New Bigfoot owner

[billinflorida]

Greetings fiberglass people. I used to be an aluminum person but apparently I'm switching to fiberglass. I've had filon off and on, in between aluminum, but now it's going to be fiberglass, real fiberglass. I've been admiring fiberglass from a distance and it certainly has it's allure. A few years ago I got a much closer look, an inspection provided by an on the road ambassador for Escape while stopped in Organ Pipe National Monument. I've looked at and seriously considered giving a Casita a try but figured I'd most likely end up with an Escape 21. Unexpectedly my Airstream sold (long story) and at the same time a Bigfoot 25 came available in the park I reside in. It was more than I wanted to spend, more than I can afford really, but I looked anyway because it was close, and I was curious and I'd admired them from afar for too long. So unexpectedly really I'm about to take delivery of a new (to me) rig. I'm an admitted serial RV owner, this will be my 11th rig in 14 years. I love trying new and different and I love fixing these things up to my way of travel. Fortunately along with all the buying and selling and fixing up I also actually travel in my RVs. In the last dozen years there have been 8 coast to coast trips and an epic seven month Florida to Alaska trip. I'm hoping I can be a bit more long term in this rig if only because I can afford to be paying so much sales tax. See you all on the road or in the repair shops, I love both.

[CindyL]

You might want to join the Bigfoot owners forum (https://bigfootowners.com/). They give you 3 months free as a new owner. Some good info there.

We own a Bigfoot Silver Cloud.

CindyL

[billinflorida]

Cool looking trailer you have there Cindy. Joining the Bigfoot group is on my to do list but I'm running behind on most everything right now. Thanks for the reminder.

[Perryb67]

While I spend $25/year to belong to the BOCI (Bigfoot owners club), I question it’s worth. There’s lucky to be 10 posts a week, the software is ancient, and agonizingly slow. I’ve been thinking about asking Janet how hard it is to add a Bigfoot Forum to the RV Life community.

If you currently want Bigfoot information you should become a member of the many Bigfoot groups on Facebook:

We love our Bigfoot Travel Trailers
Bigfoot Fiberglass Camper/Trailer
Bigfoot Trailer & Camper Owners of America
Bigfoot Campers & Trailers Renovatins
Bigfoot Travel Trailers For Sale

I belong to all those above, but like forums better because of their superior search function.

Enjoy,

Perry

[oldwave]

We love our new Bigfoot 25 RQ, it took a long time to acquire the money for it. Sold the escape and saved up. I agree with Perry that the Owners forum is not very good though I still am a member. I think the fee is a stickler for many. Some good info in the archives etc. it’s our last trailer I suspect . It ticks the boxes ; enough room yet still small enough , great insulation and build quality. I’d suggest however you fluid film the frame as the lippert frames are poorly painted and I see rust already. It’s not a hard job, especially if your near salt water I’d recommend it.

I’ve done some extensive electrical upgrades and added some convenience items like TPMs, Bluetooth propane monitoring, temperature sensors, a Bluetooth level system etc.



What year did you get ?

[billinflorida]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

While I spend $25/year to belong to the BOCI


If you currently want Bigfoot information you should become a member of the many Bigfoot groups on Facebook:

We love our Bigfoot Travel Trailers
Bigfoot Fiberglass Camper/Trailer
Bigfoot Trailer & Camper Owners of America
Bigfoot Campers & Trailers Renovatins
Bigfoot Travel Trailers For Sale

Perry

The BOCI sounds very much like the Northwood owners group. A sleepy little company town. Thanks for the heads up on the facebook groups. I'm not much for the facebook format but the travel trailers for sale was certainly interesting. I didn't do much of any price discovery in buying this rig which is very unusual for me. But other than NADA, Traderonline, CL and this group I didn't have much to go on. The facebook bigfoot travel trailers for sale was a big help, if after the fact.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by oldwave

What year did you get ?

It would be nice if all owners put the year of their trailer as well in their profile that you see in the upper left hand corner of your post. Ours is a "2016 Bigfoot 25RQ".

Enjoy,

Perry

[billinflorida]

Originally Posted by oldwave

it’s our last trailer I suspect . It ticks the boxes ; enough room yet still small enough , great insulation and build quality. I’d suggest however you fluid film the frame as the lippert frames are poorly painted and I see rust already. It’s not a hard job, especially if your near salt water I’d recommend it.

I’ve done some extensive electrical upgrades and added some convenience items like TPMs, Bluetooth propane monitoring, temperature sensors, a Bluetooth level system etc.

What year did you get ?

I'm hoping for this to be my last trailer. I'm not getting any younger, nor is my truck at 280K miles. This rig and layout seemed to tick all my must have boxes also. I have a problem in I don't want to travel in a rig big enough to live in and I don't want to live in a rig small enough to travel in. A 25' seems to be right in the grey area for both.

Thanks for the heads up on fluid film. It was actually already on my "to do" list. I buy the stuff by the case. My last Arctic Fox, a 22G, had a good start on rusting up. A liberal dose of Fluid Film arrested the onslaught. Nice that the BF, like the Arctic Fox, has good clearance so even at my advance age I can wallow around underneath entertaining myself with preventative maintenance. No so much with my Airstreams.

I ended up with a 2021 rear twin with the theater seating (only one I've seen so far), round sink, no main salon fan, two skylights, generator and storage box addition. If I had been able to select my options it would be no generator, no storage box, no main salon skylight, no round sink. But I'm more of a make do with what I find scrounging around in the bargain bin kind of a guy than a have to have what I want kind.

I've had four Airstream 25s, all older with the exception of my last one, a 2013. The deal killer on that rig was the design of the kitchen with it's round sink. The design is a bit different the a Bigfoot round sink kitchen design so I'm hoping I can make it work. If not changing to a double sink doesn't seem too daunting a task. I cook and eat everything from scratch at home so a functional kitchen, in my opinion and style, is critical. It only took me a day or so to decide my AS 25 Flying Cloud kitchen wouldn't work for me and was thrilled when the unexpected offer came in. Good rig, just not my cup of tea.

I typically run solar and do a quick and simple solar installation with converter and battery upgrades. I don't' even carry a portable generator when I travel although I have one. About my only use for a generator is for a microwave. Considering the noise and fuel consumption reported on these Cummins generators using on it rare occasions for a bit of microwave work seems reasonable and convenient. Or I could remove it and sell it.

I'm sure there is plenty to keep me busy exploring and repairing for awhile. It's had two owners in quick succession, neigher of which appeared to be the maintenance fuss budget type. The roof stuff need resealed. The rear stabilizer jacks are heavily rusted most likely from being deployed in muddy grass. Certainly the undercoat. There will be more, much more, I'm sure.

[billinflorida]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

It would be nice if all owners put the year of their trailer as well in their profile that you see in the upper left hand corner

Duly noted. When you are registering and filling out that field on the form you are requested to put in the brand of RV you own. Nothing about putting in the year. Perhaps a change in the registration form might mitigate your annoyance.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by billinflorida

I'm hoping for this to be my last trailer. I'm not getting any younger, nor is my truck at 280K miles. This rig and layout seemed to tick all my must have boxes also. I have a problem in I don't want to travel in a rig big enough to live in and I don't want to live in a rig small enough to travel in. A 25' seems to be right in the grey area for both.

Thanks for the heads up on fluid film. It was actually already on my "to do" list. I buy the stuff by the case. My last Arctic Fox, a 22G, had a good start on rusting up. A liberal dose of Fluid Film arrested the onslaught. Nice that the BF, like the Arctic Fox, has good clearance so even at my advance age I can wallow around underneath entertaining myself with preventative maintenance. No so much with my Airstreams.

I ended up with a 2021 rear twin with the theater seating (only one I've seen so far), round sink, no main salon fan, two skylights, generator and storage box addition. If I had been able to select my options it would be no generator, no storage box, no main salon skylight, no round sink. But I'm more of a make do with what I find scrounging around in the bargain bin kind of a guy than a have to have what I want kind.

I've had four Airstream 25s, all older with the exception of my last one, a 2013. The deal killer on that rig was the design of the kitchen with it's round sink. The design is a bit different the a Bigfoot round sink kitchen design so I'm hoping I can make it work. If not changing to a double sink doesn't seem too daunting a task. I cook and eat everything from scratch at home so a functional kitchen, in my opinion and style, is critical. It only took me a day or so to decide my AS 25 Flying Cloud kitchen wouldn't work for me and was thrilled when the unexpected offer came in. Good rig, just not my cup of tea.

I typically run solar and do a quick and simple solar installation with converter and battery upgrades. I don't' even carry a portable generator when I travel although I have one. About my only use for a generator is for a microwave. Considering the noise and fuel consumption reported on these Cummins generators using on it rare occasions for a bit of microwave work seems reasonable and convenient. Or I could remove it and sell it.

I'm sure there is plenty to keep me busy exploring and repairing for awhile. It's had two owners in quick succession, neigher of which appeared to be the maintenance fuss budget type. The roof stuff need resealed. The rear stabilizer jacks are heavily rusted most likely from being deployed in muddy grass. Certainly the undercoat. There will be more, much more, I'm sure.

Very nice
We have the round sink and I was unsure if I’d like it, but it’s fine. I have 300 watts of solar on the roof, factory installed. I installed a victron multiplus inverter charger transfer switch and removed the factory converter. I also installed 410 amp hours of lithium batteries under the dinette seat on the passenger side and realigned the electrical system to reflect that.

Try triflo on your jacks, it worked for me. I’ve put in a bunch of monitoring because I’m a retired tech. Bluetooth temperature monitors, propane monitor and a levelmate pro system, as well as tpms.

I expect you’ll like this trailer a lot, even with neglect it’s only 2 years old so there’s not that much that can’t be dealt with with minor effort, but you already know that I expect.

We are going to head out coast to coast next month with a stop in the Bigfoot factory for a few hours to visit. The owner has been stellar with support.

Cheers

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by billinflorida

Duly noted. When you are registering and filling out that field on the form you are requested to put in the brand of RV you own. Nothing about putting in the year. Perhaps a change in the registration form might mitigate your annoyance.

Annoyance? No, not really, but it sure helps when answering questions.

Consider tongue weight. Neither our 2003 or 2016 25RQ's had/have the big box in front, and those who don't will have tongue weights around 900-1,000 #'s. Now if you have the extended storage box in front add at least 3-500#'s.

Also, if you have the 25FB then add 700#'s just from the factory and if you also have the extended front box your camper will have around 1,100 or more extra pounds.

Plus, if you have the extended storage box up front you really have a 27RQ, since it's 2 feet longer than a 25.

Enjoy,

Perry

[CindyL]

Well, personally, the BOCI group and its trailer forum are of limited interest to me, except for rally info, and periodical postings if someone is redecorating a Bigfoot, but I still maintain our membership. I check it periodically and then, since it is my account, direct Kevin's attention to something he might be interested in. Most of the postings deal with mechanical issues. I am not into the mechanics unless I have to do a quick check for a problem that others have encountered that we are encountering too. If you are redoing a Bigfoot, I think there is a lot of info there, especially for 25 foot trailers. A lot of good info is posted by CharlesinGA who is constantly poking at his 25 foot Bigfoot. And he was an airline engineer, so he understands what he is poking at and explains it really well with pictures!


So, it is a personal choice if the 25 dollar membership fee is worth it. We went to the Bigfoot rally in Sturgis last September and had a great time. The BOCI members are really great folks (even if a lot of them own Bigfoot motorhomes.).



Nice place to buy Bigfoot merch too. So is their rally. We came home with Bigfoot backpacks and a Bigfoot rug. (I don't know what to do with the rug, as I don't want to get it nasty, LOL!)



CindyL

[billinflorida]

Originally Posted by CindyL

So, it is a personal choice if the 25 dollar membership fee is worth it.
CindyL

Not to be pedantic but the fee looks to be $20. I decided to take the risk of a 3 month free trial. Thanks for directing me to the site.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by billinflorida

Not to be pedantic but the fee looks to be $20. I decided to take the risk of a 3 month free trial. Thanks for directing me to the site.

Definatly take the free trail. I think $20 one time for a year would be worth it. A new owner will have questions and it will be worth it for that.

The escape forum has a lot more action and they share a lot of the same components. If you are looking for info on solar or water pumps, or heaters, ect. The info will be good regardless. The forum is free, BTW.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/

[CindyL]

Originally Posted by billinflorida

Not to be pedantic but the fee looks to be $20. I decided to take the risk of a 3 month free trial. Thanks for directing me to the site.

I didn't think I paid 25.00, but I thought I was wrong. The free 3 months will give you a chance to learn from it and decide if you want to join. I also belong to the escape forum and the casita forum. I benefit from all.

Cindy