In August of 2021, after owning our dear 2016 Gulfstream Ameri-Lite Super-Lite 198BH for 4 an a half years, we started thinking we might be ready to at least start researching slightly larger campers for our growing family. Our kids were 3 and 6 years old and not getting any smaller. We had also just adopted our sweet Cricket, a 4 year old yellow Labrador. We definitely loved our little camper but as we did more research on newer, larger models, we could definitely see the advantages to trading up. Here is a run down of all the things we gained by picking the 2020 Rockwood Mini-Lite 2509S:
- Slide out U-shaped dinette
- Queen Murphy bed on top of Recliners
- Full windshield at head of queen bed for more light
- Double wide bunks (both with windows)
- Privacy curtain for queen bed and bunks
- Outdoor kitchen area with mini fridge and slide out grill
- Sink in bathroom
- 2 outdoor hose/showers
- Full height fridge and freezer
- L-shaped kitchen area
- Oven in kitchen
- Full HVAC system (not just a space heater and a mini AC wall unit)
- Flatscreen TV with outdoor mounting bracket
- Higher clearance for boon docking
- Double Axle
- Heated tanks and underbelly for 3 season camping
This thing is AMAZING! We only added about 5 feet of livable length but it feels like we basically doubled out square footage!
First of all, the Slide out U-shaped dinette allows us to have more elbowroom while eating our meals and so much more floor space for our kitchen and living areas.
We found even more room under the queen sized Murphy bed! Such a brilliant way to save space in a camper! The bed is very easy for one person to take down and put away. It secures with latches at the top and also has a locking position when it is down to make it more secure. The bed does need to be in the up position to pull in the slide but its so easy to set up, we do find ourselves putting it up everyday so we can have more common area. Under the Murphy bed, they have installed a love seat area with pop up foot rests.
The head of the queen bed is at the head of the camper. They installed a windshield at the front of the camper so we have a flood of additional sunlight coming into the camper when the bed is down.
The boys can cry comfortably grow into their new double wide bunks with enough room for all of their own stuff! I have decked out the bunks with their own plastic drawers so they can keep all of their clothes and toys organized in their own space. They also BOTH have pop out windows with curtains and push button lights in their bunks. The top bunk even has an AC vent so we can keep the air flowing comfortably in the summer.
One of the smaller upgrades that we gained with our new camper is the simplicity of having privacy curtains separating the sleeping areas from the common areas. This seems like such a small trivial thing but we had absolutely no privacy in our first camper and as the boys get bigger, I appreciate being able to get dressed in my own space. It also allows us to stay up a little later with some lights on and not disturb the sleeping kiddos.
One of my biggest pet peeves about moving into the camper life and away from tent camping was the fact that I found myself not getting as much outdoor time as I used to. In our first camper I kind of felt trapped inside when it came to cooking and playing hostess (even to my family). But with even a small Outdoor Kitchen, I can spend so much more time outside! The mini fridge helps so much for saving on those unnecessary trips into the camper to get beverages. And it is great on a hot summer night to be able to grill outside and keep the inside of the camper cooler.
It was a little annoying in our first camper that there was no sink in our bathroom. Considering the small size of our camper, its not like we had to travel far to wash our hands in the kitchen sink but sometimes you just need a sink in the bathroom! So now we have one and life is right again.
Our first camper just had a mini fridge that fit under the kitchen counter. This new camper has a full height (or at least full height for a camper) fridge and freezer. This changed our lives in so many ways! No more traveling with a big cooler in our bathroom. We can take ice with us and it actually stays frozen! We can take jugs of milk and ice cream!
Since we have the slide, they were able to configure our kitchen a bit different which gave us a ton more counter space. We now have an L-shaped kitchen and they even added a little extra pop up counter at the end of our peninsula. This also includes a much deeper DOUBLE sink with built in covers for each side.
The kitchen also includes an oven that I always thought I wanted. I have yet to actually use this oven but I think that’s just because I was so used to not having one. I have big plans to use it this summer on our two week trip.
Our first camper was a LOT smaller, as I have said. So it wasn’t a big deal to just have a built in space heater and a wall AC unit. But with all of this extra square footage, I am so glad we now have a full HVAC system with vents all over for air flow. We do still sometimes use our rechargeable mini fan to increase air movement in strategically placed areas but its rare. One thing we have realized with this though is that when we are boon docking, we do need 2 generators to run the full system.
An extravagance that I never thought my purist heart would ever accept was the flatscreen tv with exterior mounting bracket. We are not huge TV people and that is definitely not want to spend my camping time watching a screen. But at the end of a long rainy day, or after being out in the sun all day when you are just spent from being out in the elements, and your kids are losing it, its great to be able to turn on a show and just zone out sometimes. Ours is connected to our stereo system with a DVD player. We also have a wire connector that allows us to stream shows from our phones onto the big screen. The crazy thing about this TV is that we are able to pop it off the inside wall of our camper and drop it onto a bracket outside under our awning. This has allowed us to watch a few Bronco games with friends in the most unlikely places.
Larger campers are a little harder to maneuver into many off road boon docking areas but with the higher clearance package, that is not an issue for us. We do like to take advantage of our Rocky Mountains here in Colorado and go boon dock camping whenever we can so having the higher clearance definitely helps us get in and out of some of these areas a lot easier.
I never realized the difference a double axle would make for handling when towing but it really does. It helps keep us stable on the road and that is the main goal!
Colorado is a funny state when it comes to weather. I have OFTEN experienced 80 degree days followed by snow storms the very next day. Actually, this weekend is a good example of typical Colorado springtime weather…it’s late April. I am taking the camper out Thursday to Monday and I am preparing to have snow all day Friday but debating weather or not to take my paddle board since Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be in the high 60s. With the risk of freezing temps overnight, I am comforted by the fact that we have an encased underbelly with heating blankets on our water tanks and systems. This reassures me that our pipes won’t freeze while we are sleeping and it allows us to extend our camping season into the spring and fall a bit longer.
As I said before, the new camper is only about 5 feet longer than the old one. The cost difference was about $16k, but man oh man was it worth it!! We now both have new trucks that can both haul more. We have a Toyota Sequoia and a Toyota Tundra and they both handle beautifully while hauling this camper. I don’t know if it is the bigger trucks, the double axle, the weight distribution hitch or a combination of all three but traveling with this set up is a dream. This is probably the largest unit we will be comfortable with for a while so I am happy that it seems to be checking all of our boxes for comfort for our family.