Raptor 429 1st Trip

[P & T]

We put on 600+ miles the first two days with about 800 more to go. A couple of bugs to work out but nothing major so far.

Figuring out where to keep dishes vs. towels, etc. Plenty of storage for sure.

Having our evening dinners on the side patio is golden.

[sourdough]

Great! Sounds like you're having fun. Don't know what you guys do with that hauler "space" and patio but spent last winter next to a couple with a rig like yours and it was completely rigged up for the DW's crafts, never seen anything like it. Walls had all kinds of stuff she used and on the nice days she was on the patio with a table and chair crafting away...pretty cool.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Great! Sounds like you're having fun. Don't know what you guys do with that hauler "space" and patio but spent last winter next to a couple with a rig like yours and it was completely rigged up for the DW's crafts, never seen anything like it. Walls had all kinds of stuff she used and on the nice days she was on the patio with a table and chair crafting away...pretty cool.

Back when we 1st went fulltime we considered a TH to do something similar for both our crafts. At that time to get a decent size garage the living area suffered greatly, very small kitchen area, the TV was mounted high above with all the seating 90 degrees to the TV so always looking up & sideways. At that time they didn't have the patio options or some of the nicer floorplans they have today.

[bsmith0404]

Still hard to give up the living space of a rear living for a toy hauler, but we have seriously considered it for the convenience of taking the toys with. Gonna convert the car trailer to a toy hauler first and see how that works out. The swivel wheel is doing pretty well for the Harley so far. Prices right now are killing me, I just have trouble accepting the current market after selling them for 4 years. I might have to go back into sales so I can buy one for $100 over invoice.

[P & T]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Great! Sounds like you're having fun. Don't know what you guys do with that hauler "space" and patio but spent last winter next to a couple with a rig like yours and it was completely rigged up for the DW's crafts, never seen anything like it. Walls had all kinds of stuff she used and on the nice days she was on the patio with a table and chair crafting away...pretty cool.

We haven't committed to any toys yet. We got it for the versatility of the garage and that's where we can set up a folding table to play board games, have dinner, etc. I'm trying to figure out brackets and bracing to maximize the volume of the 13' garage. Super sofa with comfortable indoor lounging plus the garage versatility sold us (after the side patio option).

[P & T]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Back when we 1st went fulltime we considered a TH to do something similar for both our crafts. At that time to get a decent size garage the living area suffered greatly, very small kitchen area, the TV was mounted high above with all the seating 90 degrees to the TV so always looking up & sideways. At that time they didn't have the patio options or some of the nicer floorplans they have today.

The garage TV is useless, I agree, until the grandkids come along. The kitchen is enough but the two gated patios for the pups is huge.

[P & T]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Still hard to give up the living space of a rear living for a toy hauler, but we have seriously considered it for the convenience of taking the toys with. Gonna convert the car trailer to a toy hauler first and see how that works out. The swivel wheel is doing pretty well for the Harley so far. Prices right now are killing me, I just have trouble accepting the current market after selling them for 4 years. I might have to go back into sales so I can buy one for $100 over invoice.

I really wanted a front living room design but the side patio pushed it over the top. 3 nights so far, 3 different campgrounds, and all 3 evenings the side patio was used (no room for the rear to drop). The time it saves to not set up a full campsite is fabulous, plus the side patio, with lounge chairs, is an extension of our living space. Takes only 3 minutes to set up!

[P & T]

Originally Posted by P & T

We put on 600+ miles the first two days with about 800 more to go. A couple of bugs to work out but nothing major so far.

Figuring out where to keep dishes vs. towels, etc. Plenty of storage for sure.

Having our evening dinners on the side patio is golden.

Finally back after a month. Plenty of miles and memories.

I have an appointment with the warranty department to fix a few things on Tuesday. Nothing catastrophic but annoying. I know of a few upgrades and tweaks I will be doing but will post separate threads there. There will be some garage and electrical mods for sure. I'll share pics in the coming months.

We covered 8 states and over 4,600 miles with about 117 hours of drive time.

[chuckster57]

Glad to hear your trip was a success. Looking forward to seeing the mods, post pics!!

[Skillet173]

Very nice. That’s the way to “break in” a new rig!