2013 Jayco Eagle Fifth-Wheel
When we decided to travel, the task of selecting a truck and a camper were our first priority.
The Truck: Last year (2013) we traded in my 2001 Ford F-250 long bed for a Dodge Ram 2500 . I love the new truck and REALLY appreciate the 4-wheel drive. That is probably because I hated the 2-wheel drive on the old Ford. Gone is the Ford’s V-10 Trinitron engine which maintained a steady 11 MPG from the day I bought it new in 2001. Under the hood of the 2003 Dodge is a Cummins diesel with only 75,000 miles when we picked it up. It now has a fifth-wheel receiver in the long bed.
The Camper: After looking at a
bout 40 campers, we settled on a 2013 Jayco Eagle 31.5RLDS. We picked it up from Blade RV in Mount Vernon. Blade made me a deal I couldn’t pass up. But the best part of this whole process was great service and friendly attitude from Nick, the Blade RVSales Associate whom we were fortunate to have service us. Well done, Nick!
During our initial research we went to an RV show at the Evergreen Fairgrounds. What we took from that was that we did NOT want a motor home – we already have enough objects with motors in them. And the over-cab type pickup campers were just too small. It’s possible that we may spend up to 4 months a year living in this and under 100 square feet was not going to work. With just trailers and fifth-wheels left in the competition the latter won out due mainly to safety and ease of towing. With a target of buying one between 2 and 5 years old we feel fortunate to have found this one that had not been previously owned. Trashed our budget, but we are still really happy with what we got.
Our Floor Plan – WE have the table/chairs and fireplace options.