?
best, paul
You bet! My 2005 has a galley slide and my dining table is in "my campsite"! It was one of the big selling points for us.
Ha, it can be Paul. Except when one of us is trying to get to the head, and the other is swinging a boiling pot of spaghetti. :o
D&D
Hi Paul,
Oh, that's easy. I travel with my wife and three kids! My kids are 1, 3 and 6. We use every available space. What a zoo! :) David
Great. Looked at the floor plans. Nice. Thanks
Our 1989 GV obviously has no slides, and is the old 80" width so there is a lot of passing and side stepping. Toll for the sidestep is a kiss. It keeps things "friendly" in tight quarters (even after 49 years!). Love that woman!!
Some folks say tight quarters are a problem and some folks say they are a solution.
I fall into the latter category ;o)
Heading for our 53rd later this month.
Congratulations on your 49.
best, paul