How funny, I remember watching this video when you first published it. Now I’m in the process of buying a Georgetown XL 377. Interesting to see your perspective. Great haircut in this video too, Cherie!
The kitchen info is very useful for us as well as the shower fixtures. Thanks for showing the interior with the slides in so we can see what it will be like when on the road. I was hoping we could see the bunk over the driver area. Thanks for the walk through video.
That was the very best RV review we've ever experienced. We also have been through this motor coach, and being seasoned full-timers we're surprised by how many things you noticed that we missed. Right now your attention to detail and outright honesty is unchallenged.
+Ed Mitiu Aww... *blush*. Thank you so much. We just thought it's be fun to share our impressions after living in this unit for a couple weeks. Since we have no 'angle' - we can just tell it like it is.
Loved your video on the Forrester, we are planning on full-timing in the future and are still deciding of we should get a new diesel pusher, a slightly used diesel pusher or renovate an older bus. Can't wait for your next live stream since it will be covering this very issue. You guys are awesome, and we love to live vicariously through you until we can hit the road in a couple of years. Thanks for all the great information Technomadia.
the negatives you mention would drive me crazy. I'd have to install a splash guard and caulk that...lack of pantry is a killer. no nightstands I have to have nightstands. I personally don't like dark wood, but it does have a nice contemporary look. I agree about the awkwardness of the bathroom entry from the bedroom.
Great video ! Personally looking at a Georgetown XL 369DS, that seems to be a better floor plan. I'd probably would change some things like the sink to a full sink with out divider and swap out the shower head and upgrade the water heater. Thanks again guys for your honest opinion. Stay safe and be good to each other.
First, awesome video. Nice combination of facts and opinion. Lots of videos are all one of the other; you did a great blend. Thanks for including the price - very useful. It would have been interesting to see your review of the outside, and the driver's area also. Thanks!
Seems a lot of folks go for the "bling" these days, when the bones of a rig are much more important if you are going too spend a lot of time in the rig. I would have looked at rigs like yours, if I knew they existed ;) Zephyr sure looks good now. I'm glad I bought my older Country Coach, she has great bones and I will do some interior upgrades soon... Safe travels!
It was more a matter of luck than skill 😜 I'm new at this, so only know what I've read from bloggers and forums. Sure helps. Wanted a Beaver Coach but very hard too find one and beat out other folks...😖
ok more questions. if you could get your style bus fully converted already and done for $70,000 dollars or same one for $6500 for just the shell with inside empty, which one would be better deal? cuz either way you probably would modify furniture or work desks etc. so is it better to have it fully empty so you can customize it yourself? you have big holding tanks so I assume you put those in too?
+Brian Midway All depends on your goals. There's no single 'best way'. Just what works for you. We bought ours already converted for $8k, and then put the effort into redoing the things we wanted. Other start with a shell and dedicate years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to doing it all themselves.
We had a 08 Georgetown 34 ft and quickly found that the quality was not what is should have been. The material on our sofa, driver and passenger seats started to crack..The driver and passenger seats were the first, I will say that Forest River shared the replacement cost..for us to later find out that they knew this was a problem all along. When the sofa covering started to crack we knew it was time to make a change. I agree with you on the frig placement luckily ours was ok.
Wow... Nice but when u put the slides in yikes... Hope u dont have to pee there is going to be an accident... Lol 😂😂 thk u for sharing i bet ur real happy to get ur home back and feeling secure.
I have a question. you always open my mind up to great awareness of many things. I would have been like oh this is great not having any experience but I see what you mean when you explain things. makes me mad if I got that for full time living and spent 6 figures.
Nice job on all your hard work you guys do for yourselves and everybody out there , I just purchased by 2 nd rv. Much nicer then my 1 st unit a winniebago 34 ft gas, now I'm in a 2000 beaver marquis have you guys ever checked them out ? I might be full timing it after I sell my Phoenix house. And browse the country for a sweet place to call home, 3 kitty's (plus the big cat12) ! and me in the 42 ft beaver they sure are nice for full time living Ps I go to south florida might see you guys some time if your around njoy all
Would you say then that getting an older RV and up grading some of its features is a better investment? From what you have identified the cost does not equal the construction quality at least it does not seem to me that it does
I have questions though. with the slides in it is really small like ya said. but wouldn't your business with no slides also be just as small? I don't like how cheap the walls are made either, but what are your walls on your business made out of?
+Brian Midway When a RV is designed without slides, it is designed to be efficient for that space. Our bus actually feels very spacious (take a tour of it - www.technomadia.com/zephyr). And our walls are aluminum on the outside, 1.5" of foam insulation and then wood paneling.
I agree with a lot of your comments. The people who design RVs obviously never actually live in them. Designers feel "pretty" is more important than "useful". Do the fridge doors stay shut when driving? Residential fridges generally do NOT have locking doors. I dislike having major appliances in slides. In my opinion, that's a problem in the making. My 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB floorplan kept ALL appliances stationary but, did come with the near useless double bowl sink. The Serta mattress was crap. I NEVER had a good night's sleep on it (I was surprised Serta even put its' name on such a poor quality mattress). The combination couch ~ double bed was not comfortable for more than 10 minutes. Last month, I had ProCustom Inc in Elkhart, IN replace the dinette with a real table and chairs. I had them replace the couch combo with a very comfortable wall hugging recliner. The Serta mattress has been replaced with a super comfortable foam mattress. RV builders; USE THE RVs YOU BUILD. You'll quickly see what doesn't work well. Thanks for your videos Chris and Cherie!
Thank you for doing this video! Being able to walk through an RV with someone as experienced in living in one full-time is indispensable. I think that I would have overlooked so many things you examined. Even if I had examined them, I'm not sure that I would have reached as good a conclusion as you. One question; if the dinette had been a table/desk and chairs, would you have still replaced it with a desk? Thanks again!
Thanks for this video. I actually considered buying this model but have since fell in love with the Thor Challenger 36TL. Could you guys do a Pros and Cons on that one? Thanks!
+WillTocaJr We've never been in one.. so haven't a clue. We only did this video as we had a chance to stay in it while our own motorhome was being renovated.
The Georgetown XL's are the high end gas coaches for Forest River. The high end gas coaches from Newmar, Tiffin, and Winnebago are in another league from what I have seen. Everything from R Values to chassis weight ratings to generator ratings to the quality of the the cabinets and wood work to the way the slides are built and the electrical and plumbing are installed. Don't think the Georgetown is the best example of whats available in higher end gas coaches today.
You just demonstrated, although politely, the need to shop, resist the pressure from the RV sales staff and shop some more, visit RV shows and sit down and do your homework before signing your lie away for an expensive RV payment. As for me, I've broken the heart of a few sales staff by not getting what they offered . Spent many an hour on rv trader and various RV websites as well as dealer websites looked at what is offered. Unless I go the Prevost bus route, it is looking like it will be impossible to personalize a diesel pusher or bus the way I want unless I buy my bus like you guys did and start from there. However, I don't have the patience of Job like you did when it came to your remodel. I have been leaning towards a new Zephyr by Tiffin, they offer a few more choices to personalize than most RVs that I've seen out there. So really for me its down to a Zephyr of a Prevost, without slides. I feel that if I am going to spend this kind of money it will be with what i want, not what the company feels I need.
+David “USAFAFRet11” W Both the Tiffin Zephyr and Prevost based conversions are super nice. Way out of our price range, so we'll have to settle for patience :) Although, hopefully not all remodels require what we went through.
almost seems when it comes to weight, you almost need the standards of a bus or double back axle to handle the weight. m undecided on a class c, class A and 5th wheel. researched all of these and so many pros and cons. don't want to pull anything but 5th wheel is so huge it's nice. like driving and not getting out of motor home so thought class A. but class c has advantages too and then throw conversion buses in the mix. sheesh. lol
The jury is out on the large windows that are in the isle way to the bedroom. When camping at campgrounds your neighbors "patio" area would be right there. Better close the blinds / shades.
I would ditch the recliner before leaving the dealership so that wouldn't be an issue for me. I would actually prefer a double sink (and an outdoor kitchen/shower). The bathroom sink is horrible. I have to have a booth setup, I can't stand the "table and chairs" thing. Don't need a desk or any TV's. Thanks for sharing!
I'd rather get a class c based on a mercedes sprinter. I don't see how folks want to travel in something so big. That's like driving around in a big ol' single wide.
+CycleCruza There are some sweet Class-B's out there, and they're definitely a great way to go. We started out in super small RVs (16 and 17') - it certainly is possible to thrive in them as a full timer. We found them ideal for when we were more hyper-mobile and doing more 'stealth' type camping. Now that we like to mix up the pace and stay places a few weeks at a time (and have comfy desk space for two) - we do see the appeal of larger setups. Our own 35' no slide bus has been perfect for us the past few years.
Technomadia Yeah I saw your history video where you showed us your different RV's through the years. I love your bus btw, I'd get a bus over a class A any day. I can certainly understand the need for more space living on the road full time. This past summer I converted a chevy express cargo van to a camper van that also accommodates a motorcycle in the van and recently took it out on an excursion in the rocky mountains coming from Ohio. I now have a new appreciation for van dwellers. lol Hey thanks for the reply! Keep up the great videos!
I used to think the same way but as all things change I have too. It's like when you start out on a sport bike or a standard motorcycle. Then one day you get on a big comfy dresser with lots of storage and realize what you have been missing. Then, before you know it... you can't go back. I won't go back! lol Safe travels.
The best designs I have seen in RV's have been from two companies. I like a modern design and Leisure Travel Vans and Air Stream are the only two companies designs I liked when I went to the big RV show at the Los Angeles County Fair Grounds last year. Many RV's are stuck in a 80's design time warp. Woods that are highly polished that they look like plastic, ugly cabinets, bad lighting and window coverings, gross wall coverings and the ugliest bed spreads & pillows on the planet. I hated dealing with the salesmen too. RV salesmen are the same as car salesmen. Why must all these manufactures use those big bold swirls for their exterior design. Have you ever seen a passenger car with all those stripes and swirls. Nope not me. Music tour buses have plain painted exteriors. That is the look I like. I tend to like wood floors more than tile and I hate carpeting. Just my two cents.
Smells like cigarette smoke...So let's see, a vintage bus versus a Georgetown motor thingy. I chose the good ole bus! Doesn't matter how rich I am...give me the bus!
+Dean's of Nomadica Yeah, the smoke was an issue for us (but not the fault of the motorhome itself). It was fun to stay in something else for a bit and check out slides and modern RV design. But we'll stick with our bus, was a great contrast to remind us why we were doing all the renovations.
I am really surprised how poorly the modern coaches are...bad build quality, shoddy wood work, etc. I am seriously considering an older coach that has been restored or refreshed without the crazy financial commitment of buying "new".
How funny, I remember watching this video when you first published it. Now I’m in the process of buying a Georgetown XL 377. Interesting to see your perspective. Great haircut in this video too, Cherie!
The kitchen info is very useful for us as well as the shower fixtures. Thanks for showing the interior with the slides in so we can see what it will be like when on the road. I was hoping we could see the bunk over the driver area. Thanks for the walk through video.
That was the very best RV review we've ever experienced. We also have been through this motor coach, and being seasoned full-timers we're surprised by how many things you noticed that we missed. Right now your attention to detail and outright honesty is unchallenged.
+Ed Mitiu Aww... *blush*. Thank you so much. We just thought it's be fun to share our impressions after living in this unit for a couple weeks. Since we have no 'angle' - we can just tell it like it is.
This is my favorite floor plan. You can attach a splash guard to the sink. Its easy enough to do
Loved your video on the Forrester, we are planning on full-timing in the future and are still deciding of we should get a new diesel pusher, a slightly used diesel pusher or renovate an older bus. Can't wait for your next live stream since it will be covering this very issue. You guys are awesome, and we love to live vicariously through you until we can hit the road in a couple of years. Thanks for all the great information Technomadia.
Thank you 👍👍👍
nice channel - enjoying your adventures. just subbed
the negatives you mention would drive me crazy. I'd have to install a splash guard and caulk that...lack of pantry is a killer. no nightstands I have to have nightstands. I personally don't like dark wood, but it does have a nice contemporary look. I agree about the awkwardness of the bathroom entry from the bedroom.
Great video ! Personally looking at a Georgetown XL 369DS, that seems to be a better floor plan. I'd probably would change some things like the sink to a full sink with out divider and swap out the shower head and upgrade the water heater. Thanks again guys for your honest opinion. Stay safe and be good to each other.
First, awesome video. Nice combination of facts and opinion. Lots of videos are all one of the other; you did a great blend. Thanks for including the price - very useful. It would have been interesting to see your review of the outside, and the driver's area also. Thanks!
Seems a lot of folks go for the "bling" these days, when the bones of a rig are much more important if you are going too spend a lot of time in the rig. I would have looked at rigs like yours, if I knew they existed ;) Zephyr sure looks good now. I'm glad I bought my older Country Coach, she has great bones and I will do some interior upgrades soon... Safe travels!
+Fat Guy Travels Country Coaches are sweet... they seem to have withstood the test of time! Great choice.
It was more a matter of luck than skill 😜 I'm new at this, so only know what I've read from bloggers and forums. Sure helps. Wanted a Beaver Coach but very hard too find one and beat out other folks...😖
ok more questions. if you could get your style bus fully converted already and done for $70,000 dollars or same one for $6500 for just the shell with inside empty, which one would be better deal? cuz either way you probably would modify furniture or work desks etc. so is it better to have it fully empty so you can customize it yourself? you have big holding tanks so I assume you put those in too?
+Brian Midway All depends on your goals. There's no single 'best way'. Just what works for you. We bought ours already converted for $8k, and then put the effort into redoing the things we wanted. Other start with a shell and dedicate years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to doing it all themselves.
We had a 08 Georgetown 34 ft and quickly found that the quality was not what is should have been. The material on our sofa, driver and passenger seats started to crack..The driver and passenger seats were the first, I will say that Forest River shared the replacement cost..for us to later find out that they knew this was a problem all along. When the sofa covering started to crack we knew it was time to make a change. I agree with you on the frig placement luckily ours was ok.
+Running on Empty We've heard from some others from the FROGs about the problems with the furniture not holding up over time. Real shame :(
Nice review thanks
Great review!
hey, pretty nice review , i watch many rv reviews and i think that was one of the best :) Greetings from germany
Wow... Nice but when u put the slides in yikes... Hope u dont have to pee there is going to be an accident... Lol 😂😂 thk u for sharing i bet ur real happy to get ur home back and feeling secure.
Thanks for confirming that the bus was the right choice. As an engineer myself this could have been designed much better.
I have a question. you always open my mind up to great awareness of many things. I would have been like oh this is great not having any experience but I see what you mean when you explain things. makes me mad if I got that for full time living and spent 6 figures.
Nice job on all your hard work you guys do for yourselves and everybody out there , I just purchased by 2 nd rv. Much nicer then my 1 st unit a winniebago 34 ft gas, now I'm in a 2000 beaver marquis have you guys ever checked them out ? I might be full timing it after I sell my Phoenix house. And browse the country for a sweet place to call home, 3 kitty's (plus the big cat12) ! and me in the 42 ft beaver they sure are nice for full time living Ps I go to south florida might see you guys some time if your around njoy all
Would you say then that getting an older RV and up grading some of its features is a better investment? From what you have identified the cost does not equal the construction quality at least it does not seem to me that it does
+A Needlepoint In Time We'll be covering that in our upcoming live video cast next week. Join in, or catch the archive later on.
Looking forward to it
I have questions though. with the slides in it is really small like ya said. but wouldn't your business with no slides also be just as small? I don't like how cheap the walls are made either, but what are your walls on your business made out of?
+Brian Midway When a RV is designed without slides, it is designed to be efficient for that space. Our bus actually feels very spacious (take a tour of it - www.technomadia.com/zephyr). And our walls are aluminum on the outside, 1.5" of foam insulation and then wood paneling.
I agree with a lot of your comments. The people who design RVs obviously never actually live in them. Designers feel "pretty" is more important than "useful". Do the fridge doors stay shut when driving? Residential fridges generally do NOT have locking doors. I dislike having major appliances in slides. In my opinion, that's a problem in the making. My 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB floorplan kept ALL appliances stationary but, did come with the near useless double bowl sink. The Serta mattress was crap. I NEVER had a good night's sleep on it (I was surprised Serta even put its' name on such a poor quality mattress). The combination couch ~ double bed was not comfortable for more than 10 minutes. Last month, I had ProCustom Inc in Elkhart, IN replace the dinette with a real table and chairs. I had them replace the couch combo with a very comfortable wall hugging recliner. The Serta mattress has been replaced with a super comfortable foam mattress. RV builders; USE THE RVs YOU BUILD. You'll quickly see what doesn't work well. Thanks for your videos Chris and Cherie!
Where are the seat belts located. I have heard the dinnette doesnt have any. Is it only driver seat and passenger?
We didn’t pay any attention to the seat belts - and this was years ago. Sorry - no memory at all on this.
Thank you for doing this video! Being able to walk through an RV with someone as experienced in living in one full-time is indispensable. I think that I would have overlooked so many things you examined. Even if I had examined them, I'm not sure that I would have reached as good a conclusion as you. One question; if the dinette had been a table/desk and chairs, would you have still replaced it with a desk? Thanks again!
+Neal Davis Thank you. More than likely we would have done something in that corner that was more dedicated desk space.
Thanks for this video. I actually considered buying this model but have since fell in love with the Thor Challenger 36TL. Could you guys do a Pros and Cons on that one? Thanks!
+WillTocaJr We've never been in one.. so haven't a clue. We only did this video as we had a chance to stay in it while our own motorhome was being renovated.
+Technomadia You should check it out. So in love with that floor plan. Love you guys!
You look absolutely beautiful in that dress it is the perfect style for your figure!
+Janet Clement Aww.. thanks. It's so super comfy too, one of my favorites.
The Georgetown XL's are the high end gas coaches for Forest River. The high end gas coaches from Newmar, Tiffin, and Winnebago are in another league from what I have seen. Everything from R Values to chassis weight ratings to generator ratings to the quality of the the cabinets and wood work to the way the slides are built and the electrical and plumbing are installed. Don't think the Georgetown is the best example of whats available in higher end gas coaches today.
+ringvaldse Wasn't showing a 'high end gas coach' example.. just sharing what we had the opportunity to stay in. :)
You just demonstrated, although politely, the need to shop, resist the pressure from the RV sales staff and shop some more, visit RV shows and sit down and do your homework before signing your lie away for an expensive RV payment. As for me, I've broken the heart of a few sales staff by not getting what they offered . Spent many an hour on rv trader and various RV websites as well as dealer websites looked at what is offered. Unless I go the Prevost bus route, it is looking like it will be impossible to personalize a diesel pusher or bus the way I want unless I buy my bus like you guys did and start from there. However, I don't have the patience of Job like you did when it came to your remodel. I have been leaning towards a new Zephyr by Tiffin, they offer a few more choices to personalize than most RVs that I've seen out there. So really for me its down to a Zephyr of a Prevost, without slides. I feel that if I am going to spend this kind of money it will be with what i want, not what the company feels I need.
+David “USAFAFRet11” W Both the Tiffin Zephyr and Prevost based conversions are super nice. Way out of our price range, so we'll have to settle for patience :) Although, hopefully not all remodels require what we went through.
almost seems when it comes to weight, you almost need the standards of a bus or double back axle to handle the weight. m undecided on a class c, class A and 5th wheel. researched all of these and so many pros and cons. don't want to pull anything but 5th wheel is so huge it's nice. like driving and not getting out of motor home so thought class A. but class c has advantages too and then throw conversion buses in the mix. sheesh. lol
The jury is out on the large windows that are in the isle way to the bedroom. When camping at campgrounds your neighbors "patio" area would be right there. Better close the blinds / shades.
I would ditch the recliner before leaving the dealership so that wouldn't be an issue for me. I would actually prefer a double sink (and an outdoor kitchen/shower). The bathroom sink is horrible. I have to have a booth setup, I can't stand the "table and chairs" thing. Don't need a desk or any TV's. Thanks for sharing!
A heavy residential style refrigerator on a slide doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
That is so deploring have to take two steps to get to the refrigerator
+Jim Billings Hahaha... everything in an RV is just a few steps away, true. Still, not our preference for placement.
I'd rather get a class c based on a mercedes sprinter. I don't see how folks want to travel in something so big. That's like driving around in a big ol' single wide.
+CycleCruza There are some sweet Class-B's out there, and they're definitely a great way to go. We started out in super small RVs (16 and 17') - it certainly is possible to thrive in them as a full timer. We found them ideal for when we were more hyper-mobile and doing more 'stealth' type camping. Now that we like to mix up the pace and stay places a few weeks at a time (and have comfy desk space for two) - we do see the appeal of larger setups. Our own 35' no slide bus has been perfect for us the past few years.
Technomadia Yeah I saw your history video where you showed us your different RV's through the years. I love your bus btw, I'd get a bus over a class A any day. I can certainly understand the need for more space living on the road full time. This past summer I converted a chevy express cargo van to a camper van that also accommodates a motorcycle in the van and recently took it out on an excursion in the rocky mountains coming from Ohio. I now have a new appreciation for van dwellers. lol Hey thanks for the reply! Keep up the great videos!
I used to think the same way but as all things change I have too. It's like when you start out on a sport bike or a standard motorcycle. Then one day you get on a big comfy dresser with lots of storage and realize what you have been missing. Then, before you know it... you can't go back. I won't go back! lol Safe travels.
Lenny Jonas yeah it's all personal preference and preferences can change over time.
The best designs I have seen in RV's have been from two companies. I like a modern design and Leisure Travel Vans and Air Stream are the only two companies designs I liked when I went to the big RV show at the Los Angeles County Fair Grounds last year. Many RV's are stuck in a 80's design time warp. Woods that are highly polished that they look like plastic, ugly cabinets, bad lighting and window coverings, gross wall coverings and the ugliest bed spreads & pillows on the planet. I hated dealing with the salesmen too. RV salesmen are the same as car salesmen. Why must all these manufactures use those big bold swirls for their exterior design. Have you ever seen a passenger car with all those stripes and swirls. Nope not me. Music tour buses have plain painted exteriors. That is the look I like. I tend to like wood floors more than tile and I hate carpeting. Just my two cents.
A very good review of that high priced psudo RV.... Not my cup of tea either.....
Smells like cigarette smoke...So let's see, a vintage bus versus a Georgetown motor thingy. I chose the good ole bus! Doesn't matter how rich I am...give me the bus!
+Dean's of Nomadica Yeah, the smoke was an issue for us (but not the fault of the motorhome itself). It was fun to stay in something else for a bit and check out slides and modern RV design. But we'll stick with our bus, was a great contrast to remind us why we were doing all the renovations.
I am really surprised how poorly the modern coaches are...bad build quality, shoddy wood work, etc. I am seriously considering an older coach that has been restored or refreshed without the crazy financial commitment of buying "new".
+Norm K. We'll be covering exactly that in our next live video.. join in, or catch the archive once we post it.
Bad floor plan, I agree. So many better layouts than this.